Hard as Stone (Passion in Paradise: The Men of the McKinnnon Sisters)

by Sarah O'Rourke

  “Talk,” he heard Jacob answer his phone with gruff impatience.

  “Stone, it’s Zeke. There isn’t a good way to say this, so I’m just gonna spit it out. You’re fucked, man. Harmony knows. She doesn’t know everything, but just enough that she’s convinced you’re a fucking stalker here to do her and her family harm. She broke in and found your files, man. Your arsenal, too. My advice – get back here. Do it fast and start damage control.”

  “On my way,” Jacob replied succinctly, his voice hard, but resigned. “Is she secure?”

  “Physically, she’s fine. Cain and Abel are both tailing her. She should be at the café when you hit town,” Zeke answered.

  “Okay. I’m less than an hour out. I’ll be there shortly.”

  “One more word of advice, Stone,” Zeke added, flipping the lights off as he moved to the front door.

  “Yeah?”

  “Brace, brother.”

  Chapter Thirty-one

  “Fuckin’ hell,” Jacob cursed, slamming his phone down on the seat of his bike as he turned and faced a man he’d known for the better part of a decade.

  “Trouble in Paradise?” Luis Vega drawled laconically, lifting one inky eyebrow heavenward.

  “Don’t be a dick, Luis,” Jacob bit off, his jaw clenching as he narrowed his eyes on his former partner. “Harmony found my files.”

  Straightening, Luis face tightened. “Which files?”

  “I’m assuming all of them. That was the Sheriff on the phone. Evidently, he caught her red-handed. I need to get back and do damage control,” he informed the other man, running a frustrated hand over his face.

  “Jesus, Widowmaker,” Luis snarled angrily, “You gonna let a woman ruin this whole fucking operation? What the fuck, man? You’re going fucking soft! She might be fine piece of ass with a tight little pussy but she’s not fuckin’ worth throwing away…”

  Jacob didn’t think; he just saw a red haze descend over his vision as he heard the way the undercover agent referred to Harmony. Before he could control his actions, he’d reached for Luis’s throat, squeezing the other man’s windpipe as he slammed his old friend against the parked rusty truck he’d driven to the meeting point. “She is not a piece of ass. She’s not some loose pussy skank that I’m fucking to get a job done. She’s Harmony. And she’s MINE! Acknowledge you understand me, Luis,” he demanded, his voice low and menacing as he got nose to nose with a man he’d considered one of his closest friends until now.

  Clawing at Jacob’s wrist, Luis choked, “Got it, man. Stand down, motherfucker! I got you.”

  Releasing his grip with a flick of his wrist, Jacob made himself take a step backward. Still radiating a fury he’d never felt before, he pinned Luis with his eyes. “I consider you a friend, but you spew shit like that again, you’ll become my enemy before you can blink, asshole.”

  Rubbing his raw throat, Luis could only shake his head and stare at Jacob with incredulous eyes. “Holy fuck,” he gasped, his voice ragged. “You’re fucking serious. You’d throw away everything you’ve worked to do for this…”

  “Be careful, man,” Jacob warned, his eyes narrowing.

  “She’s not like the others,” Luis realized belatedly, eyeing Jacob warily.

  “She’s nothing like the others,” Jacob confirmed harshly. “Make those comparisons again and I’ll end you, friend or not.”

  “Fuck me. She’s got you wrapped around her little finger. Her and this daughter of hers. The great Jacob Stone, brought low by a pretty single mama and her pint size bambina,” Luis whispered in sheer amazement. “I never thought I’d live long enough to see this shit. You, the guy that’s hunted Diego’s ass for fuckin’ decades, and you’re just gonna give that shit up. For a woman.” He shook his head disbelievingly.

  “She’s not just any woman. She’s mine. Her daughter, Heaven, is mine. Get that shit straight in your head right now,” he ordered heavily, his eyes burning with the fires of Hell as they bore into Luis.

  “This Heaven… she is Tanner’s, amigo. I have seen her. There is no denying this,” Luis pointed out carefully.

  “I’ve been more of a father to that little girl in five fucking minutes than Tanner has been her entire life. She’s a pawn to him. She’s everything to me. They both are and I’d give my life for theirs in a heartbeat if it meant they both got long, happy lives ahead of them. But, I can see you still don’t get it. When you find your ‘One’, you’ll get it,” Jacob replied softly, the muscle in his jaw flexing as he spoke.

  “I hope to fuck I never get this. Not if this shit is what happens,” Luis denied, shaking his head as he dropped his hand from his throat. “Just tell me this. She worth it? I mean, really, Widowmaker. You can really walk away from the DEA and your vendetta against Fuentes for a woman you just met a month and a half ago?” he asked, tilting his head at the man he’d have sworn he knew like a brother.

  “I faxed my resignation and retirement forms to the Agency this morning, Luis,” Jacob confided quietly. “I’m done. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll send Fuentes’ black soul straight to hell if I get the chance, but I won’t risk my family to do it. I knew Harmony was my ‘One’ almost the minute I laid eyes on her. That’s how fucking fast it can happen. When you see your future staring you in the face, all blue eyes and timid smiles, things tend to get very clear for a man very fast. So, yeah, she’s fucking worth it.”

  “I can’t believe this shit, Jacob,” Luis breathed, his dark eyes round with shock. “The fucking renegade of the DEA has been tamed? Tell me this is part of some plan you’ve got going, man.”

  “Yeah, it is,” Jacob agreed with a nod. “My plan is to give my family a good life. A safe life. They’ve been through enough shit to last three lifetimes. What can I tell you, amigo? I found something worth more than my need for vengeance. Harmony and Heaven. Because of Harmony, I’ve got three more sisters that are living and breathing, right here on Earth and need my protection. I’ll always remember my blood sister. And I still want Nessa to have justice for what happened to her. But not at the expense of the family I’ve waited my entire fucking life to have, Luis. It sucks that I may not be able to have both, but Harmony is definitely worth what I’m giving up. It’s a good trade.”

  “We’ve almost got Diego, Jacob. Don’t fuck up this operation,” Luis bit out, his jaw clenching as his fists balled at his side.

  “Keep my woman and her family out of it then. Pull Tanner back. I don’t care how you do it. Find a way,” Jacob growled, meeting Luis’ gaze head on.

  “It’s too late for that, Widowmaker. The wheels are turning and the operation is in play,” Luis countered sharply, shaking his head. “We’re not gonna pull back and I’m not gonna change anything. This goes down the way we laid it out months ago.”

  “Then you and I got problems, Luis, and I think you know me well enough to get that I’ll be a hell of an adversary. I don’t have any allegiance to the DEA. I’m a civilian now, but I’m a fucking well trained civilian. I won’t allow my girls to be hurt, and I got zero problem causin’ Suarez a world of fuckin’ pain. I owe that fucker for what he did to my woman.”

  Luis hung his head, running a hand around the nape of his neck. “I know what that sick fuck did,” he grunted. “Bastard brags about that shit. Thinks he’s a big man for it. Some of the shit I’ve heard from that bastardo about what he’s done to women would turn your stomach. If you knew the things I know…,” he paused, shuddering. “Let’s just say that I can see why you hate him. I hate him. I want to put a bullet in his head every time I look at his ugly face, but, he’s a necessary fixture for taking apart Fuentes’ operation.”

  “He’s a walking, talking dead man if he thinks to take what’s mine,” Jacob rumbled in response, his shoulders stiffening.

  “Diego wants the land, amigo. We gotta get the drugs into this tiny fucking shithole town if we’re actually going to nail him on all the fucking charges we want the bastard for. Therefore, I need for that girl of yours to give u
p the land she has. Help me make that happen,” Luis pleaded, lifting his head to meet Jake’s eyes. “Keep your eye on the endgame, Jacob. You’re one of the best agents I’ve ever known, man. You see the wisdom of this plan, yes?”

  “You aren’t hearing me, Luis. That time is done. I won’t push Harmony to get any more mixed up in this clusterfuck than she already is,” Jake denied firmly, unwilling to relent. His first duty as a man – as her man – was to keep her safe.

  “Diego will get his way, and the DEA will let him make a hell of a mess while he goes about getting that way if it means they can finally take him down for good. That puts your woman in even more danger. It makes her not only Suarez’s mark, but Diego’s as well. For now, he’s content to let Tanner handle it. If he thinks Tanner cannot get this job done, he will step up to the plate. Think about that, muchacho. Think hard about what that means.”

  “I don’t care who comes for my woman, Luis. Tanner. Diego. You. You’ll find me standing right the fuck in front of her. And again, I don’t give a fuck what play the DEA has in motion,” Jacob shared harshly. “As a courtesy and because I respect the years of friendship we’ve shared, I’m being straight-up with you.”

  Nodding slowly, Luis sighed. “I can hear that,” he acknowledged quietly.

  “So, we’re clear?” Jacob asked impatiently.

  “Clear, Widowmaker,” Diego agreed, albeit unhappily.

  “Then I’ve got a woman that needs me and plenty of shit to do,” Jacob growled, turning to stride toward his bike. Picking up his cell he shoved it in his pocket, his mind already on finding Harmony and straightening shit out with her.

  “I hope that she is good for you, Jacob. Bueno suerte, mi amigo,” he called as his former partner swung his leg over the Harley and gunned the engine. “You are going to need it,” he said softly as he watched his friend ride away.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  “So, can we, Momma?”

  Harmony heard her daughter chattering away as she moved woodenly, unfastening Heaven’s carseat buckles and releasing the latches restraining her little body. Slowly emerging from the heavy fog that had surrounded her since leaving Jake’s house, she focused on her child’s eager face. “What, baby?” she asked, lifting her daughter out of the seat and putting her on her sturdy feet in the gravel parking lot of the café. “I’m sorry, Momma didn’t hear you.”

  “Dat’s ‘cause you need to use your listening ears,” Heaven huffed, reaching up a little hand to tug at her momma’s earlobe. “I said can we go pway on da tram’line. Jake said we could if it was warm ‘nuf.”

  Inhaling a shaky breath, she met her daughter’s bright eyes. How the hell was she supposed to explain that her relationship with Jacob Stone was now DOA? Especially when Heaven thought he was the best thing since Barney. She was definitely going to have to invest in a swing set and trampoline. There was no way in hell she was going to take her little girl back to Jake’s house. “Baby, I don’t think we’ll be seeing Jacob tonight,” she evaded gently. The truth was, if she had her way, neither one of them would ever lay eyes on that rat bastard again. EVER.

  “Why? He said he’d read me The Velvet Rabbit tonight,” Heaven argued, her blue eyes becoming slightly mutinous.

  “He’s going to be… busy, Heaven. I promise, I’ll read you The Velveteen Rabbit tonight, baby,” Harmony fibbed shakily. She hated lying to her kid, but she had absolutely no idea how she was going to help her baby girl comprehend any of this – especially when she didn’t understand any of this.

  “But you don’t do da voices right,” Heaven sniffed, pressing her lips together as she stared at her mother with stormy eyes.

  “Then, I’ll just have to try harder, won’t I?” Harmony returned as evenly as she could, silently cursing Jacob Stone and his wide selection of silly voices to hell and back. The bastard had even taken story time from her and made it into something that she’d dread. There was no way she could mimic all those voices he could do for Heaven.

  Taking Heaven’s hand, she guided her baby toward the back entrance of the diner. Vaguely, she knew her sisters, Cain, and Abel were following them inside, but she couldn’t face them right now. Right now, she had to concentrate of putting one foot in front of the other. Survival was her only goal at this point. That, and protecting her kid from whatever unknown bullshit Jake had brought into their lives.

  “Can we call him?” Heaven asked as her mother pulled her through the doorway, pausing to help her take her coat off. “He could tell me story on da phone, Momma.”

  “No, Heaven,” Harmony denied huskily, her voice thick with tears. “We’re not calling him,” she whispered, keeping her eyes glued to the pink buttons on her daughter’s coat. If she looked into those questioning eyes of Heaven’s, she’d dissolve and she knew it. “It’s just going to be you and me tonight, okay?”

  “O-kay,” Heaven muttered begrudgingly.

  Peeling the coat off Heaven’s shoulders, Harmony pressed her lips together. “Go get settled at the baking table, baby. I feel a cookie attack coming on. I’m thinking double chocolate chunk. What do you think? I’ll get your coloring books and you can keep me company while I mix them up. Aunt Orla?” she called to her Aunt where she stood watching them silently by the stove. “Could you grab Heaven’s Barbie coloring book?”

  “Yay!” Heaven jumped up and down, clapping before running to her metal stool at the table in the center of the room. “Cookies and coloring!”

  “Come on, peanut.” Aunt Orla offered, shooting Harmony an understanding small smile as she held out her hand to Heaven. “Let’s go find those books in the office.”

  Rising back to her feet, she met the concerned gazes of two of her sisters, both standing against the wall and watching her carefully. “I’m fine, guys,” she assured them softly.

  “You are not fine,” Patience snorted, shaking her head. “I know this because I’m not fine. I’m pissed. I’m homicidal. I’m soooo not fine.”

  “I will be and so will you,” Harmony declared shortly, shaking her head as she straightened her shoulders. “Listen, I’m not the first woman ever to be made a fool of by a man, and I’m sure I won’t be the last. I just need a little time to come to grips with the fact that I should be banned from choosing a man. Somehow, I managed to nearly hook my wagon to a second total loser. My taste sucks. But, hey, at least I found out about this one before I had a kid with him or he could beat the ever lovin’ shit out of me. That’s a bright side, right?” she asked sarcastically.

  “Honey,” Faith murmured, moving closer. “Maybe Zeke is right. Maybe you should call Jake and see….”

  “Jake and I are over, Faith. We’re done!” Harmony bit out, her voice lifting. Grimacing as she realized how loudly she’d spoken, she darted a look toward the office. Thankfully, Heaven was still absorbed in looking through her coloring books. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to her sisters and reminded herself that they were not the enemy here. Both Cain and Abel had been smart enough to get the hell out of the kitchen, but she knew her baby sisters were made of sterner stuff. “Look, right now, I just wanna eat all the cookies I can stuff in my mouth and be with my kid while I figure out a way to explain to her that Jake is no longer gonna be a part of our future. That’s all I can handle right now. I love you both, but I need a few minutes to get my head on straight, okay? You can both get that, right?”

  “We got it, sis, but I reserve the right to rip Jacob Stone’s nine inches off and shove it down his throat if I see him,” Patience grumbled, her eyes promising fiery retribution.

  “If he’s guilty,” Faith quickly added.

  Staring at the most forgiving of the sisters, Harmony took Faith’s hand. “I’m not you. I can’t just get past things. At the very least, Jake deceived me. He allowed me think he was something he wasn’t. Sin by omission is still sin. And that may only be the tip of the iceberg. I don’t want a man that could lie so easily anywhere near me or my daughter.”

  “But Zeke said
there were reasons,” Faith began to argue, tightening her fingers on Harmony’s. “Shouldn’t you at least…”

  “Faith,” Patience interrupted, seeing the tremble begin in Harmony’s lower lip, “That’s enough. Harmony has gotta do what she thinks is best for her and our niece. Our job is to support whatever that is. End of story,” she stated firmly, touching Faith’s arm. “Let’s give the woman the time she needs to make those choices. Although,” she noted, offering Harmony a cruel smile, “You say the word, and I’ll get his dick mounted for you above the fireplace at home.”

  “Thank you,” Harmony said softly, letting go of Faith’s hand as her two sisters walked out of the kitchen, the door swinging closed behind them. Walking to the window above the counter that offered a view into the restaurant, she pulled it down quickly. She certainly didn’t need the prying eyes of Paradise studying her every move. Not this afternoon.

  Smiling when her daughter ran back out of the office, crayons in one hand and coloring book in the other, she sighed. Life went on. She had Heaven, a stake in the café, and a brand new event planning business. She didn’t need a fucking man in her life. Certainly not one as deceptive as Jacob Stone.

  “Harmony?” she heard her Aunt Orla call. “You gonna be okay, sugar?” the elderly woman asked, her aged voice almost unbearably kind, pulling tears to her eyes.

  “I will be, Auntie.” She tried to smile convincingly at the woman that had welcomed her back into their family after Tanner had done his best to tear it apart. She owed this woman respect and knew she needed to hear her out. After all, Aunt Orla had sacrificed a lot to finish raising her sisters when their Momma and Daddy died. “I just…” she trailed off, swallowing hard.

  “I don’t know what happened with you and that man,” the old woman said softly, “But, Harmony, girl, that boy didn’t have the look of a man here to do harm when he gazed on you and Heaven. I saw the opposite. I don’t think there’s much he wouldn’t do for you. Don’t know what his story is, but I figure, it might be worth listening to.”