Page 57 of The Opposite Effect

After closing the bathroom door behind me, I make my way to Ryan.

“Hey,” he greets me, his eyes shifting around my loft with the same amount of eagerness as Diesel’s did earlier. When he fails to locate whatever he’s searching for, he drifts his eyes back to me. “I heard from a reliable source you had an overnight visitor. Scare her off already?”

Like a perfectly timed skit, the vanity tap in the bathroom turns on.

Ryan’s lips tug into a wry smirk, exposing two dimples that sit on his top lip. “Is that Clara?” he questions, waggling his brows.

From the smug look on his face, I know he already knows my reply, but since I’m still running on a high from my bathroom antics with Clara, I nod.

Ryan shoves a white paper bag under his arm before jabbing my mid-section with a set of rapid-fire hits. “Since when did Brax let girls into his bachelor pad?”

“About as long as you’ve been doing house calls,” I fire back, my voice a mix of gruff and playfulness. “What the fuck do you want, Ryan? You’re killing my mojo.”

He freezes and studies my face. “Haven’t you sealed the deal yet?”

I curse under my breath before yanking him into my apartment. “Keep your voice down. Clara wouldn’t appreciate her business being shared with the neighborhood.”

“There isn’t anything to share if you haven’t done the deed,” Ryan mutters under his breath.

“Jesus Christ. Do I look like an asshole? She was in fucking shock,” I reply, preferring to use the excuse of her shocked state than disclose my stupidity about not having any protection in my house.

Ryan glares at me in a sadistic, jeering type of way. “When has a little shock ever stopped you?”

“Whatever. Clara isn’t a bunny, so the rules don’t apply to her,” I hiss through gritted teeth.

His brows hit his hairline. “Diesel said you were gone. Wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it myself.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’ve witnessed it. Now fuck off.” I jerk my head to the hallway.

Ryan laughs. “You didn’t even cite an objection. You’re waypast gone.” He freezes and inhales a quick breath. “Holy fucking shit. Is Brax in love?”

His laughter simmers when I glare into his eyes, warning him I’m close to blowing my top. “You’ve got five seconds to tell me why you’re interrupting an uninterruptable moment before I throw your ass out of my apartment.”

He chuckles, knowing my warning doesn’t hold any threat. Ryan and I have been friends for years, and not once have we come close to blows.

Suddenly, he stops laughing and stands a little straighter. “Shit. When I caught sight of the weird look on your face, I forgot the seriousness of my visit.” The anger boiling my blood last night returns when he says, “Two of the men who mugged Clara were granted bail this morning.”

“How the hell did they get bail so quickly?” My voice is smeared with anger. “It’s Sunday.”

Ryan combs his fingers through his hair beforeshrugging his shoulders. “Although I’m certain they have meddled in this activity before, they had no prior convictions.” He locks his glistening blue eyes with mine. “The DA was also a little lenient on them since they spent a couple of hours at the hospital having a few nasty bruises and gashes taken care of.”

“Could have been worse,” I mumble under my breath.

Even though Ryan heard me, he pretends he didn’t and continues speaking, “Do you want me to put a unit on Clara’s apartment… or are you going to keep a close eye on her?” he asks, his eyes telling me he already knows my reply.

“You worried they’re not done with her?”

His eyelid twitches. “I don’t know. After the shakedown your crew gave them, they might seek revenge.”

“Not if they’re smart,” I interrupt.

Ryan huffs. “Tell me one gangbanger who is?”

I cross my arms in front of my bare chest and glare into his eyes.

“You don’t count. Your grandma and Ryder whipped that attitude right out of you.”

“If only it were a few years earlier,” I grumble.

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