Hearts and Aces (Kelsey's Burden Series Book 7)

by Kaylie Hunter

  “Why does everyone look so freaked out?” Maggie asked, walking into the dining room. Maggie had showered and changed. Her make-up and hair were done to her normal perfection.

  “Is that my dress?” I asked, looking at her outfit.

  Maggie did a slow spin, swinging her hips back and forth. “I raided your closet. I needed something fabulous to wear to impress my new fake boyfriend.”

  “Nailed it,” Bones said, earning himself a whap in the gut from Bridget.

  Lisa pointed at Donovan. “Eyes anywhere but Maggie’s ass, Donovan!”

  Donovan leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling.

  “Well?” Maggie asked. “What did I walk in on that looked so serious?”

  “Alex can explain. Lisa, send Doc upstairs when he gets here. Anne, can you stall the kids?”

  “We’ll handle it,” Anne answered before I started climbing the private stairs.

  ~*~*~

  The door to the bedroom was open, and I heard Pops and Hattie laughing as Wild Card told some story in his slow-drawling cowboy voice. “I honestly don’t know if Kelsey can take anymore of Tweedle’s rainbows and sunshine shit. She was grinding her teeth so bad I thought she’d break a molar.”

  I leaned against the wall and listened.

  Hattie giggled. “Someone needs to warn Tweedle.”

  “We’ve all tried,” Wild Card said. “She’s convinced she’ll win Kelsey over to her perky side.”

  “Not my baby girl,” Pops said, chuckling. “She’s a fighter, not a cheerleader.”

  “She’s definitely scrappy.” Wild Card laughed. “I don’t know how she keeps everything going. On top of everything else, she arranged for a client to come this weekend so she can prove the woman is faking her stalker. Maggie’s going to pretend to be the security guard’s girlfriend so Kelsey can see how the woman reacts.”

  “Oh, I want to see that,” Hattie said.

  “No can do,” Wild Card said, shaking his head. “Even if you were feeling well, Kelsey’s drawn a line at the highway. Only a handful of us are allowed to cross back and forth.”

  “How did Jackson and Reggie end up on the other side?” Pops asked.

  “Can’t say. It’s classified.”

  “You can tell them,” I said, climbing the last two stairs and joining Wild Card on the other side of the bed. “I trust them not to say the wrong thing to the wrong person.”

  “Good. Because I really wanted to tell them,” he said, laughing.

  Wild Card explained how Jackson was pretending to be mad at me, but how he was really faking it to spy on Grady and Sebrina.

  Hattie rolled her eyes. “Who else stayed on that side of the line?”

  “Most weren’t given an option,” I answered. “Wayne chose to stay at Headquarters, which I expected.”

  “I’m assuming Mr. Tyler made sure the security on this side understands that the order was not to shoot to kill?” Hattie asked.

  “Yeah,” I said, laughing. “Tyler explained to everyone that the order to shoot Sebrina or Grady if they crossed meant to use a tranquilizer gun or wound them, not to shoot-shoot them.”

  “Good.” Hattie nodded. “I’m surprised Wayne didn’t figure that out.”

  “I’m glad he didn’t. Grady would’ve thought it suspicious if Wayne chose my side.”

  “Am I interrupting?” Doc asked from the top of the stairs.

  “Not if you’ve got answers for us,” Pops said, standing to shake Doc’s hand.

  “I do, but first,” Doc said, turning to Hattie. “Do you want to talk in private?”

  “Not necessary,” Hattie said, shaking her head.

  “All right then,” Doc said, pulling a chair over from the small table. “I got the blood test results back.”

  Wild Card laid his hand on top of mine. Pops was already holding Hattie’s.

  “You have hypothyroidism by the looks of it. It’s perfectly treatable. In a nutshell, your thyroid isn’t getting the right amounts of hormones to the rest of your body.”

  “How is it treated?” Pops asked.

  “A simple pill. It might take a few weeks before she’s back in the swing of things. We’ll retest her blood every few weeks to make sure we have the dosage right, then after that we’ll test every six months.” Doc patted Hattie’s arm. “You’ll have to take the medication every day, likely for the rest of your life, but I assure you that once you’re feeling better, you won’t care. I already called the prescription into the pharmacy.”

  “And next time,” I said, fake glaring at Hattie, “you won’t wait so long to tell us you’re feeling poorly.”

  Hattie smiled at me. “Yes, sunshine.”

  I shifted onto my hands and knees, leaning over to hug Hattie. “Don’t scare me like this ever again. I can take a lot of things, but worrying about something happening to you is too much.”

  “I’ll do my best,” she said, patting my cheek.

  I crawled over to the far edge of the bed to get up. “Do you feel up to having a few visitors while I go pick up your pills?”

  “If everyone’s not too busy that would be nice. Should I go downstairs?”

  “Nope,” Wild Card said, walking over to the top of the stairs. He whistled loudly and a dozen people, including the kids, ran up. “She needs to take a pill. That’s it. She’ll be back to her normal self in a few weeks.”

  Everyone cheered as they converged on Hattie and Pops, climbing on top of the bed or taking their turns leaning over to hug her. I snuck out and down the stairs.

  “I didn’t want to intrude,” Maggie said from the bottom of the stairs. “Seemed like a family moment.”

  “She’s going to be fine. I’m heading to the pharmacy for the pills she needs.”

  “Do you think it would be okay if I snuck upstairs?”

  “Hattie would get a kick out of seeing you in that dress. Wild Card told her about your undercover assignment. She seemed disappointed she wouldn’t be able to witness it. Can you talk to Tech about sending the video highlights to her? She could use the laugh.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Maggie said, heading up the stairs.

  I went to my bedroom to put on my boots. They didn’t exactly coordinate with my yoga pants and sweatshirt, but I didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was getting Hattie’s pills so she would feel better. When I returned to the kitchen, Tweedle stood looking toward the stairs.

  “Go on,” I said. “You can go say hi, too.”

  Tweedle hurried around the kitchen, stacking a tray of baked goods before climbing the stairs. I grabbed my handbag and was reaching for the door when I heard a loud ruckus above me.

  “I’m okay,” Tweedle said. “Just a little rug burn.”

  I shook my head as I walked out.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Doc must have warned the pharmacy to have the prescription ready to go, because I breezed in, paid, and breezed out. I was crossing the parking lot, digging my keys out of my handbag, when someone grabbed me from behind, covering my face with a rag.

  Reflexively, I tried to breathe, realizing my mistake too late as I smelled the chloroform. Knowing I only had seconds, I threw an elbow into my assailant’s ribs, kicked his kneecap hard enough to hear it crack, and felt his weight drop to the side and his hands loosen their grip. Turning, I managed a throat punch as my head spun with dizziness.

  As the world tilted, I staggered toward the pharmacy. The electronic glass doors swooshed open, and I fell to the floor. Dragging my handbag in front of me, I pulled my phone as I was surrounded by customers and employees asking if I needed help. I managed to hit the call and speaker buttons, calling Tyler, before my vision blurred again.

  “What’s up?” Tyler answered.

  “Help! Send help!”

  “Where are you?” Tyler yelled.

  “She’s at the pharmacy on the corner of ninth street,” one of the customers answered for me. “She seems dizzy. Should we call an ambulance?”
<
br />   “I’m on my way, Kelsey! Hang on!”

  “Chloro—” I’m not sure if I finished speaking before I passed out.

  ~*~*~

  When I woke, my head was propped on Dave’s thigh as he smiled down at me. I blinked a few times, trying to clear my vision. He was wearing his uniform, meaning someone had called 911.

  “Blood pressure is coming back down,” Doc said from my left, removing a cuff. “Heartbeat is still a bit fast.”

  Renato stood at my feet, watching the crowd.

  “How long have I been out?” I asked, trying to sit up.

  “Easy there,” Doc said, pushing me back. “Do you know what happened?”

  “Chloroform.”

  “That’s what Tyler thought you were trying to say,” Doc said, nodding. “We should take you to the hospital for observation.”

  “No.”

  “That’s what I thought you’d say.” Doc chuckled, moving a stethoscope to my chest. “Give me a few deep breaths.”

  I did as he asked, but as soon as he moved away, I grabbed Dave’s arm and pulled myself into a sitting position. My head spun a few times, but my vision settled after a few seconds. I reached a hand out to Renato for him to help me stand. “Where’s Tyler?”

  Renato grasped my hand and extended his other arm behind my back as he helped to lift me. Once I was upright, the ground tilted. He held me steady.

  “Tyler’s with Steve,” Dave answered. “They’re watching the security footage.”

  “Take me to them.”

  Dave walked beside me holding one arm as Renato held the other and braced my back. The distance from the front of the store to the backroom seemed never ending.

  “Hurry up!” Steve barked at someone as I walked into a small office.

  Tyler saw me and reached out a hand to guide me into a chair. “What can you tell us?”

  “I wasn’t paying attention. Hattie—” I looked over at Doc, “—damn it. Where did Hattie’s pills go?”

  “They were scattered in the parking lot. The pharmacist is filling another order. We’ll get her pills to her.”

  “They’ll worry.” I shook my head. “If I’m not back with the pills, they’ll worry something happened.”

  “Something did happen,” Steve said, glaring over at me.

  “She’s right,” Tyler said, digging into my handbag which was strapped over his shoulder. “Hattie and the kids can’t take any more stress.” He pulled out one of my cash envelopes. “Doc? Can you take the new order of pills to Hattie? Tell her there was a mess up at the pharmacy and you offered to bring them back while Kelsey runs an errand for Father Eric at the mission. Hattie and the kids know Father Eric ropes Kelsey into doing favors all the time. They won’t think anything of it.”

  “I’ll handle it, but only if you promise to make sure Kelsey doesn’t drive for the next twenty-four hours and will be closely monitored.”

  “Deal,” Tyler agreed. “What should we be watching for?”

  “She’ll likely be dizzy for a while, maybe nauseous too. I’m most concerned about her heart, though. If she loses consciousness or starts having heart palpitations, call an ambulance, then call me.”

  Renato nodded. “We’ll keep a close eye on her.”

  Doc shook Renato’s hand and left. I tried to roll my eyes, but I think they went more cross-eyed than anything.

  “How in the hell did someone get the jump on you?” Steve yelled at me.

  “I wasn’t paying attention,” I admitted with a shrug. “I was thinking about getting home and getting the pills to Hattie. She’s been sick, and I’m worried about her. I was digging my keys out when someone came up behind me.”

  “Did you get a look at him?” Tyler asked.

  “Not really. About your height. Good muscle strength, but lean. The rest is a blur.”

  “I have the footage,” the store employee who was sitting in front of the computer said.

  Tyler reached over and turned the monitor so we could watch the video. It wasn’t easy to focus, but there wasn’t much to see. My attacker wore a beanie, pulled low over his forehead and ears, and kept his back to the camera.

  “Damn,” Dave said. “He’ll be limping for a few weeks, that’s for sure.”

  “I would’ve done more damage if it weren’t for the damn chloroform.”

  “This is a problem,” Renato said, nodding toward the monitor. “He’s not a part-time smuggler picking up a side job.”

  “I know,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “Santiago sent a professional this time. I got lucky.”

  “Email that video to me,” Steve ordered the employee, dropping a business card on the desk.

  Tyler helped me stand and took one side as Dave took the other. Renato walked out first, scanning the store, then the parking lot, as they half dragged me to my SUV and loaded me into the passenger seat. Tyler got behind the wheel. Renato and two of his men rode their bikes in front of us as Tyler drove us home. One of our security SUVs followed behind us.

  “What do you need?” Tyler asked.

  “For my head to clear. Shit. I can’t let Nicholas see me like this.”

  “Headquarters?” Tyler asked.

  “No way. I don’t need the men at Aces to grill me with questions. Besides, I’m not up to dealing with Grady or Sebrina either. Take me to the store. Katie can babysit my ass until my head clears.”

  Tyler turned on his com and radioed Renato and whoever was behind us that we were making a detour. A few minutes later, Tyler pulled up to the back of the store and jogged around to my side of the SUV to help me inside. Farmer was one of the men in the other SUV. He helped Tyler get me in the building, across the inventory room, and into the breakroom.

  “Thanks,” I said as they settled me onto a barstool.

  Alex walked into the room with his hands pressed to his leather-clad hips. “I would totally be giving you shit for wearing sweatpants and a baggy sweatshirt in public if you didn’t look like you’d just lost the war.”

  “Just one battle. The war is just beginning.”

  “Anything the non-fighter of the family can do to help?”

  “Water and a wet rag for my forehead.”

  Alex pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator and handed it to Tyler before walking out of the room. He returned a few minutes later with a warm wet rag for my forehead. “Did she see Doc?” he asked Tyler.

  Tyler nodded, but he had worry lines creasing his forehead. “Said she’s to be monitored. No driving either.”

  “I’m guessing we’re hiding her from Hattie and the kids until she looks less like death warmed over?”

  “That’s the plan,” Tyler said, sighing. “I need to make a few phone calls. Can you watch her?”

  “Go. I got her.” Alex pulled out the stool next to me and wrapped an arm around me. “Do you need to cry?”

  “I’m too pissed to cry. I screwed up.”

  “There’s always a first time,” Alex said, chuckling. “Just don’t make a habit of it.”

  Despite my headache, I smiled. Then my stomach rolled. “Shit,” I said as I leapt off the chair to the trash can.

  Alex held an arm around my waist and used his other hand to hold my hair as I puked. When I nodded that I thought I was done, he helped lower me to the floor. He handed me my water and wash cloth before getting me a paper cup to spit into.

  Farmer walked in and wordlessly pulled the plastic bag from the trash can, carrying it out. Alex put a new bag in its place.

  “Feel better or worse?” Tyler asked as he leaned against the door frame.

  “Not sure yet,” I answered honestly.

  “I’ve got Doc on the phone and he’s not surprised you puked, but he wants to know your pulse.”

  Alex reached down for my wrist and counted it out as he watched the wall clock. “One ten.”

  Tyler relayed the message. “Doc’s sending Haley over to help watch her.”

  Alex took my washcloth and rinsed it befor
e warming it in the microwave. When he handed it back, it felt like heaven on my forehead.

  “Alex?”

  “Yeah, luv,” he said, crouching behind me and rubbing my back.

  “I puked on my sweatshirt. I need something else to wear, but I’m not wearing a bra, so it has to be something baggy.”

  “Go find her something to wear,” Katie said, walking into the breakroom. “I’ll watch her.” Katie squatted in front of me. “You going to live?”

  “Yup. Not ready to get up, though.”

  “Let’s slide you back so you can lean against the cabinets.”

  Katie half dragged me as I tried to scooch back. It was exhausting moving just those few feet, but the reward was that I could lean against the cupboards without worrying I was going to topple over.

  “Explain why the rest of us have guards twenty-four seven, but you thought you were invincible enough to run around town on your own?”

  “I fucked up.”

  “As long as you know it,” she said, nudging me in the shoulder.

  “Careful,” I said, sighing. “I might fall over.”

  “If you do, I’m not catching you. You smell like vomit.”

  Alex returned with a pair of jeans, a tight Henley, and a loose cardigan. As embarrassing as it was, Katie helped me dress while Alex stood guard outside the door. When I was decent, Alex helped me to my feet and over to the sink, handing me a new toothbrush and some toothpaste. From there, I was moved into a chair so Katie could apply foundation to my face.

  Haley arrived and took my blood pressure and pulse again. She said it was improving, but she was ordered to shadow me until it was back to normal. I tested my feet, first standing and then walking a bit in the small room, before I ventured out to the docks. Goat was there, finishing a drop off.

  “I need a smoke.”

  “You sure that’s a good idea?”

  I gave him a look, and he pulled his pack.

  “Come on. We can sit at the top of the stairs, just outside the door.”

  He helped me down one stair, and I sat on the step. “The cold air feels good.”

  “You won’t be saying that in another month. You’ll be champing at the bit to get to Texas so you can warm up.”

  “I hate winter.”