Page 1 of The Stone Family Warrior

Chapter 1

Trent Stone inhaled slowly, letting out a rhythmic chant. “Om. Om. Om.” He swayed back and forth, trying to get in touch with his inner self. He’d been reading self help books a lot lately about tuning into a frequency where all things would be known.

The air was fresh and crisp, and the sun was beginning to set. South Port wasn’t known to be warm in the winter. It was a couple of days before Christmas, but the weather was holding in the mid-fifties. Trent’s eyes roved around the area between the caves and the lighthouse. The location was part of the map his parents had left. He tried to reach deeply into his soul and feel something. Some type of ‘whisper’ from his parents.

Nothing.

“Can we seriously be done with this?”Hunter called out. He was perched on a large rock beneath the caves.

“Shh,” Trent quickly dismissed the annoyance and went back to an ‘Om’ chant.

Hunter tinkered on his guitar with the stupid break up song he’d been working on the last couple of hours while they’d been here.

“You’re being ridiculous,” Hunter called out.

“Shh,” Trent repeated, still keeping his eyes shut and doing his chant. Most of the time, Trent welcomed his twin’s company. Both of them had just turned twenty-eight, and they’d both become Navy SEALs. They weren’t on the same teams, but they were stationed in Virginia Beach and had bought a house together. They were constantly in each other’s lives, and everyone just expected that they always would be. But this latest breakup had turned his brother … boorish. As such, Trent was currently doing his best to ignore him.

Hunter strummed his guitar and lightly sang out. “If I could just get over this feeling inside. If I could just put away all my pride. Lord, please have mercy on my soul, because I know I can’t control … this pain inside.”

“Stop that,” Trent snapped, flashing open his eyes. “Just stop, for the love of all that is good, stop.”

“No.” Hunter stuck his chin in the air and continued to strum.

Hunter and his last girlfriend, Amy, had been constantly on-again, off-again, but recently Hunter had discovered she’d cheated on him the last time he’d been deployed. Trent wanted to stick the woman in Guantanamo Bay for messing with his brother’s heart, but his brother never talked about the infidelity. He only sang stupid songs about her.

“Restless and broken … restless and tired. I know that’s how you feel. I know that’s how you feel.” Hunter sang softly, fiddling with new chords on the chorus of the never-ending song. “Restless and broken, restless and worn out. I know …”

Trent pushed aside his annoyance at Hunter and the numbers came to his mind. The numbers they’d found with their parents’ letter months ago. 191100716019633975. The numbers had been on repeat. The Stones hadn’t been able to figure out what they meant yet.

But they would figure it out. They would or else he and his FBI brother Brooks would be checking themselves into a mental clinic. He refocused on the horrible lyrics. “The song stinks, dude,” Trent told Hunter. “Just give it up.”

Hunter scooted off the rock and pulled the guitar off of his shoulder. “Says the person who has only been chanting ‘Om’ the past couple hours.”

Trent winced, realizing that he’d been pretty rude. He stood and walked toward Hunter. “Sorry, it didn’t … suck. I’m just in a bad mood.”

Hunter hopped off the rock. “Oh, I know what kind of mood you’re always in lately.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Trent was up for a challenge. It might feel good to take his brother down.

Hunter moved toward him. “I don’t want to fight with you.”

Trent reached his brother’s perimeter and stopped, leaving a couple of feet between them. “You started it, so I’m thinking you do want to fight.”

Hunter pointed an accusatory finger. “You’ve been broody and moody for … a long time.”

“Oh, that’s the pot calling the kettle black Mr. my dog died and my truck got a flat tire.”

Hunter glared at him. “You sound stupid when you say pot calling the kettle black, just so you know.”

“Stupid? Stupid? That was one of Mama’s sayings!”

“I know whose saying it was. She was my mother too!”

Trent didn’t know why they were suddenly fighting about this, but it was the perfect transition into what was really bugging him. “Then start acting like you care about Mom and Dad more than your breakup!”

Hunter glared at him, then took a deep breath. “I’m letting you off the hook because I know you havedisplaced anger.”

“Says the guy who got dumped by a cheater.”

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