Hearts and Aces (Kelsey's Burden Series Book 7), Kaylie Hunter [guided reading books TXT] 📗

says: We can do this the hard way or the easy way—you decide.” I nodded to the burner phone on top of the credenza.

“What the hell is a peace lily?” Ryan asked.

“It’s the big, dark green plant with the white flower shoots that’s in our living room at home,” Tweedle said, elbowing him. She turned to look back at me. “I can’t believe you sent a flowering plant to the cartel.”

“It’s a peace plant,” I said, smirking. “I couldn’t resist.”

“You have the wickedest sense of humor,” Wild Card said, shaking his head.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Getting the kids ready was harder than normal. Based on their level of excitement, you’d think they were going to Disneyland, not being herded into a ten-seat passenger van for a local scavenger hunt.

“Nicholas, I’m reaching my limit with you this morning. Go!” I said, pointing down the hall.

Wild Card chuckled as we watched Nicholas stomp down the hall. “Man, that kid hates brushing his teeth.”

“You were the same way,” Pops said from the breakfast bar. “Always too busy for hygiene at that age. Your mother had the patience of a saint. Then one day, the arguments ended. Just like that”— Pops snapped his fingers—“you started showering and brushing your teeth. You were near obsessed with it.”

Wild Card turned to me, grinning. “I remember what my mom did, too.” He walked down the hall and into the bathroom.

I didn’t want to know why Wild Card looked so devious. I was agreeable to any plan that ended the twice a day argument. I turned to check on Sara and sighed. I’d sent her to her room three times to change into something sensible. The last change resulted in substituting her patent leather shoes for her running shoes. She was still wearing a pink party dress, though.

Beth held up her hand, stopping me from saying anything, as she turned Sara back toward the stairs.

~*~*~

Donovan stood on a chair, holding six sealed white envelopes above his head. “I hired the local police department to write the scavenger hunt list so there’d be no accusations of cheating. I was told there’s one item on the list that they will be actively working to prevent us from acquiring. That’s all they told me. And, no, Kelsey, your pals Steve and Dave were not allowed to contribute to or look at the list—so you can’t use them to your advantage.”

I grinned. “But according to the rules, we can call anyone other than the local cops as a resource, right?”

“Any online resource or anyone other than a Kalamazoo police officer can be used as a resource, yes,” Donovan answered with a grin.

“So…” I crossed my arms as I looked around smiling. “The hundred or more other resources I have in this town will have to do?”

“Feeling cocky, are we?” Donovan asked.

“Oh, I’m all over this competition,” I said, grinning back as the kids giggled beside me.

Bridget laughed, shoulder bumping Tech who looked bored.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Wayne yelled. “Let’s get on with it.”

Donovan grinned. “The vans all have a full tank of gas, and the keys are in the ignition.”

“Bridget drives,” I whispered to our group. “Katie, get ready to run for that list and the rest of us will get the kids loaded in the van.”

Wild Card took the kids’ backpacks and handed them to Trigger.

Jerry walked over and took the envelopes so Donovan could join his team.

“One, two, three, go,” Jerry said without much fanfare.

Wild Card lifted a kid in each arm as everyone in our group except Katie started running for the vans.

“The middle van!” I called out. “It’s a straight shot out of the parking lot!”

“You’re taking this a little too seriously,” Anne said, running beside me.

“Do you want Bones and Donovan to hold a win over our heads for the next year?”

Everyone ran faster to the van, throwing the doors open and climbing inside. The kids climbed in and scurried to the back. Wild Card and I took the middle seats while Anne, Trigger, and Tech took the second row. Bridget jumped behind the wheel and started the van as Katie jumped into the passenger seat.

“I only read a few lines,” she said, passing the list back. “A stripper outfit, Coney Dutch dogs, a chicken, and a garden gnome.”

Bridget was already squealing tires out of the parking lot, turning toward town.

“Go to Dallas’ house!” I called out as I read the list and called Dallas.

“I thought you had that scavenger hunt this morning?” Dallas said, answering.

“We’ll be at your house in three minutes. I need you to pull your stripper outfits and meet us in the front yard.”

“Regular stripper or dominatrix?” Dallas asked.

I took the phone off speaker. “Regular will be fine. Hurry!” I hung up and continued reading the list.

“Mom? What’s dominatrix?” Nicholas asked.

“Do you two have your seatbelts tight?” Wild Card asked, turning around in his seat to check their belts and make sure they were latched.

“Sara, did you start your computer?” I asked.

“It’s booting up now,” she said.

“Good,” I said, looking over the list. “I need you to find the architectural plans for the city’s art museum. That must be the warning the police gave Donovan. We’ll have to find a way into the building and around the police to take a picture of the painting on loan to the museum.”

“Thirty seconds to Dallas’ house,” Bridget called out.

“Trigger, get ready to jump out and grab the outfits.”

Trigger didn’t need to jump out of the van. Dallas was standing next to the mailbox with an armful of sparkling tops and bottoms. A few had dropped in her yard, leaving a trail of unmentionables from her door to her mailbox. Trigger opened the side door, and Dallas climbed in with her loot.

“I