The men looked away, almost tormented by the thought. Bones reached out and grabbed Bridget’s hand, kissing her knuckles before intertwining their fingers as he led her over to stand behind me. “Don’t cross the highway, Grady. I don’t want to shoot you, brother, but I will.”
Donovan crossed his arms over his chest and nodded at Grady. “I will, too. I’ll hate myself, but I’ll do it.”
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Grady said, running his free hand through his hair.
Wayne stepped forward, standing beside Grady. “Kelsey, I’d give my life for you or your family. Most of us would. I don’t have it in me to shoot Grady, though. Not even if he held a gun to my head. I’ll honor your wishes and stay on this side of the highway.”
“Your honesty is appreciated. No hard feelings,” I said.
Tweedle walked over, leaving Ryan and standing beside me.
“Babe,” Ryan said, slowly shaking his head. “What are you doing?”
Tweedle shrugged. “While you were gone, Kelsey saved me from being shot and also stopped me from being decapitated. If the price to pay is shooting two people I don’t know, I’ll pay it.”
“Do you even know how to shoot?” I asked her.
“My uncle’s a cop. He taught me how to shoot and makes me go to the firing range twice a year,” she answered, nodding. “He just doesn’t let me walk with a loaded gun.”
Ryan sighed, placing his hands on his hips and looking at the parking lot.
“When Tweedle visits, we’ll protect her like she’s one of our own,” I said to Ryan. “Donovan or Bones will escort her back and forth as needed. There’s no reason for you to commit to something we both know you can’t do.”
“Grady saved my life more than once overseas. I can’t do it. I can’t agree to shooting him.”
“He did?” Tweedle asked, looking over at Grady with appreciation. “I didn’t know that.”
“Relax, Tweedle,” Bridget said, grinning. “No one is dumb enough to hand you a loaded gun. You’d never be put in a position to shoot Grady.”
She giggled. “Whew. That’s a relief.”
“Wait—” Ryan said. “How were you almost decapitated? And why don’t I know about this?”
“Ryan, dude, you don’t want that mental image,” Bridget said before looking over at Jackson. “Jackson? Where do you stand?”
Jackson glared at me. “What about Reggie?”
“Reggie doesn’t get a vote,” I said, shaking my head. “He goes where you go. Even if he fired a gun, it’s likely he’d miss.”
Several of the guys chuckled.
“Are you really making me decide?” Jackson walked within a few feet of me. The veins in his biceps threatened to break through the skin as he gripped his fists in tight knots. “You’ve called me your brother for years, and this is what it comes down to? Fuck you, Kelsey!” Jackson stormed toward Headquarters, followed by Wayne and several others.
“What about me?” Trigger asked.
“You’re on this side of the highway,” I answered. “Sorry, Trigger. We haven’t worked together long enough for me to allow you to cross.”
“I’ve shot three people with tranquilizer guns on this side! I did it because you ordered me to!”
“Are you worried about retaliation, my friend?” Casey asked, throwing an arm over his shoulder. “Relax. We’ve all done shit because of orders. No one will hold it against you.”
“Wanna bet?” Grady said, glaring over at Trigger.
“He’s off limits, Grady,” Donovan ordered. “He’s still an employee.”
Grady shrugged, not committing to anything.
I doubted Grady would actually go after Trigger. He preferred intimidation over beat-downs. This new Grady was a stranger to me, though.
“Donovan, I need a private word,” I said, walking away from those who remained.
Donovan followed me away from the crowd until I was sure we wouldn’t be overheard.
“Shit. That was intense,” Donovan whispered. “I hope you have a plan to fix this mess.”
“I have several. We can discuss in more detail later. We’ll meet at your house after dinner.”
“Why not your house?”
“The seams of my house are ready to burst. It’s now the school, the nursery, and my office. Your house is better. Fewer ears. We’ll meet in your basement.”
“What do you need until then?”
“Go through the client files with Wayne and turn everyone away except for a minor actress by the name of Daphne Davenport. We’ll keep her safe, but I plan on exposing her lies this weekend.”
“What is she lying about?”
“I think she invented her stalker for the attention.”
Donovan shook his head, perplexed by the concept. “What the hell. I’ll play along.”
“Deal. I best get going before Grady starts round three.”
“Pops took your car, so take mine. I’ll walk or get a ride.” He handed me his keys.
“Watch out for vans filled with armed men if you walk.”
Donovan looked over his shoulder at the road. “Oh, hell, yeah. I’ll definitely walk home.”
I made my way toward Donovan’s SUV and whistled, getting Bridget, Tech, and Tyler’s attention and nodding toward Donovan’s ride.
“Kelsey,” Grady called out. “Can you give me a minute?”
He motioned for Sebrina to wait before he jogged over to me. I secretly hoped he’d tell me it was all a lie or that I’d misunderstood. The hard set of his jaw and cold glare of his eyes told me that wasn’t the case.
“Make it quick. I need to get home.”
“I want to see Nicholas.”
“No.”
“Just let me talk to him.”
“No.”
I climbed inside Donovan’s SUV and closed the door, turning over the engine. Grady started yelling at me through the closed window. Bridget got into the front passenger seat and turned the radio to the highest level. Tyler and Tech slid into the backseat. I pulled out, leaving Grady in the parking lot still screaming.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“What day is it?” I asked as I pulled into the garage.
“Thursday,” Tyler answered. “And, no, you didn’t forget to make dinner. I asked Lisa to cover for you tonight.”
“See what I mean about us being a good team?” I said, grinning at him in the mirror.
Tyler smirked back at me. “Figured you had enough on your plate.”
“Which reminds me,” I said, sighing. “I might’ve caved about Nicholas getting a dog. Can you talk to Beth about buying a guard dog? Seeing Storm in action the last few days has swayed my vote.”
“Agreed,” Bridget said. “Watching Storm sink his teeth into the guy who tried to take Beth was—awesome!”
“I’ll talk to Beth,” Tyler said. “And Nightcrawler. He mentioned he’s worked with guard dogs before.”
“Sounds good, but let’s keep it quiet until we find out the details. Nicholas can’t handle any more disappointment right now. I also don’t want him to think I’m replacing Grady with a dog.”
“Even if you are?” Bridget asked.
“I’m not,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s about protection, companionship, and teaching Nicholas responsibility by caring for a pet.”
Reggie opened the kitchen door and looked out at us. “Are you guys getting out of the car?”
I climbed out. “Reg, we need to talk.”
“What’s up?” he asked as he walked out and closed the door behind him.
“If you have any belongings here, you need to get them. You’re being relocated to Headquarters. Only Bones, Donovan, Wild Card, and Tweedle will be allowed on this side of the highway until we sort out the current cartel threat.”
“I don’t understand. You think I might be a mole?”
“No, but the decision was made that only those who are willing to shoot Grady or Sebrina can stay on our side. Jackson refused t
o agree, and the two of you are a package deal.”
“You’re kicking me out?” Reggie asked, his voice escalating three notches higher than normal.
“Yes.”
“Is this about charging the plane to go to Indiana?”
“No. This is about the security of my family,” I said, stepping closer to him and placing my hands on his shoulders. “This doesn’t change how I feel about you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You just need to trust me, Reggie. Can you do that?”
His eyes showed how betrayed he felt, but he nodded.
“Do you need to grab anything?” Tyler asked him. “I can give you a lift back across the highway.”
“No. My stuff’s in Jackson’s apartment,” Reggie answered, taking Bridget’s place in the front seat.
I passed the keys to Tyler before walking into the house. I couldn’t wait for this day to be over.
Entering, my spirits brightened on hearing the kids laughing. I followed the noise past Lisa and Beth, who were in the kitchen making dinner, and leaned against the wall in the living room. Anne rolled the dice and groaned as the kids laughed again. They were playing Monopoly. Hattie and Anne sat on the floor, leaning against the couch. Whiskey and Pops sat on the couch behind them, laughing. Wild Card sat on the floor on an oversized pillow at the end of the rectangular coffee table, reaching over to snag the dice. The kids sat on the floor across from Anne and Hattie, cheering Wild Card on as he dropped the dice onto the board.
“Yes,” Wild Card said as he moved the shoe around the board and landed on the community chest square. He drew his card and flashed it around to show everyone. “Collect a hundred dollars!”
Pops checked the card and then, serving as the banker, paid Wild Card. Wild Card glanced over at me and winked before handing the dice to Nicholas.
Nicholas didn’t fare as well, landing on one of Anne’s properties, but he was laughing as he paid her. Looking at the measly few fake dollars she had in front of her, she’d likely be out of the game soon. I smiled before turning back toward the kitchen and then down the basement stairs, sneaking out of sight before the kids saw me.
At the bottom of the stairs, I checked to see if anyone was sleeping on the bunk beds but the room was empty. I walked to the far corner and stepped behind the bar, pulling out several bottles before deciding on an expensive cognac that Mickey McNabe had sent me as a gift. I turned, selecting a brandy snifter glass from the hanging rack on the wall.
“Grab a glass for me, too,” Katie said as she walked through the patio sliding door.
“I didn’t know you drank cognac,” I said, pulling another glass and pouring us both a drink.
“Never tried it.” She slid onto a barstool and smelled the alcohol before taking a sip. “Damn. That’s smooth.”
I walked around the bar and slid on top of my own barstool. “How’d you know I was down here?”
“Tech texted me to check in with you,” Katie said. “Want to talk about it?”
“About what?”
“Whatever horrible thing is weighing you down, making you feel the need to hide in the basement.”
“Who says I’m hiding?”
“Aren’t you?”
I took another small sip before shaking my head. “I have everything I can’t control properly locked away in my head. My focus is on figuring out my next move on the things I can control.”
“Our next move,” Katie said, setting her glass down. “Grady might’ve bailed, but the rest of us are still here. Don’t revert back to the old Kelsey who carried the weight of the world on her shoulders and wouldn’t rely on anyone for help.”
“Yeah,” Bridget said, snickering as she walked across the gym. “What she said. Ooh, cognac. Yum.”
“Here, take mine,” Katie said. “I think I prefer beer.” Katie slid her glass to Bridget and pulled a beer from the basement refrigerator. “What’s the plan? What’s next?”
“There’s a meeting tonight at Donovan’s after dinner. You both should be there, along with Wild Card, Tyler, Tech, and Bones. I’ll go over everything then.”
“Sounds good,” Katie said, looking toward the stairs. “I know you’re juggling a lot, but Anne and Lisa are hoping to talk to you about the prostitution case. I think they found a lead.”
“What kind of lead?”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to steal their thunder. They’ve been working hard trying to solve the mystery.”
“Fair enough. I’ll make some time for them tonight.”
Bridget snapped her fingers, shaking her head. “There goes that half an hour I scheduled for you to have a personal life.”
“We both knew it was never going to happen,” I said, grinning.
“What are you two talking about?” Katie asked.
“Shipwreck said I needed to schedule time to sort out my feelings and shit.”
“Yuck. It’s bad enough to have emotions, but he expected you to think about them on purpose?”
“Yes, Katie,” Donovan said, coming down the stairs. “Emotionally stable people actually do that from time to time.”
Katie stuck her tongue out at him.
He walked over and checked the bottle of cognac before grabbing a glass. “We’re drinking the good stuff tonight. What’s the occasion?”
I smirked, shrugging.
Donovan poured his drink. “This is one of those female fuck you’s to Grady, isn’t it?”
I couldn’t help the smirk. “We might’ve been saving the bottle for a weekend getaway.”
Donovan lifted his glass, saluting me, before taking a sip. “Hmm. You and Grady need to break up more often. This is good.”
“At three thousand a bottle, it better be,” Bridget said.
Donovan and I looked at each other, then looked at Bridget.
“Seriously?” I asked.
“You didn’t know?”
“No. It was a present from Mickey.”
“I really need to meet this guy,” Katie said, laughing.
Donovan’s eyes narrowed. “Did you and Mickey ever...”
“I’m not a slut!”
“Who said anything about being a slut?” Donovan asked.
Bridget poured more cognac into my glass. “Shipwreck put his foot in his mouth earlier about the whole Bones, Wild Card, and Grady thing. Kelsey didn’t react well.”
“How angry was she?” Katie asked, leaning toward Bridget.
“Steam was hissing between her eyelids. It was epic.”
“I’m right here,” I grumbled.
“Our little dragon.” Donovan chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re not the first one to sleep with all of them. Hell, most of us spent time with Sebrina before she and Grady got hitched.”
“Including you?” Lisa asked from the bottom of the stairs.
“Uh,” Donovan answered, eyes wide with surprise to find Lisa standing there.
“Dinner’s ready,” Lisa snapped as she raised her chin, jaw set in anger, and climbed the stairs.
Donovan scrubbed a hand down his face. “Oh, shit.”
“Relax,” I said, picking up my glass and walking toward the stairs. “Lisa will get over it in a month or two.”
Bridget and Katie laughed as they followed me up the stairs.
~*~*~
Dinner was divine. It wasn’t fancy, but the table was filled with all my favorite comfort foods: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, scalloped corn, dinner rolls, and even cheesecake for dessert.
“The boys and kids are in charge of cleanup tonight,” I said, standing and carrying my plate into the kitchen. “The girls and I need to go over a case I have in Miami. Rumor has it they found a clue.”
“It might be nothing,” Anne said, doubting herself.
“Yeah,” Lisa chimed in. “It’s not like we know what we’re doing. Maybe we're imagining it.”
“You’re not,” Tech said, clearing his plate. “You both should be proud of yourselves. You found a n
eedle in a haystack.”
“Now I’m really curious,” I said. “Let’s meet in the atrium. Team Kelsey only.”
“Team Kelsey?” Donovan asked, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s a thing now,” Bridget said. “I even had shirts made.”
“Are they pink?” Bones asked, smirking.
“Of course not. They’re for the paintball tournament this weekend. They’re camo green with pink glitter.”
I walked down the hall to my bedroom before the guys saw the smile on my face.
Tech carried his computer, following me. “Bridget is an extraordinary liar.”
“The trick is to keep part of the lie true, so you can focus your mind on the truth part, which was that she really did have shirts made.”
“I can’t wait for the paintball war on Sunday. Team Kelsey’s going to own that trophy.”
The atrium, now functioning as Abigail’s nursery during the day, was cluttered with toys, books, diapers, and other baby essentials. Tech and I scooped everything up from the couches, dumping it into a play pen.
“Are you sure you don’t want Abigail and her nanny to be at my house during the day?” Lisa asked as she and Anne walked into the atrium.
“It’s safer to keep the kids under one roof,” I answered, tossing Abigail’s baby blanket to the side as I sat on a couch. “It’s fine. It’s only until we straighten out the cartel mess.”
“You make it sound like an audit,” Bridget said, walking in with my laptop. “Just show a few documents and the death threat will be over.”
I tilted my head, focusing on the coffee table. Was it that simple? Charlie described Miguel as a cold-hearted businessman. Would he go so far as giving up his own brother to protect his companies? “Tech, I need everything you can access on Miguel’s companies. Financial reports. Tax filings. Employee lists. Focus on the companies in the U.S.”
Lisa, Anne, Bridget, and Tech grinned at me.
“Sit! We need to go over the Miami case. What did you find?”
“It might not be anything,” Anne said, sitting beside me as she handed me a folder.
Hearts and Aces (Kelsey's Burden Series Book 7) Page 20