Hearts and Aces (Kelsey's Burden Series Book 7) Kaylie Hunter (books to read this summer TXT) 📖

through the closed window. Bridget got into the front passenger seat and turned the radio to the highest level. Tyler and Tech slid into the backseat. I pulled out, leaving Grady in the parking lot still screaming.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“What day is it?” I asked as I pulled into the garage.

“Thursday,” Tyler answered. “And, no, you didn’t forget to make dinner. I asked Lisa to cover for you tonight.”

“See what I mean about us being a good team?” I said, grinning at him in the mirror.

Tyler smirked back at me. “Figured you had enough on your plate.”

“Which reminds me,” I said, sighing. “I might’ve caved about Nicholas getting a dog. Can you talk to Beth about buying a guard dog? Seeing Storm in action the last few days has swayed my vote.”

“Agreed,” Bridget said. “Watching Storm sink his teeth into the guy who tried to take Beth was—awesome!”

“I’ll talk to Beth,” Tyler said. “And Nightcrawler. He mentioned he’s worked with guard dogs before.”

“Sounds good, but let’s keep it quiet until we find out the details. Nicholas can’t handle any more disappointment right now. I also don’t want him to think I’m replacing Grady with a dog.”

“Even if you are?” Bridget asked.

“I’m not,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s about protection, companionship, and teaching Nicholas responsibility by caring for a pet.”

Reggie opened the kitchen door and looked out at us. “Are you guys getting out of the car?”

I climbed out. “Reg, we need to talk.”

“What’s up?” he asked as he walked out and closed the door behind him.

“If you have any belongings here, you need to get them. You’re being relocated to Headquarters. Only Bones, Donovan, Wild Card, and Tweedle will be allowed on this side of the highway until we sort out the current cartel threat.”

“I don’t understand. You think I might be a mole?”

“No, but the decision was made that only those who are willing to shoot Grady or Sebrina can stay on our side. Jackson refused to agree, and the two of you are a package deal.”

“You’re kicking me out?” Reggie asked, his voice escalating three notches higher than normal.

“Yes.”

“Is this about charging the plane to go to Indiana?”

“No. This is about the security of my family,” I said, stepping closer to him and placing my hands on his shoulders. “This doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You just need to trust me, Reggie. Can you do that?”

His eyes showed how betrayed he felt, but he nodded.

“Do you need to grab anything?” Tyler asked him. “I can give you a lift back across the highway.”

“No. My stuff’s in Jackson’s apartment,” Reggie answered, taking Bridget’s place in the front seat.

I passed the keys to Tyler before walking into the house. I couldn’t wait for this day to be over.

Entering, my spirits brightened on hearing the kids laughing. I followed the noise past Lisa and Beth, who were in the kitchen making dinner, and leaned against the wall in the living room. Anne rolled the dice and groaned as the kids laughed again. They were playing Monopoly. Hattie and Anne sat on the floor, leaning against the couch. Whiskey and Pops sat on the couch behind them, laughing. Wild Card sat on the floor on an oversized pillow at the end of the rectangular coffee table, reaching over to snag the dice. The kids sat on the floor across from Anne and Hattie, cheering Wild Card on as he dropped the dice onto the board.

“Yes,” Wild Card said as he moved the shoe around the board and landed on the community chest square. He drew his card and flashed it around to show everyone. “Collect a hundred dollars!”

Pops checked the card and then, serving as the banker, paid Wild Card. Wild Card glanced over at me and winked before handing the dice to Nicholas.

Nicholas didn’t fare as well, landing on one of Anne’s properties, but he was laughing as he paid her. Looking at the measly few fake dollars she had in front of her, she’d likely be out of the game soon. I smiled before turning back toward the kitchen and then down the basement stairs, sneaking out of sight before the kids saw me.

At the bottom of the stairs, I checked to see if anyone was sleeping on the bunk beds but the room was empty. I walked to the far corner and stepped behind the bar, pulling out several bottles before deciding on an expensive cognac that Mickey McNabe had sent me as a gift. I turned, selecting a brandy snifter glass from the hanging rack on the wall.

“Grab a glass for me, too,” Katie said as she walked through the patio sliding door.

“I didn’t know you drank cognac,” I said, pulling another glass and pouring us both a drink.

“Never tried it.” She slid onto a barstool and smelled the alcohol before taking a sip. “Damn. That’s smooth.”

I walked around the bar and slid on top of my own barstool. “How’d you know I was down here?”

“Tech texted me to check in with you,” Katie said. “Want to talk about it?”

“About what?”

“Whatever horrible thing is weighing you down, making you feel the need to hide in the basement.”

“Who says I’m hiding?”

“Aren’t you?”

I took another small sip before shaking my head. “I have everything I can’t control properly locked away in my head. My focus is on figuring out my next move on the things I can control.”

“Our next move,” Katie said, setting her glass down. “Grady might’ve bailed, but the rest of us are still here. Don’t revert back to the old Kelsey who carried the weight of the world on her shoulders and wouldn’t rely on anyone for help.”

“Yeah,” Bridget said, snickering as she walked across the gym. “What she said.