All In by Gabra Zackman Read Free Book Online Page A

The way Lisa Bee looked at Mahmoud made him furious. The way he could see the outline of her curvy little body in that pink robe made him steam. The way she thought he was just a player made him want to break every colored lamp in this place. And the fact that Mahmoud was so damn slick and unruffled made Jackson want to hurt his friend.
    He’d started to wipe at the coffee when Lisa Bee sidled up next to Mahmoud and said, “So, honey, did you build this place? It’s one of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever seen.”
    Mahmoud began to answer and Jackson lost it. Seeing the way they were looking at each other, and how Lisa Bee was posing for Mahmoud, made him crazy. He knew Mahmoud well, and he knew that his friend was the one man who could give him a run for his money on every level. Well, not this time, he thought. Throwing the napkins aside, he said, “No, he didn’t build it, he bought it. He doesn’t know how to put together a cabinet, let alone a home. He inherited a fuckload of money, and that’s why he gets to live like Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, okay? Not like it took him any fucking work.”
    There was an awkward silence. Both Mahmoud and Lisa Bee looked at him with surprise. Then Mahmoud said, “Yes, Ms. Bee, I did inherit the money. I got it after my parents and sister were killed by the men we are currently pursuing. And I’d gladly return it for the chance to see my family again.” Glaring at Jackson, he stormed out.
    Lisa Bee held her robe tight around her and shot a look that hit straight to the center of Jackson’s soul before she said, “I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with you, but you need to pull it together. Now . Lives are on the line. And we don’t need any extra drama. If you want to act like a teenager, maybe you should just go home.” Then she, too, stormed out, leaving Jackson with a coffee-stained crotch and a sick feeling in his gut. Why’d he go after Mahmoud like that? He knew enough about his friend’s history to understand that it was a sensitive subject. Sighing, he sat back down and put his head in his hands, trying to figure out how to get himself back on track and make it right with the two people who meant the most to him in the world.
    ‡‡‡
    AN HOUR LATER, they all met around Mahmoud’s gorgeous wood dining table inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Susannah and Chas looked rested and refreshed, Tyka and AJ were both beautifully put together, the Boss looked like a new man, and Mahmoud was as sharp as always. Only Jackson looked like a disaster, and Lisa Bee, who was wearing a velour jumpsuit, pale pink with appliquèd hot pink flowers, looked pretty pissed off. Jackson kept trying to catch her eye and was failing miserably, primarily because Lisa Bee refused to look at him. He had half a mind to give himself up, be the man he was in this part of the world and show her what he was like when he was fully in command, but he had given the role of point to Mahmoud, and he didn’t want to let his old friend down. Certainly not now, not after the ass he’d made of himself earlier.
    Comprehensive documents laid out in front of them detailed the plans to find Susannah’s father and the head of the crime ring; in addition, Mahmoud served a gorgeous Mediterranean-style brunch that he had prepared himself. Lisa Bee smiled up at him when he served her and said, “And he can cook, too? Hire him, Bossman, and fast !” At this, Jackson nearly lost his shit. Everyone was murmuring words of support and laughing so loudly that no one noticed him spill his coffee on his lap yet again. No one except Mahmoud, of course, who took the opportunity to throw a few more napkins at Jackson’s face.
    When everyone had taken a bite or two, Mahmoud took his place at the head of the table. He had a PowerPoint setup and a screen on his side of the dining room so he could point to the enlarged versions of the documents. He looked to Jackson and there he held an olive branch in his