Dirty Little Lies: A Men of Summer Novel Read Online Free PDF

easy on Vinny or his boys. The truths now being uncovered had the power to chip away at the faith they had in the work they did. And Zack couldn’t blame them, but he was damned if he’d let that lack of faith destroy Grace.
    “They’re parked at the gates, refusing to move. Kenni actually threw a tomato at the guards stationed there, and now she’s threatening to neuter them!” he snapped furiously.
    Something resembling a smothered chuckle came from one of the twins at his right, but when Zack glanced at them, both men were staring at the rounded tops of their boots with intense concentration. Turning back to Vinny, he caught the other man glaring at his sons.
    “That sounds like Kenni,” Zack agreed somberly. “They’re lucky she hasn’t used the Taser Jazz bought her.”
    Vinny’s eyes rounded in something akin to horror. “He gave her a Taser gun? Did he lose his mind?”
    Zack’s initial reaction had been similar.
    “He didn’t want to lose another of his antique corkscrews, I guess.” He shrugged. “I thought it was a smart move.”
    Kenni was nearly murdered by a henchman of her aunt’s. She’d killed him by plunging one of Jazz’s antique corkscrews straight into his heart.
    Zack was still impressed with the move.
    Vinny shot him a killing look rather than agreeing with him.
    “As for her current threats,” Zack continued. “I suggest you let Kenni check on her cousin, let Jazz and Slade in on the situation, we share info, and we all get along.” He let his look harden. “Or I take Grace out of here, hide her myself, and Jazz, Slade, and I handle all this on our own.”
    Four sets of varying shades of green gazed back at him with suddenly icy expressions.
    “Do you want to die, Zack?” Cord asked softly then, his beach cowboy look doing little to soften the cold emerald gaze.
    “Not today, Cord,” Zack assured him facetiously. “Check back with me tomorrow. I have a feeling dealing with your cousin will be more detrimental to my careful control than I ever imagined she could be.”
    “Just kill him now, Dad,” Cord grunted, not in the least amused.
    “You could do that.” Zack gave a short nod of his head. “Of course, if you do, I won’t be able to tell you about my little visit to the Brigham Estate yesterday.” He met each man’s gaze once again. “I’m sure you want to hear about that.” Zack relaxed back in the sofa, propped his ankle on the opposite knee, and watched the three men silently as they exchanged looks.
    Finally, Vinny gave a hard shake of his head, his expression becoming heavy and filled with grief once more. “You’ll break her heart,” he said, his tone saddened. “You’ve already wounded it with your disregard for her over the past eight weeks.”
    “Better her heart broken than her life taken.” A broken heart would keep her breathing, at least. “Alex Brigham had a file detailing Lucia’s interrogation. She claimed Grace was helping her and that she was holding a flash drive containing evidence pointing to Lucia’s partner. The leader of the silent coup you’ve been battling since Grace’s father died. The only way we’ll save her is if Brigham is convinced she’s my lover. He won’t strike out at her if she belongs to me. Not for any reason.”
    “And what makes you so fucking special?” Cord burst out just as his father lifted his hand for silence.
    “Dad, you can’t believe that—” Deacon leaned forward in anger only to receive a silencing look from Vinny.
    Sawyer sat still, simply watching. He was the only one who would have worried Zack, if he’d had anything to worry about.
    “You’re going to play that card, Zack? After all these years?” Vinny asked softly. “For a girl you’ve steered clear of since she first showed any interest in you? You wouldn’t play it for yourself, but you’re playing it for her?”
    The implication that he was letting this get personal wasn’t lost on Zack.
    “Whoever targeted Grace is