King of Clubs (Aces & Eights Book 2)

by Sandra Owens

  “Someone you don’t want to mess with.” Court pulled off his vest, then went to a drawer and grabbed a T-shirt. After putting it on, he took some plastic ties out of the steel box. Once they had the two men secured, their hands behind their backs, he and Nate walked them into the living room, ordering them to sit on the sofa. Court sat in a chair across from them while Nate walked out onto the balcony. His brother would call Rothmire, find out what he wanted to do with the idiots.

  “Now,” he said, “let’s try this again. What are you supposed to do with the woman?”

  “What woman. I don’t see no woman,” Dumber said.

  “Jason, my man, should I shoot his nuts off? If not his, it’s going to be yours if one of you doesn’t answer my question.” He pointed his gun at Metcalf’s groin.

  “His! Shoot his,” Metcalf yelled, squeezing his legs closed.

  Court shifted his weapon to Dumber. “His it is.”

  “No, don’t shoot mine,” Dumber cried, also squeezing his legs closed. “We were supposed to take her to the corner, and he was going to pick her up.”

  “He? Banks?”

  Metcalf nodded. “Yeah, man.”

  Banks wouldn’t have any reason to come after Lauren himself, so he had to be working for Stephan Kozlov. Sirens sounded in the distance. “Neighbors must have heard you two dumbasses shooting your guns and called the cops.”

  “There’re ropes dangling from the roof onto your balcony,” Nate said, walking back inside. He glanced at the two men, giving them an eye roll. “Idiots are lucky they didn’t fall and crack open their heads.”

  “Too bad they didn’t.”

  “Agreed. Come in the kitchen a minute.” Court eyed the two men. “Either of you move an inch, you’re dead.”

  They could see the men from the kitchen, and as he listened to Nate, Court kept watch on them.

  “One of your neighbors heard the gunfire and called 9-1-1, so we’re not going to be able to keep this quiet. Rothmire said to let the cops take them in, and he’ll send Rand or another agent to talk to them, see what we can learn,” Nate quietly said.

  “I figured that when I heard the sirens. They said they were supposed to take Lauren to the corner, and Banks was going to pick her up from there.” The sirens were louder, sounding like they were in the parking lot. “Unfortunately, he probably split by now after seeing all the police cars.”

  The thought of those two getting their hands on her made him want to shoot their nuts off anyway. And what was she thinking? That he was up here wounded, or worse, dead? She already had a problem with his job, and this sure as hell wasn’t going to help.

  “I need to call Alex, tell him to let Lauren know I’m okay.”

  Nate put his hand on Court’s shoulder. “Did that when I was outside.”

  “Thanks, bro.” He wanted to get the two idiots off his hands so he could go down and show her in person that he was fine. “Open the door so the cops don’t break it down.” He put his gun in a kitchen drawer, then returned to the living room.

  “If you want to avoid an attempted kidnapping charge, you’ll tell the cops you planned to burglarize my place.”

  “Why should we do that?” Dumber said.

  Man, the dude really was too dumb to live. “Well, for one thing, you’ll do less time for a burglary than you would if you’re found guilty of trying to kidnap someone.”

  Metcalf eyed him with suspicion. “Why are you willing to let us cop to that instead of kidnapping?”

  Give the man a gold star for having some brains. “Because I don’t want the woman involved in this. She doesn’t deserve the problems it would bring.” He shrugged. “Your choice, though. Whether you do more time or less makes no difference to me. The cops will be coming through the door in about sixty seconds. Which is it gonna be?”

  “Burglary,” Metcalf said.

  “Smart man. You?” he asked Dumber.

  “Burglary.”

  At least he was on board, but he’d said it begrudgingly, as if he were the one doing Court a big favor and not the other way around.

  The detective who followed the cops in suspected that there was more to it than a simple burglary. If he decided to get too nosy, Rothmire would call the man’s captain, have him call the detective off. After the cops hauled off the supposed burglars, and the detective was gone, Court followed Nate back into his bedroom.

  “Fuckers murdered my bed,” he said, staring sadly at his shot-up mattress.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “That was gunfire,” Lauren cried. “What’s happening up there? What if Court’s hurt?” When Court had tossed her into his safe room, and closed the door behind her, she’d stood there for a moment, still half asleep, wondering what was happening. Then his order for her to go to Alex had sunk in. It had taken a few seconds to remember the sequence she was supposed to use when pressing the buzzer, but as soon as she had, the trapdoor below her had opened, Alex’s face appearing beneath her.

  Apparently, some kind of alarm had gone off, letting Alex know there was trouble. About the same time, the trapdoor above her had opened as well, and Nate had appeared.

  “Stay with Madison and Lauren,” he’d called down to Alex. Then he’d closed the trapdoor in Court’s closet when she was halfway down the ladder.

  After Lauren had descended into Alex’s safe room, he had closed and bolted the trapdoor behind her. Now she sat on the sofa next to Madison, wearing the robe her friend had loaned her, sick with worry. Whatever was going on had to be something to do with Stephan. Damn her ex to hell. Was he in Court’s home right now? If he so much as put a scratch on Court, there was no place Stephan could hide from her. No place!

  “He’ll be okay,” Madison said, grabbing her hand when she tried to stand. “Our guys know what they’re doing.”

  Madison couldn’t know that. What if it were Alex up there? She’d be dying inside, too, thinking the worst. At least the lights were back on. That was good, right?

  “They’re okay. Trust me,” Alex said.

  This was what she didn’t think she could live with, the waiting to see Court walk in the door, safe and whole. Unable to sit still, she stood, and went to the glass door leading out to the balcony. The storm was moving away, but thunder was still rumbling in the distance. As she stared out, lightning flashed. She squinted.

  “What’s that?” she said.

  Alex walked over. “What?”

  “Is there a light on your balcony?”

  He reached over and flipped a switch. “Damn. Stay here.”

  As he walked out, she eyed the gun stuck in the waistband of his jeans, another reminder of just who and what the brothers were. She watched as he tugged on one of the two ropes dangling from somewhere above them.

  “What’s he looking at?” Madison said, walking over.

  “It looks like ropes.” There were two of them, so she assumed there were two men. Had they come for her or had they come after Court? There was no way Stephan would have scaled down the side of a building, so was it someone with a grudge against Court?

  She couldn’t stand not knowing what was going on up above. There hadn’t been any more gunfire, thank God, but the silence was just as bad. Sirens sounded in the distance, seemingly headed their way. Someone must have called the police.

  “Well?” she said when Alex walked back inside.

  “They came down from the roof. Wasn’t expecting that.” His phone buzzed. “All cool up there?” he said.

  “Is that Court?” she asked.

  He shook his head, mouthing, “Nate.”

  “Yeah, I’ll tell her.” He stuck the phone back in his pocket. “Court’s fine. He and Nate will be down as soon as they can.”

  She wanted to sink to her knees in relief. “I need to do something while we wait. Can we bake a cake? Cook a pie? Anything?”

  Madison laughed. “You don’t cook a pie. I vote for wine and Alex’s secret stash of salted caramels.”

  “Hey, you know abo
ut those?” Alex said, narrowing his eyes.

  “I know all your secrets, babe.” Madison lifted onto her toes and kissed him, then headed for the kitchen.

  “You’re an evil woman, Mad, stealing my stash.”

  Lauren smiled as Alex trailed after his wife. She wanted what they had, wanted it with Court. All she had to do was accept Court for who and what he was. Right now, though, she just needed to see for herself that he was unharmed.

  Two glasses of wine and a handful of Alex’s quickly dwindling caramel stash later, she leaned her head back on the sofa and closed her eyes. “What’s wrong with me?”

  “You’re drunk?” Madison said.

  She peeked out of one eye. “No. I mean why can’t I accept—”

  The front door opened and Court walked in, followed by Nate. She jumped up and ran to Court. He held out his hands, and she leaped into his arms, wrapping herself around him. “You’re okay. Oh, God, I was so worried.”

  “I’m fine. Promise.” With her legs still hugging his hips, he carried her to the sofa, keeping her on his lap when he sat.

  “Who were they? Why did they break in?” As he told her the details, her heart sank. “And they were supposed to kill you and kidnap me?” Stephan was truly losing his mind.

  “But they didn’t accomplish either,” Court said. “That’s the important part. And we kept your name out of it, so you won’t have to make any kind of statement.”

  That was a relief, anyway. “Thank you.” Embarrassed she was straddling him in front of his brothers, she scooted off him.

  “I, for one, am off to bed,” Nate said, standing. He touched her shoulder as he walked past. “Try not to worry, Lauren. Stephan Kozlov’s digging his own grave. He’s making dumbass mistakes, leaving a trail a three-year-old could follow. Two, three days tops, we’ll have him in custody.”

  She gave Court’s brother a grateful smile. “I hope you’re right.”

  “He’s always right,” Alex said. “Annoying if you ask me.”

  “No one asked you, baby brother.” Nate winked at her.

  It had only been a few days ago when she’d thought Nate was cold and intimidating, but he was growing on her. “Can we go home now . . . I mean up to your place?” she asked after Nate left. She wanted time alone with Court to talk about all the things going on in her head.

  “Well, that’s a problem. They murdered my bed.”

  “They what?” She blinked, wondering if she’d heard him right.

  “I assume that was the gunfire we heard?” Alex said.

  “Yep. I’ll have to go bed shopping tomorrow.” Court looked at her, grinning. “Can I bunk with you tonight?”

  “I don’t understand? Why would they do that?” Then it hit her, confirming her worst fears about the situations his career required he put himself into. “They thought you were in it.”

  “But I wasn’t.” He took her hand, pulling her up with him. “The sun will be up soon. Let’s try to get a few hours of sleep.”

  “I’ll return your robe tomorrow . . . Today, I guess I should say,” she mumbled to Madison, giving her friend a hard hug.

  “No problem.” Madison laughed. “Or keep it. I don’t care. All that matters is everyone’s safe.”

  Court held her hand as they rode the elevator one floor up, but he didn’t speak or even glance at her once. She peeked at him, seeing that he looked tired. Although she’d wanted to talk about tonight and all the things she was feeling, he needed his rest. The things she needed to say could wait a few hours.

  When they walked down the hall to the guest room, she noticed the door to his bedroom was closed. She was glad. She didn’t want to see his murdered bed and imagine him in it while someone was shooting.

  “Go on to bed. I’ll be there in a few minutes,” he said, letting go of her hand.

  “Okay.” She blinked away tears as she watched him walk away, his bare feet silent on the wood floor. He was a beautiful, amazing man, and he deserved to be loved, and she wanted to be the woman who made him happy. There had to be a way to conquer this fear of losing him that was haunting her.

  She crawled into bed, leaving a lamp on for him. A good fifteen minutes passed. What was he doing?

  After shoving the mannequin’s head back under his bed, Court stripped off the bullet-ridden comforter and sheets. Not wanting Lauren to see his shot-up mattress, he got a flat sheet from the linen closet. Lauren was freaked out enough as it was about his dangerous job without seeing the shredded mattress. As he worked, his resentment grew. Exactly what did she want from him?

  One minute she was telling him she couldn’t handle the danger he faced, the next, she was wrapped around him, holding on for dear life. He loved her, wanted her, needed her, would give his life for her. But that apparently wasn’t good enough.

  “To hell with that,” he said, heading for the guest room. He stood over her and then pinned her to the bed, and stared into her eyes. “I can’t do this, Lauren. This back and forth with you. You want me to leave the FBI? Is that what it’s going to take to make you happy?”

  “And do what?”

  “I don’t have a fucking clue. You got any job openings at your bookstore? Need a damn stock boy?”

  Tears pooled in her eyes. “Court, please . . .”

  “Please what?” He was a bastard, making her cry. He pushed off the bed. “Go to sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.” They were both on edge and stressed by the night’s events, and he needed to get away from her before he said more hurtful words. He closed the door behind him as he left the room.

  The difference between him and his brothers was that he was a long-term planner. Alex lived in the moment, and Nate might plan for tomorrow but fully expected Murphy’s Law to turn his plan on its head, which he took in stride.

  Court went out onto the balcony, his place to think. Unlike Nate, he didn’t find it easy to shrug off derailed plans, and Lauren had unquestionably run his train off the tracks.

  As much as he’d tried for six years to forget her, he’d never forgotten how her mouth tasted against his, how soft her skin felt each time he’d trailed his hand over her hips, her stomach, her breasts. The new Lauren tasted just as delicious, but was curvier than her younger self and her face was more mature. She’d lost that inner sparkle that had first attracted him to her, though, and he blamed Stephan Kozlov for that.

  The question still plagued his mind. What was he going to do about her? As he watched the sun come up over the ocean, the answer remained as elusive as ever. Thinking of her not being in his life sent an ache straight through his heart. Yet waiting around for her to walk away when all was said and done didn’t sit well. If he had to choose between her and the FBI, which would it be? Why couldn’t he have both?

  Didn’t she realize that by not giving them a chance she was letting Stephan win? Maybe Madison could talk some sense into her. He’d stop by the bookstore later, ask his sister-in-law for advice, and maybe some help. In the meantime, he needed to find Lauren’s ex-husband before the bastard pulled another stupid stunt.

  “Where’s Lauren?” Madison asked when he arrived at High Tea and Black Cat Books.

  “At my place. She’s tired from not getting much sleep last night.” He’d told her he had an errand to run, and she’d promised not to leave or answer the door. She’d seemed relieved when he’d said he’d be out for a while, as if she couldn’t wait to be rid of him. The tension in the air between them when she’d walked into the kitchen this morning was almost visible.

  Still angry with her for not thumbing her nose at her ex-husband and grabbing what she wanted—namely, him—he’d kept his mouth shut. The best thing he could do was give them a few hours apart to think things through, so he’d left.

  “Hello, Court,” Madison’s mother said, walking over and giving him a hug.

  “You’re beautiful as ever, Angelina.” He liked Angelina. She’d had a difficult time after her husband’s murder and her twin brother’s arrest, but she’d lifted he
r chin, stiffened her shoulders, and soldiered on. He couldn’t help but respect that.

  “You Gentry boys could charm the stars right out of the sky.” She patted his arm.

  “Aw, shucks, Angelina,” he drawled. “Run away with me. We’ll leave all our troubles behind and travel the world, you and I.”

  She giggled. “Bring your brothers along, and it’s a deal.”

  “Hey,” Madison said, “I don’t care if you are my mother. Alex isn’t going anywhere without me.”

  They chatted a few more minutes, and then Angelina left to help a customer. Now that he was here, Court wasn’t sure how to ask his questions. “I’m sorry Lauren’s not been able to work this week.”

  “We’re managing. The important thing is that she’s safe. I just hope you catch Stephan soon so she can get her life back. She’s not herself right now.”

  “No, she isn’t.” He silently thanked Madison for giving him an opening to ask about Lauren. “Can we talk for a few minutes somewhere private?”

  “Sure. Let’s go to the office.”

  He closed the door behind them. “I won’t take much of your time, but I don’t know who else to talk to. You’re her best friend, so I’m hoping you can help me figure out what’s going on in her head.”

  “She’s scared. Who wouldn’t be?”

  “I know, and I get that.” He hesitated. Talking about his feelings wasn’t something he knew how to do, even with his brothers. Although he didn’t doubt he could go to either one with a personal problem, they were guys. They’d just tell him to suck it up or something stupid like that.

  “Has something happened between you?” Madison asked.

  “Yeah. She said she can’t deal with my job. That it’s dangerous, and she’s worried I’m going to die.”

  “I know she loves you.”

  “She said that, too, but obviously not enough if she’s willing to walk away from what we have.” He went to the window and looked out as he collected his thoughts. It was hard to bare his soul, even though Madison was now family. “I don’t want to lose her, but if she walks away again, it will be for the last time.” He turned, facing her. “I don’t care if she changes her mind a week later, I can’t . . . I just can’t.”