Ex-Special Forces Communications Sergeant Jacopo “Jack” Constantino heads the cybersecurity department at Four Kings Security, working with his tech-savvy team to provide clients with state-of-the-art security systems. But life for Jack is pretty uneventful—despite the exploits with his brothers-in-arms—and he finds himself longing for a little more excitement.
Be careful what you wish for.
Two years ago, Fitz Harlow captured Jack’s heart and walked away with it. Now he’s back.
Fitz spent the last two years picking up the pieces of his life after a disastrous relationship. After much therapy, and ice cream, Fitz leaves the fashion world behind and returns home to St. Augustine to open his own high-end salon, Hair Comes Trouble. Now Fitz finally has the quiet, peaceful life he’s wanted for so long. There’s only one thing missing, or rather, one man missing, but Fitz has his doubts. With Jack, he’s not just gaining a boyfriend—he’s gaining a boyfriend, his family of mischief-magnet ex-Green Berets, and one highly opinionated Belgian Malinois.
Fitz and Jack discover their connection has only grown stronger over time, thanks in part to meddling friends, but just as they start to pick up where they left off, someone takes exception to their reunion. Danger hides in the shadows, a stalker determined to keep Fitz out of Jack’s life, no matter the cost. With the odds stacked against them, can Jack and Fitz win a battle against an unknown enemy, or will Jack lose Fitz forever?
The Kings: Wild Cards series is a spin-off of the Four Kings Security series.
Stacking the Deck by Charlie Cochet
The Kings: Wild Cards, Book 1
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Six. Zero. One.
Six was the number of times Jack had tried to get out of this damned bachelor auction. Zero was the number of times he’d been successful. One was the number of asses he’d be kicking, namely Ace’s ass.
“Come on, man, you’re going to look smoking hot,” Ace had said over the phone during Jack’s last attempt to back out of tonight’s events. Jack would never admit it, but the tailored charcoal-paisley tuxedo looked good on him. The cut was flattering, accentuating his shoulders and waist. He still felt constricted, though.
“What the fuck!” Joker’s tirade of curses made Jack cringe.
The door to his bathroom slammed open, and Jack almost choked on air. He quickly recovered by coughing into his hand.
Leo chose that moment to walk into the bedroom, holding his bow tie. “Jack, do you have—oh dear.” He spun on his heels the moment he saw Joker and walked back out.
“Oh dear” didn’t begin to cover it.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Joker fumed. “Why do you look all suave and sophisticated, and I look like I’m about to go on a fox hunt through the countryside with the fucking Queen of England!”
Jack tried hard not to laugh. So very hard. Okay, he might not have tried at all. He doubled over laughing until his face hurt and his side cramped.
“I’m going to fucking murder him! I mean, we all knew that one of these days I was going to end up in prison because of him. I just never thought that this”—Joker motioned to his red-and-black Victorian-style suit—“would be what did it. I like Colton, I do, but his fiancé isn’t going to make it to the wedding.”
“Perhaps the tails are a bit much,” Jack said, trying to regain his composure.
“Oh, perhaps? You think? Perhaps thou should kisseth my ass.”
If you are a fan of Charlie Cochet, you probably have read the Four Kings Security books. And you probably wanted to hear more about Jack and Joker. Well step right up. Because first up is Jack.
Jack is the cyber security expert at the company. His toys are electronic in nature and don’t hold bullets. Sometimes he feels less than because he is sitting behind a computer while the other guys are literally risking their lives.
Two years ago, after a job went sideways, Jack ended up comforting Fitz- the hairstylist on the job that went sideways. He was more upset wondering what happened to his best friend, but somehow Jack kept him calm. Poor Jack thought there was a connection there, but then he was ghosted.
But because everyone knows everyone in St Augustine, Florida, he hears about Fitz all of the time because of mutual friends. And Fitz hears about Jack through those same friends. Stoking the embers as it were.
Until a big fundraiser with a bachelor auction (meh, sorry, this is tired) where Fitz wins a date with Jack- after their uber rich mutual friend bid on and won. Something fishy happens- actually two fishies happen- but as it does, it brings Fitz and Jack even closer.
Basically someone is after Fitz because they are stalking Jack. But who? It was a wild ride getting there. Charlie Cochet can definitely write a good action sequence and some exciting times.
The guys from the previous series all feature in this book, of course, but they don’t take the attention away from Jack and Fitz. Actually, I really liked that the humor Ms Cochet is known for was left to the wise guys from previous books and let Jack and Fitz be themselves.
These guys are so sweet together. Jack, being the behind the scenes guy, really is kind of quiet and reserved and he gets to be that with Fitz. And while Fitz is definitely on the flamboyant side, it is never really a thing. Jack likes Fitz just as he is.
Buckle in and let the Kings and the Wild Cards take you on another adventure.
4 pieces of eye candy
Charlie Cochet is the international bestselling author of the THIRDS series. Born in Cuba and raised in the US, Charlie enjoys the best of both worlds, from her daily Cuban latte to her passion for classic rock.
Currently residing in Central Florida, Charlie is at the beck and call of a rascally Doxiepoo bent on world domination. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found devouring a book, releasing her creativity through art, or binge watching a new TV series. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.
If you’d like to connect with Charlie, just drop her an email at charlie(at)charliecochet(dot)com, or find her on: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
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