Page 62 of Stone
“Sleep,” he said, pressing his lips to the top of her head before resting his cheek there. A few minutes later, her breathing evened out as she drifted off to Lily White’s Party.
As the host moved on from talking about the games and entertainment of the Maya people to their religious rites and ceremonies, his mind drifted to Agent Parks. He was still wondering what she might be able to do about the triad when he, too, slipped into sleep.
Seatedin the lodge room of the clubhouse, Stone sipped his coffee while Dottie gave Juliana and Sherman a tour of the kitchen and gardens. Every so often, he’d hear the echo of laughter, making him smile as well.
“Sorry I haven’t been around much,” Mantis said, joining him.
Stone lifted his shoulder. “Not a problem. With Philly, Viper, and Monk, we’ve more than gotten by.”
“How’s Juliana?”
Stone smiled. “She’s good. Worried about how to end all this, but good.” Mantis had been with him at the library the day he’d met Juliana for the first time. Stone didn’t believe in love at first sight, but it had certainly beensomethingat first sight. And Mantis had watched it all unfold. Even if Stone wanted to downplay what was happening between him and Juliana, he couldn’t. Mantis had probably known that Stone was a goner for the sexy librarian before he had.
“And Charley?” Stone asked. Never in their wildest imaginations would any of the Falcons have thought one of them would be dating the granddaughter of a former president. But there was no denying that Mantis and Charley were good together. Really good.
“A little stressed, but great. She’s at the warehouse this morning getting everything ready for the long trip.”
“You going this time?”
Mantis shook his head, surprising Stone. Charley led both day and overnight hiking trips, and Mantis had joined her on more than a few of the overnighters since they’d started dating.
“It’s a five-night women’s-only trip. Tia and Cass are going, though,” he added. Tia was Charley’s cousin-in-law and a former CIA operative, while Cass was the head of security for Tia and her family—a family that consisted of her country music megastar husband, who also happened to be Charley’s cousin, and their twin girls. The security team wasn’t as active while the family was in Mystery Lake, which gave Cass time to join Charley on several of her trips.
“I hear Juliana is staying with you. You going to try to make that permanent once everything is resolved?” Mantis asked.
Not bothering to hedge, Stone nodded.
Mantis grinned. “Good. I’m happy for you.” Like him and all the other men in the club, Mantis’s early years had been shitty,with his father ultimately killing his mother. If it hadn’t been for a certain psychologist, Dr. Morgan Leventhal, who’d invested in each of them at one point or another, they’d all be very broken men. She hadn’t “fixed” them, but thanks to her, they had the means and structure to address the traumas of their pasts. And she’d helped them find a place where family—of choice—was their strength. Something none of them ever forgot.
“Me, too,” Stone replied. “Me, too.”
Sherman came skittering into the room, paused when he saw Mantis, then trotted over to Stone and flopped onto his feet.
“How’s he doing?” Mantis asked with a nod to the puppy.
“Got a clean bill of health from the blood work the vet did yesterday. He has anxiety, but the vet thought that would fade with time and consistency.”
Mantis sighed. “I get that sometimes shit happens that makes it so people can’t care for their pets and that sometimes, they can’t even drop them at shelters because the shelters won’t take surrenders, but I wish people would think about these thingsbeforegetting a pet.”
Stone did, too, but like Mantis, knew that life sometimes threw curveballs and you didn’t always have time to dodge them. At least the vet assured them that, based on her interactions with him, she believed that Sherman’s prior owners had treated him well.
“Well, he doesn’t have to worry about any of that now,” Stone said, reaching down and scratching his mane.
“Doesn’t have to worry about what?” Juliana asked, walking into the room carrying a tray with cups of coffee and, if he wasn’t mistaken, several plates of coffee cake. Mantis hopped up and took it from her.
“Sherman doesn’t have to worry about being abandoned again,” Stone said, tugging Juliana down for a kiss before she slid onto the seat beside him.
“Is that coffee cake?” Viper asked, strolling in from the west wing of the building that housed the members’ rooms.
“I’ll go grab more,” Mantis said, setting the plates on the table.
“Monk is on his way, too,” Stone said. “We have a meeting with that FBI agent in a few minutes.” Mantis nodded and left the room. Stone had called their president early that morning to give him the heads-up. No one was worried about one showing up on their doorstep, but Mantis liked knowing what was going on with the club.
By the time the agent’s rental car turned onto the drive—the security footage displayed on Stone’s phone—Monk had arrived and was digging into the last piece of cake.
Stone leaned over so Juliana could watch the approach with him, but deep in conversation with Viper about the lyrics to some old pop song, she waved him off. With another glance at his device, he realized she had a point—he didn’t need to watch the agent’s every move. She wasn’t an enemy; she wasn’t there to do harm. He could let her knock on the door and announce her arrival the old-fashioned way.
After sliding his phone back into his pocket, he laid his arm over Juliana’s shoulders, the silky strands of her ponytail brushing against his skin. The way she accepted his casual touch, welcomed it by leaning a little closer to him, sent a whorl of satisfaction through him.
