Page 2 of Jack of Hearts
“What was the bet this time?” the third Gentry brother asked, walking up to them.
Alex eyed Court. “He didn’t believe I could put him on his ass with one punch.”
“Dude, back in high school Heart Man was state champion in boxing.” Court slapped an arm around Alex’s shoulder. “Our baby brother forget to tell you that?”
“Slipped my mind,” Alex said.
For some reason Spider found that hilarious, and they left him wallowing on the floor.
“Keep an eye on things for a few minutes,” Nate said to Riker, their bartender, as they walked by.
“You bet, Boss Man.” Riker went back to wiping down the bar.
Alex paused. “Pour another pitcher of beer and take it to the dudes in the pool room.”
Riker gave him a two-finger salute. “You bet, Boss Man.”
“That one real?” Nate asked after he’d closed the door to the office. The room had been soundproofed, and every morning Court swept it for bugs.
Alex stuck the bill under the ultraviolet light. “Nope.”
“Spider’s stupid for passing out counterfeit Benjies instead of tens and twenties. Nobody pays attention to the small bills,” Court said.
Alex nodded. “I also think he’s too stupid to be making them, so we need to find out where he’s getting them. You gotta like the dude, though. He’s the happiest biker I’ve ever met.”
“That’s ’cause he’s a pothead.” Nate threw himself down on the leather sofa, stretching out his long legs.
“Well, I give him credit for not touching anything else. Other than his beer and his joints, he’s clean.”
Court gave him a look of disbelief. “Christ, Alex, I can’t believe you just said that. Other than his beer and joints, he’s clean? That’s like saying other than Dad guzzling his Johnnie Walker, he didn’t drink. And you left out the part about Spider passing out counterfeit bills around town.”
“Yeah, well, Spider amuses me, so sue me.” Alex pushed Nate’s feet off the couch, taking the space on the opposite end. A strand of hair fell across Alex’s forehead, and he brushed it back.
Although two years apart in birth order, the three brothers looked so much alike that by unspoken agreement they each wore their hair differently. Nate kept his long black hair tied back into a low ponytail with a leather strip, while Court liked his cut military-style. Alex preferred his to curl around his collar, but not an inch longer than that. He’d often thought that, unconsciously, they had matched their hair to their personalities.
“Anyone besides me getting worried about Ramon being MIA for a week now?” Court said.
“The word on the street is that his father sent him to Mexico.” Alex leaned over and adjusted the gun in his boot where it was rubbing on his ankle. “I’m guessing he’s meeting with their suppliers.”
Nate frowned. “Where’d you hear that?”
“Here and there. You outta get out more, bro.” Although here and there wasn’t exactly the truth. The information had come from a source close to the Alonzo drug cartel family, one he was keeping to himself.
“What the hell is he doing back?” Nate narrowed his eyes as he stared at the large monitor mounted on the wall. “I kicked him out earlier. Told him he was banned for a week.”
Alex glanced at the screen to see Dirty Dan walking up to the bar. “Guess he didn’t believe you. What’d he do this time?”
“Caught him behind the bar stealing beer again.” Nate stood and headed for the door. “Idiot,” he muttered.
“I’ll come with you.” As Alex pushed up from the sofa, his phone pinged with an incoming text, and he pulled it out of his pocket.
Need to see you!
The exclamation point was code for ASAP. “Sorry I’ll miss all the fun, but my snitch needs to see me.” Dirty Dan coming back so soon after he’d been evicted meant he was looking for a fight. Like his brothers, Alex loved a good brawl.
“Spooky Man the one who told you where Ramon was?” Court asked.
“Yep.” To keep the other two FBI agents in the room from trying to arrange a meeting with his snitch, Alex had told them his source spooked at the drop of a pin. That if either of them came anywhere near him, he would disappear, never to be heard from again. They’d dubbed the informant Spooky Man, which amused him.
