Page 8 of Stone (Claimed and Protected #3)

“Prickly? You’re about to get a crash course in what prickly means. My hatred of the man goes deep and you knew that. Didn’t you?”

“He might have mentioned you’d never go for it.”

I pointed my finger at him. “This is bullshit, Commander. Bullshit.”

“Just hear him out.”

With the drink slammed onto the credenza, I headed for the back door.

“Stone. Don’t do anything stupid,” Gray warned. “Come on. We need your help. Think about Daniella.”

“Who, me? Why would I ever consider doing anything stupid, and I am thinking about her. She fucking hates her father.” That much I knew to be true. Just as the VP made his way up the back stairs, I threw open the door. “Bradford. What a surprise. I wish I could say it was pleasant.”

Silently he approached, studying me with the same scrutinizing criticism I’d seen dozens of times. “Stone. It’s good to see you.”

“I can’t say the same.”

I hauled off and issued the brutal punch against his cheek.

The force almost tossed him off the edge of the deck.

Shouts ensued, the men protecting him immediately reacting. At least I’d gotten to see a look of surprise on Bradford’s fucking face.

His secret service reacted almost instantly, two of the assholes yanking their weapons into their hands.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Stone. Why did you do that?” Gray said from behind me.

“Because I owed him.” That and so much more.

When the two idiots tried to grab me, Bradford threw out his arm. “Don’t. Just let it go. He’s right. I had that coming.” He stood, although he remained shaky. Rubbing his jaw, he suddenly had a look of amusement on his face. “You haven’t changed.”

“Why should I? Nothing was wrong with me before.”

I shook my head and walked back inside. This shit I didn’t need on any given day.

As expected, the asshole and his brigade of merry men followed. I grabbed my drink, heading to the opposite side of the room and away from them. My heart was heavy. My mind was foggy. My anger was high. This wasn’t a good day.

My baby was in trouble.

Only she wasn’t my baby any longer. Far from it.

The silence and tension were palpable. Gray finally cleared his throat. “We should talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” I barked.

“Did you show him the video?” Bradford asked.

A video. Great. Art.

“Not yet.” Gray had the same voice he always had when disappointed in something I’d said or done. So the fuck what? I didn’t owe anyone anything. “Take a look at this, Stone. Please. Then make your decision after that.”

Sighing, I stared into my drink, wishing I’d added even more vodka. “Fine. I’ll look at the damn thing.” By the time I turned around, Gray had an iPad in his hand. He met me halfway and handed me the computer, a video already playing.

I’d seen a lot of things during my military career from insurgents holding innocent victims captive to burned-out towns, and lives lost because of wars the people had never wanted to be a part of. I’d witnessed so much loss of life that I couldn’t count the number of deaths.

But seeing someone I’d loved… still loved being held captive, with obvious signs of physical as well as emotional abuse turned my stomach to the point I had to look away. With my chest heaving, I forced myself to pay closer attention.

Daniella had the same beautiful hair, although it was dulled from sweat and grime.

Her face was pinched, her cheek and eye swollen from being punched or worse.

Even her lip was cracked, dried blood obvious.

She was bound to a chair, forced to say things that I knew even in her distrust and disgust of her father she didn’t mean.

That included denouncing the United States in general.

The words that hurt me the most were ones I’d heard her say to me directly before, as if the beautiful girl was calling out to me personally to save her.

“Please find me. You’re my heart and soul, the only one who knows me.”

“Enough!” one of the bastards barked, acting as he if was going to hit her again. She didn’t cower, her spunky personality still bright, still active. She glared at him, even allowing a slight smile.

Huffing, I handed Gray the iPad, immediately walking away.

Another moment of quiet settled in.

“Stone. Listen to me,” Bradford started. “I know we’ve had our differences.”

“Differences?” I laughed as I shot him a nasty look.

“You told me I was worthless. You bribed me with the rest of my life to stay away from the woman I loved. You reiterated the point later when I tried to talk to her on the goddamn phone. And for what reason? Because I wasn’t good enough for your daughter.

Well, guess what, Vice President. She doesn’t want you in her life. How does that make you feel?”

For the first time since I’d known the man, his expression held some sense of sincerity. “No, she doesn’t want me in her life and it’s almost broken me. My wife hates me. My daughter hates me. Don’t you think there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t have regret and feel guilt?”

I laughed at his question. “Nope.” I popped the ‘p’ on purpose. “You’re a selfish man, Mr. Vice President, and I don’t feel sorry for you.”

“Need I remind you that this isn’t about what the two of you went through in the past,” Gray cut in.

“This is about an innocent woman’s life.

We believe you’re the only one who can get her out.

They will kill her, Stone. No matter if the ransom is paid, and that’s not going to happen.

She will die. If you agree to help, you’ll be given full reign on how you handle the operation.

Money. Weapons. Transportation. You can create your own team as I know you won’t want to do this alone. Anything you ask for.”

“I’m prepared to pay you five million dollars to bring her back to me.”

Laughing, I looked away. “Unbelievable.”

“Ten million,” Bradford continued. “Name your price.”

I looked away, shaking my head. “It’s not about money. It’s not about autonomy. This is about the principle. Suddenly, I’m worth something.” My anger was clouding my judgment, and I knew it. Maybe I just wanted to make the man suffer like he’d done to me.

Bradford took a step closer. “I’m very sorry for how I treated you, Stone. I was also saddened to hear about your parents’ deaths. There’s something I never told you before. Maybe your father did, but he and I used to be friends.”

I snapped my head in his direction. “Bullshit.”

“Not bullshit. We grew up together. Went to the same school. We were close.”

“Then what the fuck happened?” I honestly didn’t give a shit. The only thing my father had ever said about the animosity was that I didn’t understand how Bradford worked. No, I hadn’t then, and I certainly didn’t give a shit now.

“We were just two different people, but your dad was always a good man. I should have told you that before.”

I laughed until I ached inside and the entire time I envisioned Dani’s face.

Bradford should have told me a hell of a lot of things, but he’d chosen not to. Fuck him. Gray was right. This wasn’t about Bradford or the past, but about a woman who didn’t deserve to be in the middle of her father’s bullshit once again. “Why didn’t Daniella have secret service keeping her safe?”

“Because she refused,” Bradford admitted. “She’s a tough girl. You know how she can be.”

“She just wanted to live her life as she deserved. She wanted you to respect her choices. She loved her art, but you called it a glorified hobby.”

“If it makes you feel any better, she’s a talented artist, her work highly respected. Sadly, we haven’t spoken in years.”

At least my baby had gotten to live her dream.

While I wanted to laugh, even to shame the man for exchanging his requirement to protect his family for his lust for power, I refrained. For now. Later, when she was safe, the fucker would finally hear exactly what I thought about him.

Her face from the video was permanently burned into my mind. I wouldn’t be able to eat or sleep until I saved her life.

“Fine. I will undertake this mission, but after I bring her to safety, which I will do, I do not want to hear from either one of you again. Is that understood?” I shifted my angry gaze from Gray back to Bradford.

Gray appeared hurt, but I just didn’t care at this point. I’d been through too much in my life and wanted to be left the fuck alone.

“Fine,” Gray answered as if for both. “What else do you need?”

I took a huge swig of my drink while I thought about it. “I’ll send you a list.”