“No. Thank you.”

  Leo knew he shouldn’t get too close to King. Once the project was done, King would be returning to his life, and Leo would… still be Leo. Maybe King meant it when he said they were friends. It would be more than Leo could have hoped for.

  Chapter 5

  A rustling sound caught King’s attention, and he chuckled as Leo opened a giant yellow bag of red Swedish Fish. So that’s what Leo made the driver stop for.

  Leo held the packet out to King. “Swedish Fish?”

  “Why not.” King reached into the bag and grabbed a couple of the jelly sweets and popped them into his mouth. “Is it the shape or the taste?”

  “Both. Who doesn’t love Swedish Fish? It even has a TV series of sorts.” Leo removed his phone from his pocket, tapped away at the screen, then leaned over to show King. It was some kind of online show with canned laughter. It was very short with the next one starting right after.

  “What… what did I just watch?”

  “The Swedish Fish is their new roommate.”

  “Yeah, I gathered that from the episode title. My question, I suppose, is more of a why? As in why does that exist?”

  Leo shrugged. “Why does anything exist? I suppose you mean what purpose does it serve, and the logical answer would be that it serves no purpose, but in truth, it’s just fun, so I guess it does have a purpose. You might not understand it, but for those who do, it does something for them, no matter how small, and that’s what matters, right? Taking joy in the little things.”

  King couldn’t argue with that.

  They were still in the back of one of Bowers’s black Suburbans, the windows tinted pitch-black. Leo hadn’t stopped smiling since they left. He was happy, which in turn made King happy, and he wasn’t about to delve any deeper into his thoughts than that. Considering what had happened back at the bunker, Leo seemed surprisingly calm. King supposed knowing he was going home was contributing to Leo’s current cheerful state.

  Once Bowers had resigned himself to the fact they’d be moving Leo, an entirely new security plan was put in place—one that included the four Kings, Jack, and Joker. King had meant what he’d said. He didn’t trust Bowers, the NSA, and anyone else involved with this op, especially now. He had no intention of leaving Leo’s side, which meant he needed his brothers-in-arms to keep an eye on the building and surrounding area, as well as any chatter that might pertain to Leo. Several of the men in the bunker had spoken Russian, but until Bowers looked into it, there was no telling who’d sent them after Leo.

  As if reading his thoughts, Leo spoke up. “Do you think he’ll tell us?”

  King highly doubted it. “He’ll tell us a load of information that will essentially give away nothing.”

  Leo snorted. “Sounds about right.”

  “Can you access the bunker’s security feed from your computer without alerting Bowers?”

  Judging by Leo’s uninspired expression, King would hazard a guess that he’d asked a stupid question.

  “Right. I want you to play the footage for Jack. He was our communications sergeant. If anyone can get us some intel on who those guys were, he can.”

  “Sure. You all really are like brothers, huh?”

  King nodded, returning Leo’s smile. What was it about Leo that made King feel so… light? He never smiled this much, but when Leo looked at him, those pink lips pulled into a soft expression, King couldn’t not do the same. Well damn. Ace was going to give him so much shit.

  “Pains in the asses, but I wouldn’t trade them in for anything. Ace is a smartass who rarely shuts up. He was our weapons sergeant. Lucky, his cousin, was also a weapons sergeant. Together they’re a force to be reckoned with. Red was our medical sergeant. He’s the sweetest guy you’ll ever know, so don’t let his size intimidate you. Jack, like I mentioned earlier, was our communications sergeant. You guys will probably have a lot to geek out about. Joker was our engineer sergeant. His temper is as explosive as the bombs he deals with. Just don’t mention his height. He’s very touchy about it. He’ll be bringing his partner, Chip.”

  “Is Chip a Green Beret as well?”

  King chuckled. “He could have been. He’s Joker’s furry companion.”

  “A bomb-sniffing dog? That’s amazing.”

  “Chip is pretty special.”

  “So what’s with the playing card nicknames?”

  King chuckled. “One of our youngest brothers-in-arms, Pip, nicknamed everyone. We were always playing cards, and he’d accuse us of being cardsharps. Ace, Lucky, Red, and I were nicknamed after the king cards in a deck because we’d formed a special bond since the beginning. Even when we first met, it felt like I’d known them my whole life. We balance each other out.”

  Leo worried his bottom lip, his expressive eyes filling with sorrow. “Pip. He’s one of the guys who didn’t make it home?”

  Shifting uncomfortably, King moved his gaze out the window. “Yeah. We lost half our ODA.” He felt a gentle hand on his arm.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  King couldn’t bring himself to speak, simply patted Leo’s hand where it rested on his arm. If Leo knew the truth of what had happened to King’s unit, the guilt would eat away at him. Another reason Leo could never find out. If the General hadn’t told his son, then it wasn’t King’s place to do it. He moved his hand and held up his personal phone to signal he had to make a call. Leo nodded and turned his attention back out his window.

  Putting in a call to Ace’s number, King placed his phone to his ear and waited for his best friend to pick up. Two rings in, and Ace answered, his voice filled with concern.

  “Hey, everything okay?”

  “Yeah, listen. I need you, Red, Lucky, Jack, and Joker to rearrange your schedules. I’m going to text you an address, and I need you all there as soon as possible.” With Ace’s phone not being secure, King made sure to give the address to a café in St. Petersburg. “A man named Bowers is coming to meet you. Listen to what he says and follow his instructions. I’ll see you all soon.”

  Ace didn’t ask questions. He was well-versed in government matters, as were the rest of their brothers-in-arms. The drive from the black site in Palatka to Leo’s condo on the beach took a little under three hours. At this time of night, there wasn’t much traffic on I-75 or the many back roads they took. King had remained vigilant, not liking the driver’s choice in taking country back roads with little to no lighting, but Bowers had reached his limit. Rather than spending any more time arguing with the man, King had gotten them moving.

  When they finally arrived at Leo’s building, King got out first, telling Leo to wait while he did a quick sweep of the area. With the coast clear, he went around to Leo’s door and opened it for him, keeping Leo close as they made their way into the building. Bowers and his team were already in place, showing how desperate the guy was to get this project completed.

  The new security plan included taking over Leo’s building. Since they were dealing with the NSA and the government, the building was declared to have structural problems requiring the occupants to leave. The condo owners were being compensated handsomely for however long it took to “fix the damage.” Bowers’s team would take up residence until Leo finished the project.

  The entire building was filled with government agents going undercover as contractors. The condo just below Leo’s would be occupied by the Kings, Jack, and Joker, and between the five of them, they’d work in shifts with one of them staying in Leo’s apartment at all times with King and Leo. The ground floor apartment would hold the majority of the armed agents, the first line of defense should someone get past the hidden security around the building and make it inside. With all the hidden cameras installed in the building and around the property, if anyone decided to do something stupid, the Kings would see it coming.

  Inside, the lobby was decorated in a classy beach theme, as he imagined most of the buildings in the area were. To the south of Indian Shores was Redington Shores, consisting of more residential areas, where Indian Shores tended to be more vacation rentals, but Leo’s building was close enough to Redington that it was mostly residential. This time of year, folks from up north migrated south. Although Florida was somewhat cooler in the winter—seventy-degree weather instead of ninety-degree weather—with the exception of a week here and there of actual steep temperature drops, they had mostly warm weather. For those escaping the ice and snow, the beach was still inviting at seventy degrees. It was also perfect weather for theme parks. With two weeks until Christmas, no matter where you went, there was a flurry of people, traffic, and activity.

  Leo inserted a keycard into the slot on the elevator panel, then pressed a sequence of buttons rather than simply pressing for the fifth floor. He smirked at King’s raised brow. “I added a little extra security when I moved in. I’ll give you and your guys the code.”

  “What if someone just presses for the fifth floor?”

  “Then I get buzzed, and I can talk with whoever’s in the elevator.” He motioned up to the corner of the stainless-steel wall. “Camera. There’s a security office in the building, which I imagine Bowers has already taken over. Though if they make it to the elevator, it means they’d been cleared by security and buzzed in at the front doors.”

  The elevator opened up into a hallway outside a set of steel doors. Looked like Leo had made quite a few changes when he’d moved in. The security panel outside Leo’s front door was impressive. King couldn’t imagine there were many homes with a security system that required handprint and retina scan identification.

  King had studied the floor plan of Leo’s penthouse condo. It was bigger than he’d expected at over seven and a half thousand square feet, with two floors, the second of which Leo used as his office. It was easily a second apartment, due to its nearly three-thousand-square-foot size and the fact it had its own small kitchen, bathroom, and balcony. The lower floor was expansive with a master suite and bathroom, three additional bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a media room, living room, dining room, breakfast area, several balconies, plenty of windows, a beachfront view, and laundry room.

  The condo itself had stone floor tile, crown molding, and solid wood cabinets. It was decorated in rich browns, creams, and pops of black and gold, and was very tidy and uncluttered. King hadn’t known what to expect from Leo’s home, but he found himself frowning. The condo was gorgeous. It also resembled a showroom. Untouched. No framed photos, no art on the walls, no throw blankets or pillows. Nothing that so much as gave a hint to who lived there, which was at odds with Leo’s homebody nature. How could someone who rarely left his home live somewhere that looked like no one had stepped foot in it in years. It was clean, which led King to believe someone came regularly to maintain the place.

  “Very nice,” King said, offering Leo a smile.

  Leo surveyed the apartment and shrugged. “It came like this. My dad picked it out for me.” He shifted uncomfortably. “I wanted to live somewhere quiet, but I’m not good with things like apartment hunting or decorating. It’s a bit much, but my dad felt I needed space since I don’t go out that often, but it’s not the space, it’s what’s in it, you know?”

  King nodded. He lifted his arm and Leo’s bags. “Should I put these in your room?” The huge master suite was on this floor ahead of them to the left of the living room.

  “Actually, I spend most of my time upstairs.” He tapped his fingers against his leg. “I sorta… sleep there more than down here. Um, pretty much… always.”

  Puzzled, King followed Leo up the winding staircase to the second floor. He froze at the top of the stairs. It was like entering a whole other world, a world that was all Leo. The space was warm and inviting, the colors, textures, and feel of it a perfect match for the vibrant young man. It was as if Leo had taken this space and created a nest for himself. A safe haven. It made sense, but at the same time left King completely baffled. Why not make the rest of the apartment his own? He’d essentially created a studio apartment for himself on the second floor. Why?

  The floor was faux wood and the walls were painted a dynamic blue. Lighting ran along the left and right sides of the ceiling, giving the room a soft atmospheric glow. A huge flat-screen TV hung on the right wall, in front of it sat an extra-long black-and-white couch with blue throw pillows, and kitty-corner to that was a trendy black futon with white-and-blue throw pillows. A matching black-and-white coffee table was positioned in the center.

  Against the wall opposite the trendy yet cozy living room area was Leo’s computer station. A long, sleek, black desk held multiple monitors with a larger one mounted on the wall. Several gadgets lay in neat, tidy rows across the desk, along with a unique-looking keyboard, drawing tablet, and trackball mouse. Leo’s chair was unlike anything King had ever seen, and it was clear why he’d had trouble working with the one they’d given him at the command center. This one resembled a slim recliner, and was currently reclined back with the footrest up, a cozy pillow on the headrest, and a fleece blanket draped across it.

  Speakers were strategically positioned on the walls, and at the end of the expansive room was a set of sliding glass doors that pretty much took up the length of the wall. Outside, a balcony nearly as big as the upstairs area faced the beach. The balcony was the same length as the second floor and much wider, taking the shape of the rest of the building. You could easily fit a pool out there or land a small chopper. Unlike the downstairs area, this floor was filled with energy and life. Photographs of Leo and his family in elegant black frames had been painstakingly hung around the room. White bookcases on either side of the TV housed rows of books, comic books, and movie and comic book collectibles, including a statue of a giant gray Hulk being shot in the face with webbing by a tiny-by-comparison Spider-Man perched atop a lamppost.

  King placed Leo’s bag on the couch as the doorbell rang. He swiped his gun from the belt holster he’d gotten from one of the soldiers before he’d left.

  “You really think the bad guys are going to ring the doorbell?” Leo asked, heading for the stairs. King quickly cut him off.

  “Probably not, but I’m not taking any chances. Stay here.”

  “Okay.” Leo headed for the kitchen, and King hurried downstairs. He checked the little screen by the door, relieved when he saw the guys outside. Holstering his gun, he opened the door for them.

  “Wow. Real charmer that Bowers,” Ace muttered as he walked past King into the apartment, followed by the others. King closed the door, then turned to Ace, whose scowl melted away, a grin appearing on his face as he approached King and brought him into a tight hug. “Missed your grumpy ass.”

  King grunted, but he returned Ace’s hug. His chest swelled with pride as he greeted each of his brothers.

  “What’s going on?” Joker asked, looking around the apartment, his sharp blue-gray eyes taking in everything. Chip sat obediently at his heels, tail wagging at King who scratched him behind the ears.

  “Come with me.” King led them upstairs. The bathroom door was closed, so he’d wait until Leo was done to explain.

  “Nice setup,” Jack pitched in, his gaze on Leo’s desk. “Whose place is this? Bowers didn’t say much.”

  Joker snorted. “Mostly a lot of bitching about how he didn’t want us here, and something about pain in his ass?”

  A soft clearing of the throat caught everyone’s attention, and they all turned to Leo, standing by the kitchen counter. He waved bashfully. “Um, hi. That would be me. The pain in his ass.”

  “Everyone,” King said, smiling as he held an arm out to Leo who, without skipping a beat, hurried over to King’s side. King ignored his friends’ wide eyes as they looked from Leo to King and back. “This is Leo. General de Loughrey’s son.”

  The gasps were loud, and Ace’s startled gaze flew to King’s. “The General?”

  King nodded. He turned to Leo, ready to introduce the guys, but Leo stopped him.

  “Wait, don’t tell me.” He cocked his head to one side, studying the five men in front of him. They looked bemused but went along with it. “I’m going to say you’re Red,” Leo said with a chuckle, pointing to Red and his bright red hair.

  Red smiled. “That’s right. Though that’s not why I got the nickname.”

  “You’re right. It’s because you’re the King of Hearts.”

  Red blinked at him. “How’d you know?”

  “You give off that gentle-giant kind of vibe.”

  Ace laughed, patting Red’s shoulder. “That’s Red all right. The jolly red giant.”

  Red elbowed Ace in the ribs, making him laugh.

  “And you must be Ace. King of Spades.”

  “That’s right. I see my reputation precedes me.”

  “I would not be so quick to think that is a good thing,” Lucky teased.

  “You’re Lucky, the King of Clubs.” Leo turned to the remaining two men. “You’re Jack, and you must be Joker.”

  “He’s good,” Jack said, nodding his approval.

  A bark made Leo jump, and he lowered his gaze to Chip, his smile going huge. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to leave you out. You must be Chip.”

  Chip barked, and waved a paw at him in greeting, making Leo laugh. He turned to King, his smile reaching his big brown eyes. “And you’re the King of Diamonds. Makes total sense.”

  “Oh yeah? How’s that?” King asked.

  “The whole diamond-in-the-rough thing.” Leo didn’t shy away this time, despite his flushed face. “Personally, I think you’re great just the way you are, without all the polish.”

  The room fell silent, and King was aware of his brothers staring at him, jaws hanging open. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at them. “You guys want me to throw you back in the ocean so you can join the rest of the fish?”

  Leo laughed loudly, oblivious to everyone’s stunned gazes on him. He snickered as he turned to King. “Oh my God, I just thought of the Swedish Fish video but with the guys there instead. Can you imagine?”