“Wait, Pop! Please don’t send me to jail. Come on!”

  Mr. Stevenson turned to Ace and Joker. He waited until his grandson was in the back of the squad car before speaking, an evil twinkle in his eyes. “I’m not sending him to jail, but it won’t hurt him to sweat a little.” He nodded his thanks to Ace and Joker, then turned to Chip. “And thank you, soldier.”

  Joker gave the command, and Chip relaxed, mouth open and tongue lolling out as he trotted over, tail wagging happily. Mr. Stevenson gave him some ear scratches that had Chip thumping his tail with glee.

  With the coin and currency show over, the guys exchanged some more pleasantries with Mr. Stevenson before turning to leave the alley. Jack’s pocket vibrated, and he took out his phone, glanced at the screen, then did a double take. He tapped to open the text and stared at it as Chip barked. Jack’s head shot up in time to see Chip dash in front of Joker, stopping him from getting mowed down by a woman rounding the corner on a motorcycle just as Joker and Ace had been about to emerge from the alley.

  “Shit.” They were counting on him to monitor the situation with the drone. Jack should have seen that bike, dammit.

  Joker praised Chip for a job well done and scratched him behind the ear before securing his leash. Now the excitement was over and Chip had done his duty, he was at ease. Shame the same couldn’t be said about his person. “What the hell, Jack?” Joker growled.

  Jack cringed. “Sorry.”

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing.” He loved how his team were all suddenly fixated on their screens like they weren’t eavesdropping.

  “Bullshit.”

  Jack didn’t respond because Joker and Ace were already on their way to the surveillance van. He groaned and recalled the drone, opening the van’s roof door so it could return to its docking station. Spinning in his chair, he faced his team. “What?”

  Maury shook his head, floppy blond curls falling over his eyes from the movement, his green gaze on his monitor as he feigned innocence. “Nothing, boss.”

  Megan as usual didn’t bother with pretenses. “Maybe you should call him?”

  “If the guy was interested, he would have called sometime in the last two years,” Sil reminded them oh-so helpfully.

  “Thanks,” Jack muttered, itching to look at his phone again. It was stupid. Just a text. A short text. Barely a text.

  “Am I wrong?” Sil asked him, dark eyes studying Jack. “Personally, I think you deserve better. He had his chance and he blew it.”

  “Is there a reason everyone is so interested in my love life?”

  “It’s been a while,” Maury offered, glancing at him.

  Jack’s scowl had the guy whipping his attention back to his monitor. “It hasn’t been that long.” He’d dated. Sort of. Okay, so maybe they’d been hookups more than dates, but still. There’d been a few guys who’d lasted a few months. At least a few weeks.

  Megan arched an auburn eyebrow at him. “It’s been ages.”

  Just because the rest of his friends had found their soul mates didn’t mean the same would happen to Jack, no matter how much he secretly wanted it. Relationships never seemed to work out for him, regardless of how hard he tried. Joker, on the other hand, refused to be tied down, which of course meant he had men and women throwing themselves at him, all desperate to stake their claim on him, much to Joker’s annoyance.

  The back door to the surveillance truck flew open, and Joker marched inside. Jack swiveled his chair around, a cheerful smile on his face.

  “Sorry about that. But hey, good to know Chip’s always ready to save the day.”

  “Of course he is. My boy’s a badass. You, on the other hand, what the fuck? You couldn’t have warned me? What happened?”

  Jack shrugged. “Nothing.” As if Joker was about to buy that.

  “Really?”

  “I got distracted for a second. Not a big deal.”

  “First of all, you don’t get distracted. And since when is a second not a big deal?”

  Joker was right. They all knew too well how a second could mean the difference between life and death. Jack made the rookie mistake of glancing at his phone, which he’d stupidly left on the console. With lightning-speed reflexes, Joker swiped it up.

  “Hey! What the fuck, Sacha. Give it back!”

  “Don’t call me that. Now let’s see what’s got you blushing like a schoolgirl.”

  “Come on, man.”

  “Well, well, well, what do we have here?”

  Oh God. Jack covered his face with his hands. Just what he didn’t need.

  “What is it?” Ace asked, no doubt peeking over Joker’s shoulder, because although Joker was nosy, no one beat him in the meddling department like Ace. Anston Sharpe was worse than the granny living next door who knew more about you than your family did.

  “A text from Fitz.”

  Jack ignored the smile in Joker’s voice. He moved his hands and sighed. The two were grinning like idiots.

  “It’s nothing. Just a reminder about my upcoming hair appointment.” Why the hell had he agreed to get his hair cut at Hair Comes Trouble? Right, because Fitz’s best friend, Laz, had given Jack the puppy eyes and Jack was too much of a sucker to say no. Sometimes friends sucked.

  “There’s a kissy-face emoji after it, though,” Ace pointed out.

  “I’m sure he adds that to all his texts.”

  “No, he doesn’t,” Ace said, removing his phone from his pocket. He tapped away at it before showing Jack his text from Fitz. “My emoji is looking at me with suspicion. Like, what is that? Why do I get the suspicion emoji? Is he expecting me to make off with his hair dryer? Give him a bad review on Yelp? Why do you get a kissy face and I get apprehension?”

  “Because you’re shady as fuck,” Joker said with a snort.

  “Screw you. What emoji did you get?”

  “I got a happy face and a little service dog emoji for Chip.”

  “What the hell? I mean, Chip I get. Everyone loves him, but why do you get a happy face? No one likes you.”

  Joker grinned smugly. “My emoji and my dog’s emoji say otherwise.”

  “Whatever.” Ace rolled his eyes before turning that intense gold-green gaze on Jack. “So… you gonna call him?”

  Jack shook his head. “Nope. It was a confirmation appointment. From his salon, I might add. Not a personal text.”

  “But it had a kissy-face emoji,” Ace said, waggling his eyebrows.

  “It was probably a mistake. Everyone, get out of my van.” Jack ignored their collective groans. They called it a van, but at nearly thirty feet in length, it was a surveillance beast, decked out with all the latest and greatest surveillance toys. The chairs were ergonomic and reclined, providing maximum comfort for long hours on the job. It was equipped with everything from a weapon safe to an espresso machine and mini fridge.

  “Come on,” Joker moaned. “You’re going to make us walk in this heat?”

  Jack didn’t blink. “You’ve trekked through deserts with a sixty-pound dog on your shoulders and your equipment, you can handle two blocks in the Florida sun.”

  “Bro, we were the ones doing all the running while you sat in your comfy chair under the AC vent,” Ace grumbled.

  Jack stilled, his hands over the keyboard. Lowering them, he slowly swiveled his chair toward Ace.

  “Shit,” Maury muttered behind him. “Guys, let’s get the hell out of here.”

  Maury, Megan, and Sil said their goodbyes before flying out of the van like someone had lit their asses on fire. Someone was about to get lit all right, but it wasn’t his team.

  “Are you saying we don’t work as hard because we’re sitting in front of a screen?” Jack asked, narrowing his eyes. He used to have arguments about what he and his team did all the time, but the Kings knew better. Every now and then they’d forget, and Jack would have to remind them, or in Ace’s case, bust his balls.

  Cybersecurity were the nerds, and although he and his team were treated with respect, they were also treated differently from everyone else because no one understood what the hell they were talking about most of the time. Not that Jack or his team cared. They knew how important their job was. Hell, without cybersecurity there’d be no Four Kings Security. “Just because my team and I don’t spend our time dodging bullets, avoiding getting punched in the face, or running down bad guys, doesn’t mean we don’t work just as hard.”

  Ace took a subtle step back toward the door, his hands up in surrender. “No, I know. I mean, what you guys do is really important. I wasn’t saying that.”

  “Then what were you saying, Anston?”

  “Um, I was saying you gotta be careful with that AC. It’ll dry your eyes out, and you need those to, uh… do what you do… and things.”

  Jack tilted his head. “Mhm.”

  “And, uh… thanks for having my six. I better go. Wedding stuff, you know. Gotta check up on Colton. See if any florists need saving or any new shades of ‘blue but not blue’ have magically appeared.” He motioned behind him. “It’s such a nice day, I think I’ll walk. See you two later.” Ace bolted from the truck, and Jack moved his gaze to Joker before they both broke out in peals of laughter.

  “Fucking with him never gets old,” Joker said, wiping a tear from his eye.

  Jack nodded his agreement. He stood and headed for the driver’s seat, Joker dropping into the passenger seat with Chip on the floor between them. Jack started the truck and headed the short distance to HQ. He didn’t like to leave his baby on the street unoccupied unless he had to.

  Joker was silent, making Jack groan. “What?”

  “You gonna call him?”

  “Why would I call him?” Jack turned into the private parking area attached to HQ and pulled the van into its designated spot. He shut off the engine and turned to face Joker. “It’s been two years. The guy had plenty of time to call me. Hell, we’ve been to the same gatherings, and I’ve hardly run into him. I’m pretty sure that means he’s avoiding me.”

  “Maybe he feels bad about not calling?”

  Sensing Jack’s unease, Chip let out a little whine and nudged his hand. Jack stroked Chip’s silky soft fur, feeling better already. “Laz would have said something. Every time I see Laz, he gives me this apologetic look, and how sad is it that not only do I know why he’s giving me that look, but that every time I see Laz I’m hoping he might have a different look for me. How have I not moved on from this guy?”

  “Exactly. Call him. At least get some closure or something. I’ve never seen you like this over anyone.”

  That right there was the problem. Maybe if they’d dated or been out a few times Jack would have understood this whatever-it-was where Fitz was concerned, but they hadn’t. They’d had one significant moment, of which Fitz had spent a good deal of it terrified after having been shot at during a fashion job on the beach. The guy had been hyperventilating, and no one had been able to calm him until Jack showed up. Fitz had taken one look at him and calmed, while Jack had done his best to get over the initial shock of how beautiful Fitz was in order to help soothe him. They’d talked, Jack had put his arm around Fitz, and Fitz had turned into him. It had been intimate. Then Fitz was gone, and Jack’s messages went unanswered.

  “It’s fine. Not a big deal. Besides, I’ll see him when I go in for my appointment.” Jack got out of the van and closed the door behind him. Chip trotted alongside Joker as they headed inside Four Kings Security HQ. They greeted the security guys at the desk and had their IDs and fingerprints scanned, despite being part owners of the company. Chip barked his greeting and got some more ear scratches before they headed to the elevator, where Jack inserted his keycard that granted him access to the top floor. Jack’s office was near the end of the hall, the rest of his team in the cybersecurity department taking up the whole fourth floor beneath them.

  The top floor was bustling with activity as usual. Mondays tended to be admin heavy and was the only day of the week when most of the Kings could be found at the office at the same time. The office was expansive, with the Kings, Jack, and Joker having their own office running along the left side of the floor, past the reception and waiting area, executive assistants stationed outside the offices. HR was on the right of the floor, along with conference rooms, the stationery closet, and a small armory—the main armory having been moved to the basement near the training bay.

  From across the room, Lucky sat on the edge of Mason’s desk, flirting with his boyfriend. Chip trotted over to get some love from both men.

  “He’s such an attention whore,” Joker said, shaking his head in amusement.

  “Yeah, but Lucky was like that before he met Mason, so nothing’s really changed.”

  Joker blinked at him, then barked out a laugh.

  “Uh-oh. It’s the Dastardly Duo,” Mason teased, his Texas drawl thick.

  “Look who’s talking, Cowboy,” Joker said with a sly grin, leaning in to whisper loud enough for the four of them—and Chip—to hear. “We’re not the ones who got caught with our pants down by Ace in the stationery closet. Word to the wise, lock the door next time.”

  Mason’s face did a great impression of a tomato while Lucky cursed under his breath in Spanish.

  “Ace told you?” Lucky growled quietly.

  Jack stared at him. “What, are you new around here? It’s Ace. Of course he told us.”

  “Damn, darlin’.” Mason turned to Lucky with a pout. “Whole damn building probably knows by now.” His eyes went wide. “Shit. What if King knows?”

  “¡Santo cielo! Lo voy a matar.” Lucky jumped to his feet, and Mason grabbed his arm before he could storm off to obliterate Ace.

  “Darlin’, as much as I’d love for you to inflict whatever painful vengeance you have on your cousin, maybe wait until after the wedding? Remember Colton’s warning? No bullet holes, bruises, or injuries requiring a cast.”

  Joker nodded his agreement. “As scary as King is, I don’t think anyone is as scary as Colton in wedding mode.”

  Lucky seemed to consider their words. “This is true. Also, I do not have to maim him to get my venganza.” An evil smile came onto his face. “You know, it’s been a while since I’ve talked to my tía. I should call her.”

  “You’re going to call his mother?” Mason whistled. “That’s low, darlin’. Damn, I love you.”

  Joker nudged Jack and leaned into him to murmur quietly, “Let’s get out of here before we get roped into this.”

  With a salute, Jack was off, Joker at his side, with Chip on their heels. As much as they’d love to see whatever mayhem Lucky was about to bring down on Ace, Jack and Joker didn’t mess with the Cuban Mama Mafia. Ace, Lucky, and their cousin Quinn’s moms were terrifying. The three lived in Miami with the rest of their huge family and got together often. When Quinn got married to his boyfriend, Spencer, the Cuban Mama Mafia had been out in full force, their optimum momness activated. They’d dubbed Jack and Joker the wild childs of the group and then nicknamed them the Wild Cards, which had stuck. It was hilarious watching Joker with the moms. He had never faced a more terrifying enemy and had no idea what to do with them, their coddling, or their tireless efforts to continuously feed him.

  Jack had embraced it. He was used to it. As the youngest of five siblings, all male, he was the baby of the family, and growing up, he’d milked it for all it was worth. His parents had been busy working, trying to earn them a living, and when they were home, they were exhausted, but they always tried to make time for him. Being the youngest had its challenges, what with his parents’ attention pulled in so many directions. Sometimes it was hard for him to get a word in edgewise. He’d spent a lot of time with his Nonni, who’d spoiled him rotten. If the Cuban Mom Mafia wanted to spoil Jack, he’d smile and graciously accept. He also wasn’t a fool. No way was he going to do anything or be anywhere near anyone who crossed the moms.

  “Where’s my pretty boy?”

  “I’m right here,” Joker teased, earning himself an uninspired expression from Jay. Chip hurried over, tail wagging excitedly. He promptly plopped his butt down and sat back on his haunches, paws up as he asked for a treat. Jay was the only one authorized to give Chip any treats. They were organic, specially ordered for him, and kept in a jar sporting his name surrounded by a cute bone-and-pawprint motif.

  “Who’s your favorite?” Jay cooed, getting a bark from Chip in response, which made Jay laugh. “That’s right.” He held out the bone-shaped doggie cookie. “Gentle.”

  Chip stretched his neck out and took the cookie with his front teeth before prancing off toward Joker’s office, treat proudly displayed, as if he knew no one but him had one. Joker waved at them over his shoulder as he followed Chip, who received several more pets on the way to the office.

  Jack shook his head. “Mr. Popularity.”

  “He’s the only guy I let drool on me,” Jay said with a smile as he wiped his hands.

  “Love the sweater.” Jack motioned to Jay’s colorful ensemble.

  “Thank you.” Jay did a little dance in his seat and preened. The easiest way to get on Jay’s good side was to compliment his appearance. Not that Jack didn’t mean it. Some of Jay’s patterned shirts were on the eccentric side, but Jay always looked cute and put-together. Jack didn’t know anyone who could pull off a blue-and-red checkered cardigan and matching bow tie combo like Jay. Everyone had quickly learned that getting on Jay’s good side meant getting on King’s good side. As King’s executive assistant, Jay was as terrifying as he was adorable, with his big bright blue eyes and quiff hairstyle. The only one who couldn’t seem to stay on Jay’s good side was Ryden. The Marine just seemed incapable of getting along with Jay. Thankfully, the guy was nowhere in sight.

  Jack settled in his office and spent the afternoon catching up on invoices, reports, and checking in with his staff, some of whom were on job installations. Just after lunch, he was doing some routine system checks when Ace walked into his office.

  “You’re up.” Ace tossed an elegant-looking black envelope adorned with a gold crown in the center onto Jack’s desk.