Page 23 of Queen Of WildCards

"Joker'sthe reason she's tied up in all this," he pointed out. "Isay he funds at least half of it, if not all."

Jokersputtered to life like a diesel engine beside the boss, his cheeks regaining their color as he flushed with outrage. "Nowwait just a minute,Spade; who said you could make those kinds of decisions—"

"It'snot a bad idea,"Iinterjected lazily. "Spadewill need someone to help him while he recovers.Shecan keep him occupied.Wecan give her a choice she'd be stupid to refuse—death or life as our captive."

Allthe eyes in the room turned on me, andSpadelit up like the sky on the fourth ofJuly.Jokerseemed once again stunned thatI'dinterjected myself into the conversation, but my time was precious, andIdidn't plan to spend it standing around while they measured dicks and debated the intelligence of keeping a human like one would argue with a spouse over a kitten they found on the side of the road.

"Alright, alright, listen,"Acerasped, "we'll talk about it in the morning whenI'vehad the chance to sleep off most of this bullshit."Hegestured to his inflamed face and grimaced. "Shestays in the cage overnight."

Spadebalked at that, which of course piqued my interest. "Whatif we—"

"Cage,Spade,"Acewarned. "Noarguments."Hiseyes crawled over each one of us as well, surveying the atmosphere. "Anyonein disagreement about the subject, at least for the night?"

Ishrugged, andJokersagged into the couch with relief.Clearly, neither of us was about to argue.

"It'ssettled, then."Heturned toJokerwith a frown. "You'rethe reason she's in this situation; just remember that."

Jokerhad enough self-preservation to cringe and look apologetic. "I'msorry,Ace."

Ace'seyes were hard, and my heart went out toJoker.Hewas feeling the full force of our leader's ire today. "Idon't want your apologies.Iwant you to find a way to fix it."

Hestormed off with a growl, headed in the direction of his own bedroom.Thewarehouse operated more like a compound than a house, but it worked for us.Jokerslinked off afterAce, probably in search of some vodka to assuage his guilt.

Ifhe were smart, he'd stay away from the shit.It'swhat got him in this mess in the first place.Jokerwas many things, including very lacking in impulse control and common sense, soIknew that'd never happen.

Spadestared me down when only the two of us remained, andIsuddenly felt like a rabbit being sized up by a very large and dangerous cat.Alarge, dangerous,hungrycat.SoIdid my best to appear unconcerned.Afterall, predators were deadlier if you let on that they worried you.Andmost days,Spadedidn't worry me in the slightest.

"Somethingyou wanna say?" he growled at me, his arms crossed over his muscled chest.

Ishook my head. "Yourfuneral."

Spadegrinned like a wild man. "I'llonly enjoy it if she fights me the whole way.Ihaven't ever met a woman who matches my chaos like she did."Hestepped closer, and ifIhadn't had my back against the wall,I'dhave instinctively backed up. "Shetook downAceand stabbed me in the shoulder.Andthen she kicked you in the balls for your trouble," he added, his eyes wandering south to make his point.

Icringed asIremembered the pain her little knee shot through me during the car ride.Shehad a hell of a kick, and we'd be wise to keep that in mind. "Shesounds like a hassle."

"Shesounds like a fucking dream, bro; live a little."Heglanced at my balled fists, took in the frown on my face and my tense stance. "Wecould all benefit from a little eye candy around here, anyhow."

Ididn't bother to respond.Ihad no desire to entertain his whimsical fantasies.Forstarters, it wasn't likely that someone being held captive would take too kindly to the idea of being the sexual fantasy of the four men holding her hostage.Secondly,Ididn't have any sort of desire to get close to anyone.Noteven the pretty girl sitting in a tiger cage on our common room floor.

Especiallynot her.

"Lightenup,BlackJack," he chuckled, "she hasn't bitten anyone yet."

Myjaw clenched so hardIcould practically hear my teeth cracking. "Yet."

Hissmile only grew wider. "Oh, if she bites,IhopeI'mthe first victim."Hepretended to swoon as he sauntered past me, an unhinged peal of laughter bubbling up from his sick and twisted gut. "Bestill, my beating heart."

Theweird vibe of the room left with him, and not for the first time,Iwondered what really went on up in his skull.Washe always like this, or did something—or someone—turn him into this?

Iwouldn't find out here.OnlythingIcould do was continue on my merry way and hope that he didn't snap on me.

Mybody leaned toward the doorway leading to the commons, but my head pulled me onward in the opposite direction to my overly small crash pad.Iclimbed the metal stairs like a panther, silent but no less dangerous for it, asIthought about this crewI'dfound myself a part of.

Ihad long forgotten how long we'd known each other, but the guys were all a different flavor of the wildest ice creamI'dever savored.Acewas quiet, like me, reserved in his own right but commanding when he needed to be.Hisoffice and room bordered each other and were dead center of the second level.Hisliving spaces were tidy, organized, and bland, much like the persona he wore daily.

Spade'slittle hidey-hole was a bit of a mystery, as he didn't really let anyone in to see what went on in there.Hell, evenAcehimself had never seen the dregs of that particular pit.Ionly knew that whatever he had inside it was probably coated in old blood spatter.Hisroom was connected to it by a single door, and his room was almost all dark colors that swallowed any light whole.

Anaccurate representation of his soul, one would imagine.

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