Page 42 of Stone
“Give me your phone, Stone,” Dani insisted, holding out her hand as soon as she pulled away from the hug.
“Why?”
“Because I want to take a picture of the three of you. Is that okay?” She lifted her head, tossing me one of her famous rebellious looks.
I gritted my teeth, but knew I’d never hear the end of it if I didn’t comply. I slapped the phone into her hand, moving beside my buddies.
“Come on, closer together. Act like you care about each other,” she commanded and held the phone in front of her.
The three of us grumbled and as soon as she took a shot, she issued the kind of look a teacher would give right before she sent you to the principal’s office. “No peace sign over the head, Kage.”
“Oops,” he teased.
“Be serious. You never know when you’ll get to see each other again.”
Well, she was right about that. A hell of a long time had gone by since we’d left the Navy and started fresh lives.
All three of us were still haunted by what we’d been through.
Loners.
Shattered in one way or another.
We acted less like kids and she was finally able to get the shot, smiling as she glanced at the results.
“That’s perfect,” she said as she handed me the phone.
I was about ready to order her up the stairs when Theo came running. This time instead of a cloth, he had an assault rifle in his hand. He’d had several careers, including being a mercenary.
“We’ve got friends on the way,” he gritted out. “Get your asses on the plane and we’ll take care of them. No planes in the sky around you, but once you’re up, you’ll need to pay attention to other traffic.” He lifted his rifle. “I also have some other toys incase it becomes necessary. Compliments of a Russian customer of mine.”
“You never cease to surprise me,” I told him. “Go, Dani. Get up the stairs.”
I clapped him on the shoulder and nodded to my buddies.
“Be careful, flyboy,” Kage said as I pushed her forward, her determined attitude keeping her standing in the same place.
“Don’t get yourself killed,” I yelled in response. “Go, Dani. This could get rough.”
She remained quiet, for once not arguing with me. While the plane was small, she was mighty. I only hoped she wouldn’t end up full of holes before we got in the sky.
Maddox was already removing the stairs and just before I closed the door, I offered them a short salute. Something I’d done on the day I’d left our post on the way to my parents’ funeral.
I’d thought I’d be back serving my unit maybe for life, but things had changed.
I tossed the bag, directing her toward one of the seats behind the cockpit. The plane was mostly used for cargo, but occasionally I had a passenger or two.
“Sit there,” I directed before climbing into the cockpit, immediately turning on the plane.
“Not a chance.”
When she slipped into the seat beside me, I growled. “What are you doing?”
“You’re out of your mind if you think I’m going to sit back there. I need to see what’s going on.”
There was no time to argue with her. “Put your seatbelt on. Tight.”
As the engine roared to life, I checked the other instruments. This was going to be dicey as hell. As soon as I rolled from the hangar, I regretted not going after Matis myself.
