Page 7 of Stone (Claimed and Protected #3)

He nodded. “You’re right.” After placing his drink on the table, he pulled a file from his briefcase. I couldn’t help but notice he hesitated and kept it in his hands. When he lifted his head and looked me directly in the eyes, I knew a nightmare was coming on.

More than a few seconds dragged the meeting on and even though I was a surfer dude, I wasn’t known for my patience.

“Just spill it, Gray. Whatever you need to tell me, do. I’ve seen and experienced a lot of shit in my life.

I doubt anything you’re going to tell me will shock me any more than the crap we lived through. ”

I’d never seen Gray nervous in my life. He was one of those soldiers that could take a bullet and not stop moving. His nervous laughter forced me to lean forward. After a few seconds, he put the file on the table, sliding it across and closer to me.

Sighing, I didn’t bother picking it up, just flipping it open. There was a color photograph. As soon as my eyes laid on it, I sucked in my breath. “Fuck.” I had to sit back and collect my shit.

Gray remained silent, which was a smart move. Why the fuck was he doing this to me?

Yes, I was shocked, more so than from anything that I’d been confronted with lately. I placed my drink on the table, barely managing to keep it on the surface. When I lifted the picture into my hand, a half dozen memories rushed into the back of my mind.

The images were haunting yet beautiful, maddening in that they’d been the ones to keep me company for years. They were also the ones that had left me angry and bitter, saddened that I hadn’t kept my promise.

Angry that I’d allowed a monster to treat me with disrespect. Fuck.

The memories were bittersweet. I’d expected to see her at the bus before heading off to boot camp, but she hadn’t showed. I’d been devastated.

I traced her face in the photograph, allowing the tip of my finger to slowly fall to the long line of her neck and down her arm.

She was even more beautiful than I’d remembered, the twenty years doing nothing but adding to her stunning good looks.

She appeared happy in the picture, her smile as bright as I’d ever seen it.

She’d found a new life and I was happy for her.

After the shock wore off, I finally lifted my head. “What the fuck is this?”

“You know Daniella Vale?”

The picture felt hot in my hands and I tossed it on the table. “Yeah, a long, long time ago. You obviously know that or you wouldn’t be here. Why in the hell are you bringing me a picture of her?”

“Just calm down. You dated her when you were younger, before you joined the Navy. Right?”

Of course I knew the question was rhetorical. He obviously knew the answer. Why put me through the wringer of answering it?

“Calm down?”

Gray sighed. “Just answer the question, Stone. Please. I need to establish your connection.”

“Yeah, we had a strong connection, but her father fucked it up. We dated for a couple years. We lost touch not long after I joined. A distant memory now.” I didn’t need this right now. The last thing I wanted was to be reminded of both the best and the worst thing that had happened in my life.

“I see.” Now he had a concerned tone?

“Why the fuck are you asking me this, Commander? I haven’t talked to her in almost twenty years.” Since I’d fucking betrayed myself and sent her away to find another life. God. There wasn’t a week that went by that I didn’t think about my actions or wish things could be different.

He sighed and sat back, the intense look in his eyes catching my attention. “Call me Gray. I haven’t been your commander in years.”

“What. Do. You. Want. Commander. Why are you fucking here?”

“Because she’s been kidnapped.”

The news hit me hard. Stars of rage and anxiety immediately rushed in front of my eyes as my blood pressure shot up.

“What? Where? How?”

“She’s been living in Paris for years. From what the CIA and Interpol managed to piece together, including footage from a few security cameras, she’d left her place of employment around ten-thirty at night and was taken off the street.”

“What the fuck,” I whispered, more shaken than I cared to admit. “You said kidnapped. Are we talking for ransom?”

“It would appear so.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning her father was contacted by a member of the Le Métro. In case you’re not familiar with them, they are a?—”

“A French revolutionary group led by a fucking pariah named Matis Garnier,” I interrupted.

He smirked. “I thought you retired.”

“For a long time I thought you were dead.” I pulled the file into my hand, shifting to the other documentation he’d provided.

My eyes continually drifted to Dani’s picture.

My gut ached, the tight pull in my heart something I’d long since tried to shove aside.

“I keep track of things, Gray. I don’t like the thought of being ambushed by anything or anyone. ”

“You do know you’re out of the war. Right?”

I lifted my gaze. “You sure about that? You’re here because you need me to rescue her.”

“Yes, that’s why I’m here.”

There wasn’t enough alcohol in the house to deal with this. I shifted to the French police report as filed by a woman by the name of Colette Baudin. “Who is the chick who reported it?”

“A friend who went to Daniella’s apartment and found her place had been trashed.”

“But Dani was taken off the street.”

“Yes.”

“What do the bastards want?”

“Right now? One hundred million dollars. I don’t need to tell you that this is an international event because of who her father is.

While the CIA has done a good job of keeping her kidnapping quiet, it’s only a matter of time before every lunatic comes out of the woodwork.

The CIA believes Daniella’s only chance of survival is if we get in, locate her, and get out quickly. ”

“Since her father is the fucking vice president of the United States and all.”

He lifted his eyebrows. “I heard right. You know Bradford Vale personally.”

“Know him? I promised the fucking son of a bitch I’d punch him in the face the next time I saw him.

He’s a pompous, arrogant, entitled narcissist who thinks his shit doesn’t stink.

He controlled his daughter’s life, acting as if she was brainless.

And let me tell you something. That woman, that beautiful, beguiling woman no doubt has far more intelligence, grace, and humility in her little finger than that… man does in his entire body.”

Gray kept his eyebrows raised and finally leaned forward to grab his drink. “I can see you have some bad blood between the two of you.”

I jerked to my feet with the drink in my hand, sloshing some on my goddamn hand.

“Bad blood? The night before I went to boot camp, he threatened to have me arrested if I ever talked with Dani again. What kind of father does that? He called me trailer trash said my pops deserved to rot in jail. Maybe for just breathing the same air.” I paced the floor, angrier than I was when the initial confrontation had occurred.

Gray remained quiet, allowing me to throw my tantrum.

I’d allowed Bradford to get under my skin again, despite another promise I’d made, only this one to myself.

Yet, I’d watched him go from mayor to legislator to governor, then to the senate and now serving as vice president of the goddamn country.

And every new leadership position he’d taken on had burned my balls.

“Daniella needs your help, Stone. You’re the only one who can get her out safely.”

“What about the ransom money? I’m sure Bradford has extorted enough people in his life his financial platform is worth way more than that.”

“If you did keep up with this group, you know it’s not likely she’ll be returned. Only one hostage has survived.”

Of course he had to toss that in my lap. I moved toward the window, placing my hand on the glass. “I’m not qualified to handle something like this.”

“I disagree. Your skills are exactly what’s needed. Get in, free the girl, get out.”

“I’m one man. These revolutionary assholes have hundreds of followers.”

“They won’t be looking for someone with your qualifications and from what I’ve been told, they use minimal staff on kidnapping operations.”

“Uh-huh. What makes you think I can do this?”

I could tell by his heavy sigh there was more he needed to tell me.

When I turned around, he had his eyes closed.

“Where are they supposedly keeping her?”

“The leader owns a property outside of Paris. Heavily armed and surrounded by several guards.”

“As expected.”

He nodded. “The best way to get in is through a tunnel system that was located on infrared radar.”

I could not believe he thought for a single minute that this was something I could or wanted to do.

My days at being counterintelligence and reconnaissance were over and had been for a long time.

Sure, I’d provided assistance for my buddies, but in limited capacity.

Doing so had only instigated a series of nightmares that I’d long since put to bed.

If the darkness had another chance to prevail, I wasn’t certain I could recover either mentally or emotionally. The only peace I’d gotten had been when putting my former life behind me.

Every bit of it.

Before I had a chance to open my mouth, I heard the whirlybird outside my window again, the pilot landing even closer to the house than before. “Your time is short? You just thought I’d be a pushover and say yes?”

He stood, leaving his drink on the table and running his hands down his trousers. “I thought you’d possibly need someone else to convince you.”

“Someone else? Who the hell are you talking about?”

It didn’t take me long to realize I’d been set up. As soon as several men in bad suits stepped off the bird, I shook my head.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I snarled. “Bradford Vale is here? What the hell are you doing here, Gray? You know this wouldn’t go over well.”

“Not my choice. He insisted, although I convinced him I needed to talk to you first. I know how prickly you can be.”