“And wasteful. These are amazing,” Lisa said, moaning as she took another bite of her cookie.
Katie rolled her eyes. “Like we wouldn’t have eaten them even if they’d hit the floor. Please. What’s a little dirt and dog hair?”
Jackson shook his head and with Pop’s help, they moved Tweedle to the couch. Anne covered her with the afghan.
Bridget looked at her elbow. “I got rug burn diving across the carpet.”
I couldn’t help the smile that appeared on my face. “Have fun explaining that story to Bones.”
Hattie choked on the drink of coffee she was taking. “Mind out of the gutter, sunshine.”
We all tried to hide our grins.
“Looks less serious in here,” Wayne said as he reentered the house from the garage. “What did I miss?”
“Not important,” Jackson said, shaking his head. “Everything set?”
“Coast Guard is on alert. They have three ships nearby and will be monitoring their radar for small vessels moving at high speeds while being chased by bad guys.”
“Good. We’ll just have to wait until we hear from them again.”
“How long will that be?” I asked. “And how are they going to make it to a boat when they’re under attack?”
“Shipwreck will have a plan; he always does. He’s not going to be happy about them leading the cartel to his house, though.”
“I’ll pay him restitution,” I said, waving my hand in the air to indicate that it didn’t matter. “How long until we hear from them again?”
“An hour, maybe. Two if they have to travel to a different marina.”
“You’re padding the time,” Pops said. “What’s your real expectation?”
Jackson exhaled slowly. “Half an hour. Shipwreck will have a boat close. The Coast Guard will be ready for them. Donovan will know we’re worried and will call back as soon as they’re safe.”
“I need that drink now,” I said to Jackson.
“About time,” Jackson said as he sighed, moving into the kitchen and opening the liquor cabinet above the refrigerator. He ignored the weak stuff, pulling a bottle of Jack from the cabinet and a handful of shot glasses. Returning to the table, he poured two shots, sliding one to me.
Reggie reached for the bottle, but I slapped his hand away. “Reggie, you’re in charge of breakfast. The kids will be up soon. They’ll need something more than cookies to eat.”
Reggie stomped into the kitchen, slamming pans and food around as he pouted. Jackson rolled his eyes before clinking our glasses, and we downed our shots.
“Can I have one of those?” Tweedle asked, sitting up on the couch.
“I’ve never seen you drink,” Bridget said, pouring a shot of whiskey. “This should be good.”
“She’s a disaster sober,” Tyler said. “What happens when she’s drunk?”
“We shall see,” Bridget said as she walked over and handed the glass to Tweedle.
Tweedle took the shot glass and downed it. She flung herself from the couch, hissing, “That burns!”
“That’s whiskey, baby,” Whiskey said, chuckling. “It’s not made for sissies.”
Anne glanced over at Whiskey, rolling her eyes as she poured herself a shot and downed it.
Whiskey laughed, wrapping an arm around Anne’s hips and pulling her onto his lap. “Too bad one of us needs to stay sober for the kids.”
“Probably best if they don’t wake to a house full of drunks,” Hattie said, taking the bottle.
“We won’t overdo it,” Jackson said, snagging the bottle back. “Promise.”
Hattie shook her head at Jackson but left the bottle and went to the kitchen to help Reggie with breakfast.
I glanced at the clock and pushed away from the table. “She’s right. Kids will be up soon. I’m going to sneak a smoke break.”
“I’ll go with you,” Beth said, snapping her fingers for Storm to follow.
Tyler glanced over at me, but I shook my head that we didn’t need an escort. “We’ll be fine. Sun’s coming up. You should take a nap.”
“Not until we hear the guys made it out.”
I stopped to rest a hand on his forearm. “They’ll make it, Tyler. Anything less than that and I’ll rain fire down on the cartel’s asses like they’ve never seen before.”
~*~*~
I raised the overhead garage door, and we wandered into the driveway. The sun was drifting at a lazy pace into the eastern sky, casting enough light to see the main highway.
“Just me,” Nightcrawler called out before he rounded the corner of the garage. “Smoke break?”
“Yup,” I said, holding out my hand.
He pulled a pack and a lighter out, handing them to me. “Nicholas find your stash again?”
“Yup.” I lit up, exhaling slowly. “Third pack this week to disappear. The damn kid is too smart.”
Nightcrawler looked down at Storm as he tapped his leg, silently calling him over. Storm moved cautiously, stretching his nose toward Nightcrawler’s hand to have a good sniff. Deciding he was safe enough, Storm closed the distance and leaned against Nightcrawler, earning a scratch behind his ears.
“Good boy,” Nightcrawler said. “Go ahead and stretch your legs, big guy.” Nightcrawler pointed to the side yard, and Storm moved into the grass to do his business.
“It’s not like him to leave my side,” Beth said.
“He must trust either Kelsey or me to keep you safe,” Nightcrawler said.
“Must be your magic,” I said to Nightcrawler. “He’s stayed glued to her leg all night.”
“What can I say? I’m good with dogs. People, not so much.”
“Could have something to do with your appearance,” Beth said, openly scanning Nightcrawler from head to toe.
Nightcrawler kept his head shaved bald, had tattoos covering half his body, and wore a cut—a sleeveless motorcycle jacket with his club’s logo on it. Underneath the cut, he was shirtless with rippling muscles traveling down to his well-worn jeans and heavy leather belt.
His dark brown eyes narrowed at Beth. “Like what you see?”
She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I’m just saying it’s a statement.”
“What kind of statement?” I asked, grinning back at Beth.
“He reminds me of when Storm raises his hackles and growls at someone.”
“Then it’s the right kind of statement,” Nightcrawler said before wandering into the side yard to join Storm.
“He’s likely to pee on a tree, too,” I whispered to Beth.
“Heard that,” Nightcrawler said.
~*~*~
I was finishing my second cigarette when Katie yelled from the garage door. I grabbed Beth by the elbow, dragging her along as I ran.
“Sounds good,” Jackson was saying on the phone. “You bet. See you soon.”
“They’re safe?” I asked, rushing into the dining room.
“They’re with the Coast Guard, heading to Corpus Christi,” Jackson nodded. “Sebrina and Grady are being taken to medical, but Donovan says they’ll both be fine. Nothing that rest and fluids can’t cure.”
“When will they be home?” Tweedle asked, gripping the refrigerator door handle.
“Wild Card and Ryan will fly back with Shipwreck later this morning. Donovan and Bones are staying with Grady until he can travel.”
Wayne stood and carried his coffee cup into the kitchen. “I’ll call some guys in Texas to guard them so Bones and Donovan can get some sleep.” Wayne walked toward the garage. “I’ll also update the boys at Headquarters. Maybe everyone can get some sleep now.”
Nicholas stumbled down the hall, half asleep. He continued walking until he slammed into me, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“Morning, sweetheart,” I whispered, stroking his hair from his face.
“Why’s everyone up so early?” he asked while yawning, eyes still closed.
“It’s almost seven, silly,” Beth said, steering him toward the breakfas
t bar. “It’s time for breakfast.”
Whiskey lifted Nicholas onto a barstool as Hattie slid a plate and silverware in front of him. She turned to me, linking an arm through mine and leading me down the hall into the family room. I looked up at her, confused.
“Now, sunshine,” she said, holding my cheek in her hand. “Now you can cry. Let it out before it breaks you.”
A sob broke in my throat that I didn’t know I was holding. She wrapped her arms around me, hugging me against her. I clung to her as the dam broke. I felt myself being lifted and recognized Jackson’s cologne as I leaned my forehead against his shoulder. I was cradled on his lap while he sat on the couch.
By the time I could clear the tears and steady my breathing, I realized I wasn’t the only one crying. Tyler held Bridget as she cried. Pops held Tweedle. Lisa held Abigail, smothering her with kisses and dripping tears onto her as Katie kept a supportive arm wrapped around Lisa’s waist.
“Everyone seemed so calm,” I said, resting my head on Jackson’s broad shoulder. “I didn’t realize you were all pretending, too.”
Katie wiped her cheeks dry. “We pushed through because that’s what you needed, but those men are like brothers. They’re family.”
“Damn straight,” Pops said as he rubbed Tweedle’s back. “I’m proud of you girls, standing together like you did.”
In the silence that followed, Tweedle hiccupped, making us all laugh.
Chapter Twelve
“Why’s everybody crying?” Sara asked from the hallway.
Nicholas walked up behind Sara and grabbed her hand.
“Come here, you two,” I said, sliding onto the couch beside Jackson as the kids ran over to climb up onto our laps. “Everything’s okay. We had a scare, but the tears are happy tears. Grady hurt his arm at work, but him and your uncles will be home soon.”
Nicholas watched me, trying to decide if I was lying.
“It’s the truth. Promise.” I smoothed his hair from his eyes.
“When will he be home?” Nicholas asked.
“The doctors want Grady to rest for a few days. He should be here before the weekend, though. Uncle Wild Card will be coming back with Ryan today.”
“Uncle Bones and Uncle Donovan aren’t coming home today?” Sara asked, looking at Bridget and Lisa.
“Not today,” Lisa said. “They want to wait for Grady. They didn’t want to leave him by himself since Kelsey can’t be there.”
“Why can’t we go see him?” Nicholas asked as he laid his head on my shoulder.
“They might have made some bad guys mad. Which means the rest of the family stays here with our bodyguards until we know it’s safe.”
Sara looked from me to Jackson and then around the room. She studied everyone’s faces. She turned back to me and nodded, climbing off Jackson’s lap. “Okay. Can I have pancakes with chocolate chips for breakfast?”
“No,” Anne said, walking into the room. “But if you eat your eggs and toast, I’ll let you both have a cookie for dessert.”
“Cool,” Nicholas said, scrambling off my lap and dragging Sara by the hand down the hallway.
“Everyone done bawling like babies?” Anne asked with a smirk.
“You need a turn?” Whiskey asked as he laughed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back into his chest.
“I was thinking it’s Kelsey’s turn to watch the kids.” She looked over her shoulder and up at Whiskey, wiggling her eyebrows. “You and I can sneak upstairs for some alone time.”
“You have the best ideas, woman,” he said as he pulled her toward the hall.
“Where do they get their energy?” Tweedle said between yawns.
Pops steered her into a club chair. She curled up and within seconds was snoring. The volume of her snoring got louder, then louder still. If I wasn’t watching her, I’d swear she was a four-hundred-pound man.
Alex walked into the room wearing a bright purple silk suit. He looked at Tweedle with a puzzled expression. “What the hell’s wrong with her?”
“One shot of alcohol,” Bridget answered, tossing a blanket on top of Tweedle.
“Wow, Alex,” I said, smirking at Alex’s suit. “You’re awfully bright this morning.”
“Well, thank you, luv.”
“Where do you even buy a purple suit?” Bridget asked.
“Amazon. They have everything. Want to see the matching underwear?”
“No!” everyone said at once.
Tweedle snorted in her sleep, then resumed her loud snoring.
“She’s going to wake Abigail,” Lisa said before dashing toward the hallway with Abigail cradled to her chest.
We all stood and followed after her.
“Alex, how was your date last night?” Katie asked.
“Short, thanks to Lisa calling and interrupting. We had to scramble to find our clothes before the Devil’s Players showed up with the bunk beds.”
“Did you at least feed your date or did the whole event happen in the bedroom?” I asked.
“Of course. I made your lasagna recipe. It turned out superb.”
“Didn’t Haley say she had lasagna for dinner last night?” Bridget asked.
Alex walked into the kitchen as Bridget and I settled onto barstools at the breakfast bar.
“Hmm,” Alex said as he filled a travel cup of coffee. “I’m heading to the store. Carl’s expecting a package to be delivered today if someone can sign for it.” Alex glanced at Carl to ensure he wasn’t paying attention before he slipped a note out of his pocket and handed it to Beth.
Beth read the note and passed it to me while shaking her head.
I read a list of what appeared to be chemicals and smirked. “I’ll take care of it.” I slid the note into my back pocket and then sent a text to Dave, both a friend and a local cop. Within seconds he texted me back a smiley face.
“I’d like to stay at the house today, if that’s okay,” Hattie said. “There’s laundry to do, and I’ll make lunch for everyone.”
“That’s fine,” Tyler said. “I’ve got twenty-four-hour security running. Just don’t leave the house without an escort. I’m going to crash in the basement for a few hours but wake me if you need me.”
“And leave the cleaning and laundry for Eloise,” I said to Hattie. “You should get some sleep, too. You’ve got dark circles under your eyes.”
“Perhaps I’ll take a nap as well,” Hattie agreed. “I am feeling rather overdone.”
Reggie returned, wearing a black turtleneck and a black beanie pulled down to mid-eyebrow. “I tried every soap in the house. Nothing will remove permanent marker.”
I could think of several products that would remove the marker, but I wasn’t in the sharing mood. “Is that my turtleneck?”
“You mean, was?” Alex mumbled as he walked out the garage door.
“I’ve never seen you wear a turtleneck, so I figured you wouldn’t mind,” Reggie said as he stretched the sleeves, trying to make them longer. The shirt fit so tightly you could see every rib bone, not to mention his pokey nipples.
I shook my head at Reggie before sliding off my stool. “I’m going to take a quick shower. Kids, you need to hurry up and get dressed. Your ride leaves in fifteen minutes.”
I could hear the kids running as I dragged myself to my bedroom, closing the door behind me. I showered, dressed in comfortable clothes, and reemerged ten minutes later with my hair still wet.
“You’re leaving the house, looking like that?” Reggie asked.
“Careful, babe,” Jackson said, throwing an arm over Reggie’s shoulders. “I won’t protect you if you push her too far.”
Beth jogged down the stairs, wrangling her hair into a clip.
“Did anyone explain that a fifteen-minute warning for the kids is closer to a half an hour for the adults?” I asked.
“No, but that makes me so happy,” she said before jogging back up the stairs.
I walked out of the house, into the garage, and then out to the dri
veway as four motorcycles pulled in and parked. Renato, the president of the Demon Slayers, and some of his men got off their bikes. Eloise was a passenger on one of the middle bikes. Nightcrawler stepped out from around the corner of the garage.
I reached out a hand to Renato. “Sorry we’re messing with everyone’s schedule.”
Renato shook my hand, not bothering to attempt one of those odd handshakes the men did with each other. “Glad to help. I’m taking day shift with a couple of guys while the night shift gets some sleep. Anything we need to know?”
“A package for Carl is expected today. I need a heads up when it arrives. Under no circumstances should it be left unattended, given to Carl, or left out in the sunlight.”
“What’s in the package?” Nightcrawler asked, his eyes narrowing as he watched me.
“No clue,” I said, pulling the list out and handing it to him. “Beth read the list and said Carl shouldn’t get it.”
Nightcrawler whistled after reading the list silently. “I only know what two of these are, and definitely they should not be left out in the sunlight or given to Carl.”
He handed the list to Renato who laughed as he read it. “I thought you had to be a chemist to get this shit.”
“Carl is a chemist. And a biologist. A linguistics expert. A computer science engineer. And he has several other PhDs that are way above my understanding.”
Nightcrawler rubbed his neck muscles as he glanced at Renato before he looked back at me. “You should know that some of these ingredients are used to make meth. Some of the others are used to make bombs.”
“He likely wasn’t planning on making either—intentionally, that is.” I nodded a greeting to Eloise as she passed us on her way into the house. “Carl has no concept of dangerous. He’s driven by curiosity which is why we secretly get texts whenever he charges anything. Usually we know a good week in advance when something is being shipped, but I’m guessing he used overnight delivery for this stuff.”
“They’ll ship some of this in a frozen nitrogen tank,” Renato said. “I’ll text you when it shows, but they might not let a biker sign for it.”
“Hattie will be home. She can sign. If they require Carl’s signature, then you can explain to the driver that Carl can’t legally sign for anything.”
Hearts and Aces (Kelsey's Burden Series Book 7) Page 10
