A Little Harmless Rumor

by Melissa Schroeder

  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.”

  “Yeah, and I need to do a little work before Del arrives.”

  “I think that’s code for ‘he wants us out of here’,” Randy said.

  “Okay,” Jaime said, even though she did not sound too happy about it.

  “Hey, why don’t you two go out to the beach. It’s not that busy right now, and it’s going to be a nice day. I’ll let you know when they arrive if they get here before you get back.”

  Jaime nodded and Randy gave Sean a look that said he would take care of it. Sean watched as Randy drew her away and up the stairs. He didn’t lie to them. He did have some work to do, and he decided it would be the one thing that would keep his mind off the issue of Emma.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Jaime looked out over the beach, taking note of the number of locals compared to the tourists. This had always been a local beach until the last few years. Now, more and more people had found out about the beauty of Kailua Beach Park, and they flocked to it. Thankfully, it was a slow day so she didn’t have to be rude with anyone, because she definitely needed to take out her frustration on something.

  With a sigh, she moved her attention to the gentle waves rolling in off the Pacific. She should be enjoying her time. She loved the beach, loved Hawaii in particular, and she relished her downtime. She remembered the first time Sean had brought her to Hawaii. She had fallen for the islands, just as she had fallen for the man. Their job was so stressful that if she didn’t take quiet times at the beach, she would have lost it by now. She owed Sean for introducing her to Hawaii—and so many other things.

  She glanced at Randy. The afternoon sun danced over his golden hair. There were times when it would be darker, but they had been spending a lot of time in the sun lately. The tan he sported definitely proved that. The red trunks with orange palm trees were new, bought in California the last time they’d been on the mainland. She had been the one who had picked the trunks out. She sighed. The man was perfect, just perfect. Oh, there were a few scars here and there. There was the one on the arm where he got hit on his first assignment with Sean. And she knew there was one on the back of his right calf from a knife wound. He had gotten that in one particularly bad situation in Jakarta a year ago. He was like Sean. Each one of those scars just made them both sexier.

  She looked back out over the rolling waves. The scent of the salty ocean air and coconut oil filled the air. Usually, it relaxed her. Right now, it was making her fucking mental. She knew without a doubt that Sean wasn’t screwing them around now, but she was getting bloody tired of waiting on the answers.

  Randy rubbed some sunscreen onto her back. “So, what do you think that was all about? I don’t think he was burned, but something definitely went down.”r />
  She shrugged, pulling her legs up and wrapping her arms around them. That was what was irritating her. For years, she had been able to understand Sean. Even after their breakup, she could usually tell what he was thinking. It was because she knew where he came from, what he wanted to do with his life. Now, though, it was like dealing with a completely different person. He was a distant stranger; and worse, she worried about his motives.

  “No comment?” he asked.

  “I don’t know what to think.”

  “Yeah,” Randy said as he poured some sunscreen on his chest and rubbed it in. “He’s playing this very close to his chest.”

  “That’s nothing new.”

  He closed the container and tossed the bottle on the sand beside him. “No, but this is another whole level from him. He’s acting like he has something else to protect. And we both know that even with our past problems, he has never hidden this much from us. The fact that he won’t talk to us is kind of worrisome.”

  “Maybe not something else…maybe it’s someone else.”

  Randy gave her a sharp look. “You think there is another lover in the mix?”

  That was the thought that was gnawing at her gut. Sean had always been very protective of women, even if they could handle their own fights. Jaime always thought it had something to do with the way his mother had been abused in real life. She could hold her own in any fight, and he would let her. But there was always a point for him where he would step in. This felt like that and it was breaking her heart.

  “Jaime?” His voice was gentle, and she knew then Randy was truly worried about her. Hell, she was worried about all three of them.

  “I’m not sure what it is, but I do know he isn’t being truthful with us.”

  He laid back on his towel and didn’t say anything for a few moments. “I think you’re being a little harsh because you are a control freak—at least out of the bedroom.”

  She slanted him a look and saw the cocky little smile. Damn, both of them were bad about knowing they had her pegged. It was hard to deny it because they were right. All they had to do was give her one of those looks, or say something particularly dirty, and she melted into a puddle of lust. There was part of her who wished that wasn’t the way of it, but that was just the way it was.

  “You haven’t heard back from anyone about your father, have you?”

  She fought the anger that was pounding through her blood. She was still pissed Royce hadn’t contacted her about this, and somehow got Sean tangled up in the mess. “Don’t use the term father for Royce. I refuse to let a man who was never around during my childhood wear the name.”

  “Did he ever explain?”

  She nodded. “He tried to say he didn’t know, but I don’t believe him.”

  He said nothing to that. She waited, but he was suspiciously quiet.

  She pulled her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose and looked at him. He had his eyes closed.

  “What? You don’t trust him any more than I do.”

  He sighed and opened his eyes. “But we both work for him.”

  “Not anymore.”

  “When did that happen?”

  She shrugged again. “Mainly knowing the wanker got Sean mixed up in this mess got him kicked off the list of people I’ll work with. Also, I don’t think Sean will be working for him any more after this. You know he was the only reason we were taking jobs.”

  He frowned.

  “What?” she asked when he said nothing.

  “Jaime, he’s your father.”

  Anger made her voice lash out. “I told you not to use that term.”

  “You’re blood related at least.”

  “It doesn’t mean I have to work with him. Right now, I don’t even want to talk to him, other than to tell him to bugger off for this mess.”

  When Randy didn’t pile on to her irritation, she looked at him. He had closed his eyes and seemed to be enjoying the sun. But she knew better. Randy was trying to avoid an argument.

  “What?”

  He sighed and opened his eyes again. Then he cursed and put his sunglasses on. “How do all these people deal with this much sun?”

  “Not everyone wants to live in rainy Forks, Washington. And quit trying to avoid telling me what you were thinking.”

  “Okay. It’s just that as long as I have known Sean, I have found it difficult to get him to do what I want him to do.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I mean that if he didn’t want to help your fa—sorry Lassiter, then he wouldn’t have.”

  “That’s what I mean. There is something else driving him—something he isn’t telling either of us about.”

  “That wasn’t my point.”

  “What was your point again?”

  “That you can’t blame Lassiter for what Sean agreed to do.”

  She frowned and looked out at the ocean again. She knew he was right, but it didn't mean she couldn’t still be furious at Royce about it. Royce had made sure they didn’t know about it, so he had done the job without telling Randy and Jaime. It had put Sean in danger, and that was just not something she could deal with.

  “He didn’t have to go to Sean.”

  “Yes, that’s something I have to agree with.”

  “Wait,” she said, giving him a nasty smile, “I need to record this so I can play it back to you when you belittle my opinion.”

  “I don’t belittle your opinion. I disagree with you from time to time, and that is not the issue at hand. Stop trying to start a fight with me.”

  “I am not trying to start a fight with you.”

  But they both knew she was. It was the one defense mechanism she used with both Sean and Randy. She should have realized years ago that is why they were both so important to her on that same level. Everything about them drew her, but in different ways. Randy was a talker, a man who liked to talk himself out of a situation—or snap an adversary’s neck if that didn’t work. Sean was the thinker. The planner. The man who would have the perfect plan for any situation—with a backup plan that usually had the same result as Randy’s. And damn, they both knew just how to get her insanely hot.

  “Jaime?”

  She shook her head trying to bring her mind back to the present discussion. “Sorry.”

  “No worries, as Sean always says. But if you were thinking what I think you were thinking, you must tell me everything in vivid detail.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  She couldn’t help but laugh. This is why she had been drawn to Randy. He could always make her smile, no matter what situation they were in. Even in the worst situation, he would coax a chuckle out of her.

  “Then tell me what you were talking about.”

  She thought through their conversation. “You said there was something or someone else this was about. More than likely, it has to do with family or what he calls his Ohana, these people he knows here.”

  Randy nodded. “That’s true. It’s not like we’re the only ones in the business he knows. And, he has that ranch his uncle used to own, the one over on the Big Island. Something might be up with that.”

  “Cowboys in danger?”

  He flashed her a smile. “Eli St. John owns the ranch now.”

  The name sounded familiar and then it clicked. Tall, built, blond hair. He was a Dom with a lethal smile and a taste for all kinds of women—until recently. She’d heard he had gotten married. “Oh, yeah, I remember him. Former Special Forces for the Aussie Army.”

  He nodded. “I know that he is very close to Eli and his new wife. He’s related to her in some kind of way. Of course, there is always Ali.”

  She grunted at the name. She didn’t really know the woman, but Jaime did not like her. Or rather, she knew Ali didn’t like her, so she thought it fair to reciprocate. Of course, turning down Sean’s marriage proposal probably gave Ali some justification.

  “I don’t think we will need her help.”

  Randy chuckled. “No, but she does have issues,
and Sean was like a brother to her. Granted, her husband can take care of anything that comes up, and so can Micah—“

  “Micah as in Rough ‘n Ready?”

  “Yeah. He’s Ali’s brother-in-law. She’s married to his wife’s brother.”

  All the connections were starting to make her head spin. “Hmm, the world is indeed small.”

  “I agree. There is something else going on, something else driving him. At the moment, pressing him for more answers isn’t going to help, but he’s promised them. So, why not just enjoy our life right now. We’re staying at a million dollar home on one of the best beaches in the world. We are having amazing sex, and pretty soon, Sean will tell us everything.”

  She knew he was right and nodded. But even as she lay beside him enjoying the heat of the sun on her skin, Jaime knew something bad was right around the corner. One of the things that had kept her alive more than once during her life was her sixth sense. When trouble was approaching, she knew before anyone else did. But, for the moment, Jaime would let things slide. She made herself one promise right then, though.

  Blood or no blood, she would kill Royce if anything happened to Sean.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Sean paced the kitchen, his office, and around the pool. He couldn’t seem to sit still. He wondered if this was what it was like for parents? Other than his mother, he had never had any close relatives, but now all he could think about was what could go wrong. Waiting on the plane to return was one of the most frightening experiences in his life.

  “Would you quit milling around?” Jaime said.

  He stopped and looked at her. From the way her eyes were narrowed, Sean could tell she was irritated. “What?”

  “You’re driving me bloody mental. All this walking around, here and there, mumbling under your breath.”

  He opened his mouth to respond, but he heard the beep from the intercom at the gate. He strode to the box.

  “Yeah.”

  “It’s me.”

  No need for him to say it was Del. There was no way to mistake the growl from the intercom. He buzzed him in.

  “Well, he’s rude,” Jaime said, walking up behind him and crossing her arms beneath her breasts.