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

By the time the coffee was ready, Wild Card was dressed in a Harley t-shirt that was several sizes too small for him and a pair of black sweats that were a few inches too short and looked as tight as yoga pants in the thighs and butt. At least it covered more than the towel had.

I set three cups of coffee on the table and sat down to join the boys.

“Heard about the commotion last night,” Tyler said. “Whiskey filled me in. How’s Nick doing?”

“He’ll be okay,” Wild Card said. “This shit with Grady just threw him.”

“It’s my fault,” I said. “I shouldn’t have let Grady move in. I shouldn’t have let Nick get so attached.”

“Bullshit,” Wild Card said, setting his coffee cup down. “Kids need to connect with people. It’s not like Grady was a one-night stand you brought home.”

“Agreed,” Tyler said. “We all trusted Grady to do right by Nicholas. That failure is on Grady, not you.”

I sighed dramatically. “If only I had a crystal ball and could see into the future.”

Wild Card snorted. “With your life? It’s hard enough keeping up with the crap we already know about.”

Tyler nodded. “I don’t even want to remember the shit that happened over the last three days. The kidnapping. Carl ordering chemicals to blow us up. Grady losing his mind. Hattie getting sick.”

“Wait! That’s it!” I said, getting up to grab the files off the credenza where we had dumped them the night before.

“What’s it?” Wild Card said. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Just a minute,” I said, rearranging the papers, taking up enough space that they both had to pick up their coffee cups. “Shit, I need Tech.”

I ran into the bedroom and grabbed my phone from the nightstand. My gun and harness were sitting next to it so I grabbed them as well. Back in the dining room I put the phone on speaker and called Tech while I strapped on my shoulder harness. Out of habit, I checked my gun, ensuring I had a full clip before snapping it into place.

“Are you insane?” Tech said, answering the phone. “It’s four-thirty in the morning.”

“Tell her I hate her,” I heard Katie say in the background.

“Grab your laptop. I need your help.”

“It can’t wait?”

“I’ll make you cocoa?”

Silence.

“And blueberry pancakes?”

“Fine. But I want whipped cream on both.”

I hit the end-call button and went to the kitchen to heat a cup of milk. While it heated, I dug around in the refrigerator and was happy when I found we still had a half quart of blueberries left.

Tyler stood, looking at his phone. “Ryan is parked at the end of the road, asking me to pick up Tweedle. I’ll be back in a minute.”

I got flour out and then dug around for Hattie’s pancake recipe.

“Go,” Wild Card said to me, turning me out of the kitchen. “I’ll make breakfast. You focus on stopping the cartel.”

I went back to the dining room and grabbed my laptop, starting it up.

“What the hell, Kelsey?” Tech said as he stumbled in through the garage door. “I’m a delicate creature. I need sleep.”

“I need you to hack the trucking company and find out the schedule for their shipments from the textile mill. Search to see if any of their trucks will be hauling stock from the textile mill to the East coast. If they do, we can likely sabotage it en route. One stone, two companies.”

“Could work,” Wild Card said. “Easier than breaking into the mill, too.”

“And less time consuming to plan than some of my other ideas,” I said.

Tweedle entered through the garage wearing a bright yellow dress with large pink flowers. “Good morning, everyone.” She set her purse on the counter and took off her coat. “Did everyone have a good night last night?”

“No,” everyone answered back.

“That’s a shame. Maybe some chocolate muffins will cheer up everyone.” She walked over and looked in the bowl that Wild Card was stirring. “Can I help you first?”

“Sure,” Wild Card said. “You can add cocoa to the milk and pour Tech a cup with whipped cream on top while I chop some vegetables for omelets.”

“Sounds like an excellent plan. Teamwork. That’s what it’s all about.”

I pressed my lips together and looked over at Tech. He smirked, but started typing on his laptop.

Bridget and Bones entered through the front door, stripping off their coats.

I turned back to Tech. “After you get the trucking schedule, is there a way to find out if the bakery has any big orders at the mill today or tomorrow?”

“I can try. What are you thinking?”

“Ex-lax in their baked goods. If we can make their employees or clients have to go home sick, that’s another double strike.”

“You’d be too late for today,” Tweedle said, bringing Tech his cocoa and filling up my coffee cup. “Any decent baker starts filling catering orders before sunrise.”

“What about switching the order with a contaminated order?” Bridget asked.

Tweedle shrugged. “I can bake anything you need. Won’t be the first time I drugged someone.”

I looked at my coffee. Tech looked at his cocoa.

Tweedle shook her head. “I wouldn’t drug you guys.”

“I’m sure that’s what Ryan thought before you drugged him, too,” Bridget said.

Tweedle rolled her eyes. “Oh, I almost forgot.” She hurried into the kitchen and back, handing me two sheets of paper.

I opened the first one and recognized Jackson’s handwriting: I got nothing. Everyone’s talking about the tournament. Crumpling the waste of paper, I tossed it to the floor before opening the second one. Trigger: I’m bored. Do you have a job for me? I crumbled the second one and tossed it on the floor too.