Page 17 of Stone (Claimed and Protected #3)

As her eyes narrowed, I could tell by the mischievous glint returning to her eyes that she sensed I’d made alternate arrangements. “Somewhere? As in not Washington?”

Fuck. Was I making the wrong decision? Too late now.

“As in somewhere I can keep you safe and avoid you attempting escape. Come on. I don’t want to waste any time.

” I climbed out, scanning the fencing surrounding the private airport.

I should call it an airstrip, the location designed and built for my buddy’s toy collection of expensive planes and helicopters.

I’d been lucky enough to get to fly a few, which in turn had allowed me to obtain my pilot’s license.

I owed him one after this, especially since he’d also allowed me to borrow one of his high dollar trucks.

“Where are you taking me? I need to know. No, I deserve to know.” Even though her words were muffled while she remained in the seat with her door open, I heard them loud and clear.

She wasn’t going to follow my orders easily.

In making the decision to ignore Gray’s demand, I knew I was opening up Pandora’s Box.

I’d yet to mention anything to her about my life. We hadn’t bothered talking much, our time spent beneath the sheets, on the sheets, on the floor, and against the wall much more important.

It was important to shove that back in the shadows as we definitely weren’t out of the woods yet.

I’d had a bad feeling since leaving the general area of the safehouse that we’d been followed.

Yes, the two nondescript vehicles had been damn good at holding back, trading places and making alternate turns just when it was possible I’d be onto them.

The activity was the mark of a highly trained operative and not a bunch of rag-tag dissenters who needed to follow someone to feel better about their lot in life. That’s what bothered me the most.

Dani eased from the passenger seat, shielding her eyes from the sun as she studied the small hangar and pristine runway. When she moved closer, I could tell she was extremely nervous.

“I’ll get into where we’re headed when we’re safely on the plane.”

At least all I’d needed to do was to pick up the phone and contact Theo. He’d gotten here ahead of me, ready to act as a mechanic or air traffic controller as necessary.

Maddox pulled the rental car close to the truck, both men climbing out quickly. They already had rifles in their hands, prepared for a possible strike.

“You really are worried,” Dani said from beside me.

“I’m not leaving anything to chance.”

“I trust you.”

Maybe she did, but I wasn’t certain I trusted myself.

Theo heard our approach and was heading from the hangar, wiping his hands on a rag as he did. He noticed Dani and whistled while rubbing his greasy knuckles across his shirt.

“ Tu as trouvé un bébé .” His words managed to irritate me even though she didn’t belong to me.

You’ve got yourself a babe.

“Careful, Theo. Daniella speaks fluent French,” I told him before grabbing the two bags I’d brought with me.

“ Assez pour savoir quand un homme me raconte des conneries pour compenser sa petite bite .” Her counter was perfect and Theo was visibly wounded.

Enough to know when a man is bullshitting me to make up for his tiny dick.

“The woman is also heartless when she wants to be,” I added. “Theo, this is Daniella. The guy with the frown is Maddox and the other is Kage. They’re here to ensure we don’t have trouble getting in the air.”

“Do you expect that’s going to happen?”

Nodding, I scanned the area again. “Yeah. Matis made it out alive.”

Theo whistled again. “That man has more lives than a goddamn cat. I know your time is limited. Let’s get you on the plane. I’ll double check the cameras while you’re getting settled.”

“Good deal. Thanks for everything, man. I really appreciate you dropping everything.”

“Not a problem, but you owe me. I plan on coming to see that resort of yours. She’s all gassed up and I did a double check to make certain you won’t have any issues on the long flight.”

“Resort?” Dani piped in.

I pressed my hand against her back. “Trust me. It’s not a resort.”

Theo was laughing as he walked to another part of the hangar while we headed to the plane, the steel steps waiting for us to board, the door already open.

“You still running drugs, er… liquor?” Kage teased. I’d used the plane to fly him and the woman he’d been tasked by Gray to save to safety over a year before. The only way I’d kept my arrival on the down-low had been to come in bearing a full cargo of spirits for various bars. It had worked.

“You run drugs?”

After the eight or nine men I’d gunned down, for the first time I saw utter shock in her eyes. Perhaps a little disgust.

“I don’t run drugs, Dani. Those days are over. Mostly.” I winked at Kage who laughed. I might enjoy my cocktails more than most, but drugs had never been on my radar. I’d seen what it had done to people I’d given a damn about.

She punched me in the ribs.

“Ouch. Just shittin’ you, girl.”

“Uh-huh.” She turned toward Kage and Maddox. “I guess I’ll never see you guys again. I don’t know how to thank you for what you did for me.”

“Our pleasure,” Kage told her.

“Speak for yourself,” Maddox chimed in.

She wrapped her arms around his neck first, squeezing tightly. “You’re not a bad guy. Just a little rough around the edges.”

“That’s what his fiancée tells him at least once a day.” Kage no sooner got the words out of his mouth than she hugged him as well.

When she pulled away, I motioned to the ladder. “Time is ticking, girl. Let’s go.” I was getting antsy. I’d learned a long time before to follow my instincts and they were screaming all hell was about to break loose.

“Give me your phone, Stone,” Dani insisted, holding out her hand as soon as she pulled away from the hug.

“Why?”

“Because I want to take a picture of the three of you. Is that okay?” She lifted her head, tossing me one of her famous rebellious looks.

I gritted my teeth, but knew I’d never hear the end of it if I didn’t comply. I slapped the phone into her hand, moving beside my buddies.

“Come on, closer together. Act like you care about each other,” she commanded and held the phone in front of her.

The three of us grumbled and as soon as she took a shot, she issued the kind of look a teacher would give right before she sent you to the principal’s office. “No peace sign over the head, Kage.”

“Oops,” he teased.

“Be serious. You never know when you’ll get to see each other again.”

Well, she was right about that. A hell of a long time had gone by since we’d left the Navy and started fresh lives.

All three of us were still haunted by what we’d been through.

Loners.

Shattered in one way or another.

We acted less like kids and she was finally able to get the shot, smiling as she glanced at the results.

“That’s perfect,” she said as she handed me the phone.

I was about ready to order her up the stairs when Theo came running. This time instead of a cloth, he had an assault rifle in his hand. He’d had several careers, including being a mercenary.

“We’ve got friends on the way,” he gritted out.

“Get your asses on the plane and we’ll take care of them.

No planes in the sky around you, but once you’re up, you’ll need to pay attention to other traffic.

” He lifted his rifle. “I also have some other toys in case it becomes necessary. Compliments of a Russian customer of mine.”

“You never cease to surprise me,” I told him. “Go, Dani. Get up the stairs.”

I clapped him on the shoulder and nodded to my buddies.

“Be careful, flyboy,” Kage said as I pushed her forward, her determined attitude keeping her standing in the same place.

“Don’t get yourself killed,” I yelled in response. “Go, Dani. This could get rough.”

She remained quiet, for once not arguing with me. While the plane was small, she was mighty. I only hoped she wouldn’t end up full of holes before we got in the sky.

Maddox was already removing the stairs and just before I closed the door, I offered them a short salute. Something I’d done on the day I’d left our post on the way to my parents’ funeral.

I’d thought I’d be back serving my unit maybe for life, but things had changed.

I tossed the bag, directing her toward one of the seats behind the cockpit. The plane was mostly used for cargo, but occasionally I had a passenger or two.

“Sit there,” I directed before climbing into the cockpit, immediately turning on the plane.

“Not a chance.”

When she slipped into the seat beside me, I growled. “What are you doing?”

“You’re out of your mind if you think I’m going to sit back there. I need to see what’s going on.”

There was no time to argue with her. “Put your seatbelt on. Tight.”

As the engine roared to life, I checked the other instruments. This was going to be dicey as hell. As soon as I rolled from the hangar, I regretted not going after Matis myself.

With the plane moving, I knew it was only a matter of time until all hell broke loose. I didn’t need to wait long to realize my instincts were spot on.

Three dark vehicles rolled in through the gates at a high rate of speed. By the time I made the turn to head down the runway, several men dressed in dark fatigues had jumped out of two of them. But one kept going and if I had to guess, I’d say they were coming right for us.

“Oh, my God. They’re firing on your friends!”

“Trust me. They’ll be fine.” Although I wasn’t certain I bought my own claim.

“This is crazy.” When she started to unfasten her seatbelt, I snapped my hand on hers.

“I’m not fucking around with this, Dani. Stay in your seat until I tell you that you can move around.”

The feisty girl gave me a salute but was grumbling under her breath. The woman was either fearless or still in shock from her ordeal.

I threw down the lever, willing my steel baby to roll. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Sweat beaded across my brow, my nerves on edge. The huge SUV was making headway. Goddamn it.

“What’s wrong?” she asked when she noticed my face.

“Nothing I can’t handle.”

She craned her neck to see what we were dealing with, finally realizing we were being tailed. “There are two men hanging out the windows holding guns.”

“Yep. Hold on, baby. As I said before, this is going to get dicey.” With my muscles strained, I checked the instruments again.

Ping.

Ah, fuck.

I swerved from one side of the runway to the other to buy some time, but would soon need to level out to make a liftoff. “Come on, girl. You can do this, baby.”

I straightened her out, now flying down the runway, but they were coming too fast.

“They’re gaining on us.” Dani’s voice held the same terror she’d had the night before.

“Just hold on. Almost. Almost. Almost…” Just before I pulled back on the yoke, I noticed something on the instruments.

A flying object.

Jesus Christ. Theo was a man of many talents. He had an air defense system in his arsenal. I owed him a cache of scotch and a trip to paradise. Still, timing was everything and my nerves remained raw.

“Oh, fuck. Fuck. Fuck! Go. Go. Go!” The moment I pulled the plane off the ground, the missile hit the SUV.

“Oh, my God!” Dani yelled. She was frozen in her seat, gasping for air.

“It’s okay.”

The explosion was massive, flames rolling down the runway.

In the direction of the plane.

The wheels were off the ground, but I continued to strain trying to lift her completely off the tarmac.

When we were in the air, I pumped my fist.

“Take that, you fucker!”