Hearts and Aces (Kelsey's Burden Series Book 7)

by Kaylie Hunter

  HEARTS AND ACES

  Kelsey’s Burden Series: Book Seven

  KAYLIE HUNTER

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, businesses, incidents, etc., are the imagination of the author, and any resemblance to actual persons or otherwise is coincidental.

  Copyright 2019 by Kaylie Hunter

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Selfpubbookcovers.com/riafritz

  BOOKS BY KAYLIE

  Kelsey’s Burden Series

  Layered Lies

  Past Haunts

  Friends and Foes

  Blood and Tears

  Love and Rage

  Day and Night

  Hearts and Aces

  Hunt and Prey

  Heroes and Hellfire

  Standalone Novels

  Slightly Off-Balance

  Diamond’s Edge

  For a complete, up-to-date list of novels, visit BooksByKaylie.com

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  BOOKS BY KAYLIE

  From the Author

  Dedication

  To my mom:

  Thank you for having my back as I leapt, weaved, and ducked into the publishing world. Your support made all the difference.

  Love Always…

  Your favorite child

  Chapter One

  We all agreed our suspect was the thief; now we had to prove it. Our client, the owner of a chain of jewelry stores, was paying us top dollar to catch the bad guy. So I sat alone, hours after everyone else went to bed, monitoring the operation from my dining room table while Bridget and Trigger were in Delaware ready to pounce if our guy made his move.

  Someone unlocking the front door pulled my attention away from my computer and I glanced at the clock. Three in the morning. I stood and stretched before going to the kitchen to fill another coffee cup. “Good morning, Tyler,” I said without turning around.

  “How’d you know it was me?” he asked, relocking the door and taking the cup.

  “Who else is insane enough to still be up?”

  “Some of the guards at Silver Aces haven’t gone to bed yet, although they’re hammered so I’m not sure it counts.”

  “Dumbasses. If they don’t slow down they’ll be hospitalized for alcohol poisoning before the weekend gets here.” I returned to the table, nodding at a chair for Tyler to join me. “Why are you patrolling tonight?”

  Tyler was a prospect for the Devil’s Players, a local motorcycle club I had befriended years ago. When I realized he had good instincts, I hired him to keep an eye on the family, the retail store where most of the family worked, and our three houses. I also gave him the freedom to set his own hours. Some weeks, he worked only a few hours, just checking in periodically. Other weeks, he practically lived on our back deck, guarding the house like a sentry.

  I looked up at Tyler when he remained silent. “Well, out with it. Is there a problem I’m not aware of?”

  “None,” he said, shaking his head.

  Tyler and I both looked toward the front of the house, hearing a car approaching. We pulled our Glocks. Tyler slid out the back door into the dark. I moved to the front door, stepping outside with my gun aimed toward the truck that pulled into the driveway. The driver turned on the interior light as he parked. Ryan, one of the security guards at Silver Aces, waited in the truck with his hands up as he looked calmly back at me.

  I called out to Tyler, “All good. It’s Ryan!”

  Tyler came around the corner of the garage, holstering his weapon. I tucked mine back into my holster as Ryan escorted a woman from the truck to the house.

  “Figured someone would be up,” Ryan said as I held the door open for the woman. Tyler followed them in, relocking the door behind us.

  “Did you just get into town?” I asked him.

  A multitude of guards were expected this weekend for a tournament of sorts. Carl had built a fighting machine, The Circle of Hell, and the guys wanted to compete against each other. The competition was originally scheduled last month, but between Lisa banning Donovan from competing until his fractured arm healed and Nicholas’ birthday party last weekend, requiring everyone to pitch in to control two dozen nine-year olds, the guys had agreed to postpone. Unfortunately, postponing only gave the guys more time to plan an even bigger tournament which now included other events.

  “No,” Ryan answered, raising an eyebrow at the woman with him.

  Ryan wasn’t much of a talker. While his blondish-brown hair, loose-fitting jeans, and sun-kissed skin suggested an all-American facade, the way he moved and spoke screamed badass street fighter. More recently, I’d learned that Ryan possessed a knack for explosives and enjoyed playing with things that go boom.

  The woman stood there watching us as she fidgeted. Her light blond hair bounced around her shoulders as she looked back and forth between Ryan and me. Her right hand twisted the material of her bright flowery dress. “Reel said I might be welcome to use your kitchen as long as I don’t make too much noise.”

  “Reel?” Tyler asked.

  “Disregard,” Ryan growled, glancing down at the woman.

  “I’m Kelsey Harrison. Are you a client?” I asked the woman, more than a little confused.

  She giggled, looking up at Ryan. “No. I’m his wife, Tweedle-Dee.”

  “Or you can call her Deanna, like normal people,” Ryan said, sighing.

  She reached over and pinched him. “Behave.” She stepped past Ryan, setting her purse on the kitchen counter and taking off her jacket. Looking about the kitchen, she began opening cupboards. “I hope you don’t mind. I promise to be quiet, but I’m a baker and when I get nervous, I like to bake. Reel’s apartment—”

  “Ryan,” Ryan corrected her.

  “Right. Ryan’s apartment doesn’t have a kitchen.”

  “I have a mini fridge and a toaster oven. That’s all I need. It’s just a room to crash in from time to time.”

  She rolled her eyes before continuing, “If I would’ve known, we could’ve booked a hotel room.”

  “A hotel room with a full-size kitchen?” Tyler asked.

  She pulled a bag of flour out of the cupboard. “Not necessary. I’ve been known to take over the kitchens in hotels. As long as I’m out of the way for their dinner rush, I’ve never had an issue.”

  Ryan rubbed a hand across his forehead, seeming to attempt to rub the stress lines away. I looked at Tyler who had an eyebrow
raised as he watched Tweedle-Dee pull bowls and preheat the oven like she owned the place.

  My laptop beeped. I jogged over to hit the icon for the incoming call. “I’m here, Bridget.”

  “Trigger just texted me that our guy is on the move. Figured you’d want to know.”

  “Are you in position?”

  Tyler, Ryan, and Ryan’s wife moved over to the dining room table and looked over my shoulder.

  “Holy, hell. Is that you, Tweedle?” Bridget asked.

  “Bridget! I was so excited to come visit for the tournament. I’m baking at Ms. Harrison’s house. Can you come over?”

  “Kind of busy at the moment, but if all goes well in the next twenty minutes I’ll be home for the weekend festivities.”

  “What are you working on?” Tweedle asked.

  “Babe,” Ryan said, shaking his head. “They’re in the middle of an op. Let Kelsey and Bridget work.” He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her back from the laptop so I could sit in front of the screen.

  “It’s all good, Ryan, but I do need to focus,” Bridget said before looking at me. “I’m turning on the body cam.”

  The screen went black, then bluish-grey. Tyler reached past me and adjusted the settings to brighten the images.

  “I’ve got visual. What’s the plan?” I asked.

  “There are three points of entry: front door, back door, and an oversized ventilation duct on the roof. He’ll enter through the roof. I’m on the next roof over.”

  “What if you’re wrong?”

  “I’ve got cops down the road ready to move in, but I’m not wrong.”

  “We know he’s armed. I don’t want you taking any risks.”

  “No worries. Trigger and I rigged the ventilation shaft. When he goes in, he’ll drop down about ten feet, coming face-to-face with the night vision camera I installed earlier and the new security bars that will prevent him from getting into the store. Before he has a chance to backtrack I’ll drop the top hatch, trapping him inside. If he doesn’t want to die of starvation in there, he’ll have to turn himself in peacefully. Hang on. Trigger’s texting.”

  I picked up my phone and read the text that he sent both of us: Suspect parked two blocks away. Moving in by foot. I’m disabling the car as a backup plan.

  Bridget texted back: Ye of little faith. When are you going to learn, grasshopper? My plans don’t fail.

  Ryan and Tyler laughed, reading over my shoulder.

  “Should I call Bones?” Ryan asked.

  “No!” Bridget, Tyler, Tweedle, and I answered together.

  I looked up at Tweedle, and she winked at me.

  Tweedle patted Ryan’s arm. “Reel, Bones would just worry. Let Bridget do her thing.”

  “Fine.” Ryan ran a hand through his hair, pulling at it. “But call me Ryan here. We talked about this.” He wrapped his other arm around her as they leaned closer to the monitor.

  Bridget tapped twice on her earpiece, getting my attention without speaking.

  “I see him, Bridget. North fire escape. Man, he’s quick.”

  “And quiet.” Ryan nodded. “We can hear cars in the distance, but he just climbed an old two-story fire escape without making any noise. That isn’t easy.”

  “It helps that he’s only five foot two inches and weighs less than a buck twenty.” I handed Ryan the file on the suspect.

  “Aww,” Tweedle said. “He’s just a little guy.”

  “Who’s suspected of killing two people and robbing seventeen jewelry stores,” Ryan said as he dropped the file back on the table. “This guy likes knives, Bridget. Keep your distance when you move in to trap him.”

  Bridget tapped twice on her earpiece. With his back facing Bridget, the suspect soundlessly removed the top cover of the ventilation shaft. On her body cam we watched Bridget creep toward the other roof. As soon as he dropped into the shaft, she leapt the short distance between roofs, running to the nearby air conditioner. She dragged a metal grate out of hiding and dropped it over the hole. Standing on the edge of the grate, she kept it weighted while she pulled a battery-operated wrench from her utility belt and bolted the grate down.

  A hand flashed out between the bars, swiping a knife toward Bridget’s foot. She managed to jump clear of the knife, and when it swiped out again she stomped on his wrist, pinning it to the rooftop so she could peel the knife from his hand.

  “He’s likely to have a gun, Bridget,” I reminded her.

  She stepped back out of the perp’s view and called the cops.

  “That’s it? It’s all over?” Ryan asked.

  I high fived with Tyler. “That’s it. Game over.”

  Bridget squealed in excitement. We watched her body cam bop side to side.

  “What’s she doing?” Tweedle asked, pointing to the monitor.

  Tyler laughed. “Her victory dance.”

  “What’s the pay on a job like this?” Ryan asked.

  “This was a reward gig,” I said. “The company posted a three-hundred grand reward to whoever caught the thief terrorizing their jewelry stores.”

  “Shit,” Tweedle cursed. “I’m in the wrong business.”

  Ryan shook his head at her before turning back to me. “How long did this op run?”

  “Start to finish, three and a half days, including our research time. Bridget and Trigger didn’t fly out until yesterday.”

  “Damn. Nice profit.”

  “Be sure to mention that to Donovan. He told me the investigations unit would never be as profitable as the rescue and security work.”

  “Calvary is here,” Bridget said over the computer. “I’ll leave the video running through the arrest, but you can go to bed now, Mom.”

  “Call me Mom again, and you’ll be working retail, Bridget.”

  “Sorry, boss. Won’t happen again,” she said as she chuckled.

  “Trigger, you good?”

  “All set, Kelsey. We’ll collect a check and head home in a few hours.”

  “Signing off. Good job, team.”

  Tyler reached over and signed out of the video chat and com systems.

  “I’d better start baking,” Tweedle said, returning to the kitchen. “Any requests?”

  “Apple pie,” Tyler said. “Kelsey has a bushel of apples in the garage, but hasn’t had a chance to make pies yet.”

  Tweedle gave Ryan a look that he had no trouble interpreting. Without hesitating, he walked out to the garage. Tyler retrieved the coffee pot and filled our cups. After returning with the bushel basket, Ryan set it on a barstool and joined Tyler and me.

  I pointed toward the hallway. “You can nap on one of the couches in the family room.”

  Ryan shook his head. “I’m good. Used to it,” he said glancing over at Tweedle with a smirk.

  “Tyler?” I asked.

  “No. I’m going to finish this coffee then do another patrol.”

  “What’s got you spooked? And don’t tell me nothing.”

  “Nothing’s wrong. I swear it. The tournament at Silver Aces is bringing in a lot of new faces is all. There’s a lot of people I don’t know, coming and going. It’s making me edgy.”

  “They’re all guards, handpicked and hired by Donovan or Grady.”

  “I don’t know them,” Tyler said as he stared directly at me. “There’s at least thirty guys already here and another forty coming for the weekend. I can’t tell the good guys from the bad guys. You’re the one who taught me not to trust anyone until my gut told me they were trustworthy.”

  Ryan nodded. “He’s got a point. We could pull a couple of guys to run patrols.”

  “That still leaves Tyler working with guards he doesn’t know or trust. And Donovan, Bones, and Grady need a break this weekend.”

  “I talked to the Players,” Tyler said. “The guys are willing to work security this weekend, if you’re willing to pay for the extra payroll.”

  “I am. Keep the focus on the kids and the houses, though. Anything on this side of the highway will be pr
otected by Devil’s Players. Anything on the other side will be monitored by Silver Aces. If you need more labor, call Renato with the Demon Slayers.”

  “Sounds good,” Tyler said.

  Grady walked into the dining room, looking from the clock, to me, to Tyler, to Ryan, and then to Tweedle who was mixing something in a large bowl. He shook his head as he took a drink of my coffee. He was wearing running shorts, socks, and running shoes. His chest was bare, showing off his sculpted muscles dusted with a fine layer of blond hair. My eyes wandered his body. When I looked back to his face, I found him grinning at me.

  “Ever heard of a shirt?” Ryan asked.

  Looking into the kitchen, I saw Tweedle’s cheeks were red as she quickly looked away.

  Grady winked at me before turning to Ryan. “I’m heading downstairs to work out. You want in?”

  Ryan nodded before walking over to Tweedle. He wrapped his hands around her waist as she looked up at him with a bright smile. “I’ll be in the basement. Do not leave this house without me.”

  “Where would I go?”

  “With you, I never know,” he said before he kissed her forehead and turned toward the stairs.

  Grady leaned over the back of my chair. “You need to sleep for a couple of hours.”

  “I’m heading that way. Wake me after your workout? I’ve got a busy morning scheduled.”

  As a way of answering, he smacked a kiss to my lips before strutting toward the basement stairway. I admired his ass until he was out of view.

  “I’m out,” Tyler said. “I’ll text you if I need you.” Tyler left through the living room sliding door.

  “Tweedle? You need anything before I go to bed?”

  “I’m all set. Looking forward to some quiet baking. The trip here was a nightmare.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  “First, I tripped on that horizontal escalator thingy at the airport.”

  “The auto-walk? Were you hurt?”

  She shook her head. “Just embarrassed. After I tripped, my skirt caught in the track which then started to suck up the material as it dragged me across the room. By the time Reel—I mean Ryan—ripped away the material to free me, everyone had a full view of my ample backside, and he was pissed.”