King of Clubs (Aces & Eights Book 2)

by Sandra Owens

  “No can do. Your divorce was final a few days before we met. Stephan Kozlov was a star player for the Florida Thunder. Sounds like quite a catch. Why’d you divorce him, and where is he now?”

  Obviously, he hadn’t discovered everything, which was a relief. If he found out she’d lied, she didn’t know how he’d react. He’d be angry for sure, and he’d probably be insulted that she’d done it to protect him. An affront to his male ego, and all that.

  Not that she wasn’t beginning to think he was capable of going up against Stephan now, but back then, Court had been more boy than man, with a bright future ahead of him. He’d been only months from graduating, and she’d loved him too much to drag him into her mess of a life, especially when it would have put him in danger.

  Truthfully, she was surprised he’d ended up owning a biker bar, but maybe his older brother had talked him into it. He’d majored in criminal justice, with a minor in computer science. Whenever she’d let herself wonder about him, she’d imagined he’d gone on to law school or maybe something to do with fraud investigations. He’d once mentioned that he thought that kind of job would be fun.

  “Why did you divorce him, Lauren?”

  “Because he turned out to be not such a nice man, okay?”

  “That’s a good reason. Where is he now?”

  The answer to that would lead to all the things she didn’t want him to know. “I need to use the bathroom.” She paused at the hallway. “And stop invading my privacy. No more searches on your computer.”

  In the bathroom, she splashed cold water on her face. A week, he’d said, and then she could leave. All she had to do was keep him from discovering she’d almost died to keep his name from Stephan. If Court learned that, he’d probably decide to play knight in shining armor. He was already trying to involve himself. Somehow, she had to find a way to stop him.

  “You promised to tell me how you found me,” she said when she returned, hoping to steer the conversation away from personal questions.

  “Why’d you leave me?”

  “I told you, I had to go to the bathroom.”

  Court hadn’t meant to ask her that, but it was the question burning a hole in his gut. Or heart. Or wherever. “I’m not asking why you left the room. Why’d you leave me?” He told his mouth to shut up.

  She bowed her head, closing her eyes. “Please don’t do this.”

  There was something in the way her shoulders slumped in defeat that made him want to hold her and tell her he would fix whatever the problem was. Angry with himself for even thinking about wrapping his arms around her, and angry with her for making him want to, he stood, went to the glass doors, and stared out at the ocean.

  She’d asked him not to invade her privacy, which meant she was hiding something. If she hadn’t come inside when she had, he would have had time to find out for himself whatever it was she didn’t want him to know. It would be easy enough once he was alone to continue his investigation into her life. Although he wasn’t sure why, he wanted her to trust him enough to tell him. So he would respect her privacy while working to gain her trust. He would not, however, respect Peter Kozlov’s privacy. In the short time he’d had to look into the man, some worrisome things had cropped up.

  “You want to know what you did wrong?” He returned to the sofa, and perched on the arm, which brought him closer to the chair she sat in. “Like I told you earlier, getting in a cab right outside your door was your first mistake. All I had to do was hand over a few dollars to find out which taxi picked you up, and then a few more bucks to learn he’d taken you to the bus station.”

  She didn’t need to know that he’d followed her from the moment she’d tried to sneak out, making sure she stayed safe. If he told her that, she wouldn’t listen to how easily he really could have found her if he’d had to pay off a cabdriver.

  “Second, your hair is distinctive. You should have worn a wig or at the very least a ball cap. You never paid attention to your surroundings. At the bus station, I was able to walk right up to your back without you noticing. If I was up to no good, I could have abducted you and had you out of the building before anyone was the wiser.”

  “You did abduct me,” she grumbled.

  He hid a smile. She was adorable when she was grouchy. “Next, you used an ATM.”

  That got a frown. “Bank records are confidential.”

  “I could have your bank history in my hands by this time tomorrow, either by hacking into your bank records or by bribing an employee.” He was exaggerating to an extent. It wouldn’t be that easy, but a determined person could find a way. He could easily hack into her bank records, but that was another thing she didn’t need to know. The goal was to make her think before she acted.

  “What else?”

  “That’s it, but that was only for the first two hours of your attempted disappearing act. Left to your own devices, you would have continued to make mistakes. I’m not criticizing you, only trying to make you see that it’s too easy to leave a trail if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

  “Then teach me.”

  “I said I would, but that’s not all you need to know. How to defend yourself is high on that list.” A plan was forming in his mind, a way to kill a whole flock of birds with one stone. He needed to talk to Nate and Alex, get them on board, get some things set up.

  He stood. “I have some things to take care of today. You need to make an appearance at your bookstore. If anyone is watching, you want everything to appear normal. Tonight, we’ll begin your training.”

  Her eyes widened. “Watching me?”

  “Peter didn’t seem the type to make threats he didn’t mean. He said he would come collect you if he had to. If he’s smart, it will occur to him that you might run, so you can’t discount he has someone watching you.” He didn’t enjoy scaring her, but if his suspicions were correct, she needed to be scared and wary.

  She wrapped her arms around her waist and rocked her body. “Why can’t they just leave me alone?”

  Court was beginning to think Stephan was obsessed with her, which was disturbing. A man obsessed with a woman was dangerous and unpredictable. “Get whatever you need, and I’ll take you to work. Madison should be arriving about now. She’s gonna be concerned that you aren’t there. You should probably call her.”

  “Madison wants to tell Lauren that we’re FBI,” Alex said.

  Court eyed his baby brother, wondering if he’d lost his mind. “Absolutely not.” He didn’t trust Lauren with their secrets.

  “Why does she want to?” Nate asked.

  “Because they’re best friends, and some dude’s hassling Lauren.” Alex shrugged. “I guess Madison thinks we can help her somehow.”

  Nate shook his head. “Just because someone’s hassling her isn’t a good enough reason to blow our cover.”

  At least his older brother had some sense. Marriage had made Alex soft. He was all touchy-feely now. He needed to knock that shit off. They were undercover FBI agents operating a biker bar, dealing with the worst of humanity on a daily basis. Soft got you killed. Alex had almost died once, and if he went and did it for real, Court would never forgive him.

  “I have something to run past you both,” Court said. They could definitely help Lauren without telling her who they were. If his brothers weren’t on board, he’d go it alone.

  They were sitting around the dining room table in Nate’s condo, Court waiting to pitch his idea. After he’d taken Lauren to the bookstore, he’d returned home to learn all he could about Peter Kozlov.

  Although he’d resisted searching for information on Stephan Kozlov while investigating Peter, he’d inadvertently stumbled on the fact that Stephan was in prison. He hadn’t decided yet whether that entitled him to invade Lauren’s privacy. If knowing why a hockey star was sitting in a prison cell helped him keep her safe, he would invade her privacy without one iota of guilt.

  “You got curious about the dude claiming to be Lauren’s brother-in-law, so you went
a-snooping. Am I right?” Alex asked.

  “A-snooping? You’re an idiot, bro.” When Alex kicked him, Court kicked him back.

  Nate sighed. “If you two don’t behave, I’m going to call time-out.”

  “What? You have X-ray vision and can see through the table now?” Court said.

  “No, I just know how your juvenile brains work.” Nate leaned his chair back onto two legs. “Stop picking on your brother and tell us what you got.”

  “Want to learn someone’s secrets, then you follow the money.” He held up a hand. “And don’t ask how. You don’t want to know.”

  Nate snorted. “I wasn’t about to ask. What’d you learn?”

  It was a known fact among the brothers that Court could hack his way past almost any firewall. While he seldom used those skills in an investigation—since nothing he learned could be used in court—he had on occasion snooped if an investigation hit a brick wall.

  “Lauren’s ex was a star player for the Florida Thunder, but he’s in prison now.” He took some pages from the printer, stacking them on the desk. “Don’t you think it’s interesting that Peter Kozlov, who managed Stephan’s career, hasn’t had an income since his brother was sent to prison, yet, he still lives in the same house, valued at twelve million, drives a Bentley valued at over two hundred thou, and throws cash around like it’s cheap candy?”

  “Meaning there’s a steady flow of money into his bank account?” Alex replied.

  “Why’s Stephan in prison?” Nate asked.

  “As to why he’s in prison, I don’t know. Lauren asked me not to invade her privacy. For the moment, I’m respecting her wishes. To answer Alex’s question, a very steady flow of money. It’s coming from accounts known to have ties to the Russian mafia.”

  He filled them in on all that he’d learned about Peter Kozlov. When he finished, he leveled his gaze on Nate. “I think once Rothmire hears all this, he’ll open a file on the brothers. I want the case.”

  “Not learning what you need to know because Lauren asked you not to?” Alex said. “Who are you and what have you done with my brother?”

  Nate dropped the legs of his chair to the floor. “Well, I didn’t promise her anything. Before I’ll agree to take this to Rothmire, I need to know why her ex-husband’s in prison.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ve got a meeting with the boss in an hour. I’ll lay the groundwork, but I’m not asking for an investigation until I do a little snooping of my own since you’re so in love with her that you’re not willing to do your job.”

  That burned. “I’m not in love with her. I’m just respecting her wishes.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Nate said.

  Alex waggled his eyebrows, a smirk on his face. “Welcome to the Love Club.”

  When Alex stood, Court stuck out his leg, tripping him, sending him stumbling across the room. “Pretty pitiful ninja, bro, when you can’t even stay on your feet.” Alex was already on the move. At the demonic glint in his brother’s eyes, Court moved behind Nate.

  “You should move aside unless you want to go down with him,” Alex said to Nate.

  “Gotta run. He’s all yours. Try not to hurt him too badly.” Nate chuckled as he walked out.

  Court held up his hands. “Uncle.” Two seconds later, he was on the floor, staring up at Alex. “Damn, when did you learn that move?” Laughing, he pushed up. “I guess uncle doesn’t work anymore?”

  “I’ve come to hate that word.” No surprise, considering everything Madison’s uncle had put her through.

  Court left to put his plan in motion, the one he’d not shared with his brothers. Probably better that he held off on telling them he planned to make himself a target.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “You promised to tell me about you and Court. All you said was that you met him at spring break.”

  Lauren had been expecting to get the third degree from her friend and was surprised that Madison had managed to hold in her curiosity. It was the end of a busy day, and she and Madison were tidying up after locking the doors.

  They’d met at the University of Miami when they’d joined the same book club. When they’d discovered that they both dreamed of owning a bookstore someday, they’d teamed up and opened High Tea and Black Cat Books.

  They were perfectly matched. Lauren loved the numbers side of the business. Madison’s expertise was promotion and marketing, coordinating events, and dealing with their customers.

  Madison knew some details about Lauren’s life with Stephan. Lauren had felt Madison needed to know because he could be a threat to them both when he got out of prison.

  “So, that week I took off for spring break without telling you—”

  “You had me so worried when you disappeared.”

  Stephan had contested the divorce, and his threats had frightened her. The divorce had been granted three days before the start of spring break, and in her need to get away from all the drama that was Stephan, she’d taken off for Panama City.

  “I called you the next day, told you where I was and why. But I don’t want to talk about Stephan.”

  “We need to talk about him soon because he gets out of prison in about two weeks, right?”

  Lauren nodded. “We will, but not today.”

  Madison reached over and squeezed her hand. “Okay, but soon. So, back to Court.”

  “I met him the first day I arrived in Panama City. Have you ever looked into a man’s eyes and just known there was something special between you?”

  “It happened that way with Alex.”

  “Yeah, I could see the chemistry between the two of you the first time I saw you together. It was like that with Court. The best word I can think of to describe it is intense.”

  “That’s a good word for all three of the Gentry brothers. Were you in love with Court?”

  She sighed. “I fell hard for him. We were inseparable from the moment we met until we had to return to school. It was a week of bliss, Maddie.” She blinked against the tears burning her eyes. “We made plans to see each other, you know, meet halfway on weekends, that kind of thing. Then I came home and you know the rest.”

  Madison leaned back against the counter. “Did you tell Court about Stephan?”

  “No. What Court and I had was just so beautiful. I didn’t want to spoil it with the ugliness going on in my life. I planned to tell him everything the next time I saw him, but I never had a chance.” Images of the day she’d found Stephan waiting for her flashed through her mind. She involuntarily shuddered.

  “Go on,” Madison softly said.

  “It hurts to remember, you know?” She tried to blink away the stinging tears.

  Madison smiled, compassion in her eyes. “I know it does. I was afraid of my cousin, and he didn’t do to me anything near what Stephan did to you. I was there at the hospital, Lauren. I saw your battered body. Of course it hurts to remember.”

  “Dammit, Maddie, you’re going to make me cry. God, I love you.”

  Madison’s smile grew wider. “I know that, too.”

  Lauren took a calming breath. “Okay, so Stephan as much as said he’d go after any man who touched me. After what he did to me, I believed him. I called Court from the hospital and told him I didn’t want to see him again. When he asked why, I hung up.”

  “Oh, sweetie.” Madison stepped forward and hugged her.

  The dam broke. All the hurt and fear came pouring out in fat, hot tears. For losing a man she’d known she could have loved forever, and then for finding him again, only to know she’d have to leave him a second time.

  She buried her face in Madison’s shoulder. Damn Stephan to hell. After his arrest for her assault, he’d been cut by his team. At his sentencing, as he was being led out of the courtroom, he’d stared hard at her with those glacier-blue eyes. She’d seen the accusation in them. He blamed her for everything—the arrest, his guilty sentence, losing his contract with the Thunder. That Stephan had only gotten six years after his brutal assault had been a blow.
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br />   “Oh God, you’re crying, too. I’m sorry.” Lauren pulled away.

  Madison swiped at her face. “You’re my best friend. Of course I’m crying with you.” She reached under the counter, pulled out a box of tissues, and handed Lauren a few.

  Lauren wiped her eyes. “Thanks. I thought I was done crying about all this.”

  “It helps to cry sometimes.” Madison took her hand. “Can I tell Alex?”

  “No. Please don’t. You two are just married. You don’t need to be worrying about me.”

  “Dammit, Lauren. I’m going to worry about you whether you like it or not. Alex already suspects there’s something between you and Court, and—”

  “Why would he think that?”

  “It’s obvious when the two of you are in the same room together that sparks are flying.”

  Lauren shook her head. “He hates me.”

  “I’m not so sure about that. You need to let me tell Alex everything. About both Stephan and Court.”

  “Let me think about it, okay?”

  “You keep saying to give you time, but while you’re thinking, consider this: What if Peter tells his brother about Court? Don’t you think Court should know that a man who thinks nothing of beating you badly enough to put you in the hospital is gunning for him?”

  Lauren buried her face in her hands. “Oh, God, that’s why I ended it with him. So he wouldn’t get caught up in this.”

  “You’re underestimating Court’s ability to deal with a situation like this. Not to mention, he has two brothers at his back. Stephan’s no match for the three of them together. Trust me on this, Lauren. The Gentry brothers can handle a lowlife like Stephan. I know what I’m talking about.”

  Since there was no way to avoid Madison finding out, she said, “Court knows a little, enough that he’s making me stay at his place for a few days.”

  “Seriously? When were you going to tell me?”

  She saw Court walking up to the door. “About now. Court thought it would be safer for me at his place. I’m sleeping in the guest room.”