Free Cowboy Boots and Unadulterated Pleasures [Cowboy Boots 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Natalie Acres Page A

say too much until he dug a little deeper and found out more. He needed to talk to Brock and Riley Donovan and find out what the hell was going on here. Kelly had mentioned something about Lorenzo using government funds to back investment properties. Where had she gotten such an idea? Daniel? The Donovans? Was it true? “I want you to set up a poker game.”
    “With what?” Crue asked, his eyes fierce with anger.
    “Take it out of our personal account,” Colt told him.
    “You’re out of your mind. Lorenzo will eat you alive. He has deep pockets, Colt. Deeper than ours.”
    “I can’t help that. I’d much rather have a chance to win a hand against him in his favorite game than to face Daniel and tell him how we used our expense account.”
    “If you think Daniel doesn’t already know what happened here last night, you’re insane. Nothing happens on that casino floor that Daniel doesn’t find out about,” Crue said. “Besides, since when do you worry about Daniel and money? If I were you, I’d be more concerned about the Donovans. Brock has a straight line to the Underground Unit authority.”
    That was because Brock was the authority, a fact no one else in the Underground Unit could wrap their heads around.
    Kemper, who had been napping on an oversized chair, rose to a seated position. “He has a point, Colt. We might as well call Brock up and tell him what happened.”
    “If I lose tonight, we will.” Colt clasped his hands under his chin and said, “But don’t expect me to make that call. When it comes to poker, I don’t lose. When it comes to Kelly, I always win.”
    “You’re sounding like a lunatic,” Crue said, stalking him. Grabbing the bottle of liquor from the table, he secured the lid and let the bottle dangle at his side. “Sober up. Go to bed. I’ll set up the game. Be ready to go by nine o’clock, but it will likely be around midnight before Lorenzo will play. He’s a night owl.”
    “I’d rather take this game to another casino.”
    “No way,” Crue said. “We don’t have enough intelligence to determine where Lorenzo has his planted pawns.”
    “I think it would be for the best,” Colt said. “We know he has a few here.”
    Crue stroked his chin in deep thought.
    “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Kemper asked, studying Crue.
    “Yeah,” Crue mumbled. “He had eyes in the sky last night. In my opinion, he had some help at that card game. He cheated.”
    “Probably not,” Colt told them. “Kemper and Brand can’t play poker. They’d lose at Crazy Eights if they were playing for a first kiss.”
    Everyone snickered.
    “They are pretty bad,” Crue agreed. “Still, there were numerous hands played that didn’t make sense. Lorenzo would turn up a two-seven off suit and pull three of a kind off the flop and the river card would bring him four of a kind.”
    “Yeah and this kind of thing happened all night long,” Brand added.
    Colt used his forefinger and thumb and massaged his tight jaw. “So he has someone upstairs.”
    “That’s what I’ve been saying,” Crue muttered.
    “How the hell would we know what you’ve been saying, let alone thinking? We haven’t seen you since we arrived here,” Colt said. “You don’t call. You don’t e-mail. You don’t have my back. What kind of shadow are you anyway?”
    Crue scowled. “I’ve always got your back. Trust me. I may not tell you when I’m watching your ass, but I’m always there, changing your diapers, mainly because no one else wants to do my dirty job.”
    “Then tell me something, little brother,” Colt said, slowly turning his head to look him square in the eye. “If you’re our go-to guy who cleans up after us, how could you stand by and watch while Kelly took a beating like that? How could you do it when you know the dangers Lorenzo represents?”
    “Apparently, you didn’t pay attention when you saw him in the hallway this morning. Kelly gave better than she took. That I can promise