Page 20 of Stone
“Prickly? You’re about to get a crash course in what prickly means. My hatred of the man goes deep and you knew that. Didn’t you?”
“He might have mentioned you’d never go for it.”
I pointed my finger at him. “This is bullshit, Commander. Bullshit.”
“Just hear him out.”
With the drink slammed onto the credenza, I headed for the back door.
“Stone. Don’t do anything stupid,” Gray warned. “Come on. We need your help. Think about Daniella.”
“Who, me? Why would I ever consider doing anything stupid, and I am thinking about her. She fucking hates her father.” That much I knew to be true. Just as the VP made his way up the back stairs, I threw open the door. “Bradford. What a surprise. I wish I could say it was pleasant.”
Silently he approached, studying me with the same scrutinizing criticism I’d seen dozens of times. “Stone. It’s good to see you.”
“I can’t say the same.”
I hauled off and issued the brutal punch against his cheek.
The force almost tossed him off the edge of the deck.
Shouts ensued, the men protecting him immediately reacting. At least I’d gotten to see a look of surprise on Bradford’s fucking face.
His secret service reacted almost instantly, two of the assholes yanking their weapons into their hands.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Stone. Why did you do that?” Gray said from behind me.
“Because I owed him.” That and so much more.
When the two idiots tried to grab me, Bradford threw out his arm. “Don’t. Just let it go. He’s right. I had that coming.” He stood, although he remained shaky. Rubbing his jaw, hesuddenly had a look of amusement on his face. “You haven’t changed.”
“Why should I? Nothing was wrong with me before.”
I shook my head and walked back inside. This shit I didn’t need on any given day.
As expected, the asshole and his brigade of merry men followed. I grabbed my drink, heading to the opposite side of the room and away from them. My heart was heavy. My mind was foggy. My anger was high. This wasn’t a good day.
My baby was in trouble.
Only she wasn’t my baby any longer. Far from it.
The silence and tension were palpable. Gray finally cleared his throat. “We should talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I barked.
“Did you show him the video?” Bradford asked.
A video. Great. Art.
“Not yet.” Gray had the same voice he always had when disappointed in something I’d said or done. So the fuck what? I didn’t owe anyone anything. “Take a look at this, Stone. Please. Then make your decision after that.”
Sighing, I stared into my drink, wishing I’d added even more vodka. “Fine. I’ll look at the damn thing.” By the time I turned around, Gray had an iPad in his hand. He met me halfway and handed me the computer, a video already playing.
I’d seen a lot of things during my military career from insurgents holding innocent victims captive to burned-out towns, and liveslost because of wars the people had never wanted to be a part of. I’d witnessed so much loss of life that I couldn’t count the number of deaths.
But seeing someone I’d loved… still loved being held captive, with obvious signs of physical as well as emotional abuse turned my stomach to the point I had to look away. With my chest heaving, I forced myself to pay closer attention.
Daniella had the same beautiful hair, although it was dulled from sweat and grime. Her face was pinched, her cheek and eye swollen from being punched or worse. Even her lip was cracked, dried blood obvious. She was bound to a chair, forced to say things that I knew even in her distrust and disgust of her father she didn’t mean.
