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

by Kaylie Hunter

  “Yeah. That’s how dumb you were,” I said, grinning at Shipwreck. “Face it, I’m smarter than you.” I squatted in front of him, tilting my head to the side as I studied him. “I’ll give you credit, though. You surprised me by getting past security to release your guy from the storage room. How’d you do it? We had the houses covered from every angle.”

  “Construction site,” Shipwreck said, shrugging. “Figured you’d extend the tunnel to the next house. My guess paid off when I found the access.”

  “Why kill the other men?”

  “They knew I worked for Santiago. I couldn’t chance them talking.”

  I stood and shook my head. Those men didn’t need to die. They didn’t care that Shipwreck worked for Santiago. They only wanted to live. I sighed, looking over at Wild Card. “I don’t like Shipwreck knowing about the tunnels.”

  “Maybe I should help him forget,” Wild Card said as he walked over and punched Shipwreck.

  Tyler stomped on Shipwreck’s leg. Donovan grabbed Shipwreck by the shirt and pulled him up from the floor to hold him as Wild Card punched him a few more times.

  It didn’t take long before Donovan tossed Shipwreck’s battered body to the floor. He then grabbed Shipwreck by the belt and started dragging him toward the back of the warehouse. “I’ll take him out the back door to our vehicle and send Bones inside.”

  “No. You might need Bones’ help if Grady changes his mind about Sebrina.”

  “It’s no longer up to Grady,” Donovan said as he pulled Shipwreck through the door.

  Wild Card stood with his arms crossed over his chest. He glanced at each of the prisoners before glancing with only his eyes into the rafters, nodding briefly at Jackson, then Casey. I winked at Wild Card before strolling in a circle around the prisoners.

  “We thought Santiago was crazy,” one of Santiago’s goons muttered to the other.

  “Do I need to worry about you guys overhearing anything you shouldn’t have?” I asked them.

  “No,” they both said at once, shaking their heads.

  My phone buzzed, and I pulled it from my bag to read the screen. Jackson was texting me that two black SUVs with tinted windows pulled into the parking lot. I tucked the phone into my handbag and exchanged it with the burner phone, calling Miguel.

  “Ms. Harrison,” Miguel answered.

  “I’m inside with your brother and his men. Come in slowly and let’s discuss the situations like professionals.”

  “How do I know it’s not a trap?”

  “If it was a trap, I wouldn’t have warned you I was inside.” I hung up and tossed the phone into my bag. “He’ll likely to debate whether to enter or not for at least five minutes,” I said to Tyler. “That gives us time to work on your training. Close your eyes.”

  “Umm,” Tyler said, pointing his gun at the prisoners. “We’re kind of in the middle of something.”

  “It’s fine. Close your eyes.”

  Tyler exhaled in frustration but closed his eyes.

  “Now with your senses, I want you to feel, not see or hear, but feel your surroundings.”

  “I don’t get it.”

  “You do, you just don’t recognize it. Search for that creepy feeling you get when the hair on the back of your neck stands up for no logical reason. The one you get when you tell me to tighten security or to keep the kids in the house. Find that sensation.”

  “Okay,” Tyler said. “It’s not the same feeling, but I’ve got this tingle. Like…”

  “Like you’re being watched through the scope of a rifle?” Wild Card asked.

  “Holy shit,” Tyler said, opening his eyes and looking directly at Jackson’s location in the rafters. He turned halfway around and zoomed in immediately on Casey’s location. Casey’s laugh echoed across the warehouse. “How’d I know where they were?”

  “Sixth sense. I always knew you had it,” I said, slapping him on the shoulder. “Nice job.”

  “Is there a way to practice? Hone the skill?”

  “I don’t know. As a kid, I was always in some kind of danger and had to use my senses to stay aware of my surroundings. Later when I became a cop, it helped keep me alive.” I made another circle around the prisoners. “What you felt was the sensation of being watched. Take that same vibe and mix in a dash of danger, and you’ll know when to duck, fast.”

  Tyler laughed.

  “You’re a good teacher,” one of Santiago’s men said.

  “Yeah,” another one agreed. “You’re good for him. Teaching him the right way. You let him know when he screws up, but then you move on, teaching him something else.”

  “Awe, shucks, guys,” I said, strolling around the group again. “You’re going to make me blush.”

  The warehouse door opened, and a guard walked inside, holding a gun but keeping it lowered.

  I waved him inside. “You can keep your gun, but if you raise your weapon, you’ll leave this warehouse in a body bag.”

  The guard looked around the room before speaking in rapid Spanish behind him. Another guard entered, followed by Miguel. Both guards kept their focus on Tyler and Wild Card as they walked forward. Miguel glanced at everyone, then focused on me. He walked halfway to us, then stopped and glanced up at Jackson before turning his head and spotting Casey. He looked back at me.

  “They’re protective. It’s a safety measure only,” I said, shrugging.

  “Damn, he’s got the sense,” Tyler whispered.

  “I’m perfectly capable of hearing, too,” Miguel said as he holstered his weapon behind his back. “I wasn’t expecting you, Ms. Harrison.”

  “I knew your brother would be here.” I wandered over and stood next to Tyler. “How’d you find Santiago so quickly? Your plane landed less than ten minutes ago.”

  “His men work for me. They told me where he was going. Did you arrange a meeting with him?”

  “I didn’t have to. I tipped off one of his spies to this location,” I said, nudging Santiago’s head with my gun. “He wanted to have a word with this guy,” I said, pointing my gun to the half-unconscious guy still strapped to the chair. “He works for Santiago.”

  “I don’t recognize him.”

  One of the bodyguards stepped forward and leaned closer to whisper to Miguel.

  “I stand corrected. It seems he does work for Santiago.” Miguel nodded to the man in the chair. “What happened to Alfie’s face?”

  “Well, first he kidnapped me and my friends, which is a big no-no. Then, after we agreed to provide him and his coworkers with a safe place to stay while we sorted this mess, he up and decided to kill his own men and leave a huge mess for me to clean up. I’m sorry to say that one of my guys no longer felt the need to play nice and beat the crap out of him.”

  Tyler and Wild Card smiled proudly.

  Miguel nodded, trying to keep a straight face. “It happens to the best of us.”

  “I have a good faith present for you,” I said, taking a piece of paper out of my suit jacket pocket and passing it to one of Miguel’s guards.

  The guard passed it to Miguel. “What’s this?” Miguel asked as he looked at the slip of paper.

  “The website address and login information for the texting app service we used to text your employees. It’s a handy service. Worked much more efficiently than I’d planned.”

  Miguel slid the note along with his hand into his pocket. “What exactly do you want from me, Ms. Harrison?”

  “Peace. To achieve that peace though, you’ll need to control your brother and ensure the safety of my friends and family.”

  Miguel glared at his brother who was still sitting on the floor. “And if I can’t control him?”

  I shook my head side to side. “I’ll tear your world to pieces, starting with your U.S. businesses. Then I’ll come after you and your brother.” I walked over and stood in front of him. “I won’t stop. And there won’t be another opportunity to negotiate. I’m ruthless like that. A dog with a bone you might say.” I looked at Miguel
’s guards, measuring them up, before turning back to Miguel. “Next time we meet face to face—one of us will die.”

  His guards stiffened, taking a step forward. Miguel raised a hand, a silent order to stop. “If I end this war between you and my brother, it’s over?”

  “Yes. We’ll go on with our lives as if we’d never met.”

  Miguel studied me for a long moment before nodding in agreement.

  I walked over to Tyler who stood at ready, watching the guards. “Help everyone to their feet.”

  Tyler holstered his weapon and started cutting the flex cuffs from the prisoners. Wild Card walked over and stood beside me with his arms still crossed over his chest.

  “Leave my brother’s hands bound,” Miguel ordered his men. “Get everyone loaded. I’ll be there in a moment.”

  When the prisoners and Miguel’s guards stepped outside, Miguel turned back to me. “There’s one remaining issue. I’ll deal with it, but I need more time.”

  “And that issue is?”

  “Santiago hired a hitman to kill you. I haven’t been able to make contact yet to stop the orders.”

  I looked up at Jackson and pointed toward the window. He stepped away from the thick vertical column and walked the few feet to the window, pushing it open to reposition his gun.

  “Follow me,” I said to Miguel as I walked toward the door.

  “Your men have skill,” Miguel said.

  I glanced back and followed his line of sight to where Casey stood, balancing on a beam, holding his rifle pointed at Miguel while he walked sideways toward the window on his side of the warehouse. “All the men at Ace’s are top notch. Fighting, shooting, explosives, you name it, they’re trained.” I walked out the door of the warehouse and down the stairs.

  Miguel offered me his arm, but I ignored it. Wild Card chuckled behind us.

  “I’ve done my homework, Ms. Harrison. You don’t have to keep warning me. I know what’s at stake. I’ll handle my brother. I just don’t know how to contact the hitman he hired.”

  “You mean, this guy?” I asked as I opened the side door of the van.

  I stepped aside so he could see the dead guy lying inside the van.

  Tyler leaned over Miguel’s shoulder, looking inside. “Where the hell did he come from?”

  “He tried to kill me this morning,” I said, wrinkling my nose at the smell. “I’ve had him in the van ever since. He’s starting to smell.”

  “Damn it.” Tyler stepped back and looked at me. “Why does the fun shit always have to happen when I’m sleeping?”

  “Maybe it’s because you do such a good job keeping me safe when you’re awake,” I teased Tyler, pinching his cheek.

  Miguel looked at me, then at Tyler. He glanced over his shoulder at Wild Card who was smiling a big toothy smile. Miguel sighed and turned back to his own men, speaking in rapid Spanish. One of Santiago’s guards jogged over. He looked inside the van and nodded to Miguel, speaking in rapid Spanish.

  “I really need to learn the language,” I said to Tyler. “Do you know how to speak Spanish?”

  Tyler nodded. “Miguel asked if this was the hitman. The guard confirmed it was. That’s it. The end.”

  Miguel’s mouth turned up at the corners into an almost smirk. “What now?” Miguel asked, nodding to the dead man.

  “He needs to go with you. I’m tired of burying bodies this week.” I stepped over to the passenger door, opening it. “But before you move him, you should know that I tricked Santiago into handling the knife and exchanging DNA with the body.”

  Miguel’s eyebrow rose as he looked back at the body. “Is any of your DNA on the body or the knife?”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a stray hair or two, but he was video recorded trying to abduct me yesterday, so any DNA could be explained,” I answered as I lifted a bag from the passenger seat and handed it to Miguel.

  Miguel looked into the bag, and this time, he did smile. “Thank you for providing me with an alternative, Ms. Harrison. I’ll remember you fondly.”

  “No offense, Mr. Ramirez, but I’d prefer to forget you existed completely. Good day.” I walked back toward the warehouse with Tyler and Wild Card following.

  “What was in the bag?” Tyler asked as he opened the door for me.

  “Packages of plastic coveralls and gloves, so they can move the body without transferring DNA.” I called up to Jackson and Casey, “We’re clear. It’s safe to come down.”

  I walked around the room, picking up the ropes and flex cuffs. Tyler dragged the chair to the corner office. Wild Card watched out the front window while we worked. When we regrouped in the center of the room, I knew Tyler was still trying to figure out what had transpired.

  “Miguel promised to control Santiago, but Santiago’s obsessive, which makes him near impossible to deal with. Miguel also can’t outright kill Santiago because the cartel business could capsize. But if Santiago was arrested…”

  “Then Miguel has full control and no one would doubt his place at the head of the cartel,” Tyler said finally seeing the full picture.

  “Damn,” Casey said, looking at me. “That’s absolutely fucking brilliant.”

  “Your talents were wasted as a cop, Sis,” Jackson said as he wrapped an arm around my neck and pulled me closer to kiss the top of my head.

  “What happens to Shipwreck and Sebrina?” Wild Card asked.

  “That’s not up to me. You, Donovan and the rest of your team will have to decide their fate, but as you already know, there’s video evidence you can use to turn them in to the DEA if that’s what’s decided.”

  “Is that what you want us to do?”

  “I’m fine with it,” I said, nodding as I walked toward the back door. “There’s been too much blood spilled already.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Tyler drove my SUV, following me, as I drove the van to Chops’ shop. Both Chops and his lifetime girlfriend Candi were waiting as planned. They’d strip the interior of the van, acid wash the interior frame, before putting it all back together, including installing new carpet. I trusted them to do the job right and to keep me out of prison.

  When we were almost home, I saw the Devil’s Players were closing down the store and the cars clearing out. It was a little after four, so they must’ve sold out of inventory early. I directed Tyler to drop me off at the entrance. Walking inside, I nodded to several familiar faces and helped start shutting down lights and cashing out registers.

  “Well, don’t you look fancy for a rope pulling competition,” Lisa said as she walked over. “What brings you to the store?”

  “I just finished a meeting and saw you were closing. Any problems?”

  “Normal Saturday craziness. We had two shoppers arrested for fighting over a tank top, an insane bride-to-be who threw a chair at my head when I told her there was no way to alter a size two dress into a size sixteen, and Alex,” she paused while she rolled her eyes, “attempted to use a scooter in the store to move racks from the inventory room. He crashed into the wall. Luckily no one was hurt, and Katie wasn’t here to see it.”

  “And the wall?” I asked, grinning.

  “Goat says he can fix it.”

  “Come on,” Alex called, running over to us and grabbing our hands. “We’ve missed all the best parts of the rope pulling. Let’s go.”

  “We still need to lock down the store,” Lisa said.

  Alex shoved us toward the back door. “Goat and Carol said they’d handle it.”

  “Wait,” I said, stopping to take off my shoes. “These look fabulous, but they’re killing my feet.”

  We walked out the back door, across the lot, and into the field. The stiff grass felt somewhat comfortable under my aching feet. I waved to Hattie, Pops, and the kids who were watching us from the main house balcony. Six guards stood either on the balcony or in the surrounding area.

  Turning my attention to the group ahead of me, all eyes turned to me as I walked their way. Several people sna
pped their heads from me to Charlie, then back to me again.

  Wild Card and Donovan stood on the sidelines, waiting for me. “Sebrina and Shipwreck?”

  “Bones and Grady are watching them until the DEA agents get here,” Donovan said.

  “Why am I getting the feeling you were at more than just a meeting?” Lisa asked.

  Several of the men, circled around us to listen.

  “It was a meeting. Only it was with Miguel and Santiago Remirez.”

  “Shit,” Wayne said, raising both hands into his hair as he stared at me in shock. “You met with the cartel and didn’t tell us?”

  “I didn’t want anyone to worry.”

  “That wasn’t your call,” Donovan said, wrapping an arm around Lisa, “but I get why you felt the need to handle it the way you did. We didn’t think much of Shipwreck missing, but when Sebrina slipped away, Grady asked us to postpone the competition and send a team with him. He knew something was going on, especially with Charlie pretending—very poorly—to be you.”

  “Hey,” Charlie said, fisting her hands onto her hips. “It’s not easy pretending to be Kelsey without speaking or lifting my face to anyone.”

  “You did good,” Tech said. “Sebrina never noticed, so that’s all that mattered.”

  “Why didn’t we set a net to arrest Miguel and his men?” Donovan asked.

  “And spend the rest of our lives hiding our children in fear of retaliation?” I asked, shaking my head. “My family—” I pointed toward the balcony “—matters more to me than any cocaine slinging cartel. Miguel can do as he pleases as long as he leaves us out of it.”

  “And the rest of us?” one of the men of Aces asked. “All’s well as long as you and yours are safe?”

  I stepped forward, wanting nothing more than to deck the guy, but Wild Card threw an arm around my chest, pulling me back. “Easy, darlin’. Breath through the rage, little dragon.”

  Tech chuckled, looking at the guy. “She’s a sister to the men of Aces, dickhead. She’s not the type to leave anyone behind.”

  “My peace deal was with Miguel. Everyone is safe from the cartel, including Shipwreck and Sebrina, though they don’t deserve it,” I said, gritting my teeth. “Santiago will probably to be arrested for murder either today or tomorrow.”