Page 70 of Recklessly in Love

“Sera’s good at what she does,” he replies with a glint in his eye. “And luckily, so am I.”

My brows raise. “You’ve got something? Already?”

“Oh, I’ve got what we need,” he assures me. “And while sharing the details with you would be unethical, let’s just say it didn’t take much digging to find evidence of serious misconduct by Joanie’s former employers that is related to the evidence they fabricated. And that releasing said fabricated evidence would also end up revealing their indiscretions.”

I choke down a laugh. “You’re going to blackmail them right back?” I ask incredulously.

Bryce contemplates that for a moment. “Strictly speaking, it isn’t blackmail. I’m simply pointing out to them that if they choose to disseminate false information about former employees, they will inadvertently be drawing attention to other information that isn’t false. You’d have to look closely, but it’s not hard to find. Thankfully, I’m under no legal obligation to report what I noticed, nor am I in any way guaranteeing it will never be revealed. Just not by me.” He smirks.

And there’s no better word for it: I’m gobsmacked. If Sera is a real estate whiz, this guy is her security counterpart. If what he’s saying is true, it sounds like he knows the exact line he shouldn’t cross and uses it fully to his advantage.

“Well, I’m glad you’re on my side,” I finally reply. “So what happens now?”

“The next step would be to approach the law firm.”

I ruminate on that, but I’m still unsure since I don’t know what information he has or if what he says is true; that this is all on the up and up.

“You’re sure there’s nothing illegal about this?”

Bryce leans back in his chair and crosses his legs. “I’m sure. I wouldn’t risk my company, you, or Joanie,” he assures me. Despite hardly knowing him, he’s got a very confident, reassuring air about him, and it’s hard not to trust him. Still …

“What would you do if you were in my shoes?” I ask.

“If it was Sera in this situation, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect her,” Bryce says without hesitation.

His words remind me that he’s done exactly that in the past and that he’s the reason my cousin is alive today. Moreover, he’s right. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect Joanie. So I nod resolutely. “Do it.”

Bryce smiles sheepishly. “Would you be mad if I told you I already did?”

I can’t help it; I burst out laughing. “Hell, no,” I assure him. “Are you serious?”

He shrugs, grinning now. “It was time-sensitive, so I had to act fast.”

“Damn,” I say, shaking my head and laughing. “I’m guessing it went well then?”

Bryce dips his chin in agreement. “They’ve agreed to destroy all the false evidence against Joanie. The partner who gave the information to your father’s attorney has warned him that if it ever gets out, they’ll ruin him — their words. And just to be safe,” Bryce adds, “I had the firm issue a public statement disclaiming any erroneous information about former employees that may have been leaked.”

I lean back in my chair, scrubbing my hands over my face. “Holy shit,” I say with a laugh. “I can’t even begin to thank you enough, Bryce.”

“I’m glad I was able to help,” he replies sincerely.

“I’m just having trouble wrapping my head around this. It’s over? Just like that?”

The corner of Bryce’s mouth tips into a smile. “Well, there was some posturing and threatening, but … yes, pretty much just like that,” he replies. “We take care of our clients, Greg. Especially ones that are related to my wife.”

I chuckle. “Well, I’m grateful for that, but you haven’t asked me to pay you anything yet, so am I really a client?” I point out.

Bryce grins. “Buy me a drink, and we’re even.”

“Right now?”

Bryce cocks his head to the side. “You know what? Yes. Right now. You game?”

I spread my arms and stand up. “Absolutely,” I reply. How can I turn him down after that?

Over whisky, Bryce gets me talking about Joanie and encourages me to return to her as soon as possible.

“I’m afraid she’s too mad at me,” I confess. “She asked me to come back a few days ago, but I said I couldn’t. I haven’t heard from her since.”

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