Cowboy Boots and Unadulterated Pleasures [Cowboy Boots 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Natalie Acres

  A killer had a distinct expression that flagged the person as a lost soul, a heartless creature. As he assessed the damage he’d inflicted, Colt noticed Lorenzo’s split lip, swollen face, and dangling tooth. He’d shattered a few bones and probably cracked a rib or two, but he would survive.

  Damn shame, too. After everything he had put Kelly through, in the end he would walk away unscathed.

  On second thought, no, he didn’t think so…the world would be a better place without Lorenzo. Colt’s hand tightened around Lorenzo’s neck.

  Lorenzo gagged. The color washed out of his face. And then the gasping came as Lorenzo fought like crazy to hang on for dear life.

  “Now you know what it feels like,” Colt said, slowly coming to his senses. His grip relaxed and he was about to walk away when his team rushed him.

  “Colt!” Brand’s voice resounded.

  “Enough!” Kemper flashed in front of him.

  Gabe grabbed him from behind. Colt’s three fellow operatives wrestled him away from Lorenzo’s battered body. Lorenzo remained listless, curled around Daniel’s ankles.

  As if Colt had been fighting in a boxing match and had sustained his own share of injuries from a personal beating, everything spun around him—the faces of his fellow operatives, the patio furniture, the potted plants on the railing, even the mature trees and rocks in the distance. Before he came to his senses, he stumbled inside and collapsed on the sofa. His heart pounded against his chest. He tightened his fists and tried to steady his breathing.

  Gabe rushed to his side. “We aren’t like the other teams, Colt.”

  “You don’t know that,” Colt ground out, feeling as much like a killer today as any he’d ever met in the past.

  “I do know,” Gabe said, grabbing him by the shoulders and looking him in the eye. “We were taught to fight and we were taught to kill, but you yourself said you would only kill if it came down to your life or the life of an enemy. You had a choice today. It wasn’t kill or be killed. You had time to make a decision and turn the other cheek.”

  “I see things one way. You see them another.”

  “This is about Kelly,” Gabe said.

  “It should’ve been, but I walked away,” Colt said, realizing he would’ve released Lorenzo anyway even if his fellow operatives hadn’t dragged him away. He’d lost his temper, but he’d regained his composure in the end. Now, he wasn’t sure backing off was the right choice. “I want to kill him for what he did to Kelly.”

  “He’ll get what he deserves, Colt,” Gabe promised him. “But not like this. Not today and not here.”

  “He’s right,” Kemper said, dragging Lorenzo’s body from the patio.

  Everyone glared at Lorenzo. Then, Brand walked outside and helped Kemper bring Daniel inside.

  “Is he all right?” Colt asked, dabbing his lip.

  Dazed and confused, Daniel’s head wobbled. “I’ll make it.”

  “Where are his men?” Colt asked, tilting his chin at Lorenzo.

  “Two are dead. The other one is sleeping around the wheel of his SUV,” Brand said.

  “You’re one twisted son of a bitch,” Kemper muttered.

  Gabe walked to the window. “He’s not kidding.”

  Kemper chuckled. “I know he isn’t. I watched him position the guy’s body around the front wheel.”

  “Maybe when he wakes up he’ll realize how lucky he is,” Brand said. “All I had to do was start the engine, throw it in reverse, and he’d have a cage full of cracked ribs.”

  “Why didn’t you?” Daniel asked, staring down at Lorenzo as if he somewhat pitied him.

  “Somebody will need to drive Lorenzo back to the Strip,” Brand explained. “Might as well be the guy who’ll be in the biggest hurry to get back there. Once he realizes how lucky he is to be alive, maybe he won’t come back to the canyon.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that,” Lorenzo mumbled. He tried to move and likely found he couldn’t. He groaned in pain as he curled up in the middle of the living room. “You’ll pay. All of you. I’ll make every last one of you pay.”

  “Maybe,” Gabe drawled, dragging him to his feet. “But it ain’t gonna be today.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Why did you do that?” Kelly bellowed, slapping his back as she followed him across the narrow room.

  “Not now, Kelly,” Crue told her, pursuing the small office area they’d created behind the lavishly appointed recreational area. Grabbing the first-aid kit off the wall, he rummaged through the box and located the gauze, quickly bandaging his hand as he walked to the computers.

  He had to give Daniel props. He’d pulled out all the stops when he’d designed and decorated the underground space.

  Naturally, he would. He probably believed he’d use the compound at some point in time.

  “Dad needed me!” she screamed, following him around the room. “You had no right forcing me down here!”

  Crue sat down in front of a bank of computer monitors. He flipped several switches on the control panel, booting up the main electricity and the computers at the same time.

  “Are you listening to me?” she asked, grabbing him by the arm.

  “I hear every word, beautiful,” Crue said, retrieving his cell phone to check his messages. He’d never been super-duper responsible about checking texts and voice mail. Prior to joining the Underground Unit, he hadn’t even carried a cell phone.

  As if she were taken aback by his compliment, Kelly crossed her arms and zipped her lips. Hell, he’d have to remember this little trick. If he could get a woman to shut up by flattering her, he’d praise a lady all day. A quiet lady had time to think about all the more delicious ways she could put her pretty swollen lips to good use. He grinned at the thought.

  The blue computer screens shimmered in the dim lighting. Another second or two and he’d have his systems up and running. He narrowed his gaze on his brother’s earlier text messages. “Damn.”

  “What is it?” Kelly asked, looking over his shoulder.

  “Here,” he said, handing her the phone. “Look through Colt’s earlier notes and be sure there isn’t anything we need to know.”

  Crue returned his focus to the computers. He entered several security codes. A few beeps alerted him to several live connections. Soon, the room was humming with activity.

  Kelly rushed the largest screen on the end of the computer desk. Her neck stretched forward and she breathed a sigh of relief. Turning to him, she said, “He’s alive, Crue.”

  “I never doubted he would be,” Crue said, typing out their precise location. Unlike the other underground compounds scattered around the country, the Nevada location had recently implemented an electronic slide for an added security feature. With over sixteen tunnels and four caves, the operatives had no way of knowing where they’d land when they slid into the transit funnel. With the added pressure of collapsing the tunnels while in transit, the randomness guaranteed no one of their final location.

  Lucky for them, they were dumped in the smaller unit. The larger facilities were deep underground and often took days for the teams to uncover their location. With best estimates, Crue imagined they’d be out of there in three days, worst-case scenario. He glanced at Kelly. Then again, he wouldn’t complain if he had to spend a few days alone with the sexy siren.

  Finishing the procedures for activating his location and setting up security around the grounds above them, Crue said, “Maybe now you can relax. If you will, stock the refrigerator. The pantry should have several cases of water bottles.”

  “Do it yourself,” she barked, fiddling with the cell phone.

  Crue studied her out of the corner of his eye. “Pissy with me, are ya?”

  She glanced up for a second. “There was no reason whatsoever for this action and you know I’m right.”

  Crue stood. He stalked her. “No reason, huh?”

  “None.”

  He grabbed her arm and hauled her pretty little ass back over to the computers
. Searching for the program he wanted, he clicked the icon to activate the hourglass and watched as the day’s activities unfolded before them. “There’s a little reminder for you, Kelly. Maybe you have short-term memory loss. I don’t know. What I do know is when we arrived at the ranch, things were all to hell. Your dad had a gun at his head and a round of bullets had just been pumped into the deck over your pretty little head.”

  Crue pointed at the leather chair in front of the computers. “Have a seat. Enjoy the show. I’ll serve popcorn and soda in a minute.”

  Kelly sneered. “Why don’t you do just that? I’m hungry.”

  Seething, he marched away and entered the pantry. Kelly had been given too much power at a very young age. That’s what was wrong with her. Since shadowing her, he’d noticed a significant change in how she lived.

  Even though Daniel had always been a good provider, he’d never really spoiled her. Now earning an executive-level salary, Kelly had the freedom to purchase whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted it. Plus, she had a lot of staff on the payroll. Hell, she probably hired someone to place water bottles in her refrigerator.

  Actually, she did, he mused. She lived in one of the casino’s luxury suites.

  Grabbing a couple of cans of soup, he ripped off the tops, dumped the veggies and meat in two bowls, and stuck them in the microwave. A few minutes later, they sat at the computer desk watching the monitors and sending the occasional text message.

  Crue kept an eye on one of the monitors, watching Colt’s reaction as he sent or received a text. He’d started out with professional texts, receiving and sending updates. Then, it occurred to him. Kelly must’ve been sending Colt messages, too. She hadn’t said much since he’d set her bowl of soup in front of her. Plus, she’d text like mad and set aside her phone. A second or two later, Crue would watch the monitors and notice Colt fishing his phone out of his pocket once more.

  “Has Colt had anything interesting to say?”

  “I knew you were watching us,” she said, pointing to the screen closest to him.

  He winked. “You can’t pull anything over on me, baby.”

  “Wanna bet?” she teased, rising from her chair and taking her bowl with her.

  Joining her in the galley, he placed his spoon and dirty dish in the small sink. “What the hell are you so mad about? You saw the footage. I saved your life.”

  “You didn’t save my life, Crue. I had everything under control.” She started out of the confined spaced.

  Grabbing her arm, he gave her a sharp pull and she landed against his chest. Grinning, he brushed a fallen lock away from her cheek. “Then tell me something, beautiful. How did you plan on paying Lorenzo the fifty million dollars your father owes him?”

  The color washed out of her face. She jerked her arm free and left him standing there. Translating with ease what he’d just witnessed, he met her in the recreational area, a room designed to keep the operatives entertained in the event of an extended stay underground.

  “Wanna rack ’em?” Crue asked, pointing at the pool table.

  “I’m not in the mood for games,” she said, dragging her fingers along the smooth surface of an air hockey table.

  “I’m not, either,” he admitted, taking a seat in the executive chair once more. Leaning back, he crossed his arms and studied her. “Why don’t you tell me what you know about Lorenzo and what you only just discovered here today?”

  She narrowed her gaze. Her expression was hard to read. After a moment of silence, she asked, “Why didn’t you tell me you were in Las Vegas, Crue?”

  “From what I hear, you knew we were staying at the casino—two doors down from you—the whole time.” His lips curved in a smile as he thought of a little sideshow she had provided for them one night. He’d suspected then that she had known they’d been covering her ass. “I sure enjoyed watching you finger that pretty pussy of yours. Want to deny you knew we were watching?”

  Her nose twitched and her face blushed. God love her, she was a pretty babe. Flattening her palms against the green surface of the Ping-Pong table, she hoisted herself on top of the game. Her legs hung free and she crossed her ankles, staring at him as if she had a lot on her mind and a few things she planned to get off her chest.

  With the thought, he gaped at her breasts. Wearing a snug red top, Kelly had never looked sexier than in that moment. Maybe a year without her in his bed had changed them, or perhaps the past three months had made him realize something Colt had told him a long time ago.

  Kelly was his woman. She belonged to all of them. Maybe she always had.

  Still, he’d watched her endure a lot of pain, too, and how she’d survived the mental anguish Lorenzo had inflicted, he’d never know.

  “Did you love him?” he asked, the question falling from his lips before he considered what her answer might do to him. Conflicted, he quickly said, “I mean, did you care about him?”

  “You know the answer to that question, Crue. If you don’t, you never knew me at all.”

  “Just because you fucked him doesn’t mean you cared about him.”

  “What a man thing to say. You might find this hard to believe, but I don’t fuck for sport.”

  “You should,” he said, copping a smile. “You’d probably win a few blue ribbons and a couple of trophies, too.”

  “Asshole.”

  He winked. “I try.”

  “Don’t try so hard,” she fired back. “It’s easy to see what a burden it is for you.”

  Their eyes met and held. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Finally, he took a drink of water and said, “We’ll be here for a few days so we might as well relax.”

  “Now that I know Dad is alive, I’ll rest better. I don’t know if I could’ve lived with myself if something had happened to him.”

  “Kelly, you did the right thing back there. If you had rushed upstairs and tried to save Daniel, Lorenzo would’ve killed you both.”

  “He wants the money more than he wants our lives.”

  “He thinks you’ll sign over the casino?”

  “You heard as much as I did today. I knew there was a debt owed, but I didn’t realize how much. I think Lorenzo was equally shocked to discover my name or the Donovans’ names are required on the casino’s checks. What he probably doesn’t know is that any amount over a million requires two signatures. Plus, I can’t sell the casino without the Donovans’ approval.”

  Pushing aside the business matters, Crue said, “Kelly, Daniel is sick.”

  “You think I don’t know that?” She rubbed her forehead. “I told Sam Kane and Mark Donovan both. When Dad convinced Sam he would lose his desire to gamble if he managed the casino, I told them. I explained how his particular addiction worked. They didn’t believe me.”

  “What do you mean you explained?”

  “Dad’s addiction has always been the sportsbook. He isn’t interested in the slot machines. He doesn’t care for the tables, but when it comes to the sportsbook, he’s always had a weakness and he likes to place large bets. He likes the feeling he gets when a sportsbook seems respectful of him because he’s placing the larger bets, giving a place a lot of action.

  “It’s about the perks with him, Crue. Some gamblers claim they’re in it for the win, the adrenaline rush, but I know my father better than anyone. He is addicted to the feeling he gets when he is lavished with expensive gifts and treated like a high roller. You know how it is. You lived here. You’ve stayed in the casino and watched how we roll, too.

  “Everyone is treated like a movie star as long as they’re coming off the money. We spoil them, treat them so well they never want to go home. Some of them don’t go home until the money runs out, and that’s the name of the game. It’s the nature of the business. It’s what we’re supposed to do.”

  “You wouldn’t take a man’s last dime, Kelly.”

  “I wouldn’t?” She snorted at that. “I do, Crue.”

  He was surprised when a look of disgust wa
shed across her face. “You don’t set out to break a man. I’ve watched you work, Kelly. I mean, just last week, you asked a guy to leave the casino. He’d been playing for hours on end and you told him to go home and get some rest, come back when his luck had changed.”

  “I remember. You want to know the story behind that one?” She paused. “He’s an odd character. The guy has old family money and plenty of it. He’d break us before we’d break him. In fact, he’s almost taken our last dime a few times. He has dry runs, but when his luck shifts? He’s the luckiest son of a bitch I’ve ever known in my life. He only plays with us, but we’ve detected a pattern, and he is one of the few people I’ve watched play enough to believe he is in the minority and just a die-hard lucky gambler.”

  “I didn’t think those men existed.”

  “Few do,” she said.

  “If what you’re saying is true about your dad, then the casinos definitely had a hand in creating a true addict.”

  “Psht! Really?” she asked, sarcastically. “And brewing companies target everyone but the alcoholic.”

  “That’s different.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t see any beer reps sending consumers on trips all over the world. They don’t target street bums and pay for a three-week stay at a five-star hotel. If what you’re saying is true, the casinos prey on the gambler’s weakness.”

  “Yep. We do.” Kelly cleared her throat. “But don’t be so sure about the alcohol companies. They offer their share of perks to the right people. It depends on the company.”

  “Your dad told you that, didn’t he?” Crue grinned. “He had a similar conversation with Brand once. They debated the probability of how much responsibility lies with a pharmaceutical company if their prescribed medications become the addict’s drug of choice.”

  “I form my own opinions there. Understand, I work in a business where many addicts are born, Crue. You have no idea what I’ve seen since I’ve been in charge of operations.”