Cowboy Boots and Unadulterated Pleasures [Cowboy Boots 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (13 page)

“I don’t know. It varies from one night to the next,” Daniel replied.

“How much?” Lorenzo screamed.

“I have no way of knowing. I haven’t been to the count rooms in nearly two years, not since Kelly took over operations.”

Lorenzo faced him. He lifted the gun to his head and asked, “Now how much, Daniel?”

Her father remained stoic. He didn’t beg for his life, but he surely knew his life was over. “I told you I don’t know.”

Lorenzo cocked his weapon.

“Daniel, you have one last chance to save yourself.”

“The only thing I can tell you with absolute certainty is—”

“How much, damn you!” Lorenzo looked evil as he grabbed her father by his thinning gray hair and yanked him backward. After leaning over him and whispering more threats, Lorenzo returned him to an upright position.

“There isn’t fifty million there, if that’s what you want to know.”

Kelly saw her father’s face. He smirked as he told Lorenzo more than enough to help him make the final call.

Her father then looked down. His eyes met hers and he mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

Everything else happened quickly and simultaneously.

Lorenzo swung his arm low and fired several shots into the boards. “She’s there! Under us!”

Someone grabbed her from behind. A firm hand clamped over her mouth. “It’s me,” Crue rasped at her ear. “We gotta get out of here.”

“I can’t leave Dad,” she said once he released his grip and led her through the basement. “They’ll kill him, Crue.”

Three shots were fired into the air. “Kelly! Kelly, honey! It’s your fiancé calling for you!” Lorenzo sounded like a lunatic. “Come on upstairs and say good-bye to your daddy, lover!”

“Crue, please!” She dragged her feet in an effort to slow him down as he rushed her to the other side of the house.

She knew where they were headed. “It won’t do any good to hide, Crue. They know about the tunnels.”

“Trust me, sugar. I ain’t looking forward to the underground bit. These caves collapse and it takes hours to dig someone out.”

“Then don’t,” she pleaded, pulling at his arm. “They’ll kill him if I don’t go back for him.”

“They’ll kill him if you do,” Crue said, reaching above a few bricks in the wall located next to the garage.

Kemper rushed inside the room with two weapons drawn. “You gotta go now!”

“I won’t,” she told them, standing taller.

“Damn it, you always were a stubborn woman,” Crue said, picking her up and slinging her over his shoulder.

“Stop it! No! Let me down!”

Kemper’s eyes heated as he watched them. “You two have a safe drop.”

“Better me than you, huh?” Crue asked, stalking the mouth of the tunnel.

“You know it,” Kemper said, his gaze never settling on one spot as he clearly watched for their enemies.

“Let me go!” she screamed, kicking and punching him. “Crue! Stop! I have to help him. He’s all I have!”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Crue said, holding her legs steady. He turned to Kemper. “So help me, if you guys don’t have us out of here in two days, I’ll come looking for you after I dig myself out by hand and it won’t be pretty.”

“Go!” Kemper screamed, firing a detrimental shot as soon as one of Lorenzo’s men entered the room.

“They know about the tunnels!” she screamed, desperate to save her father.

Above them, Lorenzo had started counting to ten, claiming he’d end her father’s life if she didn’t show her face. “Kelly, I know you’re out there! I have a gun to your pathetic father’s head! Do you hear me? This bastard owes me over fifty million dollars. Do you understand?”

Crue looked down on her. He was torn and she saw the apprehension in his eyes.

“Please, Crue. I can’t lose him,” she begged quietly. “They know about everything—the Unit, and the tunnels!”

“I can’t help that. My concern is saving you.” Crue swung his leg over the brick wall, closing his arms around her. He clutched her body against his and took that final leap.

They shot through a funnel-like enclosure. At one point, he looped one heavy arm around her waist and raised his free hand high above them, screaming as the skin ripped from his knuckles but grabbing hold of some sort of rope as they traveled beneath the compound.

As they slid down a long manmade slide, the earth seemed to collapse around them, the entrance behind them closing off as quickly as they descended into the earth. When they reached the end of their journey, they landed on the floor, a cloud of smoke and dust behind them.

“Besides, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Tunnels? What tunnels?” Crue asked, coughing as he stood. Waving his hand in front of his face, he added, “Lorenzo and his fellows can search all they want. We vanished without a trace.”

“We’re here,” Colt said, speaking into his wristwatch, an oldie but goodie for transmitting messages. At the same time, he stuffed a listening device in his ear. “Where’s Lorenzo?”

“Upper deck, outside of the family room,” Brand replied.

“Where’s Kelly?” Colt snapped.

“Down under,” Kemper said. “With Crue.”

Colt breathed a heavy sigh of relief and felt his lips twitch. Damn Kemper. He thought he’d ruffle Colt’s feathers by letting him know she made it out with his brother. Fact was, he felt a lot better knowing she wasn’t underground alone. Plus, Crue knew how to collapse the tunnels. If they were underground, they were well hidden and safe. And they’d remain there until they dug them out.

“How about Daniel?” he asked, lifting his wrist to his lips again.

“He’s still alive,” Kemper replied. “Lorenzo has counted to ten a few times and still has a gun on him, but I don’t think he’ll use it.”

“He’s probably right,” Gabe piped in. “If Daniel confided in him, Lorenzo knows about the tunnels. He’s probably aware of the tedious procedure involved in freeing those who drop out of sight.”

“You ain’t lying there,” Kemper said. “For some reason Daniel told Lorenzo all.”

“When it comes right down to it, we may be glad he did,” Brand said. “Daniel is alive right now because he is the only bargaining chip Lorenzo has. If Lorenzo kills Daniel, he has nothing he can hold over Kelly’s head.”

“Let’s hope,” Colt said. “This is about the money for Lorenzo.”

“Based on what I’ve heard, I second that opinion,” Brand said.

Static filled the line. Colt devised a plan while the others talked amongst themselves.

“Gabe, I want you to come around the front, up the side stairs. Kemper, enter through the kitchen. Brand, you’re my shooter. Take Kelly’s room and aim low. Everybody move!” Colt gave the orders and then hurried up the first flight of stairs. Entering the family room with his automatic rifle positioned on his shoulder, he walked softly, treading across the large room with light feet, one leg crossing over the other as he approached the patio.

“Stop right there, Mr. Candy,” Lorenzo said, taking his time before facing him. Aiming the gun at Daniel’s head, he said, “I take it you were disappointed about our poker game?”

“Terribly,” Colt drawled, still in pursuit.

“What didn’t you understand about my request?” Lorenzo’s eyes were wide. His voice was harsh. “Stay where you are!”

Colt took another step and then another.

“He’s a slow learner,” Daniel said, shrugging.

“Shut up,” Lorenzo demanded, propelling his pistol high above Daniel’s body before slamming the butt of his gun against the side of his head.

Colt dove for Lorenzo’s gut and took him down to the ground. The men rolled across the wooden deck area extending beyond the small concrete patio. Punches were thrown, left swings and right hooks.

Lorenzo never stood a chance. Colt towered over Lorenzo, gaining and keeping the upper hand. A few shots were fired and an exchange of curse words filled the air. Another shot and then a loud thump left one man down.

With each punch thrown, all Colt could see was the man who had struck the woman he loved. He showed no mercy. He struck Lorenzo multiple times, thinking of how frightened Kelly must’ve been when she’d realized what kind of criminal had been sleeping next to her.

Lorenzo’s head snapped one way and then the other. Colt slammed his knuckles underneath Lorenzo’s chin, ignoring the grunts and groans resounding around them.

Only anger drove him as he considered what Daniel had cost his own daughter, the one woman who would’ve done anything in this world to save him—and she’d proven that. She’d gone to bed with a monster, and by all accounts, she’d planned to go through with her engagement and marry him.

Rage made an undeniable racket in his body. His anger shook him and he couldn’t stop himself from issuing a true beating.

He hit Lorenzo as hard as he could. His fists crashed against Lorenzo’s face as he tried to think of all the suffering Kelly had endured all for the sake of the job she thought she’d earned, the title of an Underground Unit operative, a position Daniel must’ve convinced her she owned.

“I’m gonna let you live,” Colt said, grabbing Lorenzo by the throat. He stared into the face of an assassin and realized what kind of person he held in his clasped hand. He’d looked into the eyes of many killers and always recognized a murderer when he saw one. They were all the same regardless of their names, birthrights, or backgrounds.

A killer had a distinct expression that flagged the person as a lost soul, a heartless creature. As he assessed the damage he’d inflicted, Colt noticed Lorenzo’s split lip, swollen face, and dangling tooth. He’d shattered a few bones and probably cracked a rib or two, but he would survive.

Damn shame, too. After everything he had put Kelly through, in the end he would walk away unscathed.

On second thought, no, he didn’t think so…the world would be a better place without Lorenzo. Colt’s hand tightened around Lorenzo’s neck.

Lorenzo gagged. The color washed out of his face. And then the gasping came as Lorenzo fought like crazy to hang on for dear life.

“Now you know what it feels like,” Colt said, slowly coming to his senses. His grip relaxed and he was about to walk away when his team rushed him.

“Colt!” Brand’s voice resounded.

“Enough!” Kemper flashed in front of him.

Gabe grabbed him from behind. Colt’s three fellow operatives wrestled him away from Lorenzo’s battered body. Lorenzo remained listless, curled around Daniel’s ankles.

As if Colt had been fighting in a boxing match and had sustained his own share of injuries from a personal beating, everything spun around him—the faces of his fellow operatives, the patio furniture, the potted plants on the railing, even the mature trees and rocks in the distance. Before he came to his senses, he stumbled inside and collapsed on the sofa. His heart pounded against his chest. He tightened his fists and tried to steady his breathing.

Gabe rushed to his side. “We aren’t like the other teams, Colt.”

“You don’t know that,” Colt ground out, feeling as much like a killer today as any he’d ever met in the past.

“I do know,” Gabe said, grabbing him by the shoulders and looking him in the eye. “We were taught to fight and we were taught to kill, but you yourself said you would only kill if it came down to your life or the life of an enemy. You had a choice today. It wasn’t kill or be killed. You had time to make a decision and turn the other cheek.”

“I see things one way. You see them another.”

“This is about Kelly,” Gabe said.

“It should’ve been, but I walked away,” Colt said, realizing he would’ve released Lorenzo anyway even if his fellow operatives hadn’t dragged him away. He’d lost his temper, but he’d regained his composure in the end. Now, he wasn’t sure backing off was the right choice. “I want to kill him for what he did to Kelly.”

“He’ll get what he deserves, Colt,” Gabe promised him. “But not like this. Not today and not here.”

“He’s right,” Kemper said, dragging Lorenzo’s body from the patio.

Everyone glared at Lorenzo. Then, Brand walked outside and helped Kemper bring Daniel inside.

“Is he all right?” Colt asked, dabbing his lip.

Dazed and confused, Daniel’s head wobbled. “I’ll make it.”

“Where are his men?” Colt asked, tilting his chin at Lorenzo.

“Two are dead. The other one is sleeping around the wheel of his SUV,” Brand said.

“You’re one twisted son of a bitch,” Kemper muttered.

Gabe walked to the window. “He’s not kidding.”

Kemper chuckled. “I know he isn’t. I watched him position the guy’s body around the front wheel.”

“Maybe when he wakes up he’ll realize how lucky he is,” Brand said. “All I had to do was start the engine, throw it in reverse, and he’d have a cage full of cracked ribs.”

“Why didn’t you?” Daniel asked, staring down at Lorenzo as if he somewhat pitied him.

“Somebody will need to drive Lorenzo back to the Strip,” Brand explained. “Might as well be the guy who’ll be in the biggest hurry to get back there. Once he realizes how lucky he is to be alive, maybe he won’t come back to the canyon.”

“I wouldn’t count on that,” Lorenzo mumbled. He tried to move and likely found he couldn’t. He groaned in pain as he curled up in the middle of the living room. “You’ll pay. All of you. I’ll make every last one of you pay.”

“Maybe,” Gabe drawled, dragging him to his feet. “But it ain’t gonna be today.”

“Why did you do that?” Kelly bellowed, slapping his back as she followed him across the narrow room.

“Not now, Kelly,” Crue told her, pursuing the small office area they’d created behind the lavishly appointed recreational area. Grabbing the first-aid kit off the wall, he rummaged through the box and located the gauze, quickly bandaging his hand as he walked to the computers.

He had to give Daniel props. He’d pulled out all the stops when he’d designed and decorated the underground space.

Naturally, he would. He probably believed he’d use the compound at some point in time.

“Dad needed me!” she screamed, following him around the room. “You had no right forcing me down here!”

Crue sat down in front of a bank of computer monitors. He flipped several switches on the control panel, booting up the main electricity and the computers at the same time.