Chapter Seven
CHAPTER SEVEN
LEENA
“ S o there was Seb, a hundred feet up in a fucking water tower, with like fifty guys down below shooting up at him,” Jace says, his hands waving around in a flourish across the table from me.
“It was not fifty.” Sebastian chuckles, shaking his head and taking another shot of tequila. Jace ignores him, continuing his story while Ava watches him intently, her big eyes wide.
“He’s completely surrounded, all he has is his rifle, which he uses to take out just about half the guys below him with accurate precision. But the weapon is almost empty, so is his pistol. And he doesn’t have an extra magazine… then bam!” Jace slaps the table.
Ava squeals and the glasses clatter.
We all burst out laughing at her reaction, because of how incredibly out of character it is for her. I don’t even know how many shots she’s taken tonight, but if she’s feeling anything like I am, then she’s feeling pretty good. This story is damn entertaining when Jace has had a few drinks and is the one telling it. No matter that I was there and it was one of the most terrifying, horrific moments of my life, I can smile when I remember my men saved me. How we’re all here now, together.
“What happened?” Ava asks, eyes wide.
“There was an explosion, far from the tower, as one of the Jack’s cars blew to smithereens from the charges Sebastian and Luke set earlier. Which gave Sebastian the distraction he needed to start making his way down from the tower. But then something happened that the guys hadn’t prepared for,” Jace says, leaning in close as Ava does the same.
My eyes flicker over to Luke. He’s holding his empty shot glass a little too tight, looking down into it with a blank stare.
It breaks my fucking heart.
I know this next part is hard for him to hear. Know how many times he’s woken in the middle of the night beside me from the memories of it. From the pain and fear of the time he thought he had lost Sebastian forever. I think of all the times those nightmares have us trading places in bed so that Luke can sleep between us, falling back asleep in Sebastian’s arms.
“What? They weren’t prepared for what?!” Ava urges Jace to continue.
“Nothing, we were all fine. Time for a new story, Jace,” Sebastian says, just as aware of Luke as I am right now.
“It’s fine. I’ll get another round,” Luke says, setting down his glass and quickly heading toward the bar, I stare after him, then make eye contact with Sebastian. We share a glance of mutual understanding and his hand finds mine under the table, our fingers locking together as he squeezes tight. Colton notices our exchange, giving us a questioning glance. Then his eyes trail over, studying Luke.
“Boom!” Jace slaps the table, and Ava gasps again. Even Ryan, who’s been asleep on the bench seat next to me up until this point, starts to stir. “An RPG hits the tower, causing an explosion so large, and so hot, that the force of it causes Sebastian to fly off the ladder, slamming him into the ground and riddling him with shrapnel. He’s limping, but he gets to his feet, sneaking up behind the remaining men. In a firefight that lasts no longer than a minute, all of the Jacks outside are dead .” Jace slams his glass down, making everyone jump.
“Oh my god!” Ava exclaims, looking at Sebastian open-mouthed. Then her eyes find mine. “And you were there too?”
“Yes, they kidnapped me, had me tied up inside. The blast didn’t hit me, but I heard it. It shook the windows, I could feel it in my chest,” I explain, remembering the fear in that moment, and the hope. Fear that my men were hurt, and the hope that they had come for me… that they would get me out.
And they did.
Luke returns, setting down a tray full of even more tequila shots and a pitcher of water.
“So the rumors are true. You guys really did take down the Jack of Spades!” She looks between the three of us in awe.
“Don’t look at me,” I say with a chuckle. “I’m the damsel in distress in this story.”
I reach for another shot.
“No you aren’t,” Ava states assuredly and I give her a questioning look. “I have a friend from school, he’s a reporter now, and he says that the Card is scrambling, trying to find someone to take over. They’re all out of sorts after losing so many, sure, but their leader? You killed The Jack, Leena Hart. You’re kinda famous, and not just because you were born into the Deck,” she says, then focuses back on her fries, the plate nearly picked clean.
I take a moment to think about her words.
Their leader? I didn’t even realize that’s what I did. The man had a gun pointed toward my men, and I had to protect them. So I shot him.
But their leader? Shit.
I glance at my guys, who don’t seem one bit surprised by this revelation. Of course they already knew.
There’s a sinking feeling in my stomach as I process the repercussions of my actions. It’s bad if you kill the leader of one of the Cards. Really bad. But, as Ava pointed out, I was born into the King of Hearts. It doesn’t matter that I ran away from home at sixteen and I’ve had no part in what goes on with the Deck, they’re going to come after me again.
This time, it will be so much worse.
I look over at Sebastian, who is already over this whole conversation and is standing a few feet away, taking a shot and laughing with Colton. My eyes trail over to Luke, who is back in his chair, but he’s staring off at nothing.
And that just won’t do.
This is Bar Night. We’re celebrating another successful op and a new member of our team, so there’s no way I’m letting him sulk. I grab two shots off the tray and shimmy out of the booth in my dress, chuckling at how difficult it is while drunk. I hand Luke his shot then find my place on his lap. I wrap an arm around his neck and he looks up at me, those blue eyes still a little sad.
I hold my glass up to his.
“To being here, in this moment, together and safe,” I whisper so only he can hear.
We stare at each other for a long moment, his mouth slowly raising as our glasses stay locked, suspended between us.
We each down our shots, and when my eyes find his again, he’s smiling. That broad, real smile. His blond hair is falling over his eyes, so I push it back before tipping his lips up to mine. The kiss is brief, but still, it probably isn’t the type that’s appropriate in public. Or in front of our employees.
But I don’t fucking care, he needed it.
“Hold up,” Ava states. I turn toward the table, reaching out to set mine and Luke’s empty glasses onto it before looking up at her. She’s pointing between me and Luke, then she’s looking past us and pointing at Sebastian. “I thought that…” She furrows her eyebrows, studying how Luke and I are practically plastered to one another. “I thought,” she starts again, scratching her head. Colton and Sebastian must notice her reaction, because they both burst out laughing behind me. God, I love to hear them laugh.
Love to hear Sebastian laugh, I correct myself.
Then I’m being dragged from Luke’s lap by a pair of large hands. And I’m so fucking drunk right now, he could do whatever he wants with those hands.
Bathroom lock be damned.
Sebastian tucks me behind him, and I hold on to his thick bicep, peering around his large frame just in time to see him grab Luke by the front of his dress shirt, leaning in close.
“Did you just kiss my fucking girl?” Sebastian seethes, and if I didn’t already know these two men have a constant hard on for each other, I might think they are actually about to murder one another right here in this bar.
Luke stands, getting right up in Sebastian’s face in a standoff that has me immediately remembering that I’m not wearing underwear.
“Yup,” Luke says, then takes off across the room. Sebastian jumps over Luke’s chair chasing after him. We all watch wide-eyed as they wrestle each other up until a very serious looking security guard breaks up the two men who are all smiles.
“Ava,” Colton says, wrapping a steadying arm around me, which I appreciate. She looks back at us, her eyes wider than they’ve been all night from the shock of watching her bosses nearly beat the shit out of each other. “You’ve officially been hazed. Leena’s with both of them. Welcome to the fucking team.” He raises his water glass to her with a smirk. I chuckle from under his arm.
Ava laughs, but then her face drops when she looks at me.
“Wait. Are you fucking serious?” she says quickly.
Jace nearly spits out his drink, cracking up laughing beside her. I nod, unable to hide my smile. Her eyes go even wider, looking over at Sebastian and Luke who are standing peaceably side by side at the bar.
“Girl, that’s… that’s a lot of man,” she says. “Like, a lot.”
“Oh, I fucking know.” I laugh, leaning into Colton. He’s sturdy. And he smells good. Fuck. I get too horny when I’m drunk, and my guys causing a scene doesn’t help the situation.
“So… do you guys all… live together?” Ava asks, then looks guilty for it. “Sorry, that’s none of my business.” She waves a dismissive hand, taking another swig of her drink.
“No, no, it’s fine.” I chuckle at how uncomfortable she suddenly seems. “Yes, we live together. And in case you didn’t notice, we’re not exactly shy . I’m so sorry, we’re probably not the most professional employers. I really hope this doesn’t make you uncomfortable,” I say, suddenly concerned that she might have a problem with it and not want to work for us anymore.
My heart sinks a little at that.
We’ve only been working together for about a month, but I already love Ava. She did an incredible job tonight, and she puts up with all the testosterone on the team like a fucking champ. I really hope she chooses to stay.
Ava thinks for a moment, slowly setting down her glass as she swallows, then looks up at me.
“Leena, I’ve worked a lot of shitty jobs with a lot of really shitty employers. You guys are the best bosses I’ve ever had. You’re all so accomplished and organized, and you know what the hell you’re doing. I really fucking appreciate that, and I’m so proud to be learning everything I can from you guys. Fuck being professional over the comms or on Bar Night. And I don’t give a damn who you sleep with. Watching you guys tonight, seeing how much they care about you, I’m fucking jealous of you, girl. I wish I could get one person to treat me like that, and you somehow wound up with two of them. So cheers to that, I’m fucking staying around, if that’s alright with you,” she says, raising her glass.
“Of course that’s fucking alright with me. Thank you for all your hard work and for saving me from…” Luke and Sebastian return in all their masculine glory, shoving Colton off me in way of greeting, then dragging him by the collar toward the pool table as he gives us a smirk and a salute. “...all of that,” I say, gesturing a hand out toward the lot of them.
Ava laughs, and then we hear a moan coming from beside her. Ryan places a hand on the table and pulls himself upright.
“Well, good morning, sunshine,” Jace says, and we all chuckle at how Ryan’s hair and glasses are both askew. The man looks around, confused, then at Ava. And I don’t miss the way he immediately turns his attention to his water and straightens his glasses.
“If you’ll excuse me, I love this song,” Jace gestures with his beverage toward the area where a DJ is set up beyond an indistinguishable heap of gyrating humans dancing to the thrumming beat.
I suddenly realize how cold it is now that someone has opened the outer doors to let the night air in. I stand to grab Luke’s jacket, taking in his scent as I put it on. God, I miss him. And he’s literally right across the room. I stare toward my men, watching them shove at each other over their game of pool.
It’s adorable.
I love everything about them. Luke is the soft to Sebastian’s rough. He’s the one who always sees the bright side of things, who encourages both of us. Sebastian is… so much fucking more than he lets people see.
When we were in the safehouse and I found out that they weren’t just the hired muscle I assumed them to be, I never thought I could respect them more than I already did. But after working and living with them? I am in awe of these men. They are organized, hard working, kind and professional.
Well, sometimes they’re professional.
And sometimes, they throw their co-owner over a shoulder, toss her in a van and fuck her into so many orgasms that she can’t see straight.
But other than that, they’re very professional.
“Go ahead, I’ll keep an eye on him,” Ava says, tipping her head toward Ryan who is actually looking a lot better after his nap. I smile at her, nodding in thanks before making my way over to a hightop near the pool table to watch.
I settle onto one of the barstools, and it only takes a moment to realize that Sebastian and Luke are on separate teams. Oh boy. Even though I’m drunk and ready for bed, I know they won’t let us leave until someone is declared the winner.
As Sebastian studies the table to line up his next shot, Luke wanders over, standing close to me. He leans on his cue stick, giving me that dimpled smile when he sees the addition to my outfit.
“What, did you get cold?” he lectures me about the dress, but I know he’s not actually complaining. And I know how much he likes to see me in his clothes. It’s some sort of possessive man thing. You would think he would be used to it considering how often I steal his shit at home.
“It might be a little chilly. And a little late,” I say, pulling his jacket close. We both know damn well that saying it’s early would probably be more accurate.
“Hmm,” he hums, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to my lips. “We better get you back to the hotel then.”
“You’d better.” I kiss him back, loving the feel of him and wishing we weren’t in public any more.
“Let me just kick Seb’s ass first, then we can get out of here,” he says, watching as Sebastian’s teammate sinks their last ball, then fails to pocket the eight.
“You’re up!” Sebastian calls over to us.
Luke gives me another quick kiss before turning his attention to the table. But when he lines up a shot at the eight ball that could win him the game, Sebastian casually leans against the table, saying something only Luke can hear before joining the other guys to watch. Luke furrows his brows and his jaw tightens as he tries to concentrate. He takes his shot.
And misses.
A frustrated Luke makes his way back over, sitting on the barstool next to me. Sebastian smirks at him, then calls a pocket, lines up his shot and wins the game.
I place a hand on Luke’s knee and lean in close. “Did he just whisper something incredibly inappropriate and sexual in nature to distract you?” I guess, because I’ve never seen Luke miss that clear of a shot.
“Yup…” he says slowly, discreetly tugging at his pants to readjust. “Yes he did.” He takes a deep breath before downing the rest of his drink just as Sebastian strides our way to gloat.
“Well, sorry you’re shit at pool, Lu.” He breathes, puffing up his chest in a feigned stretch that shows off his biceps. Not that he needs to, his shirt is already tight. So, so tight.
Luke and I stare.
God. It’s time to go.
Luke must be thinking the same thing, because he immediately turns to shout toward Colton at a nearby table. “You good to drive, man?”
Colton responds by holding up a glass of water, then fist bumps a few of the guys and stands. Sebastian tosses him the keys to the van, which he catches mid-air.
We settle up with the bartender, then make our rounds, saying goodbye to the other teams and helping our team start making their way toward the door. Once we have Ryan and Ava upright, I look over at the dance floor and wonder who’s going to retrieve Jace from that mess.
“Hey Colt, handle that, will you?” Sebastian asks, gesturing toward the heap.
“Sure thing, boss,” Colton responds, then hops up the two short steps to stand at the edge of the crowd. “Jace!” he bellows.
He doesn’t say it loud, I barely heard it from here, but his tone. I’ve never heard him talk like that, never heard him sound that dominant before.
No more than a few seconds later, Jace squeezes out from the crowd and Colton tips his head toward the door.
Jace complies. Immediately.
I stare.
When Colton glances back at me, he’s not wearing his usual smirk. This is something else. He tosses his coat over his shoulder, then winks at me as he brushes past, striding out the front door.