Sleight of Hand (The Kings Wild Cards #3) - Charlie Cochet Page 0,3

her dance choreography and music. Her use of holograms is state of the art! And the best part is, Gio’s going to introduce me to her team. A couple of them used to work for NASA! I have so many questions.”

Joker nodded. “I bet.”

“Oh, I brought you a new snack.” Leo reached into his jacket pocket and produced a small packet of something. He held it out to Joker, his smile bright. “Plantain crisps. I know you’ve had plantain chips, but these are thinner and crunchier. They’re so yummy. Not as epic as Goldfish Crackers, but then nothing is.”

Joker took the bag from Leo with a wink. “Thanks.” He stuck the bag into one of the pockets of his black tactical pants as a bark caught their attention. Chip, the traitor, was losing his furry mind, as per usual. Because, of course, his dog’s favorite human had to be the one guy Joker preferred to avoid.

“I’m so happy to see you too,” Gio cooed as he made his way over, laughing and conversing with Chip, who shared his woes with Gio through a combination of barks, whines, and howls. His whole body wagged as he licked whatever part of Gio he could get to with his doggie tongue. If they’d been at Colton’s house or anywhere else Chip had toys, he would have brought Gio a toy or one of his bones, because he loved the fucker that damned much. Asshole.

Gio stopped in front of Joker, his smile soft. “Hello, Sacha.”

“Giovanni,” Joker said through a grunt.

Gio gave Chip one last ear scratch before Chip returned to sit at Joker’s heel. Gio opened his mouth to say something as Ace and Lucky appeared to say hello to the guys, or more likely because they couldn’t be at ease if they weren’t breathing the same damn air as their men.

“You look handsome,” Gio told Joker.

Joker peered at him. “You’ve seen me in this before.” Same black tee with the Four Kings Security logo on the front left breast pocket and the company name on the back in bold white letters, black tactical pants, and boots. “I’m wearing the same uniform everyone else is.”

Gio leaned in, his lips quirked at the corners in that roguish way of his. “But no one looks as good in it as you do.” His voice was low and silky, not that Joker was paying attention to the throatiness of Gio’s voice.

Joker glanced toward the end of the stage, where Saint stood, the sleeves of his T-shirt straining against his bulging biceps. He was over six feet tall, all broad shoulders, thick thighs, and sculpted male perfection. The guy looked every bit the Navy SEAL he’d once been. Gio turned his head to see what had caught Joker’s attention, then turned back to Joker, his smile knowing.

“I stand by my statement.”

Joker snorted. “Right.” Not that he had any hang-ups about his body. He was toned, fit, and had twice the stamina most of the guys at Four Kings had, even the guys younger than him. He could run circles around all of them. He was agile, adept at sports, and a natural gymnast. Maybe if the universe hadn’t been such a dick, he’d have been given a little more height, but whatever.

“Will you and Chip be at Colton’s tomorrow for the barbecue?”

Joker replied without thinking. “Well, yeah. Obviously.” Shit, wait…

“Great! I’ll see you then.”

Damn it. Joker should have known. Fuck it. At first, he’d avoided any event where Gio might be but quickly realized there was no point. Gio was back for good and a part of their lives whether he liked it or not, even if Joker couldn’t figure out why the sudden return. The guy had traveled the world for years doing who knew what in the name of charity, and out of the blue, one day he calls Laz up and says he’s coming home for good? Why?

“Sacha?” Jack’s voice came through his earpiece.

Joker sighed. He hated to be called by his real name, but Jack had known him for decades, long before one of their fallen brothers-in-arms had given them their nicknames. “What?”

“One of the stagehands bumped camera three with a prop he was carrying onto the stage. Must have knocked it pretty hard. It’s out of alignment. Can you go check it out?”

“Sure thing.”

Aw, what a shame. “I need to go. Duty calls.”

“Stay safe,” Gio said, his expression sincere.

Joker nodded. He ignored the way his heart did a stupid little flip. None of