Page 113 of Stone
Kage had some buddies tight with the dark web. Yeah, that wasn’t a bad idea. I could dangle a carrot or two and see if Matis bit like the snake he was.
A rumble caught my attention and I studied the waterways. I’d heard nothing from either Kekoa or Akoni. There’d been no additional worrisome sightings, nothing that I should be concerned about.
Vibrations shifted under my feet. I glared at the horizon, slamming my coffee cup on the counter and immediately heading outside. With my fingers tightly wrapped around the railing, I stared up at the sky.
Within seconds, I noticed two dark blips in the air.
Oh, you fucking had to be kidding me.
I waited a few additional seconds until I was positive of what I was seeing. This time, I was fucking pissed. And I knew exactly how to handle the situation.
Just like a trained soldier.
I flew into the house and toward the bedroom, pushing open the partially closed bathroom door.
“Sorry to interrupt. We have company rolling in.”
Dani stuck her head past the shower curtain. “No way. My dad?”
“Not sure, but there are two birds flying in. I suggest you get dressed.”
“Damn it. Why does he continue to do this? I thought I was very clear.”
“You were.” I headed toward my closet, yanking off my shorts and replacing them with cargo pants and a camouflage tee shirt, shoving my feet into boots. Without wasting any time, I jogged to my office, pulling out two additional weapons, slamming magazines into both. My training was now instinctive and I grabbed two holsters, fastening them within seconds. With two of the weapons secured, one in my hand, I was ready to ensure our visitors knew they weren’t welcome.
I was finished with playing games with anyone.
By the time I was finished, the two helicopters had set down on the beach.
Dani rushed into the living room, taking several labored breaths as she stared out at the whirling birds.
She moved closer to the door, peering outside. “It’s my fucking father. How did I guess?”
“You don’t need to talk to him, Dani. I’ll handle getting rid of them. And trust me, I will.”
As she turned to face me, she allowed her gaze to fall slowly, concentrating on the two weapons secured by my side. “No. I’ll talk to him. On the beach. He will listen one way or the other. Just give me a head start and you can have your say. And I do not care what you tell that man after I’m finished. Just… Just let me do this.”
“Alright. But five minutes.”
“Five minutes is all I need.”
Exhaling, I allowed her to throw open the door and rush out. Fine. I’d give her the five minutes, but not a second longer. Maybe that would calm my anger.
Bradford deserved a bullet in his brain for what he’d done. But I could see he’d come with more goons to keep him protected. Smart man. After what Dani had said to him, he had to know he wasn’t wanted here.
I noticed Gray stepping off the helicopters. This time, the pilots had been instructed to stick around. That meant it wouldn’t be a long visit. No, it wouldn’t be.
God, I hated this shit. How had things degraded so far so quickly?
Because of secrets and lies.
The conversation Dani was having with her father was animated. When she turned to leave, he grabbed her arm.
My fucking God. Who the hell did he think he was? That was it. I was ready to throw open the door when I heard the ringtone on my phone. I’d left it in the living room. Something told me I needed to pay attention to everything going on around me. With long strides, I had it in my hand, unable to catch the call. If it was important, Kekoa would call back.
Everything about the situation was troubling.
I shoved the phone into my back pocket, jogging down the stairs. At first, no one paid any attention to the fact I had a weapon in my hands with enough extra firepower to eliminate everyone standing on the beach. Only when I was within a few yards of the vice president was Gray the first to notice.
