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Stone

T he blast knocked me off my feet, sending me rolling into the wall. Hitting it hard, pain erupted in my arm and head. Heat from the blast grew, and I blinked the disorientation away, knowing I had to get out of there.

Smoke billowed, blocking my way out the door. Coughing, I rushed toward the window across the room, pulling my shirt over my nose. Without a moment to spare, I yanked the window open, and jumped onto the fire escape.

My feet landed on the rickety grating, and the whole thing groaned, threatening to collapse. With every step, it wobbled beneath me, and I hurried faster, knowing I wouldn’t survive the forty-foot drop.

At the next landing, the grating groaned, before a crack sounded, followed by a puff of brick dust. Several screws holding the metal to the brick wall pulled loose, sending the staircase into a dangerous slant.

Off balance, I slammed against the stair railing, barely gripping the center pole to swing out over the drop. Adrenaline spiked through my body, giving me strength to swing toward the next landing and let go.

Stretching my arms as far as I could, I managed to catch the railing. As I jerked to a stop, sharp pain spiked through my right arm, but I held on tight. Groaning, I climbed onto the landing, grateful that it held my weight. Holding my arm, I hurried down the remaining stairs and hopped off the landing to the ground.

The closest route to my motorcycle took me under the window, where smoke billowed into the blue sky. Without looking up, I crossed the street and ran down the alley to where my bike waited. Taking a moment to slip on my helmet, I jumped on and started it up in one smooth motion. Cutting a tight U-turn, I headed down the alley in the opposite direction of the explosion and made it onto the street.

Damn, that was close.

About a block away from the building, I caught the wail of approaching sirens, and heaved a sigh as the firetruck sped past me in the opposite direction. I’d been lucky to make it out of there as fast as I had. If not for my sense that something was off, I’d probably be dead.

Hot anger surged through my chest. I’d been set up… again. I couldn’t deny it any longer. A low growl curled my upper lip. The bastard had nearly killed me this time. If only I knew who it was.

Vanetti would enjoy saying I told you so . I’d convinced myself that he was being paranoid when he said someone was after me. But he’d been right, and I’d nearly gotten killed. My jaw tightened. I should have listened to the old man.

Blood dripped from my elbow, and the sensation of something hot and sticky seeped down my face and into the padding of my helmet. Dammit. This was my favorite helmet, and now I’d have to replace the padding. Could this day get any worse?

I cracked my helmet visor open to get a breath of fresh air. Even after opening all the vents, the aroma of blood, sweat, smoke, and blasting powder overwhelmed me. I’d to have to check every inch of my skin to make sure I hadn’t been impaled by anything. Wouldn’t that be something? Survive all that crap just to go down from tetanus? I should probably get another shot.

Shaking my head, I turned onto my street, but before I got to my house, my phone started ringing through my helmet-com system. Damn. Now what?

“Call from Vanetti,” the voice assistant announced. “Answer it?”

I was tempted to say no, but I didn’t have that luxury, so I sent the call through. “Yes?”

“Stone. I need you in my office, now.”

I huffed out a breath. “Now’s not the best—”

“I don’t care what you’re doing,” Vanetti interrupted. “Drop it and come in. This can’t wait.”

The line went dead and I groaned. Dammit. Apparently, this day could get worse. Shaking my head, I rode past my house and turned back toward the city. Sometimes, being the big boss’s right-hand man was a pain in the ass. At least I could clean up and change in my apartment at the office.

It was hard to believe that I’d known Vanetti for ten years now, ever since that fateful day when I’d saved his life. Of course, if not for him, who knew where I would have ended up? He’d taken a chance on a discharged army vet like me, and I owed him everything.

That’s why it was hard to believe that someone thought they could take me on. My reputation alone would stop most people from even thinking about it. Whoever it was, they either didn’t know me, or they didn’t care.

∞∞∞

Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into the parking garage of Vitality Ventures, and cut the engine. Stepping onto the elevator, I glanced down at my black t-shirt, and my mouth twisted. I hoped Vanetti didn’t need me for anything formal, since I was covered in grime.

Flying debris had even burned a few holes in my shirt. My jeans hadn’t fared any better, but at least the blood wasn’t dripping from my arm anymore, although it stung like a bitch.

Leaving the elevator, I strode through the high-class lobby. The warm tones, with glass sconce lighting and dark wood molding, gave off an aura of rich luxury, seldom seen in a corporate office. Of course, this wasn’t just any office. This company belonged to Quintin Vanetti, the most respected and revered businessman in the city.

I bypassed Vanetti’s executive assistant and headed straight to Vanetti’s personal office. Without knocking, I pulled the door open and stopped in my tracks.

Whoa. Who the hell was she?

A beautiful woman stood chatting with Vanetti. Average height, with long golden hair that somehow framed a perfectly oval face. Her bright, blue eyes shone like sapphires, darkening as she turned toward me.

Heat flooded through me, and my throat went dry. Damn. Several yards still separated us, but I could almost feel her presence in the space between us .

“What happened to you?” Vanetti’s voice snapped me out my trance.

Grimacing, I sent a pointed glance toward the beautiful visitor. Did he really want me to tell him in front of her?

“It’s fine, Nate. Spit it out.”

Flattening my lips, I stepped into the office, and closed the door behind me. “You were right. It was a trap.”

Vanetti’s lips turned down. “I told you so. But you wouldn’t listen.” He shook his head. “It’s time we find out who’s targeting you and put an end to this. That’s why Serenity’s here.”

He motioned to the woman, and my gaze met hers. Her eyes darkened, and her full lips parted, sending a blast of heat through me.

“Serenity, this is Nathan Stone, my security specialist and bodyguard. He’s the one I need your help with.” He glanced at me with a raised brow. “Since nothing you’ve done so far has worked, I’ve hired Serenity to help you figure out what’s going on.”

“What?” My eyes widened. “I don’t need any help… especially from—” I glanced at Serenity. Sure, she was probably amazing in bed, but in a brawl? Could she even shoot a gun? Would she even fight if she were in danger? Most people froze or ran. “—someone like… her. ”

“Someone like me ?” Serenity’s nostrils flared, and a rush of dark pink stained her cheeks.

She had a nice voice, too, even when she was mad. Yeah, I’d offended her, but it hardly mattered. She wasn’t cut out to help me in any way, shape, or form, and Vanetti was blind to think she could. If anything, she was a liability that I didn’t need.

“Now, Stone.” Vanetti held up his hands, but his lips twitched. “You’re over-reacting. You’ve been with me long enough not to question me.” His eyes glinted with a dangerous challenge.

I tried not to grind my teeth, but he was right and we both knew it. “So, what’s the angle?” I glanced at Serenity.

She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, enhancing the cleavage below the collar of her blouse. Hmm. Nice. Even from here she smelled amazing. Shaking it off, I shifted my stare to the boss. If his plan was to distract me, it was working.

“It’s simple, she’s perfectly suited to help you, because she’s got something you need.”

My brows rose. How did he know I’d be attracted to her?

Humor crinkled his eyes, and his lips twisted. “She’s a psychic.”

“What?” I glanced at Serenity in time to see her lips twist in a grimace before she composed her features into something resembling… serenity? With sudden clarity, I stepped close to tower over her. “Are you trying to scam Vanetti? Because let me tell you right now. It won’t work. He’s not a fool, and neither am I.” Dammit, she smelled even better up close.

She jerked back a little before straightening to glare at me, her gaze sparking with blue fire. “I am not a scam artist, and if I was, I wouldn’t be stupid enough to try it on Mr. Vanetti.”

With a huff, Vanetti stepped between us. “Back off, Nate.”

I fell back a step and crossed my arms.

“She’s not scamming anyone.” His eyes narrowed. “She’s the real deal, and if you’d give me a moment to explain, you’d see that.”

“You believe her?” He had to be joking.

He nodded. “Yes… and you would too, if you’d shut up and listen.” With a shake of his head, he turned to Serenity. “I apologize, Ms. Jones. I should have told him what was going on over the phone so he wouldn’t be so pig-headed.” He looked me up and down. “You’re a mess. Go clean up. I’ll explain the plan when you come back.”

“Fine.” I glanced at Serenity, and she glared at me.

Unfortunately, the argument hadn’t made her any less attractive. Dammit. Shaking my head, I left the office and stalked to the door at the end of the long hall. Unlocking the door, I opened it into the apartment Vanetti kept for my use. Thankfully, I had everything here that I needed.

My mouth twisted. What the hell was going on? No matter what, I wasn’t about to be bamboozled by a beautiful woman. A psychic? Had Vanetti lost his mind?