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

by Sarah O'Rourke

  Jacob nodded because he understood. Looking at Zeke, he ordered, “Give it to her.”

  Sighing, Zeke bent to unstrap the gun from the holster around his ankle and carefully passed it to Harmony. “If you feel the need to use that, make sure you kill him. It’s a hell of a lot less paperwork for me.”

  Harmony’s lips twitched in spite of the tense circumstances and she nodded. Looking at Honor’s pinched, worried face, she whispered, “I’ll be just fine, honey. Are you okay to go with Zeke?”

  Honor knew what Harmony was asking her. “Zeke won’t hurt me,” she said tightly, almost as though she was willing herself to believe it as much as she was trying to convince Harmony.

  “No, Zeke would never hurt you,” Harmony repeated, reaching for her sister and hugging her for long moments while Zeke and Jake traded a worried, perplexed look between them.

  “Are you alright here with Jake?” Honor asked Harmony against her ear. “I’ll stay if you want me to be here. Ezekiel can go hang,” she remarked with a little of her normal sass. “Won’t be the first time I told him to do it.”

  “I promise, I’ll be fine. You made sure I was armed before you left,” Harmony joked, drawing back to smile sadly at her sister. “We’ll be right behind you, Peanut. Then you, me, Patience and Faith will sit down and talk when I get home.” Seeing Honor flinch, she tightened her arms around her sister. “We have to talk about it; you know we do,” she whispered before releasing her. “Take care of my sister, Zeke,” she ordered the other man as he took Honor’s arm, wincing when her sister stiffened at the contact. “And go easy,” she warned, exchanging a meaningful look with him. Seeing the flash of confusion overtake Zeke’s face as he steered Honor toward the door, she released a shaky sigh. God, regular old bad had gotten so very worse in just a few short hours that she could hardly wrap her mind around it.

  And now, she had to deal with Jacob fucking Stone and the nightmare he’d delivered to her life. Tightening her fingers around the gun in her hand, she turned to face him.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  “I’m not doing this here,” Jacob denied as soon as Harmony turned to face him, her normally beautiful face set in harsh lines, her eyes shadowed by the ghosts of her past. It was obvious she was in a less than forgiving mood, and he’d be damned if he’d try and convince her he was at least a decent guy while he was standing in the kitchen where she’d so recently been abused a-fucking-gain by her dick of an ex-husband. Nope, not doing it.

  Plainly, however, she had other ideas. The flash he saw in her eyes let him know he was walking on thin ice where she was concerned. Lifting a hand when she would have opened her mouth and let him have the edge of her tongue, he continued, “I owe you answers. I know that and I’m not trying to avoid the conversation. I’m just asking that we have it someplace else.”

  “I don’t know who you are,” she repeated for what felt like the five millionth time today. “I don’t want to know who you are! I no longer care who you are. Sorry, but I’ve had my fill of asshole whack jobs today. You think I’m just going to follow you meekly out the door?” she asked with a hollow laugh. “Not fucking likely, Jacob Stone or whatever the hell your real name is. You got something you want to say to me? Say it here.”

  “Harmony, baby, I know it’s raining,” he said softly, reminding her of their conversation the previous night. “But, I’ve got the umbrella. All you’ve got to do is step under it and I’ll keep you warm and dry.”

  “You’re shitting me,” Harmony growled, shaking her head incredulously. “Please, God, tell me that you’re shitting me,” she begged as she began to laugh again. It wasn’t a pretty laugh. It was that kind of laughter you heard right before you witnessed somebody have a nervous breakdown. Definitely, not a funny kind of chuckle. “You think it’s raining? No, Jake, it’s not raining! It’s storming like a motherfucker! Hurricane Suarez just made landfall in all his destructive glory, asshat!” she yelled, jabbing her index finger into his hard chest as she got in his face. “And I suspect you had a whole fucking lot to do with that. So, I suggest you take your fucking umbrella, bend over, and jam it straight up your own ass because I will never depend on you for anything again!”

  A muscle in Jake’s jaw jumped as he stared down at her furious face. Well, he knew she’d blame him. He couldn’t say that he hadn’t expected this. He just wasn’t prepared for how much her words would fucking hurt. “You done?” he asked tersely.

  “Excuse me?” she hissed, her eyes shooting daggers at him.

  “I asked you if you were done,” Jake snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. “Because if you are, I’d like to get out of here.”

  “Then, go!” Harmony gestured at the door. “Nobody is stopping you. I certainly won’t.”

  “You’re coming with me. We’re going to have a discussion. You’re going to ask me questions, and I’m going to give you answers. But we are not doing any of it standing in the spot where Suarez assaulted you. Goddamn it, Harmony, being here… knowing that he was able to get in here – in the one place you should be able to feel comfortable and safe - and mark your pretty face and terrify Heaven and Honor … as much as you deserve my entire fucking attention, all I can think of when I’m standing here is how much I want to hunt that fucker down and rip out his fucking heart for touching what’s mine!”

  Harmony merely raised an eyebrow as his roar echoed through the empty kitchen. “That would be an impressive statement if Heaven or I were actually yours, but being as I have no idea who the fuck you are, I remain markedly unimpressed.”

  “Oh, you’re mine, Harmony,” Jake bit off, his own eyes darkening as they collided with hers. “Told you that last night. I was real fuckin’ clear. Guess I’m gonna have to remind you.”

  Lifting the hand holding Zeke’s gun between them, Harmony offered him a cool smile. “I encourage you to try, Jake. Go ahead, see how far you get,” she invited silkily. “I already told you. I’ve had enough of whack job assholes today. I didn’t have a gun when Tanner was here earlier, but you, I’m prepared to deal with.”

  Barely sparing the gun a glance, Jake advanced, crowding Harmony back against the stove as he leaned into her, the barrel of the pistol digging into his sternum. “Either pull the fuckin’ trigger or get your coat, darlin’. I’m not gonna stand here and bullshit all night. We need to get back to Heaven, but first we need to clear the air between us. You’ve got the gun. I pull any shit you don’t like, fucking shoot me, but just know that I am about two seconds away from losing the little of my patience I’ve got left, throwing you over my shoulder and carrying you out of here. It’d be a hell of a lot easier for you to follow me out the door, get on the back of my bike, and let me take us somewhere that doesn’t make me wanna commit murder. Now, fuckin’ decide. Shoot me or get your ass movin’.”

  Harmony’s jaw dropped at his nerve. “Do you even hear yourself?”

  “Heard every word. You done decidin’?” he growled in response, staring her in the eye as his hands itched at his sides. She had no idea how close he was to snatching her into his arms. “I’m not backing down here, Harmony. Choose or I choose for you,” he warned when she remained silent and sullen in front of him.

  “I’ll get my damn coat,” she clipped out, jerking her body to the side and stomping across the room to where she’d thrown her jacket when she arrived.

  Jake’s shoulders relaxed slightly as he watched her jam her arms angrily through the sleeves. She didn’t know it, but her actions were telling him everything he needed to know about where she stood. She was pissed. Hell, she was furious. But she still trusted him. She’d never risk going with him if she didn’t. His lips twitched as he watched her shove the gun into the pocket of her coat. Hell, she wasn’t even keeping the gun in her hand.

  He realized she’d caught him studying her when she marched to the back door and snapped at him, “Well, are we doing this or are you gonna stand there and ogle me all night?”

  Crossing the room,
he paused when he reached her side, towering over her. “Oh, we’re doing this, babe. Bike’s that way.” He jerked his thumb toward the door and tried not to laugh when she growled at him.

  Following her outside to his Harley, he pulled an extra helmet from the back of his bike and tossed it to her before swinging one leg over the hog and starting the engine. Turning his head toward her, his lips twitched again as she flounced toward him and threw her leg over the bike. “You’re gonna need to hold on to me, baby,” he informed her over his shoulder, unable to keep from chuckling when she muttered a few unladylike words under her breath. He was pretty certain she’d even made up a few new swear words, but he grinned when she reluctantly slid her arms around his waist.

  Five minutes later, he slid his bike into a parking spot at the duck pond of the town park. He and Harmony had brought Heaven here several times in the last month and he knew his woman liked the spot. Killing the engine, he silently noted that she wasted no time detaching herself from his body and sliding off the Harley.

  Watching as she stomped toward the bench facing the water, his lips quirked as he watched her kick more than one rock out of her way. Sighing, he climbed off his ride and followed her. He’d barely reached the wrought iron bench when she whipped her head toward him and pinned him with cold eyes. “If you brought me here to kill me, you picked a shit location to dispose of the body.”

  Okay, it was safe to say her statement pissed him off. Yes, he knew she felt betrayed, but after the month they’d shared together, she had to know him better than that. He should have checked his temper before he barked, “You serious with that shit?” Because, sadly, he found out she was.

  Bolting to her feet, she slammed a palm against his solid chest. Unprepared for her attack, she was mildly gratified when she sent him stumbling back a step as she yelled, “I’m serious as a fucking heart attack! Who the hell are you? Are you working with Tanner? Are you one of his boys? If you are, you can tell him I’ll die before he ever gets my daughter!”

  Locking a hand around her wrist when she would have reared back to hit him again, he yanked her forward and wrapped his other arm around her slim waist, plastering her body against him as. Bending his head until his nose touched hers, he felt her ragged breathing escalate as she stiffened in fear. “Stop it, Harmony. Stop this shit and settle down. I’d never hurt you. I’d never hurt Heaven. And somewhere in that stubborn mind of yours, I know you know that.”

  Lifting her face to his, she spat, “Fuck. You.” Her lips twisted in a cool caricature of a smile then as she tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “Oh, wait…. I already did that. Did you share that with Tanner, too? Did he get off on hearing all the dirty details of how you suckered me into your bed? Was that all part of the plan?”

  “Jesus,” he mumbled, staring down into her angry face, her hair whipping in the gentle wind. “Do you actually hear the shit you’re spewing at me?”

  “Every word,” she retorted, throwing his words from earlier back at him. “I just don’t happen to believe they’re shit.”

  Tightening his grip on her, Jacob shook his head. “I am not working with Tanner Suarez, Harmony. I have never worked with Tanner. If I ever get the opportunity, I am going to end the bastard’s fucking life for what he’s put you and Heaven through, but that’s the extent of the involvement I ever plan on having with the son of a bitch.”

  “So, I’m just supposed to believe it’s a wild coincidence that the man that I’ve been fucking, who also turns out to be the man I found out this morning has been stalking me and my family since he arrived in Paradise, has no connection to the psycho of an ex-husband that’s just cannonballed his way back into my life. Here’s a newsflash, Jacob! Being from the country does not make me stupid!” she screamed, fighting his grip on her as she squirmed in his arms. “Let me go!”

  “Harmony, stop fighting me before you hurt yourself,” Jacob ground out, winding his arms tighter around her. “You’re right, it’s not a coincidence, but you’ve got a lot of your facts wrong, baby. If you’ll just let me explain…”

  “You mean lie. If I’ll just stand here and let you lie to me some more,” she corrected, viciously twisting away from him and taking a step backward. “I’m not interested in hearing any more of your fairytales.”

  “Nothing… and I mean nothing I’ve ever told you has been a lie,” he replied softly, watching as her face clenched in pain. “I haven’t told you everything, but nothing I have said has been untrue, including the fact that I love you.”

  “Just stop,” Harmony whispered, shaking her head. “I’ve had a long day. A really, really bad day. It started when I found out the man I shared my body with turned out to be some kind of a stalker. It got worse when I turned around to find my ex-husband standing in my restaurant and having to listen to him threaten my daughter and me. I had to deal with him having his hands on my body. Then I had to learn what he did to…” Harmony broke off, choking on a sob as she sank her teeth into her bottom lip.

  “What he did to who, Harmony?” Jacob asked softly, his heart pounding as he watched two tears slide out of her eyes and glide down her cheeks.

  Shaking her head quickly, she whispered, “That’s family business. You are not my family. I need to go home to my family. Spout whatever lies you’re gonna tell so I can get back to people that really care about me,” she demanded hoarsely.

  Closing his eyes, Jacob fought the urge to take a step forward and shake the truth out of her. More had gone down in that kitchen than he’d ever imagined, and all of it was bad. It was written all over Harmony’s agonized face. And to help her deal with it, he had to know what the fuck had happened. First, though, he had to convince her that he wasn’t the bad guy. “Baby, I’m a lot of things. Some are good. Some are bad. I’m human, and I make mistakes. Sometimes, I make big ones. The one thing that I’m not is a liar. I haven’t told you things. Important things. But, I haven’t lied. I am not working with your ex-husband, and I haven’t been stalking you. I’ve been trying to protect you. Damn it, I love you, Harmony. And this is true, too. You are the only woman that has ever had those words from me. The only one, darlin’.”

  “I think every stalker I’ve ever read about said that exact same thing,” she noted dispassionately, unmoved by his declaration as she stared at him with wet eyes. “Is there some kind of stalker handbook that you all read before you make your plays?”

  Jacob ran a frustrated hand through his long hair. “Baby.”

  “Who are you? Is your name even Jacob Stone?” she whispered painfully. “Did you even bother to give me your real name before you fucked me?”

  “Jesus Christ!” Jacob exploded, throwing his hand in the air as he took an angry step toward her. “Are you listening to a fucking word I’m saying to you? Yeah, I fucked you last night, but it was a fuck of a lot more than that, Harmony, and you damn well know it. We made love. You touched me in ways I never thought existed, and I’m not just talking about my body though, darlin’, I’ll tell you straight up that I never had better from anybody. Swear to Christ Almighty, at times I thought you caressed my soul with yours. I know I felt that inner light you carry inside you shining on me. It was the warmest fuckin’ thing I’ve ever felt, bar none. That’s how close I felt to you. You’re not blind, deaf or dumb, so I know you felt it, too. So, don’t you dare relegate it to something as cold and emotionless as fucking! Don’t you fucking do it! You fucking felt it.”

  “You didn’t answer my question,” she remarked tonelessly, sinking back to the iron bench and looking out over the water.

  “Say you felt it, Harmony,” he demanded in response.

  “What. Is. Your. Name?” Harmony bit out each word.

  “Say you felt it,” Jacob countered again, his eyes going dark and smoky as they locked with hers in a silent battle of wills.

  Harmony looked away first, her shoulders sagging underneath her heavy coat. “You know I did,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Does that get you
off? Hearing me admit it?”

  “No, but it does give me a little bit of hope that I haven’t completely fucked this up,” he replied, some of the tension ebbed from his body at her low admission. It wasn’t a declaration of love, but he’d take it since it was more than she’d offered him so far. Now, he’d taken, so it was his turn to give. “I’ve been a lot of people in the last twenty years. Truthfully, I’ve been whoever I needed to be to get my assignments successfully completed. That said, my birth name really is Jacob Anderson Stone. My middle name is my mother’s maiden name. Until I came to this town, nobody on earth called me Jake other than my mom. Until I heard you call me by that nickname, I’d hated it. Now I live to hear it fall off your lips,” he shared quietly, watching as she absorbed what he said.

  He felt her staring at him, but he didn’t look at her. Instead, he sat down beside her and clasped his hands between his knees and forged ahead. “Most of my colleagues call me Widowmaker. I possess a certain skill set that makes the name self-explanatory.”

  “Holy shit! Patience was right, wasn’t she? You’re a hitman for the Mafia! That explains all the big, scary guns at your house,” Harmony groaned, burying her face in her hands and shaking her head. “My taste in men sucks!”

  “What? No!” Jacob denied quickly, reaching for one of her hands and peeling it away from her face. “I’m not in the mob, Sweetness, and there’s nothing wrong with your taste in men,” he insisted while she tried to pull her hand out of his. “Harmony, my name is Jacob Stone and I’m an operative for the Drug Enforcement Agency. More often than not, I was an undercover operative while on assignments – but I wasn’t on assignment here in Paradise. Although, I guess if I’m gonna get technical about it, I should say I’m a former operative now, or I will be once the retirement paperwork I submitted this morning is processed. The reason I have all the big, scary guns is that when you’ve done what I’ve done for the last twenty years, a man collects enemies. I have those gun to protect myself and everyone else I care about if the situation arises where I have to do that.”