“Skip the part about how you’re always right,” Brand told him, then looked at Colt. “Someone from security alerted Lorenzo to a problem. By this time, Lorenzo’s guests were leaving the restaurant—if we learned anything at all about Lorenzo last night, it’s that he is overly concerned with appearances—so he quickly made a few excuses about how he was needed for a security matter and said his good-byes. A few minutes later, he’s storming through the lobby.”
“Since elevator four was stopped in the shaft, you can imagine his fury,” Kemper said, a grin tilting his lips. “I’ll have to say, watching him was priceless. He stood there in the lobby staring up at the lighted number twelve, waiting for the elevator to move while barking orders at security. Apparently, someone upstairs could’ve gotten the lift repaired, emergency stop or not.”
“Get to the heart of the story. I’m not particularly fond of taking Sunday drives when the journey isn’t leading anywhere.”
Kemper and Brand gave one another a knowing glance. Brand took a weighted breath. “Crue called. They had the camera on our room and Kelly’s. You missed Lorenzo by maybe two minutes. Lorenzo was ruthless with his badgering once he returned to their suite. Crue and Gabe, apparently used to his tactics and the way he’s confronted Kelly in the past, saw where their night was heading.”
“Where the night was heading,” Colt said quietly, thinking of Kelly’s hot, curvy body wrapped around his as he’d pounded against her. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d wanted a woman more. Then, unexpectedly, he regained his sensibilities. What sorry luck he had. He’d wanted to fuck Kelly in that elevator. He’d longed to take her, stroke her, just be inside her, but somewhere in the midst of foreplay, he’d gained a conscience. He didn’t want to take her until he knew for sure what she was doing. And he’d known with absolute certainty, if he’d taken her then, he’d never let her lie down beside that bastard again. Unfortunately, he’d wanted to make sure she understood his rules, too, before she played with fire.
Kemper snapped his fingers in front of his face. “That must’ve been some elevator ride.”
“It was,” Colt admitted and then quickly added, “Get to the point.”
“Crue and Gabe set up a poker game and lured Lorenzo out of the suite by inviting him to a high-stakes game with high rollers,” Kemper explained.
“And you were the high rollers?”
“Yes,” Brand replied. “We had the money for the show.”
“And not one ounce of a poker player’s education,” Colt pointed out. “Why didn’t Crue call me? Hell, for that matter, why didn’t he send Gabe or play himself?”
“They needed to keep an eye on Kelly. They were afraid Lorenzo might send someone else in to finish the job.”
“Finish the job?” Colt asked, every muscle in his body tightening. “Did he hurt Kelly?”
“He knocked her around a lot. Apparently he threatened to kill her if she didn’t tell him why you were here. We think he knows who you are and what you do, which would indicate a security breach somewhere. He accused Kelly of calling you in, and he’s demanding to know why you’re here.”
“Son of a bitch!” Colt opened the door.
“Colt, don’t go over there,” Kemper said, rushing him. “She’s probably asleep. Besides, there’s nothing to worry about right now. Lorenzo is downstairs celebrating his win.”
“Of course he is,” Colt said, all the more furious as he considered the fact that Lorenzo’s sorry ass walked away with a million dollars of the Underground Unit’s money. “Is Kelly okay?”
“Crue said it wasn’t the worst he’d seen, but she fought back. Evidently, her retaliation caught him off guard. He’s on to you. We know that for sure,” Kemper said.
“He’s suspicious of us, too,” Brand added. “He saw us behind the restaurant greeting her and he knows we’re old friends, but during the game last night, we told him our connection with Kelly goes way back and we’re old family friends.”
“Did he buy it?”
“Yeah,” Brand replied.
“No,” Kemper said.
Colt threw up his hand. “I’m going to the gym. You guys get some rest. I need to figure out how I can lure Lorenzo out tonight for a real poker game, one where he walks away from the table feeling the loss.”
* * * *
Kelly gripped the handles on the bicycle and pedaled like crazy. She closed her eyes, feeling the burn in her thighs, appreciating the tightness in her calves. If a woman wanted a good body, she had to work for it, and God knew, she’d tried to lose the weight she’d gained. In the past year, she’d put on about thirty pounds. Colt hadn’t noticed, or if he had, he hadn’t said anything.
She pedaled faster and faster. Ah, Colt. Her moist pussy against the triangular seat became highly sensitive and she leaned forward, rubbing her clit against the leather, grinding her cunt as she pumped her legs. She thought of Colt’s lips on her neck, his cock pressing against her hip as his mouth claimed hers and their bodies came together like a sizzling electric current forced them together.
The door behind her slammed, and her head snapped forward. Her eyes widened as she focused on the floor-to-ceiling mirrors in front of her. She slowed her pace, scooting her bottom back on the seat before sitting upright.
“Colt,” she whispered, realizing he would be alarmed by her appearance.
He stood right inside the door, gaping at her in the mirror as if he were too pained by what he saw to approach her. The swell of her left cheek, the bluish color around her right eye, and the small slit above her lip proved she had lost a battle, but more than anything else, it provided proof of a fight.
“What in God’s name has he done to you?” He remained motionless. Except for the clenching of his fists, he didn’t move a muscle.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” she said, her workout effort null and void once he entered the gym. Leaving the bike, she grabbed a fresh towel from a nearby table and patted her face, wiping away the small beads of sweat.
“I’ll kill him,” Colt rasped.
Detecting the danger in his voice, the pain lingering behind his steady tone, she cautiously approached him. “Colt, you don’t understand this. You have to trust me and stay out of it.”
“Like hell I do!” he screamed, placing his hand on the door lever.
Before he could leave, she rushed him. Grabbing his forearm with both hands, she shook him. “Listen to me, Colt. You have to listen to me.” She lowered her eyes and took a deep breath. “Nothing is as it seems.”
“Is that a fact?” he asked, brooding. His fierce gaze met hers. “So let me guess. You were sleepy this morning and you fucked up with your makeup applications?”
“If I told you it was so, would you believe me? Would you let this thing die?” she asked, knowing she didn’t stand a chance.
“Ah, baby,” he whispered, gently cupping her cheek as moisture pooled in his eyes. “You know I can’t let this go.”
She caught her breath when he touched her. That gentle hand of his would eventually be her undoing. Since the night before, her thoughts had been centered around him. Oh sure, she’d lain awake many nights and fantasized about Crue and the others, too, but last night? Her thoughts had been devoted to Colt. He’d awakened feelings inside her, emotions she was certain had long since been dead and buried.
She’d heard him the night before when he’d professed his love. Somewhere deep down inside, she’d always known how he’d felt about her, but love? She wasn’t expecting him to say that he loved her. Men like Colt knew better than to love. They protected their hearts at all costs and, in doing so, saved their potential partners a lot of grief.
She’d seen what men like Sam Kane and Brock Donovan’s father had suffered. The Underground Unit operatives often paid their dues with their lives. The women, like Sydney Kane Donovan for example, often ended up in the cross fire, and they never had true peace of mind. Women involved with the Underground Unit and their men often spent their ent
ire lives looking over their shoulders.
“Colt.” She lowered her voice. “Please trust me on this. You don’t know what you’re dealing with here.”
As if she’d delivered a blow across his face or a direct punch in the gut, Colt backed away from her. His eyes were wild, ablaze with fury. “Fuck me.”
The phrase was not, by any means, used as a means of seduction or a sexy little demand. She’d said too much, or he’d read plenty into what little information she supplied.
“Oh no,” she muttered, fully realizing he knew what she was now. He realized what she’d become.
“Damn it! Tell me this isn’t so, Kelly.” He slowly shook his head from side to side as he processed.
“Colt, let me explain—”
“When? Damn you, when?” he screamed, rushing her. He lifted her by her upper arms and slammed her against the wall, holding her in place.
Tears streamed down her face. She gasped for air as she accepted the rage, realizing she’d always feared he’d respond this way. She’d always assumed Colt would take her induction into the Underground Unit the very hardest. “Last year. Dad didn’t want me to tell you. He didn’t want any of you to know.”
Colt squeezed his eyes shut. Tears gathered in the corners, but none fell to his face, which further shattered her heart, not to mention her control. Her hand trembled like a fragile vine whipping freely in a violent wind as she reached for him, wanting to comfort him but coming to terms with the fact she was the source behind his pain.
He grabbed her forearm and glared at her. His nostrils flared and his face was aglow with fury. He was hurt, destroyed. His heartache fell to her shoulders.
She caused this. She was to blame.
“Colt, you understand how this works,” she said, explaining her position but keeping her head down and her voice low. She didn’t need casino security picking up on their conversation. “The only women in the Underground Unit are those who have a father in the business. Our division needed—”
“Give me a minute, Kelly.”
“I—”
“Only a minute,” he whispered. His forehead met hers, and for a split second, she thought he might kiss her. She found herself awaiting the kiss, wanting his lips to savagely take and claim hers. She needed his body, wanted him more than she’d ever longed for another.
“Colt, it was the only way.” Already fearful casino security may have picked up on too much of the conversation, she cupped his nape and drew him closer. Whispering in his ear, she said, “Lorenzo Molinelli and his family have used government grants from our country to open hotels, restaurants, and now casinos. His organization has strong ties in several countries. Dad thinks he has connections to the most violent criminals in the world.”
Colt snatched her wrist and pulled her hand away from his neck. “And Daniel put you inside?” A forced chuckle fell from his lips. “You would think any normal man wouldn’t want his daughter involved in something like this.”
She took a deep breath and raked her fingernails over her forehead. “I don’t think he had a choice.”
Colt’s left eye twitched, which was never a good sign. “Oh, he had a choice all right. He chose wrong!”
“Colt…I…I was already involved with Lorenzo. At one time, I thought I cared deeply…for him. I even thought if I could ever get over you and Crue, get beyond what I needed from the others, that maybe I could fall in love with him.”
She slapped her hand against her mouth, willing herself to silence. She witnessed the deep-rooted pain she’d inflicted. The rage in Colt’s eyes disintegrated as the sadness replaced the anger.
Her eyes fogged over. She couldn’t see for the tears. She wept in front of him, detecting the impact and the toll her confession took on the one man who knew her better than anyone. Because he understood her so well, Colt would realize she was telling him the truth. He could read whatever he wanted into the rest, most of what would likely be accurate assumptions.
Colt glared at her now as if he’d never cared for her at all. He glanced down at her left hand and focused on her third finger. When he looked up, total disgust lingered in his eyes. “I want that damn ring off your hand by tomorrow morning, and I don’t mean maybe. How you end it with Lorenzo doesn’t matter. Just do it.”
After making his demands, he stomped down the hallway, slinging his arms back and forth as he marched to his suite. Kelly eased back inside the gym, covering her mouth with one hand in an attempt to muffle her cries. Right before she closed the door, she heard elevated voices.
There wasn’t a doubt in her mind. Colt had met Lorenzo in the hallway.
Peering around the corner, she spotted them. Colt sternly shook his forefinger at Lorenzo and screamed, “Lay another hand on her, you twisted son of a bitch, and I’ll cut off the hands that feed you. Capiche?”
“I understand,” he said all too willingly as he glared down the hallway.
He looked straight past Colt and focused on her, his eyes suggesting he’d found appropriate blame for this embarrassing confrontation.
“Look at me, motherfucker!” Colt screamed, extending his middle and forefinger and pointing at Lorenzo’s eyes and then his own. “I want you to see that I mean business.”
“And who shall I tell my associates has made such a bold threat?”
Colt chuckled. “You tell your associates whatever the fuck you wanna tell them. This isn’t about business. This is personal. Lay another hand on my woman, and I’ll snap every one of your fingers until I hear them pop.”
“So we don’t have a name?” he asked, this time looking away from Kelly long enough to address Colt.
“Damn straight I do, and you know it, too. The name is Colt Candy. Write it down this time so you don’t forget. Then, tell your friends and family, those business associates of yours, too. Colt Candy. Say it with me, motherfucker, because I’m the man who plans to kill you.”
Chapter Seven
“Are you out of your ever-lovin’ mind?” Crue entered the suite, slamming the door behind him. He paused long enough to glare at the entrance. He turned on his heels and faced them again. “And that’s brilliant. Leaving your door unlocked after threatening a mob boss. Sweet.”
“The ghost shows his face,” Colt muttered, tossing back a glass of liquor.
“What the hell was that, Colt?” Crue stared at the whiskey on the table. “And since when do you drink at nine o’clock in the morning?”
Colt smoothly reached across the table and poured another glass of liquor.
“And just where did you go after you threatened Lorenzo, huh?”
“For a run.”
“Well if you hadn’t pissed off our congenial hostess, you might have been able to use the private facilities on this floor. Maybe then Gabe and I could’ve covered your sorry ass when Lorenzo’s men came looking for you.” He took a deep breath. “What in the hell were you thinking, Colt? Huh? Answer me! What was going through your mind when you told Lorenzo you planned to kill him?”
Brand entered the room, scrubbing his wet hair with a towel. “You know how your brother is. He thinks he has a license to kill when it comes to Kelly.”
“I do,” Colt assured them, emptying his glass once more. His face felt hot. His veins were ready to pop. Never mind his heart. He felt as if he were a good candidate for a heart attack, maybe even a stroke. “I dare anyone to tell me differently.”
“This is insane, Colt,” Crue said. “Think about what you’re doing. For once in your life, think about Kelly!”
Colt kicked the coffee table, and the glass top cracked down the middle. “I am thinking about Kelly! She is all I think about! She’s my last thought at night, the first one in the morning. For five fucking years, she’s been all I’ve needed, all I’ve wanted, and now Daniel…” He stopped abruptly and dragged his palm from his forehead to the crown of his head.
Crue sneered. “Daniel what?”
Colt narrowed his gaze on his younger brother. Did he know? Did h
e realize Kelly was on the inside? Had he known Daniel had placed her in the line of fire? Was that why the shadows had been on the job long before the rest of the team had been alerted and assigned? If so, he wished like hell Crue had never kept such a secret from him.
“Answer me, Colt. What did Daniel do?”
“He fed her to the lions as far as I’m concerned,” Colt barked, wondering if he’d given away a truer fact. Did his brother know he’d left the building because he’d been overwhelmed by grief? Did he realize he’d fled the casino so he could grieve in private?
“Is that all you can give me?” Crue asked, his jaw square and firmly set.
“For now,” Colt said, lowering his voice. “It’s all I have.” He couldn’t say too much until he dug a little deeper and found out more. He needed to talk to Brock and Riley Donovan and find out what the hell was going on here. Kelly had mentioned something about Lorenzo using government funds to back investment properties. Where had she gotten such an idea? Daniel? The Donovans? Was it true? “I want you to set up a poker game.”
“With what?” Crue asked, his eyes fierce with anger.
“Take it out of our personal account,” Colt told him.
“You’re out of your mind. Lorenzo will eat you alive. He has deep pockets, Colt. Deeper than ours.”
“I can’t help that. I’d much rather have a chance to win a hand against him in his favorite game than to face Daniel and tell him how we used our expense account.”
“If you think Daniel doesn’t already know what happened here last night, you’re insane. Nothing happens on that casino floor that Daniel doesn’t find out about,” Crue said. “Besides, since when do you worry about Daniel and money? If I were you, I’d be more concerned about the Donovans. Brock has a straight line to the Underground Unit authority.”
That was because Brock was the authority, a fact no one else in the Underground Unit could wrap their heads around.
Cowboy Boots and Unadulterated Pleasures [Cowboy Boots 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 6