A Little Harmless Rumor (7 page)

Sean offered him a sleepy smile as he settled his head on the pillow beside Jaime. Damn, the man was getting to him again.

As Randy drifted off to sleep, he hoped that they had made another step forward, because he didn’t know if either he or Jaime would be able to take the step back.

B
y early afternoon
, Sean was ready to give up. He couldn’t seem to get hold of Lassiter, and with Emma ignoring his phone calls, his worry increased with each hour. She was a tough little woman, but she definitely had a lot of people who wanted to hurt her to get back at him. He should have never put her on the other island, but it was the best option at the time. She was living off the grid, well, as off the grid as she would go. No way anyone knew who she was—or so he thought.

One good thing about the situation was that Devon Stryker had given him use of his company’s private jet. It would make it much easier to steal Emma from the other island and bring her over.

He’d contact Crysta and Eli to see if they could check on her, but he knew it was a big time for the Ranch on the Big Island. It was the annual rodeo time that Kaheaku Ranch threw each year. Either one of them would jump to help, but with Crysta pregnant with their first child, Sean couldn’t bring himself to put her in danger..

He couldn’t go himself. First problem were the two people he could trust with just about everything else in his life: Randy and Jaime. They would want to know what was going on if he had to hop over to the Big Island. He would have to tell them, but he wanted Emma with him when that happened. The closer she was, the easier it was going to be to make both of them disappear if this entire plan blew up in their faces.

Second problem was he had a target on his back. True, he was relatively safe in his house, but if he went out in public with Emma, they would become targets. Her death would be punishment before he was killed.

Sean knew he needed help, and the only person he could trust was going to be a pain in the ass about it, and for good reason.

He dialed the number. His friend picked up on the first ring.

“Delano,” he said, his voice heavy with sleep. As the head of Task Force Hawaii, Del kept strange hours.

“Del, I need help.”

He grunted. That wasn’t a good sign.

“You didn’t say that a couple of nights ago.”

Mortification filled him. During his adult life, he refused to be a drinker like his stepfather. He had avoided it for years for that reason. The fact that he had lost it and gotten drunk—then went out in public was bad enough. Taking a swing at a friend was just a big fat cherry on top of his shit sundae.

“I owe you for that. I definitely could have hurt someone on my way home.”

He sighed, then it sounded like he stood up and started walking. “Especially yourself, man. You got to stay off the liquor.”

“I am off. Don’t worry. Haven’t had a drink since that night.” Even now the thought had his stomach turning over. “Now, about this favor…”

“I expect a nice steak and lobster dinner.”

He didn’t hesitate. “You got it.”

“How about an introduction to that sexy Jaime I heard was looking for you the other night?”

Sean could tell from Del’s tone that he was just joking, but he couldn’t hide his animosity at the request.

“No.”

He chuckled. “Okay, what do you need?”

“How does flying over to the Big Island on a private jet sound?”

There was a pause. “This isn’t illegal, is it?”

“Nope, on the up and up. I need you to get a package for me.”

“Is that a fact?”

“I have a friend on The Big Island, and I can’t get hold of her.”

There was another pause. “You want me to kidnap a woman for you?”

This time, there was a thread of anger in his voice. That is one of the reasons Sean knew he could trust Del. Women and children always were to be protected. Not everyone in Sean’s business played that way.

“No. I need you to bring her here for her safety. She might be in trouble.”

“Then, why the hell don’t you go check on her?”

He really liked Del, but the man was cranky. Damned cranky. And he liked to growl. He would do as Sean was asking, but he would complain while he did it. Sean couldn’t be choosey, not right now.

“You know I’ve had trouble. I don’t want to lead it to her door.”

“But you want me to bring her over here? That makes no sense.”

It did, and he didn’t have time to deal with questions. “I want to move her to a safe house close by. Then, if we need to get out of here, Devon Stryker can make sure we get off the rock.”

“Hmm. Is that the private jet I’m using?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. I’ll go.”

Relief filtered through Sean. “Thanks. I really appreciate it. I can’t trust anyone else to get her, and I know you can keep her safe.”

“I’ll call when I make contact.”

He hung up. The man definitely didn’t have the best manners; but then, Sean didn’t need him for his manners. As a former Army Ranger and now head of Task Force Hawaii, Del would make sure Emma made it back to Oahu safe. That was all Sean cared about.

M
artin Delano parked
his rental car out on the street and looked at the fortress and frowned. It was pretty far off the beaten path, but that was to be expected. The Big Island had a lot of people who liked to live off the grid. If someone didn’t want to be found, it was easy to stay lost. The gates were closed but, even at this distance, he could see there was no sign of life. He wanted to turn around and head back to Oahu, but he couldn’t. He had promised Sean.

Resolutely, he walked up to the gate and looked more closely. He saw the curtains in the top floor flutter. Someone was in there.

He punched in the security code Sean had texted him and made his way to the front door. Since the one little flutter of curtain, he had seen nothing else. He made it to the front door and rang the bell. Nothing. He walked over to one of the windows and looked in. Suddenly, he heard a sound behind him. He turned just in time to be hit with something heavy and hard.

He blinked a few times. His nose was throbbing and blood was pouring from it. A woman was standing there with what looked like a heavy two-by-four, ready to hit him again. She was Asian and was on what women called the petite size. In his mind, she looked like she could be picked up and put in his pocket. When he didn’t move, her green eyes narrowed. He started toward her, and his world start to turn. Blood slid down his face as he staggered. Fucking hell. That hit had been harder than he realized.

The woman pulled back the piece of wood, getting ready to hit him gain. He stopped her and grabbed the wood.

“Hey,” she screamed.

He held the piece of wood out of reach and leaned down in her face. “You hit me with that thing again, and I will kill you.”

He tried to sound as mean as he could. It didn’t work on her. She lifted her knee, making contact with his groin. He bent over in pain.

“Fuck off, wanker.”

She turned to run into the house. He grabbed for her arm but caught only air.

“I’m calling the police.”

He took a step and almost threw up. When he spoke, he bit out every word. “I
am
the police. Sean sent me.”

She stopped but didn’t come back. She turned to face him but kept her distance. “Sean?”

He nodded. Fuck, he shouldn’t have done that.

“Well, why didn’t you say so?”

She asked the question as if he were stupid. And he had to be if he kept doing this kind of crap for his friends.

“The only thing that is saving you is that he asked me to do this.”

She cocked her head and studied him for a moment. The longer her green gaze watched him, he felt oddly dizzy. It had to be the knock to his face because that definitely fucking hurt.

“What would happen otherwise?” she asked.

“I would have shot you.”

Her mouth twitched and something close to respect filled her expression. “I don’t think my brother would like that much.”

He blinked as the world shifted a bit. “Your brother?”

“Didn’t Sean tell you? I’m blood.”

He shook his head and immediately regretted it. It felt as if she had knocked his brain loose. “That figures, because every time I am around him, I end up injured.”

She chuckled. “Come on. I am assuming he wants you to call.”

T
he phone rang
only once and Sean answered.

“How is she?”

“She’s safe. She just wasn’t answering her phone.”

Something loosened in his chest. Damn, when had it gotten so scary being a big brother? Probably the moment she smacked him upside the head with the board.

“Give me the phone,” Emma said. From the sound on the other end of the line, they were physically fighting over the phone.

“Go get bent, Taylor. I don’t have time to deal with you.”

Sean let loose a breath he did not know he had been holding. “Thank you, Del, I owe you.”

“Yeah, you do. It might cost you more after I go see a doctor.”

“The doctor? Emma didn’t get hurt, did she?”

“No. She’s fine; although, I still might shoot her before we leave the island. Your
sister
hit me with a two-by-four.”

Sean couldn’t fight the grin. “She did the same thing to me when I went looking for her.”

“If you don’t let me talk to him, I will post the pics I took of you online. I am pretty sure all your wanker friends will love that. I got one when you were crying like a baby.”

Del made a sound between a cross groan and a growl. “You do not have one of me crying.”

Emma snorted and Sean could see her standing in front of Del with her arms crossed as she tapped her bare foot on the ground.

“Close enough, and I have a good hand with Photoshop.”

“Dammit. If you don’t let go, I will smack you upside the head.” The struggled died off. “Fuck, I have only met one of your relatives, Kaheaku. One too many.”

The phone jostled. “Give that back to me.”

“Get bent yourself, Delano.”

Sean couldn’t help but chuckle now. He might have never wanted a sister, but damn, he really liked her now that he’d found her. “Hey, Sean. Why did you send the Neanderthal over here?”

“You weren’t answering your phone. I told you to always answer.”

She sighed. “Sorry. I just wasn’t paying attention, and I was working on something.”

He knew that her mind worked constantly, and she did have a tendency to lose track of time. “There’s been some activity. I think we need you to come over here.”

She didn’t say anything. “I am not sure that is a good idea.”

“Why?”

“I can’t put you in any more trouble than you already are. Plus, if we keep our distance, we are safer.”

“As I said, things have changed. It would be best if you are here. If things get bad, we will find you another place to hide. Besides, we’re family. That’s what matters.”

“Can’t I just stay here?”

“No. You need to be safe.”

“I am safe here. Unless this idiot had a tail. Is this the one you told me about?”

Although he knew she couldn’t see him, he shook his head. “No. Randy is here with me.”

“Oh. Okay.”

She said nothing else. The silence stretched, and he knew she was trying to come up with some way of convincing him to change his mind.

“Either way, I want you here.”

“Sean, please, let me stay here.”

He heard the desperation in her voice, knew what it was about, and felt like even more of a bastard because he had to ignore it. She was not good with change for several reasons, but he couldn’t do anything to alter the situation at the moment. He couldn’t work worrying about her. And, it would be better if she were close by at this point. If they both had to bug out, it would be easier to hop on a plane together.

“No. You have to come here. Del can put you in a safe house, or I have a good friend you can stay with.”

“Sean.”

“I can promise you that Ali will make sure you are safe. She was former MI-6. We need to go over everything. We’re missing something. I don’t want you getting snatched up again. I don’t know how long it would take me to find you.”

She sighed. “Okay.”

She handed the phone back to Del. “We’ll be leaving here within the hour.”

“Thanks again.” In the last week Del had done more for him than most people had done in his lifetime. Well, except Randy and Jaime.

“So, you’re related?”

“Long story.”

“I expect to hear it some time.”

“I promise.”

Del clicked off the phone without saying goodbye…again. Sean chuckled as he turned his off.

“So, what was that about?” Jaime asked.

He glanced over his shoulder to look at her. His heart caught in his throat. Damn, the woman was breathtaking. And not just when she was made up. In fact, he liked her like this. She’d left the makeup off today and had thrown on an old Waikiki t-shirt and a raggedy pair of cut off jeans. She just glowed with happiness, even as she was frowning at him.

“I had to have Del help with something.”

She leaned against the doorjamb and crossed her arms. “And that would be?”

He sighed. “I’ll explain, but not right now. Del’s going to deliver something, and I just can’t concentrate until everything is settled.”

She didn’t look happy about it, but she nodded. He sensed that she was shifting away from him, if not physically, then emotionally. He wanted to let her go. It was easier, but after the last few days…he couldn’t do that.

“Hey,” he said walking to her. He slipped his hands around her waist. “I promise to explain everything. Just a few more hours, and I’ll tell both you and Randy everything.”

“Is that a promise?” Randy said.

“Damn SEAL,” Jaime said, humor threading her voice. “Doesn’t the way he sneaks up like that irritate you?”

He smiled. “Yeah, it does.”

“Well?” Randy asked. He wasn’t smiling, and Sean knew he was serious.

He walked to Randy and cupped his face. “It’s a promise. No more secrets.”

Sean brushed his mouth over Randy’s, then looked at Jaime. “I need to do some work.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ve heard that one before.”

“No, truly. This is regular threat assessment I am doing for Dillon and Associates. I’ve been doing side jobs for them for awhile, as long as it doesn’t require me to travel.”

Randy smiled. “I knew there had to be something you were doing on the side. You have never been one to sit still for long.”