Read Kansas Nights [Kansas Heat 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) for Free Online Page A

glare him into the ground. “Your involvement with Kathy would probably heighten his concerns.”
    “So you’re down here looking after Amos’s concerns?” Jack snickered and shook his head. “Explains why you’re being such a smartass.”
    It had been a long time since anybody had called him that. Back in the days when Collin had hung with Jack, it had pretty much been his first name. Jack had even been known to call him Mr. Smartass. Collin had kind of missed the endearment.
    “Okay, fine.” Jack straightened up, giving Collin a stern look. “You want to know what the deal is? Bullets are flying. People are dying. Don’t be one. Go. Home. Collin.”
    Collin waited until Jack had turned and started to strut off before responding, enjoying making Jack yo-yo back to him. “Sure thing, boss, but you know you’re not exactly the only thing on my to-do list. Don’t worry, though. I’m pretty good at dodging lead.”
    “I know your cockiness has always outpaced your skill.” Not amused or smug, Jack laid down that insult in the menacing-cop tone Collin had seen him use to intimidate any number of hardened criminals. It failed, though, to impress Collin.
    “You know me so well, man. You know where I’m headed next?” Collin didn’t bother to hide his grin despite Jack’s deepening scowl. “It’s been a long time since I had a librarian.”
    Jack’s fists reappeared, but once again he managed to hold them in check. It was close this time. The wealth of emotion ground into Jack’s growl told Collin that. “Do not drag Kathy into this.”
    “Excuse me?” Collin chuckled, truly amazed by Jack’s response. “Didn’t she kind of force her way in?”
    “I mean it, Collin. Kathy Coben is crazy enough to try and get involved in this disaster. Don’t encourage her or I will hurt you.”
    Collin believed Jack would, too, which didn’t make a lick of sense. Jack didn’t care about the women he screwed. That made his interest in Kathy suspect. Collin could believe the impossible, that Jack actually felt something other than lust for Kathy. Or he could go with the probable, that Kathy was important to Jack’s case.
    Either way, she was leverage.
    “I have to get my answers somewhere.” Collin smiled as Jack’s features hardened at that taunt, but the big man responded with the reasonableness Collin expected. It just took Jack a moment to loosen his jaw enough to speak.
    “Fine. You got a place?”
    “A hotel room.” Collin paused to smirk before adding, “Down by a shady tree.”
    “Oh, God,” Jack groaned. “Please tell me you didn’t rent—”
    “Yep.” Collin nodded. “Still got the bloodstains on the floor.”
    “You’re sick, man.”
    “And you stink of booze,” Collin shot back, unrepentant. “Come on. You can at least get a shower and we can talk freely.”
    “Fine, but you’re driving. I don’t want anybody catching my truck over there.”
     
    * * * *
     
    A half hour later Jack found himself standing in the middle of a shabby motel room still painted with blood splatters and blackened fingerprints. The local and state police had gone over this room so well there weren’t supposed to be any surprises left. Apparently, though, Collin had arranged for one more.
    Turning, Jack looked over the small room one more time before pinning Collin with a hard look. Collin didn’t break under his glare, but settled deeper into his seat. Crossing his arms in a defiant gesture, the smug bastard grinned back at Jack. Jack tried to wait it out, knowing Collin’s silent game, but as usual Jack’s patience couldn’t last half as long as Collin’s.
    “Where are my clothes?”
    “Oh, they kind of smelled rank, so I dumped them in the laundry.” Collin offered him as innocent a smile as Jack had ever seen on an infant’s face. Jack knew better than to trust that look.
    “You stole them while I was showering.”
    Jack should have known what was up when Collin insisted he take a shower