25
Ryker looked up at Paxton and Granger. “Bianca is making a move? What’s she done?”
“She asked me to lunch. I’m leaving now, but I wanted to make sure this wire was working,” Granger said about the device Kale had sent them. It was so small you could barely see it.
It’s working.
Ryker looked at the text that came through from Kale and shook his head. “The audio and video are working. Don’t go falling in love with Bianca.”
Granger gave him the middle finger and then walked out of the office as Paxton sat down in the chair across from him. “We told Bianca we were in trouble for messing up some paperwork and that’s why we had to report to you. About ten minutes ago, she asked me for my login information. She went all damsel-in-distress about losing hers and that she’d get in big trouble with you if she couldn’t get something submitted by the end of the day.”
Ryker’s phone buzzed again. “My guy heard and saw with the cameras in the room. Everything is in place for when she uses the login,” Ryker read out loud and Paxton nodded.
Mary Alice knocked on the door and Ryker called her in. When Mary Alice entered, Dare was right behind her. “How’s your arm?” Ryker asked with a quirk to his lips.
“You should pay me extra for just sitting here doing nothing. Do you know how hard it is to not do anything but look like you’re trying to doing something?” Mary Alice said as she took a seat, yanking her arm from her sling. “But our girl is at it. She’s suckered Paxton into being her slave, she’s flirting with Granger, but it’s really Dare she’s after. Oh, and I did what you asked me to.”
“Dare?” Ryker asked, looking up at his cousin-in-law.
“What can I say? I’m irresistible,” Dare said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“She likes the bad boys,” Mary Alice said. She acts all hoity when Dare comes in, but then she follows him to the docks.
“Like I said, I’m irresistible.” Dare shrugged. “But she wants me for my criminal history. She asked if I was part of a gang, what I was in jail for, and if I needed money. She flirted like crazy, but she was more interested in what I could do for her.”
Ryker’s phone buzzed again. She just signed onto your network from the break room using Paxton’s login. She told Granger she had to use the restroom real quick before their date. I turned on the computer’s camera and am recording everything. Bianca cleared four containers from security. We’re watching their every move as we replace them with our decoys. They’ll be offloaded tonight.
“Looks like Bianca has cleared four containers to be offloaded tonight to bypass security,” Ryker said, looking up from his phone to Dare. “Do you think she’ll call you to help?”
Dare nodded. “I laid the trap. I told her I needed money and I made sure my criminal history played to what she might need to steal containers. After I told her that, she asked me to get drinks after work. She said it was to discuss what we have in common.”
Ryker grunted and Dare looked at him questioningly. “Sorry, I was just hoping to get home to see Kenzie tonight, but it looks like it’ll be a long night at the office. Hopefully, we can get this wrapped up.”
Dare turned to Paxton and frowned. Then sniffled. “Poor boy. He wanted to see his girlfriend, but he has to work. So sad.”
Paxton let out a dramatic sigh. “My heart breaks for him. It’s not like we have sexy, eager, loving women at home waiting for us.”
“He’s just so in love that he can’t stand to be away from Kenzie for any more than a second,” Dare said, getting into the dramatics of it all.
“Sure, sure, make fun of me.” Ryker stared them down. He pointed his finger at Dare first. “I recall you flipping out when Harper left you tied to a chair, racing after your prime suspect. In case you don’t remember, I saved the live video stream of it. And you,” Ryker said, turning to point his finger at Paxton. Ryker shook his head in disappointment. “You screamed like a teen girl at a boy band concert over Bubba. You have no room to ever question anything anyone does.”
Dare chuckled and Paxton frowned. “Now, that’s not fair. No one warned me about fried chicken-eating alligators who knock on back doors.”
“But, seriously, thanks for helping me out.” Ryker picked up his phone and sent a text to his family. “I guess I better tell them we won’t be at family dinner at the bar tonight.”
Dare looked up from his phone, too. “I’m having Harper make sure Kenzie knows she’s invited to family dinner.”
“I just asked Tinsley to bring her,” Paxton said.
All joking aside, his female cousins had married good guys. His male cousins had married great women. For so long, that side of Ryker had been shut off. But Kenzie had brought back the desire to have someone he loved in his life. Someone to share his life with. Someone to love and someone to love him. Someone who would laugh at his jokes, to snuggle up to by the fire, to share his whole world with, and to be a part of hers. A partner, a lover, and a friend. He had that all with Kenzie.
Ryker’s family in Kentucky all said when they found love, it hit strong and hard, just like Paxton had said. They’d also all been happily married, from a couple of months all the way through sixty-five plus years with his great aunt and uncle. Now his own family in Shadows Landing was finding that love, and Ryker had to admit it didn’t seem scary anymore. Not when it was Kenzie whom he trusted with his heart.
“Thanks, guys. I’m sure Kenzie will appreciate not being left alone at the house,” Ryker told them, shooting off his own text to Kenzie, updating her on what was going on.
Ryker got to work as Dare and Paxton went to get things ready for the sting tonight. Ryker didn’t realize how much time had passed until he heard Mary Alice yelling down the hallway at Bianca. A moment later, his door was opened and Bianca came in with a flirty smile on her face.
She closed the door on Mary Alice and Ryker fumed. “I take it there’s an emergency for you to burst in here?”
“That witch needs to give her broom a rest. I wanted to see if there was anything you need me for. I can stay late tonight to assist you with anything for work or any of your personal needs,” Bianca practically purred as she came to sit on the edge of his desk. She crossed her long legs and her skirt rode up to her upper thigh.
“No need. I have a date tonight with my girlfriend. You can leave at the regular time and enjoy a night to yourself, or with your boyfriend, if you have one. Thanks for your devotion to the job, though,” Ryker said as nonchalantly as he could as he picked up some files and started to read through them. However, Bianca didn’t leave.
“Girlfriend?” She smiled as if she was happy for him, but he knew otherwise. “I didn’t know you were dating anyone. Usually it’s all over the gossip magazines.”
“I guess you get insider information then,” Ryker said, looking up quickly and seeing the hard glint in her eye. Why would Bianca care? It was quite likely that she was dating Joey. “Anything else?”
“Not right now, but I’m always here for you.”
“Thank you, Bianca. You’ve been a life-saver with Mary Alice’s injury.”