Kansas Nights [Kansas Heat 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (6 page)

Problem was he’d never consistently beaten Collin at anything. The bastard might be full of smiles, but he also worked his ass off. That was something Jack could respect, at least. It had been the first something in a long career that had bound them closer than brothers. Or had until Cecelia came along. Now, in a way, Jack felt like he was back at the third battalion, sizing up the punk who dared to challenge him.

“If you know all that then you know that blood was spilt.” That was as far as Jack would go in confirming Collin’s information, but he took a step further in his attempts to back Collin out of his case. “The man I use to know would have a little respect for that fact, would want to see justice done.”

“And I do,” Collin assured him.

“Then get out of my way.” Jack leaned in as he snapped those words at Collin, not stopping until his nose almost bumped Collin’s. “And stay out of it!”

“Can’t.”

“
Why the hell not
?” Jack gave in to the urge to roar, venting some of his frustration and finding the rest stolen away by Collin’s simple answer.

“Because you need me.”

That had Jack groaning, wishing like hell he’d hit Collin when the urge had ridden him. Now he felt like an ass for shouting, which just went to prove that Collin hadn’t changed all that much. He still knew how pull Jack’s strings.

“Like a thorn in my side.” Muttering to himself, Jack flopped back into his chair with a heavy sigh. “And no, I don’t
need
you. I’m not a fucking woman.”

“But this situation is that dangerous.” Collin pointed out what Jack already knew. “You have a Judas in your midst, working with a group that is well trained enough to hit a federal safe house, steal a federal witness, divert a truck carrying twenty-five million in cash from Wichita to Minneola, hijack it, and disappear.”

This time Collin leaned in close to deliver his message with a hard certainty that assured Jack his old buddy wouldn’t be going anywhere. “Worse, they have shown a total lack of regard for life. They don’t mind killing anybody in their way and aren’t the least bit concerned about getting killed. You need me, Jack. You need me to watch your back.”

It didn’t matter how much Jack agreed with Collin, there were facts that couldn’t be escaped. “My mission is confidential. By your own admission, you’re not part of the team anymore.”

“We have the same mission, Jack—to be here tomorrow and the day after.” Collin shrugged and offered Jack another arrogant smile. “I’m here to make sure that happens and I’m not going nowhere.”

Jack didn’t doubt that. “Fine. Stick around. Just stay the hell out of my way.”

“No can do, buddy boy.” Collin shook his head. Leaning forward he pulled out his cell phone and carefully set it in the center of the table. “See, I have to call Amos and assure him you actually have everything under control. Now I can’t do that if I’m not sure myself.”

“’Course not.” Jack conceded defeat to whatever deity had decided to crap all over him today. “You know, from spending hours listening to the big, bad, macho Reese brothers fuck Amanda, Miss ‘I like to make everybody’s life a living hell,’ to putting up with her personal protector, Mr. ‘This is my fucking territory and don’t you forget it’ Sheriff, all the way down to her lunatic of a best friend, Miss ‘Screw you over and wreck your damn truck’ wasn’t enough.
Now,
I gotta deal with
you
.”

“It’s always nice to be welcomed.” Collin didn’t sound the least bit sympathetic as he asked, “Can I go by Mr. ‘Screws better than you because he’s got a bigger boner’? ’Cause I got to tell you something, it’s been a long time since I had any fun, and your five-foot-two librarian looked crazy enough to make the ride entertaining.”

“Why you?” Not in the mood to share in the joke, Jack ignored Collin’s smile and shifted forward, leaning into the table as he confronted his friend with his real concern. “Amos didn’t pick you out of thin air. So how did you become his number-one man?”

“I volunteered.” Collin shrugged as if offering his services to a private security company often suspected of being mercenaries in disguise was nothing. “I missed you, man.”

“Collin—”

“And it’s not like you don’t need it from the size of that dent in the back of your truck.”

“You don’t really think I’m just going to confess all the confidential details because we used to be friends, do you?” Jack lifted a brow, turning Collin’s smug look back on him before going for the low blow. “Because you were never that dumb before you got married.”

“I didn’t get stupider, just more eager to be alive,” Collin corrected. “You know where I’ve been, Jack? I’ve been stuck behind a desk for the last three years, spending my Saturdays mowing the lawn and my Sundays watching FoodTV. Every weeknight I’m in bed by ten.”

“That’s the life you chose,” Jack reminded him, feeling no sympathy for Collin’s plight. “What did you think marriage was going to be like?
Fun
?”

“Well…yeah.” Collin sounded almost as mystified by his own answer as Jack was. “I mean, I know it’s work and that most of the time it’s ho-hum boredom, but there should be
moments
, you know? It’s just like this job, man. We spend years training, months planning, all for a moment.”

“You’re nuts.” Jack shook his head, wondering if Collin would ever outgrow the need to find deeper meaning. Thankfully Collin’s “intellectual” side couldn’t compete against his more cavalier nature and the thoughtful gleam faded from his eyes as his lips kicked back up in Collin’s customary grin.

“Or maybe just one night with a five-foot-two librarian who can outdrink me and wreck my truck. Sex, danger, and glory—Humble looks to be offering the next great adventure.”

“Trust me, Collin, you’re not up to handling a five-foot-two librarian,” Jack warned him before giving in to an urge to tack on a more direct threat. “And Kathy belongs to
me
.”

“And since when did you stop sharing?”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t share her,” Jack retorted, refusing to recognize the deeper meaning in Collin’s question. “But she belongs to me first.”

He knew he sounded possessive. Worse than that, Jack
felt
possessive. That didn’t mean he had to recognize the emotion. Instead, he chose to bury it beneath the heat of his own lust-fueled agitation.

“The woman owes me.” That sounded like a reasonable justification to Jack. “I’m the one she played, as you so elegantly put it. So I’m going to be the one that masters that pussy, but I can’t do it without pants!”

“That’s why you need an assistant.” Collin smirked, clearly unimpressed by Jack’s warning.

“Don’t push me, Collin.”

“You fucked my wife.”

“Yes, and she liked it.” On that Jack had no doubt. Cecelia may have hated his guts, but she loved his dick.

That contradiction in sentiment had led to a twisted relationship, one where Cecelia had tried to provoke Jack’s darkest, harshest needs. While giving in had been a temptation too sweet to deny, Jack walked away feeling nothing but empty.

“No, she liked it when we fucked her together.” Heaving a deep sigh, Collin plunked his elbows on the table. “After you left all she ever wanted to do was try to find another third.”

“And how that work out for you?” Jack already knew the answer. It seemed obvious considering he was sitting across from a divorced man.

“It didn’t.” Collin paused to flash Jack a smile he normally used on the ladies. The flirtatious grin matched the outrageous flap of Collin’s eyelashes as he batted them at Jack. “There’s only one man I enjoy screwing women with…Hey, there, stud. You miss me, too?”

“You know, I could just beat you up and take your pants.” Jack was out of his seat in an instant. It didn’t matter that he knew for an absolute fact that Collin wasn’t gay. Jack still got twitchy when Collin teased him. “Actually that sounds like a plan.”

“Oh, don’t even start smiling like that.” Collin settled back in his seat, stretched out his legs in a stance that made it clear he didn’t feel threatened. “I could kick your ass without breaking a sweat.”

“You’ve been sitting behind a desk for the last three years.” Jack smirked as he flexed his arms. “All the while these guns have been earning their keep.”

“And what about the big gun?” Collin taunted Jack with a memory that he’d like to forget. “All that rum make it misfire and leave you like you were on Molly Grainer’s couch? Passed out with your own splurge coating your stomach? No wonder the woman wrecked your truck.”

“Okay.” Jack beckoned Collin forward. “Let’s go, hayseed. It’s time to remind you who won the Civil War.”

“Oh, Kathy, I just love that outfit. It does such wonders for your body.” Kathy dropped her imitation of Molly Karr’s high-pitched whine to mutter to herself as she came around the counter. “Bitch.”

Catching Sarah Anne’s small smile, she rolled her eyes. “Like I don’t know that statement ended with a silent ‘you pudgy little peanut.’”

“Pudgy little peanut?” Sarah Anne cocked a brow at that expression, casting Kathy a curious look as she stacked books onto the return cart. Kathy didn’t hesitate to start helping her friend sort the books being prepped to go back on the shelves. “That’s what she used to call me in elementary school.”

“She’s just jealous,” Sarah Anne whispered. “She’s been lusting after that Jack Daniels since he strutted into town, not that he’s in town much.”

Kathy had a sick feeling that trend was about to be broken. She’d spent the past two hours looking over her shoulder and casting worried glances out at the parking lot, wondering when he’d show. She’d never been good at waiting. It made her grumpy.

“So is Krystal Dennings,” Sarah Anne gleefully informed Kathy, appearing completely unaware of her friend’s dour mood. “You might want to duck.”

Kathy followed Sarah Anne’s nod toward the front door and groaned at the double Ds bouncing through it. It didn’t take but that one quick glance before Kathy took her coworker’s suggestion. While it might not be dignified to hide behind the counter like an errant child, Kathy would rather give up her pride than be cornered by Krystal.

Sure enough she came right to the counter to get her gossip, playing the whole “haven’t seen you in a while” routine with Sarah Anne. It didn’t take long for that small talk to bleed into Krystal casually mentioning how she’d heard Kathy had a new man in her life. Kathy almost snorted when the blonde played it dumb, claiming she’d heard it was one of the men from Amanda’s security detail. Krystal always had been as smooth as she was obvious, asking Sarah Anne what his name was again.

“I don’t really know, Krystal.” Sarah Anne nudged Kathy with her foot, as if she hadn’t heard every word. “But I gather he’s a real good-looker given all the women who’ve stopped by to ask just that question.”

“Yes.” Krystal drew that word out, clearly uncertain of how to handle that backhanded insult. “Well, if he is that good looking, he’ll be enjoying all the opportunities this town has to offer.”

Kathy could hear Krystal sweep off and dared to rise up to her knees and peek over the edge of the counter. Sure enough, Krystal strutted her stuff back toward the door. Not about to risk the woman looking back, Kathy stayed where she was, watching until Krystal disappeared outside. Only then did she lift her gaze toward Sarah Anne, who offered her a smile.

“You’re welcome, and you can repay me by putting back the returns.”

“Sure.” Kathy glanced around the library, looking for any more unfriendlies before pinning Sarah Anne with a hard look. “But this never happened.”

“Sure thing,” Sarah Anne agreed, backing off toward her desk. “After all, I know the rule. You mess with the best, you go down like the rest.”

That brought a grin back to Kathy’s face and a welcomed lift of happiness at that age-old joke. In sixth grade, she’d started to develop attributes the other girls didn’t have. Liam Scott had tried to get a handle on some of Kathy’s more bountiful assets and found himself wearing a black eye instead. It had happened at recess. After laying him out with one punch, Kathy had stood above him and laid down a vow that all the boys heeded from that day forward.

If you mess with the best, you go down like the rest.
The saying had come from her dad. She’d been seven and wanted to dress up like a pink commando for Halloween. They didn’t have a lot of money, so he’d spray-painted a hardhat pink for her along with a large plastic rifle and a set of boots.

With a black magic marker, he’d written a warning over a large pink T-shirt that had become her living motto. Kathy still had that shirt packed in her memento box along with the pictures from that Halloween. Her costume had drawn lots of notice, more bad than good.

Given Kathy’s tendency to draw attention to herself, she’d grown use to the look. Even in the quiet of the library, Kathy inevitably managed to find a way to stick out. Today it was the wheel of the cart that squeaked over the linoleum floor as she pushed it out into the main lobby. The piercing sound drew glances from the patrons she passed, but their gazes lingered with more than idle curiosity.

Kathy ignored them and steered her cart toward the towering rows of bookcases. What people thought of her didn’t matter, but figuring out this mess Amanda had gotten herself into did. Kathy had spent the whole night going over Jack’s confessions and had come to one conclusion. The man was seriously addled to even think Will McKinney stole twenty-five million dollars.

That didn’t shock Kathy in the slightest. Jack might be rough, tough, and better at foreplay than any man Kathy had ever known, but that didn’t change the fact that he wore a badge. Everybody knew the law had a way of seeing things the way they wanted to. By the very fact that Will was dead and Amanda forced into hiding, it was obvious Jack’s way of seeing things was the wrong way.

Of course, Kathy didn’t expect that he’d accept that or the need for a fresh set of eyes to go over the case. Actually he needed more than that. If Will was involved, then the answers Jack needed would be held by people no lawman could ever trust.