Jack of Hearts (Aces & Eights Book 1)

by Sandra Owens

  Jose pointed to an empty seat a few chairs down. “Sit.”

  Right. He would sit. His seat was directly across from Madison, unfortunately. How was he supposed to ignore her when her face was all he saw?

  “I’m Trina,” a sultry voice said next to his ear.

  Alex glanced at the woman he hadn’t noticed. “Alex Gentry.” In her late thirties, he guessed, she was extremely attractive, but he wasn’t interested in the invitation he saw in her eyes. Still, he smiled, playing the part Ramon would expect of him. “Pleased to meet you, Trina.”

  Everyone quieted as Jose opened his first present, a box of Cuban cigars. “You know I’ll enjoy these.” Without personally thanking whoever gave him the cigars, he grabbed the next gift. “This one’s from Madison,” he said, reading the card.

  He tore off the paper and turned the book over to show everyone before tossing it aside and moving on to the next wrapped package.

  Madison leaned forward. “You love antique swords, Uncle. I thought you’d enjoy a coffee table book about them.”

  “You should know I don’t care about books,” he said, not even pausing to look at her as he dug into the next gift.

  Bastard. Alex took a moment to study the man. According to their research on Jose Alonzo, he was fifty-five, although he could pass for younger. His dark brown hair had silver streaks through it, giving him a distinguished look, as did the faint lines visible at the corners of his mouth and eyes.

  The word was that the older Alonzo was grooming his son to take over. Alex wished him good luck with that. From his observation of Ramon, the man thought entirely too highly of himself. Ramon wasn’t half as smart as he believed he was.

  Alex glanced at Madison, frowning at seeing her cheeks turn pink with embarrassment. Her gaze was on her half-eaten piece of birthday cake. He wanted nothing more than to scoop her up and carry her out of this place, away from these poisonous people, but he had a job to do. What he wanted didn’t count. If Ramon didn’t get his fingers off her shoulders, however . . . Alex tore his gaze away from the offending fingers before he did lose his cool.

  Madison pushed her dessert plate aside. The evening was turning out to be pure torture. Between her uncle embarrassing her, Ramon continually touching her, and Alex ignoring her, she wished she had the nerve to get up and leave. And if Trina got any closer to Alex, she was going to end up in his lap.

  If not for her mother, Madison would hightail it, but Angelina would have a meltdown if her daughter did such a thing. Angelina’s problem was that she needed a man in her life, and her brother seemed more than happy to be that man. As far as Madison was concerned, there was something unsettling about their devotion to each other. She had no idea what to do about it.

  Ramon twirled a strand of her hair around his fingers, and she punched his leg with her fist. “Stop it,” she whispered. He chuckled and ignored her.

  Pervert. He hadn’t always been like this. He was her only cousin, and before she’d sprouted boobs they had been friends. One day they were playmates, and seemingly the next he’d started staring at her chest, making her squirm uncomfortably. From the moment he’d grabbed her breast at her fifteenth birthday party, squeezing so hard it had brought tears to her eyes, she’d been afraid of him. Her fear seemed to excite him, so she did her best to hide it.

  She glanced at Alex and wished she hadn’t. He had his head bent close to Trina’s mouth as the woman whispered into his ear. Trina and Uncle Jose were friends of the with benefits kind. Madison had walked in on them once and saw Trina straddled across his lap in the hot tub, both naked. She was still trying to unsee that one. She also suspected that Trina and Ramon had the same kind of relationship. If Madison’s guess was right, Trina had been with every man at the table except for Alex, and the woman was obviously working hard to correct that.

  How was she supposed to sit here and watch them whisper to each other, knowing Trina would likely add another notch to her bedpost before the night was out? She couldn’t. Edging her chair back, she stood and walked to the rooftop railing. Black storm clouds hung low in the eastern sky, and the ocean splashed angry waves onto the shore. She wished the sky would open and send everyone scurrying for cover so she could sneak out and go home.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Alex. He stood so close behind her that she could feel his body heat, could smell his spicy aftershave. She schooled her face before facing him. “You’re sorry for what?” Dressed in black pants and a blue Oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled up, he was beautiful to her . . . probably to every woman here. All the more reason to stop yearning for him to kiss her again.

  “That you aren’t enjoying yourself tonight.”

  He reached up as if to brush her hair back, or stroke her face or something, she didn’t know, but then dropped his arm back to his side. Afraid that her hands would take off on their own and touch him, she gripped the railing and gazed out over the water. The dark clouds had covered the moon, and all she could see were the flashes of the whitecaps as the waves rolled in.

  “Who says I’m not enjoying myself?”

  “Your eyes say. Madison, I—”

  “Alex! Let’s go, man.”

  “Coming.” He gave her a sad smile. “I wish I could take you away, just go somewhere. You and me.”

  She wished that very same thing. “Are you going somewhere with Ramon?”

  He put his hand on her arm. “Yeah, but listen. We need to talk, and I’m tired of sneaking around to see you. Meet me tomorrow for lunch.”

  “Not a good idea.”

  “I’ll call you in the morning. Maybe you’ll change your mind by then. Take care, Madison.”

  After he walked away, she pressed her palm over her arm where his hand had been, still warm from his touch. Where was he going with Ramon? It still worried her that he appeared to be involved with her cousin’s business, and she needed to do some snooping, see what she could find out.

  Ramon whispered something in his father’s ear before grabbing Trina’s hand and heading for the stairs, Alex following close behind. Why were they taking that woman with them? Madison tore her gaze away from the trio. This night sucked, and she was past ready to go home.

  “Let’s go,” she said, walking up next to her mother.

  “Not yet. Jose and I haven’t had our birthday champagne yet.”

  Right. The champagne ritual. At the end of each birthday party, after the guests left, the twins would walk down to the beach, just the two of them, and would lift their flutes toward Cuba.

  When Madison’s father and Jose’s wife were still alive, Madison would stand back with them, watching the twins. She’d once asked what they were saying and was told they were cursing Castro.

  At the age of eleven, Jose and Angelina had arrived on the beach of Miami, along with their parents, having come over in a boat that probably should have sunk somewhere between Cuba and Florida. Somehow they’d made it, though, but their mother arrived sick and had died a week after finding freedom. For that, the twins blamed Castro, thus the annual curses.

  Thunder rumbled in the distance. “It’s going to rain, so you should do that soon.” Since there was no way she was going to get her mother to leave before the ritual, Madison returned to her place at the railing. A few minutes later, her uncle and mother appeared below, and Madison watched as they opened the gate and walked down to the water.

  At the ocean’s edge, they lifted their flutes of champagne and started yelling. The curses were made in Spanish, and although she couldn’t catch the words, Madison could pick up the sound of their voices. After a while, they clinked glasses, then drank the champagne. Jose put his arm around Angelina, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

  The twins had always been affectionate with each other, but it seemed to Madison that sometime after each had lost their spouses, they had grown even closer, if that was possible.

  “How did the champagne tradition start?” she asked, after she’d finally convinced Angelina to
leave. She wondered why she’d never asked that question before. The rain started, and she turned on the windshield wipers.

  “Our father started it. Mother died on our birthday. Did you know that?”

  “No, I don’t think I did.” She glanced over at her mother. Even at fifty-five, Angelina was still beautiful. Her shoulder-length dark brown hair was thick and glossy, and her olive skin flawless. But she was fragile, and without a man to take care of her, she was lost.

  “It was a hard time for us. In Cuba, our father was important, a lawyer. Here? He was a nobody. He got a job selling shoes. But you know that already, don’t you?”

  “I’ve heard it once or twice.” Or a hundred times. It was Jose’s favorite story, how their father was nothing in America. Jose liked to brag that he’d been the one to take advantage of all America had to offer.

  Until recently, Madison had thought he’d made his money buying and selling real estate. He did do that, but a few weeks ago she’d overheard a conversation between her uncle and Ramon about moving some merchandise that had her suspicious about just what they were involved in.

  “Yes, but you asked about the tradition of drinking champagne, so I will tell you that story.”

  “Please do,” Madison said, glancing at her mother again.

  “On the first anniversary of Mama’s death, on my birthday and Jose’s, Father took us to the beach. We yelled at Castro and then drank champagne to honor Mama’s memory. We continued to do that every year, even after Father died.”

  Madison pulled into the driveway of her mother’s house. “You and Jose were only twelve that first time. Abuelo let you drink champagne?”

  “Only a little. Goodness, it’s really raining. I should have stayed at Jose’s tonight.”

  No, she shouldn’t have. As it was, Jose had hinted that his sister should move in to his house since it was so big and she was alone in hers. Aside from wanting to keep her mother out of Jose’s clutches, Madison loved her childhood home. She had been happy growing up here. Memories of her father were inside those walls.

  Impulsively, she leaned over the console and hugged her mother. “Happy birthday. I love you.”

  Angelina pressed her cheek against Madison’s. “I miss your father so much.”

  “I know you do. Me, too.” She knew her mother was lonely but wasn’t sure what to do about it. “You want me to stay here tonight?”

  “No, I’m tired and going straight to bed.” Angelina pulled away. “Did I thank you for my present? It was the perfect gift, Madison. I’m looking forward to a day at the spa.”

  An idea occurred to her. “What would you think of working part-time at the bookstore in the afternoons?”

  “I don’t—”

  “Before you say no, think about it, okay? Why don’t you come by tomorrow and look around?” It would be perfect for her mother. Not only get her out of the house and interested in something, but it would mean less time to spend with Jose. “Please?”

  “I would like to see your bookstore.” Angelina gave her the kind of disapproving look only a mother could. “You wouldn’t let me come before.”

  True. Madison had wanted her mother’s first view of High Tea and Black Cat Books to be after they had the place finished. “I’ll be there all day, so stop by whenever you want.” The rain had slackened while they’d talked, and after helping her mother carry her birthday presents into the house, Madison headed home.

  Lauren wasn’t back from her date, and Madison took a quick shower, and then crawled into bed, moving over to make room for Hemingway. She tried not to think about Alex, tried not to wonder where he’d gone, and especially tried not to think of him being with Trina. It was a wasted effort.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “Wait here. We’ll be back in a few,” Ramon said as he and Trina exited the SUV.

  “Sure thing.” Alex had hoped they’d let him come with them, but no dice. Ramon opened the hatch, and when he was visible again, he carried a large duffel bag. The two disappeared into a condo.

  They obviously still didn’t trust him, but that was expected. If nothing else, he had a new address to check out, one he would put in as a request for surveillance. Then there was Trina. She’d not given a last name, but at the party he had taken a picture of her giving Jose a birthday kiss. It hadn’t been an innocent kiss either.

  During the twenty-minute drive, she had frequently leaned around the front seat headrest to talk to Alex. She had asked many personal questions, quizzing him on Aces & Eights’ finances. That was to be expected since Ramon’s operation would want to know how much money the bar could launder, and he’d been prepared with answers. He just hadn’t expected her to be the one asking. Nor did he like the way she eyed him. She was going to be trouble, the kind he and his brothers hadn’t planned for.

  He was tempted to get out of the Hummer and see if there were any open windows in the condo, but the chance there were security cameras mounted somewhere stopped him. Instead, he sent Nate the condo’s address, along with Trina’s picture and the license plates photos, while waiting for Ramon and Trina to return. After he hit Send, he deleted everything from his phone on the outside chance Ramon somehow got his hands on it. While he was at it, he got rid of the text messages between him and Madison.

  Thirty minutes passed, and Alex was getting annoyed. He got out to stretch his legs. The condo complex was upscale, and he guessed the units sold for a million or two. Considering the size of the bag Ramon had carried in, Alex figured Ramon and Trina were making a big delivery.

  Ramon’s specialty was heroin, and Alex wished he could make a phone call and rain down every law enforcement division available before that shit hit the streets. But they were under orders to learn the names of the dealers Ramon was selling drugs to and where he was getting his supply, which was going to take some time. Alex’s greatest hope was that Madison knew nothing of her cousin’s activities. If he had to put handcuffs on her, it would kill him.

  Ramon and Trina finally appeared, and Alex leaned his arms on the SUV’s roof, watching them. They were in a heated conversation, but, unfortunately, he couldn’t hear what they were saying. Trina was the first to notice him standing outside the car. She punched Ramon, and they stopped arguing.

  “I told you to stay in the car, dude,” Ramon said when he neared.

  “No, you said, ‘Wait here,’ and I did. Just stretching my legs.” Alex opened the rear door and returned to the backseat, but before he could close it, Trina slid in next to him. And wasn’t that just peachy? He scooted to the other side, and she came right along with him. Another inch and she’d be on his lap.

  “Were you a good boy while we were gone, Alex?”

  “I was a bored boy.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew what was coming and wished them back.

  “Poor baby.” She trailed her fingers over his thigh, edging them toward his groin. “Sounds like you need some entertainment.”

  She had that purring, sultry voice down pat, he had to give her that. “I appreciate the offer, darling, but I have an iron-clad rule. I don’t mix business and pleasure.” He put his mouth close to her ear. “No matter how tempting.”

  “I’m pretty sure I can change your mind.”

  Alex grabbed her wayward hand, putting it on her lap. “If anyone could come close, it would be you, Trina. But I learned the hard way that mixing business and pleasure gets messy.” He hoped she bought his off-the-cuff excuse.

  “Trina, leave him alone.” Ramon tossed the duffel back over the seat. “Here’s your chance to prove you’re not talking smack.”

  Alex caught the heavy bag. “How much is in here?”

  “Sixty thou,” Trina said.

  “I believe you, but don’t be offended, because I’m going to count it. Had a dude try to pull one over on us once. Best if we all agree, don’t you think?” He unzipped the bag and started counting the packs of hundred-dollar bills. He counted one pack to see how many bills were banded together, then f
anned through the rest to make sure the money was real.

  Not only did he need to verify the amount of money in the bag but they would be suspicious if he didn’t.

  He zipped the bag closed, setting it at his feet. “As soon as we run this through our businesses and set up the offshore accounts, I’ll give you the numbers.” They were finally getting a foot in, and if the first deposit meant to test him was sixty thousand, the operation was quite possibly bigger than they thought.

  “Don’t try to cross us, Alex. It would be very bad for your health and that of your brothers,” Trina said, her eyes cold as she stared hard at him.

  “Not to worry, darling. I like my health and that of my brothers just the way it is.” Offshore accounts actually would be set up, and the money made accessible to Ramon and his father. What the two wouldn’t know was that the FBI would also have access. Some operations lasted as long as a year, sometimes longer, and Alex hoped this wasn’t one of them. He wanted Madison separated from Ramon and his father, and the sooner the better.

  After admitting to Nate and Court that he wasn’t sure he could stay away from Madison, they’d had a long talk. Among the many things he loved about his brothers, they always listened, though they might not like what he had to say. And his attraction to Madison was one of those times. His feelings for Madison had surprised them because it was a first for Alex. Hell, it surprised him, too. But as much as he’d tried to resist her, he kept finding himself at her window. That couldn’t continue, and his brothers had agreed.

  The new plan, if he could get her to agree, was that they would openly date. His brothers liked that, believing it would get him even closer to the family. Alex wanted to find out what, if anything, she knew about her cousin and uncle’s business. The obstacle to their dating would be Ramon, how he would react.

  Nate believed that even if Ramon didn’t like it—which Alex was sure he wouldn’t—in his twisted mind, the man would think Alex had a set of big ones for going after Madison after being warned off.