Page 78 of The Texas Ranger: Saddled Up
“Fletcher can’t be trusted, but Aasia isn’t involved.”
Sharp’s patience was slipping again. “Bear, I like Aasia. And right, she and CaDee are best friends, but I’m not asking my wife her opinion on this matter, or to play a role in questioning her friend’s ethics. We are compiling a case to find out who is all involved in trying to murder our team. If it can prove that he’s using the lab as a cesspool for his illegal dealings the place will be shut down and investigated. That includes Aasia. You’re an undercover Ranger on a top-secret mission. This could get ugly fast if you are involved with her. This team, it’s a handshake deal. Although we have free rein to do what we need to do, we still walk a thin line. We must protect our covers with everything we have.”
“Then what was that back there?” Bear jutted his chin. “In the meeting you said you were good. Was that a lie?”
“Again, if it were up to me, I wouldn’t waste my time. But I need to look at the bigger picture.” Sharp’s disappointment was clear in the dark circles under his eyes.
“So let’s cut to the chase. What are you asking?”
“I’m not asking anything. I’m going to let you make the call on this one. I trust that you’ll put the team first.”
Bear’s mind swirled with an inflection of thoughts. He’d given years of his life for freedom for his country. Then his dedication to bringing down criminals on American soil. Yet, where washisfreedom? Freedom to love someone, because yes, he was falling for Aasia. As hard a pill as it was to swallow, he’dsay he’d loved her since the second she smiled in his direction. He trusted her. There was no doubt in his mind that she was an amazing woman with a clear conscious.
There was no way in hell he’d allow his career to dictate who he could be with.
He took a step toward the desk. “I’m making the best choice for the team. Under the circumstances I think it’s best I quit.”
Shock resonated in Sharp’s face. “Bear, hold up. We need you on the team. No one is pressuring you—”
“If people on this team believe I don’t have their backs, or that I’m not one hundred percent committed, then that makes the team weaker. We must rely on each other. If we don’t have that foundation we’re failing. And we’re in danger.”
“Is there anything I can say?”
“Nope. You said I should make the choice so I am. This is my decision.” He turned on the heel of his boot and started for the door.
“Is she worth it?”
Bear paused, looking over his shoulder. “She’s more than worth it but she’s not the reason I’m making this choice. There’s no doubt in my mind I can be logical and make the best choices for the team. I’m deciding this because I’ve had every man’s back on this team. I would have taken a bullet for any one of them, Grimes included. If y’all, especially you, aren’t sure then I’m no longer one of the team, and maybe I never actually was.” He touched the brim of his hat and strolled out of the office.
For the first time in a very long time, he felt freedom.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Aasia always disliked Bentley’s house.
A modern glass house that lacked the homeliness and coziness of what a home should be. The air had a biting quality, like a sheet of ice. The space felt unwelcome, lacking warmth that even the large fireplace covering one wall of the living room couldn’t help.
Bentley stood at the mini bar, his back to her. “Care for a drink, dear?” His British accent was missing.
“No.” The last thing she needed was a drink. Her mind still whirred from what she’d uncovered in the data from the lab.
He strode over, placing his glass of whiskey on the table then loosening the tie on the robe. He had an air about him, reminding her of a silent hunter searching for prey. How had she not seen this in him before? Maybe she did. Maybe she’d missed that. It made her sick. Made her skin crawl. He sat down on the leather couch and crossed his ankles on the edge of the coffee table.
From where she sat, he seemed defeated in a way.
A self-absorbed grin carved his lips. “I knew you’d eventually come.”
She blinked. “Excuse me?’
He spread his arms over the back of the sofa. “You and me. You want to discuss getting back together,” he said the words with such assurance that it made her intestines spasm.
“I need you to listen. Don’t interrupt. You and I have been over long ago. We just prolonged the inevitable. And while you’re at it, please stop looking at me with that pained expression that you’ve perfected.” She noticed the subtle tightening around his eyes. “You didn’t expect this from the person you called “unsavory”?”
“There might have been a misunderstanding. Maybe I was being too harsh—”
“Misunderstanding? Harsh?” She didn’t mask her annoyance. “What you call a misunderstanding is you degrading me for a choice I made when I was a kid. You know why I did it. I was hungry. Have you ever been hungry for a day in your life, Bentley? I’m not talking about your mouth salivating because your mother made delicious looking lasagna and you were told to wait until dinner. I’m talking about hunger that makes you feel like your insides are being eaten inside out. That feeling of not being able to think because you don’t have the energy, or desire, to ponder anything but satisfying the hunger.”
His grin diminished a tad. “You had Pedora. She took care of you.”
