The sex had been amazing, and the intimate moments even better, but Ace needed more. The problem was he cared about Mason, which led to them hooking up several times after their breakup. Having Mason shut him out each time he tried to get close had become too painful, so he’d done what he did with every guy who made him feel like he’d want more—he left them before they could leave him. They could be friends. Nothing more.

  “I reckon you’re right,” Mason said quietly. “It was good, huh?”

  Not trusting himself to speak, Ace nodded. He patted Mason’s shoulder. “I’ll follow you to the station.” He spun on his heels, walked backward to his car, and winked at Mason. “Gotta call this in. I’ll be sure to tell Lucky you asked about him.”

  Mason’s laugh when he flipped Ace off made him smile. Whatever demons Mason was battling, Ace hoped the guy found some peace. He deserved to be happy.

  Ace helped two officers haul his client’s crate into the back of Mason’s squad car before he climbed behind the wheel of his Camaro. “Thanks, officers!” Ace waved as he waited for Mason to get into his car.

  Watching the man walk by was always a treat. As soon as Mason was on the move, so was Ace. Since his client’s property was now in police custody, Ace wouldn’t be letting it out of his sight until his client arrived at the precinct. It would take some time for the property to be released from evidence, then Ace would transport it as agreed. Soon as he was done, he’d drive off to his home away from home. Of course, that meant having to deal with his less-than-thrilled brother-in-arms. If all else failed, he’d do what he’d been doing for years when it came to pissing off King. Hide.

  Ace peeked through the open blinds of his cousin’s office. Lucky was at his desk, and the room appeared devoid of one large fire-breathing King. Ace slipped inside and closed the door quietly behind him, then peered out the window to check the hallway outside one more time before closing the blinds. Lucky’s lips quirked up, but he didn’t move his eyes away from his laptop screen.

  “My life hasn’t flashed before my eyes, so I’m guessing he’s busy?” Ace headed for Lucky before a noise outside in the hall had him diving behind his cousin’s desk. Just because he didn’t see King, didn’t mean King wasn’t close. They’d had years of training and honing their skills in the art of invisibility, among other things, all of which proved extremely useful for their current careers. Unfortunately when his boss was ex-Special Forces like Ace was, the chances of getting away with anything were slim to none.

  “You made it to my office in one piece, you know? So I would say that is very likely.”

  Ace cursed under his breath. He checked his watch. “Has he eaten lunch? You know how hangry he gets if he doesn’t eat lunch.”

  Lucky leaned back in his chair. “He was about to have lunch, but then he found out you’d gone all Vin Diesel.”

  Ace scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous.” He smiled evilly. “It was more Mad Max.”

  “I would advise you not tell him that. Also, it was Bibi’s BLT.”

  Ace let his head fall against the desk’s edge with a groan. “I’m fucked.”

  “Sí. Muy. You know how much King loves Bibi’s BLT, and how much he hates when the tomatoes make the bread all soggy and gross. He is right; it is very disgusting.”

  “Wait.” Ace looked up at him. “What else did she bring?”

  “For Red, his favorite—steak and aguacate tacos. For me, the carnitas, and for you, un Cubano.”

  Ace’s stomach growled, and he all but drooled on himself. Damn it, Bibi’s sandwiches were foodgasmic. “And, uh, where’s my sandwich?” Like he didn’t already know.

  Lucky’s grin was wicked. “In King’s office.”

  “He’s holding my sandwich hostage?”

  Lucky nodded. “He’s a little terrifying, you know?”

  Suddenly Ace perked up, and he smiled wide, hopeful. “Where’s Red?”

  Lucky groaned and shook his head. “Come on, bro. Don’t send Red to do your dirty work. That’s just, like, wrong.”

  “But Red’s the only one who’s safe from King’s wrath. No one can resist that big, sappy smile of his. He’s like a big puppy. Who gets mad at a puppy?”

  “King will know you sent him, and then he’s going to be even more pissed. He might even tell Tía.”

  Ace gasped. “You really think he’d tell my mom?” Who was he kidding? King would totally tell on him, and his mom would take King’s side too. Lucia Olga Sharpe had claimed the Kings, Joker, and Jack as her own, and after discovering King had lost his parents while he’d been deployed, she’d gone full-mode Cuban mom on him, mothering him as if he were her own. Since Ace was her own, he reveled in her smothering King with motherly love. King adored her, no mistake about that, but she also drove him crazy. God help him if he didn’t call at least once a week to keep her updated on his health, his love life, the latest gossip, and a complete rundown of his meals for the day. Ace being around for that phone call so he could laugh his ass off was always worth King passing him the phone when he was done so Ace could be interrogated.

  The door opened, and Ace stiffened.

  “We’ve got a meeting with a potential client in twenty minutes,” King growled. “I know you’re there, Ace.”

  Ace popped up from behind the desk. “Can I have my sandwich?”

  “I ate it.”

  “You ate my sandwich? What the hell? That is so not cool!”

  “Neither is your agenda of driving me crazy. Tell me something—do you put it on your calendar? When you come into the office, do you sit at your desk, check your calendar, and say, ‘Oh, look at that. Today is Drive-King-Batshit-Crazy Day.’ Is that what you do?”

  “You’re very dramatic. I particularly liked the way you looked at your hand as if you were looking at a calendar. You should consider a career in improv.”

  King narrowed his eyes. “My office. Now.”

  “Fine, but only because I’m concerned about your health.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that,” King grumbled as Ace followed him down the hall toward King’s office.

  “That’s me. Mr. Considerate.”

  “I’m impressed you managed to say that with a straight face.”

  Ace beamed at him. “I’ve been practicing.”

  “You’re the most exhausting human being I’ve ever come across.” They walked into the office, and Ace dropped into the chair next to Red, his fist held out for a fist-bump but his smile aimed at King. Red chuckled and fist-bumped him.

  “I love you,” Ace told King.

  “I love you too, now shut up.”

  Lucky’s grin was ridiculous as he took the seat next to Ace. “You two are so cute.”

  Ace and King both grunted.

  “Okay, everyone shut up. In fifteen minutes, we’ll be meeting with Mr. Paxton Connolly II, the current president and CEO of Connolly Maritime Enterprises and Worldwide Shipping Solutions. This is a family-owned business that’s been around since the early 1900s. It employs over five thousand employees worldwide, with a revenue of over two billion dollars. Their company provides everything from liner services to freight logistics, ocean and inland transport, and project management. Due to health issues and advisement from both the family doctor and his ex-wife, Mr. Connolly will be retiring, and his son, Colton Connolly, will be taking over. Colton has been working alongside his father since college, being groomed to take over the family business. Colton is the reason Mr. Connolly is meeting with us.”

  “Someone has a problem with Colton taking over?” Red asked.

  King shook his head, surprising them. Usually when they were approached by a company like Connolly Maritime regarding a changeover of that magnitude, it meant corporate unrest.

  “According to Mr. Connolly, everyone loves Colton. The company has one of the best employee benefits packages in the state, followed by the lowest employee turnover rate, and that’s thanks to Colton. They’ve watched him grow up in the company. There’s no one better to take over. The reason Mr. Connolly is meeting with us is because his son has been receiving death threats.”

  Ace was confused. “I thought you said everyone loved Colton?”

  “The threats haven’t been in regard to the company, or the takeover, but to his being gay. My first thought was a disgruntled employee, but when I spoke to Paxton Connolly, he rejected the idea immediately. It made no sense to him that someone would have a problem with his son now, when Colton’s been out and proud since high school. Paxton is very supportive of his son, and Colton’s sexuality has never been kept from, or been an issue with, the company. I’ve read the threats, and it’s clear someone’s taken a personal interest in Colton, and the threats have been steadily escalating.”

  King swiveled in his chair and clicked a tiny remote. The flat-screen on the far wall of the office came to life, showing six printed letters. They got up and approached the screen to study the letters that had been sealed in evidence bags and scanned.

  “The ink, paper, and font used are generic. No fingerprints or residue of any kind was left behind. Whoever handled these was smart,” King said, returning to his desk. The rest of them followed.

  “Colton hasn’t been taking the threats seriously, and Paxton wouldn’t even be aware of what was happening had an intern in Colton’s office not accidently opened a delivery meant for his boss. Inside the box was this letter.” King handed them each a photocopy of a printed letter that looked similar to the ones on the screen.

  Since you love cock so much, I’m going to cut yours off, shove it down your throat, and watch you choke to death on it.

  “Jesus.” Ace shook his head. He dropped his copy onto King’s desk like he might catch something. “You said it was inside a box. Was there anything else in the box?” Whatever it was, he felt sure he wasn’t going to like it.

  King nodded, showing them a crisp color photograph of what looked like a large phallus covered in blood, and the three of them recoiled. “It most likely belonged to a large animal, possibly a horse.”

  “Oh God, that’s disgusting.” Ace gagged and shoved the photo away.

  “That is one sick fuck,” Lucky murmured.

  “For the last three months, the letters have been arriving twice a month, different days each time. Paxton Connolly and I have spoken at length, and he’s ready to sign a contract but wants to meet you all first. One of you will be Colton’s personal security, but I want the three of you working this. Red, Jack’s going to take over the risk assessment you were scheduled to do for Mr. Garcia. Lucky, I know you were looking forward to going down to South Beach to work the LGBT film festival, but I need you on this, so I’m sending—”

  “Don’t say it,” Lucky groaned.

  King didn’t bother hiding his amusement. “Joker.”

  “Fuck! King, that was supposed to be my gig, bro.” Lucky crossed his arms over his chest, his pout fierce. “Fine, but if he throws it in my face, I’m going to punch him.”

  “As long as it’s off the clock,” King drawled before turning his attention to Ace. “Jack is going to make the transport once your client’s property is released from evidence. I’ll be contacting the client after our meeting.”

  Ace nodded. He hated leaving things unfinished, but King wouldn’t have made the call if it wasn’t important. King’s phone beeped.

  “Yes?”

  Jay, King’s executive assistant came on the line. “King, Mr. Paxton Connolly is here.”

  “Show him in, please.”

  They all stood when Jay opened the office door, and a tall, broad-shouldered, handsome man with silver interspersed with his blond hair walked in. Lines formed at the corners of his gray eyes when he smiled.

  “Thank you so much for meeting with me on such short notice, Mr. Kingston.” Paxton nodded to the rest of them. “Gentlemen.”

  King thanked Jay, who promptly closed the door behind him, before taking Paxton’s outstretched hand. “Please, everyone calls me King. Let me introduce you to the rest of the Kings. This is Russell ‘Red’ McKinley, Eduardo ‘Lucky’ Morales, and Anston ‘Ace’ Sharpe.”

  They took turns shaking Mr. Connolly’s hand. The man looked genuinely pleased to see them.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I’ve heard nothing but great things about Four Kings Security. When I consulted with my head of security, he recommended your company without hesitation.”

  “We’re glad you came to us, Mr. Connolly,” King said, showing Paxton to the chair directly in front of his desk. Red and Lucky resumed their seats, and Ace pulled up one of the extra chairs lining the office and placed it next to King’s desk facing Paxton and the others.

  “If you don’t mind my asking,” Ace said, needing to know, “is there a reason you didn’t hire your current security company for this?” Connolly Maritime already had a security company on the payroll. They were a little old-school, with a few loose cannons, but they were a good bunch.

  “I don’t mind at all. We’ve been with our current security company for decades, long before Four Kings. They’ve been invaluable to us, but as my son pointed out at our last board meeting, Connolly Maritime has grown exponentially over the years, and with the changes in the market, and technology, comes the need to take our security to the next level. I’ve already spoken to our security manager. Our contract with them will end on very amicable terms. Every trusted counsel I’ve sought gave me the same response. If you want the best, hire the four Kings. My hope is once the threat to my son is taken care of, we can discuss continuing our business relationship. If you can protect my son, I’m confident you can protect our company.”

  If Four Kings Security could secure a contract with Connolly Maritime, it would be huge. They could look into moving forward the expansion down south and open the office in Miami ahead of schedule.

  “We’d be honored to represent you and Connolly Maritime. First, why don’t you tell us a little about your son,” King said. “I’m assigning your son’s protection to Ace, Lucky, and Red.” He motioned to the three of them. “But one of them will personally provide round-the-clock protection to your son. To determine which one of them would be the best fit, I need to know a little more about Colton.”

  Paxton nodded. “I love my son. He’s a good man, and I couldn’t be prouder of him. Speaking frankly, he can also be a little shit. Stubborn as the day is long. I wish I could say he gets it from his mother, but that would be unfair of me since he gets his stubbornness from me. From his mother, he gets his temper. His business sense is second to none, and he has a way with people, but when you get on his bad side, look out. He despises insincere flattery and personal questions, warm one minute and freezing your balls off the next. I already approached him with the idea of hiring private security for him over this, and he was completely against it. This is going to piss him off to no end. If there’s one thing my son won’t stand is loss of control. Whoever you send in, he’ll see as a threat to that control, and he will fight it with everything he has.”

  Ace cleared his throat. “Permission to speak freely, sir?”

  “Ace,” King warned.

  “It’s okay,” Paxton said, putting up a hand. “You boys say what you need to say. No minced words.”

  “Your son sounds like a pain in the ass.” Ace ignored King’s heavy sigh and the way he closed his eyes, clearly summing patience.

  Paxton scoffed. “Understatement.”

  “That’s why I’d be perfect for the job.”

  King sat back and moved his gaze to the ceiling. It was clear he agreed, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. The room was quiet, all eyes on King. Several heartbeats later, he leaned forward, his gaze meeting Paxton’s and his fingers laced together on his desk.

  “I won’t lie to you, Mr. Connolly. Ace’s methods are somewhat… unorthodox.”

  “Meaning?”

  Ace grinned. “Sir, I’m an asshole at the best of times, but I’m damn good at what I do. My job will be to protect your son, not coddle him or kiss his ass. If he wants a fight, he’ll get one, and believe me, he won’t win. I will protect him, by any means necessary.”

  “In other words, you’re not going to take his bullshit.”

  “Not if it interferes with me doing my job.”

  “Good. We’ve already established a way to make this contract watertight, with an added clause stating he can’t fire you or cancel the contract. Anything and everything will have to be authorized by me.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  They all turned their attention to King, and Ace held back his smile. He could see the exact moment King made the decision. His friend actually flinched. It was subtle, but it had been there.

  “Ace is correct. If your son is difficult to work with, Ace is the best King for the job. He’ll take lead on this, be your son’s personal security, assemble a team, and get started as soon as the contract is signed.”

  “Excellent. I’ve forced him to take some time off under the guise he’s got vacation time he needs to use, but because he’s a stubborn pain in the ass, he’s informed me he’ll be working from home a good deal of the time. For all I know, he’ll show up at the office. Kid’s always done whatever the hell he wanted anyway.”

  Ace liked the guy already. Too bad Colton was going to hate Ace. It seemed like the guy had finally met his match.

  Chapter 2

  When had his life become such a mess?

  Colton closed his eyes, allowing the alcohol and pulsing beat of the music to wash over him. This was exactly what he needed. How long had it been since he’d let himself have some fun? It seemed like all he did these days was work and, as of late, argue with his parents.