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

a few days, nothing more. The building has a sprinkler system.”

“Sounds intriguing. Send me the details.”

“Just like that?”

“I’m not in a position to ask questions, and we both know I can’t tell you no. There’s just something about you, Harrison.”

“My easy-breezy personality?”

“Not likely.”

“I cracked open that cognac, finally. It’s delicious. Thanks.”

“My pleasure. Did Grady like it?”

“He wasn’t invited to the taste testing.”

“Lover’s quarrel?”

“More like hurricane season.”

“Need me to handle that as well?”

“No. I hate to think of what your solution would be.”

Mickey chuckled and disconnected.

I set the phone on the coffee table and threw myself back on the couch, grinning.

“You always have this evil gleam after you talk to Mickey,” Bridget said.

Wild Card laughed from the entrance of the atrium. Donovan and Bones stood next to him, smiling.

“She had that same look the first night I met her,” Wild Card said, walking further into the room. “It’s her good-girl gone bad vibe.”

“At least I’m not an adrenaline junky like you,” I said, picking up my phone again and standing. “Class dismissed. Those attending the Destruction-of-the-Cartel meeting, regroup at Donovan’s. Those staying here, be on guard and protect the family in our absence.”

“We’ve got it handled,” Anne said, gathering the files. “Whiskey, Farmer, and James are staying inside with us. Tyler’s leading the troops outside. I’ll put Nicholas to bed if the meeting runs late.”

“One of us will swing back to say goodnight to him if the meeting runs late,” Wild Card said. “I set an alarm on my phone.”

Something about Wild Card setting an alarm for Nicholas’ bedtime sat uneasy with me. Was it because I should have done the same? Was it because the relationship between Wild Card, myself, and my son was beyond complicated? Or was it because I liked the thought of him caring enough?

“Don’t overthink it, sweetheart,” Wild Card said, watching me.

“Who? Me?” I asked as I carried my glass of cognac out of the room.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Regrouping in Donovan’s basement family room, each of us found a place on either the couch or one of the four club chairs. I sat in one of the club chairs with Bones and Bridget sharing a chair to my right. Wild Card was on my left with his feet stretched out, crossed at the ankles, and his fingers laced behind his head. Tech had the last chair and moved an end table over to use as a workstation for his laptop.

Tyler entered through the sliding door, nodding to me before leaning against the wall so he could watch outside and still listen in on the meeting.

Donovan looked around the room, realizing he had the couch to himself. He turned sideways and stretched out, taking up all three cushions. “I’m not used to having so few people attend these meetings.”

“I still can’t believe you made Jackson choose,” Bones said, shaking his head.

“I didn’t,” I said as I dragged the coffee table over to prop my feet on. “Jackson volunteered to be my spy.”

Donovan sat up, swinging his feet to the floor. “What?”

I shrugged. “I needed moles.”

“Jackson and Trigger,” Bridget said, grinning. “You have two spies, though I’m not sure how long Trigger will survive if you keep pitting him against the guys.”

“That shit with Jackson was fake?” Bones asked. “He was pissed. I thought he was going to take a swing at you.”

“He’s a hell of an actor,” Wild Card said, looking over at me and grinning. “Jackson took acting classes with Reggie and played Henry Higgins from My Fair Lady in the annual county musical.”

“His English accent was perfection, but man, can he sing,” I said, grinning at Wild Card.

“You're shitting me?” Donovan said. “Jackson? One of the biggest bad asses of jungle warfare?”

“We don’t have a lot of time,” Tyler said in a serious tone, drawing our attention. “Can we stay on task? How will Jackson and Trigger communicate if they can’t cross the highway? If they use their phones, they risk being overheard.”

“Tweedle,” I answered. “She agreed to be the messenger. No one will expect her to be complicit, and her baked goods make her approachable.”

“Does Ryan know?” Bridget asked.

“No. We agreed Ryan wouldn’t like her being involved, so we aren’t providing him with the details until the situation is resolved or the weekend ends, whichever happens first.”

Bones laughed, tucking his forehead against Bridget’s shoulder. “You guys really did corrupt Tweedle while we were away.”

“Nightcrawler’s approaching,” Tyler said, opening the slider door. “Maggie’s with him.”

“Did we know Maggie was coming?” Bridget asked.

“No. But she was gathering intel on Sebrina,” I answered as Maggie and Nightcrawler stepped into the room.

“Security around here is over the top, Tyler,” Maggie said as she entered and pinched Tyler’s cheek.

Tyler grinned back at her until Nightcrawler threw an elbow into his stomach.

“Tell me you brought me something,” I said to Maggie.

Maggie walked over and sat next to Donovan on the couch. Nightcrawler sat next to her, but there was a distance between them. “I wasn’t allowed to print Sebrina’s file, but I was allowed to peek at it.”

“And what did we see?”

“Smart. Beautiful. Competitive.”

“I knew all that.”

“Did you know she’s never been assigned to work the Remirez cartel?” Maggie asked.

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Bridget said, leaning forward and clasping her hands.

“The DEA knows she’s taken six trips to Mexico over the last year and that on three of those trips she met with Santiago. She also met with Santiago twice in the States. She reported the trips to Mexico as vacations or related to other cases, and claims Santiago sought her out.”

“What about payouts?” Tech asked. “Is there a financial trail we can follow?”

“Business as usual in her personal finances,” Maggie said, shaking her head.