Hearts and Aces (Kelsey's Burden Series Book 7) by Kaylie Hunter (great books for teens txt) 📗

their cartridges, echoed in the empty warehouse. Shipwreck visibly gulped.

“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