Jack of Hearts (Desert Sons MC Book 1) (15 page)

Tina giggled. “He can get on the floor. Why did you return the alarm key to his belt?”

This time it was Jack that chuckled. “I just thought I would give them something to think about. We got in with no alarm, nothing broken, and nothing taken.”

“Except the cars,” she reminded him.

“Except the cars,” he amended.

“But he had to know you were taking his keys.”

“Probably. But that doesn’t explain how we got in the first time.”

Tina snorted out a laugh that trailed off into a huge yawn. “True. Jesus, I’m tired.”

“Yeah, me too. But in the morning…”

“What?” she asked as she squirmed her ass into his crotch.

“I won’t be tired anymore.”

She smiled. “Me either.”

***

“Thirty-five million dollars? Are you sure?” Nic asked in surprise as she and Michelle admired the GTO.

“That’s what the little plaque thing said,” Tina replied.

“So why are we only getting twenty million for all six?” Michelle asked as her face crinkled in confusion.

“I asked Jack that same question. He said it was because these cars are so famous and rare that the buyer will never be able to show them to anyone or sell them. So that drives the price down.”

“I guess that make sense, but it still seems like we are getting ripped off.”

“A car is worth only what you can get someone to pay you for it,” Tina said as she wondered what Michelle’s beef was. Wasn’t a cool million, tax free, good enough for anyone?

“I’m just amazed that anyone would pay that kind of money for a car. Any car. Even one as pretty as that one,” Nic added.

“More money than sense?” Tina suggested as she returned the cover to the car. All the Sons had wanted to see what a hundred million dollars’ worth of cars looked like, and the GTO was the last to be recovered with its protective silk cloth.

Nic and Michelle both giggled. “That would explain it,” Nic said. “So, now that you have fulfilled your bargain, what about you?” she asked Tina.

“I don’t know. Jack said he would help me start a new life and leave my past behind me.”

Nic smiled gently at her. “Jack’s a really nice guy.”

“Yes, he is,” she said as she looked away.

“And is he rocking your world at night?” Michelle teased as Tina flushed in embarrassment. “Don’t bother denying it. He told Seth the night you lifted the guard’s keys you two were sleeping together. Something about you starting trouble.”

“Are you two sleeping together?” Nic asked, a mischievous grin on her face. “Almost a week now! That’s a regular long term relationship for him.”

“So what’s he like between the sheets? Is he a complete studmuffin?” Michelle asked with a sly grin. “You’re the first woman I’ve met that I could ask that question. He never lets us, the Sons I mean, meet any of his other girlfriends.”

Tina felt herself burn in embarrassment. “Yeah. He can pretty much rock my world.”

“And you his?” Nic asked, her grin growing wider.

“I try, but I think he has it all over me.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Nic said as she waved her beer bottle in the direction of Jack, Seth, and Marshall. Tina looked in that direction and caught Jack’s eyes with her own. He smiled at her.

She was still smiling at him as … Greg, she finally remembered, hurried up and spoke to the three in hushed tones. She felt her blood run cold when all three stiffened suddenly at some news. The conversation suddenly became very intense with Greg frowning and shaking his head no. While she watched, Jack looked at her, his face haunted.

“Sons,” Jack called as he gathered everyone’s attention. “We’ve got a problem,” he continued as everyone wandered up. The excited babble of joyous people fell silent almost immediately.

“Our Chinese buyer backed out of the deal.”

Tina felt the chill of impending doom.

“What? He can’t do that!” Michelle cried beside her.

“He can, and he did,” Seth said. “But I’ll be fucked before we give him his deposit back.”

A murmur of agreement rumbled through the crowd. “What happened?” a man, whose name Tina couldn’t remember, asked.

“We don’t know, exactly,” Greg said. “It looks like he is either about to be arrested or has been arrested. When I spoke to his office, telling them his merchandise was ready to ship, they told me he wasn’t available and that his assets had been frozen.”

“What are we going to do, Jack,” Nicole asked quietly. They were in a tight spot, but if anyone could figure a way out, it would be Jack.

“I don’t know, Nic. I really don’t
.”

Read on for a sneak peek at the sizzling sequel,
Queen of Clubs

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CHAPTER ONE

“Sons,” Jack Carter called as he gathered everyone’s attention. “We’ve got a problem.” Everyone wandered up to hear what the Vice-President of the Desert Sons motorcycle club had to say. The excited babble fell silent almost immediately.

“Our Chinese buyer backed out of the deal.”

Tina Harris felt the chill of impending doom. Not eight hours ago, she, Jack, and three other members of the Desert Sons had pulled off the slickest heist ever when they got away with a hundred million dollars’ worth of classic Ferraris.

“What? He can’t do that!” Michelle, the wife of the club President, cried beside her.

“He can, and he did,” Seth, the President, said. “But I’ll be fucked before we give him his deposit back.”

A rumble of agreement rippled through the crowd. “What happened?” a man whose name Tina couldn’t remember asked.

“We don’t know exactly,” Greg, the treasurer, said. “It looks like he is either about to be arrested or has been arrested. When I spoke to his office and told them his merchandise was ready to ship, they told me he wasn’t available and that his assets had been frozen.”

“What are we going to do, Jack?” Nicole asked quietly. She and her husband, Marshall, the Sergeant at Arms of the club, had been Jack’s best friends for years. They were in a tight spot, but if anyone could figure a way out, it would be Jack.

“I don’t know, Nic. I really don’t,” he said dejectedly.

Tina’s heart sank to her shoes. She became involved as an unofficial member of the Sons when Jack recruited her for her pickpocketing skills. A week ago she had broken into the clubhouse for a place to sleep and something to eat. When Jack had caught her, then felt sorry for her and let her go, she had taken his wallet with her.

That didn’t sit well with him and he had run her down. But rather than beat the shit out of her, as she expected him to do, he had taken her in and then later recruited her to help with the heist. She had done her part and was going to use her cut of the twenty-two-million-dollar sale price to create a new identity, start a new life, and leave her troubled past behind her. But fate had shit on her yet again.

She turned and walked away from the group, unable to hold back her tears of frustration and disappointment. Twice now she had tried to get her life together and go straight, and twice it had come crashing down around her. Now there would be no new life and no leaving her criminal past behind.

***

She had just finished shoving her few meager belongings into a plastic grocery sack when Jack found her.

“You okay?” he asked as stood behind her at the edge of the bed and stared at the sack. At 6’2, he could easily see over her 5’3 frame.

“Yeah,” she said quietly as she stared at the bag of all her worldly possessions. Four pairs of pants, four shirts, a pair of shoes, and underwear accounted for the sum total of her life.

“You’re leaving?”

“Yes. There is nothing here for me now.”

“What about your new life?”

“What new life, Jack? You’ve got no buyer. You can’t sell the cars… they’re too hot. You said so yourself. The best thing you could do is sink them in Elephant Butte or Caballo Lake.” She turned to face him. “I will be forever grateful for what you did for me. For taking me in and… being kind. But you don’t need me around anymore. I’m nothing but bad luck. Every time I try to get my life together something bad happens and I…”

Jack pulled her to him and held her tight to her chest. He said nothing, and after a moment he felt her shudder as she began to weep softly. “Shhh…” he murmured as he rocked her gently. “It’s going to be okay.”

“How? How is it going to be okay?” she sniffed.

“I don’t know. But I gave you my word. I can’t do the million that I promised you, but I have a little money put aside. And I will get you a new identity.”

Tina wept harder as his kindness and generosity touching her deeply. Not since her father died had she ever felt so… loved? Protected? Cared for? She didn’t know, but her emotions overwhelmed her and she sobbed into Jack’s chest. “I don’t want your money, Jack,” she finally said as she tried to pull herself together and dry her tears. “Why would you do that for me?”

“We made a deal,” he said.

“The deal fell through.”

“But you fulfilled your end.”

It was true, she had, but she still couldn’t take his money… not after all he had done for her. Today made her week. She had worked and paid her debt to him for breaking the window to get into the clubhouse. She was free to go and she couldn’t impose on his kindness further. “I stand with the others,” she said. “I’ll get paid when everyone else does.”

He smiled as his cheek rested on her head. A week ago she would have leapt at that deal. “And the new identity?”

“When I can pay for it myself. You’ve done enough for me already. I can’t... I won’t... ask you to do more.”

“So you are just going to leave?”

“There is nothing I can help with now.”

“Stay,” he said. “Just give us a few days. A week. Let’s see if we can turn up another buyer.”

Tina pushed out of his arms. “Why, Jack? Tell me why you want me to stay.”

He looked at her and he felt a flutter in his heart as something changed inside of him. That same kicked dog look she had a week ago was back as the weight of her troubles crushed the life out of her.

“Because I want you to. I want you to stay, not because you owe me anything, but because you
want
to.”

She looked into his eyes and whimpered, gathered herself, then whimpered again as tears leaked from her eyes. She wanted to stay, but why would he want her? The twenty-four-year-old fuck-up that had pissed her life away and gone to prison for it.