Page 6 of Stone (Claimed and Protected #3)

L anai, Hawaii

Stone

The waves were bitchin’ today.

I laughed at myself as I headed away from the ocean water, my surfboard nestled under my arm.

There wasn’t a surfer dude left alive who used the phrase, but my sentiment was the truth.

The conditions had been perfect, the early morning presenting a golden halo of sun, the winds light and calm, and the waves bitchin’ clean.

As I moved up the slight sandy knoll toward the house, I stopped long enough to turn and bask in the beauty of the island and the gorgeous day.

Up until a few years ago, I hadn’t paid much attention to my surroundings.

Other than looking out for insurgents hiding in trenches in the middle of a goddamn mud puddle.

Someone would say I was blessed to live in such a pristine environment, but I’d paid my dues, the price almost derailing my entire life. Still, I was content. As content as someone like me could be.

It was going to be a scorcher of a day, near ninety, which was hot for May. I had a single tourist run today, which would leave me time to tinker around the house.

The thought amused me. I’d never thought retiring at the ripe old age of forty-three was something I’d ever want. Sure, I continued dabbling in stocks and had a small, but profitable boat tour business, but I spent most days doing nothing more than surfing, grilling, and drinking.

And not necessarily in that order.

Speaking of which. It was time for a Bloody Mary since the boat tour was later in the afternoon. If the hangover was bad enough, I could always convince Kekoa to take the run for me. He was the damn best employee I’d ever had.

And the only one.

He was also a good friend.

I dragged the board toward the underside of the stairs leading up to the house. Just as I placed the board in the hooks, I heard a sound like a private plane flying close to the shore.

While that wasn’t unusual given the privacy and exclusivity of the island, for some reason it caught my attention. I made certain the board was secured properly and grabbed a towel, rubbing my wet hair as I headed back down the beach.

Shielding my eyes, I peered up at the sky. What the fuck?

A helicopter.

Okay, also not unusual, but…

The bird’s sudden appearance nagged at me.

I took a deep breath as the chopper came closer. The asshole pilot was disturbing my private beach, kicking up sand everywhere. I stood where I was, annoyed as fuck with whoever dared to land on my property.

And all without calling?

I rolled my eyes. Almost no one knew my phone number. I preferred it that way as I did remaining to myself. My privacy meant everything to me. Perhaps the pilot was pissed at me since he hovered over my head for a full minute before veering off to the side and landing.

My butt wasn’t moving other than to throw the towel around my neck. Whoever had desecrated my peaceful morning could come to me. I noticed the pilot, some big strapping dude who glared at me through the windshield.

A single man stepped from the helicopter and given the position of the sun, I couldn’t make out anything about him other than he was dressed like some rich asshole in a suit.

He stared at the back of my house for a few seconds before turning toward me.

In his hand was a briefcase. He wore sunglasses that looked like they cost more than my latest surfboard purchase.

And if I had to guess, I’d say his Gucci loafers would make traipsing through the sand difficult.

Yippee.

As soon as he headed toward me, the pilot took off and I’ll be damned if the jerk didn’t do a fly-by a little too close. In reaction, I threw up my arm, giving him the middle finger.

The man continued his approach, only mildly slogged down by sand and shoes.

When he was close, my muscles stiffened. I was finally able to catch his gait as he headed toward me. I’ll be damned. I’d worked so hard to lose every aspect of my past and it had just come back to bite me like a rattlesnake.

Again.

I should have known after connecting with two of my Navy SEAL team buddies during the last several months that at some point my old commander would come calling.

He was part of some big think tank, which was a nice way of saying he and his buddies were involved in doing security consulting work.

I’d aided a couple of recent rescue missions, which had placed me on the radar. Damn it.

I’d just hoped the commander wouldn’t be able to find me. Hell, I’d only told Kage where I lived, although I suspected Maddox knew by now. Still, they knew better than to give up my location. I’d kick their asses. No one else from my past had a goddamn clue, yet Gray had found me.

Bastard.

He lifted his sunglasses briefly, giving me a once-over as if I was awaiting inspection. His scowl put one on my face.

“Commander Jenkins. I can’t say I’m happy to see you.”

“Same old Stone Bellows. Still flipping off anyone in authority, I see.”

I grinned and nodded several times. “Where did you get the guy, one eight hundred fly a bird?”

He laughed.

I didn’t.

The man had aged. He’d been like a rock to the team, always the first one in and the last one out of a mission. I’d heard he was a tough old guy, still taking no shit from anyone. That’s one reason I’d given him my respect all those years ago.

That and because he reminded me of my own dad.

The awkward silence that followed didn’t bother me as much as it obviously did the man standing in a hot suit.

He turned slightly toward the house. “This your place?”

“Since you arrived on a helicopter that landed in my backyard, I think you already know the answer to that.”

It was obvious the heat was already getting to him by the way he fingered his tight collar. “Any chance we could head inside and talk?”

“Depends on the subject of the conversation.”

“Kage told me you were a tough guy to crack.”

“Don’t you mean a tough nut?” Sighing, I glanced toward the ocean before making a decision to hear him out.

“Colorful swim trunks.”

I peered down at the pair I’d grabbed from the dresser. “I like hibiscus flowers. Sue me. Come on. Let’s go inside. Time for a drink.” I didn’t wait to see if he was following me, taking long strides toward the house, only waiting when I reached the top of the stairs.

When he was on the landing, he took a few seconds to empty sand from his shoes. Served him right for suddenly appearing.

He hesitated when I opened the lanai door and I could tell as soon as he walked in he was surprised.

“Don’t look so shocked, Commander. Seems likes you expected I’d live in squalor.” I immediately headed for the bar, pulling two glasses off the shelf. “Make yourself at home and if I were you, I’d lose the jacket. I haven’t turned on the air conditioning yet.”

“This is a nice place.”

“Yep. It’s amazing what money can buy.”

“You did good for yourself.”

He knew about my past and that my father had managed to turn almost every extra dime he made into a fortune. I’d done the same, taking cues from him even though money meant absolutely nothing to me.

“I did okay. Bloody Mary?”

“It’s a little early in the day.”

I tilted my head in his direction and he finally half laughed. “Never too early. Island time, mon.”

“Fine. I’ll have one.” He put the briefcase down and shucked off his jacket, even rolling up his long sleeves before ripping at his confining tie.

Seeing him do so immediately reminded me that I was thankful I’d never committed to a nine-to-five job. That just wasn’t my thing. As I prepared the drinks, he looked around the living room, chuckling when he saw the few photos of me with a surfboard or the marlin I’d caught the year before.

“I didn’t know you fished,” he said casually.

“I don’t. Just beginner’s luck.”

“So what do you do?”

I poured in vodka, making mine a hell of a lot stronger than his. “I run a boat tour business.”

“Ah. Sounds… interesting.”

“It can be, especially when you’re faced with vicious sharks on a daily basis.”

That got him and he stared at me. “You’re shitting me.”

“Yup. I am. Seen a few, but not that many over the years.” After adding a splash of Worcestershire sauce to each, I tossed in a couple of limes. With drinks in hand, I headed toward him. “Why are you here, Gray? I doubt you’re interested in my colorful swimming trunks.”

When I handed him the drink, I noticed concern in his eyes.

He accepted, immediately sitting down on the couch. He’d never been good at hiding his true emotions. Today he sucked at it.

I took the chair, already nursing my drink while he stared at the liquid in his.

“I don’t know any other way to say this, but I need your help.”

The laughter burst from my gut before I could stop it. “Now, oh wow. Didn’t see that coming since you tasked both Kage and Maddox to help you with some pretty testy missions. Funny how I got roped into helping both times.”

“Why do you think I asked one of you to provide your expertise? Because you’re the best soldiers I ever worked with.” He finally pulled the rim to his lips, taking a long swallow. “Damn, that’s good. I haven’t enjoyed one of these in a long time.”

I cocked my head, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Flattery will get you nowhere, Commander. Plus, it would be pretty cool if you just admitted you formed some big security agency instead of all the cloak and dagger shit you spewed off.”

“Cloak and dagger shit? I was open with both Kage and Maddox. They provided assistance at their own free will. From what I heard, so did you.”

“Yeah? Funny how they both almost died trying to help you. I don’t think that was on their bucket lists.”

“We live in a dangerous world, Stone. You should know that better than almost anyone.”

“All three of us know that, Gray. I might not look like I have a busy life, but I prefer my privacy and I earned my downtime.”