Stone's Surrender: A SEALs of Honor World Novel (Heroes for Hire Book 2)

by Dale Mayer

  Smart. He liked that. But not her hero comment. Still he’d take it as a joke as he had no intention of being called a hero. He’d been tagged with that label once too often—relationships where people looked up to him, seeing him as something he wasn’t, only to find out he had feet of clay.

  Besides he wasn’t who he had been anymore either. He was no fool, and that was a fact. Missing a leg was very hard to ignore. He didn’t know if Lissa had even noticed, and didn’t want to see the look on her face when she finally did. He’d seen a few women’s expressions already. Most had been decent about it, but some had twisted their features with revulsion. That had been more than enough for him.

  He approached the body on the ground and bent down to take a pulse. Nothing. He glanced at Harrison. “Did you shoot him?”

  Harrison nodded and held up another weapon in his hand. “He came up behind me with the gun to my back.”

  “Right.” Stone looked down at the rebel on the ground. “We need to move his body. Anyone can see him here.” He glanced around. “Are there others?”

  Harrison shook his head. “We’ve done a full sweep. Levi is talking with Logan right now. We’re running behind.”

  Just as Harrison finished speaking, Levi raced toward them. “We need to move it.”

  Stone motioned to the body on the ground. “What do we do with him?”

  Levi didn’t break a sweat as he said, “Leave him there. If we move him, it’ll look more suspicious. At this point, I have to say, it’s not our problem.”

  Stone was delighted to find Lissa sitting in the backseat again, staring out the window. He caught her glance and smiled at her encouragingly as he started the engine and turned the vehicle around.

  “No vehicle exchange?” she asked quietly.

  Levi answered, “No. Change of plans.”

  “But we’ll still make the airport?”

  “We’ll make it. Don’t know if we’ll make it in time for your flight though.”

  Stone watched as she slid lower into the back corner. From the rearview mirror he had a perfect angle to see her as she settled in. With her arms wrapped around her chest and her head resting against the door, it looked like she would try to nap. He highly approved. She’d been running on empty for a long time. Her face was gaunt—he’d felt the bones inside her fingers; the skin over the top of them was sheer, thin. Except for the few calluses where she’d obviously been working hard lately. Overall nothing to take away from the fact that she was very well put together.

  But he damn well better keep his mind on the job at hand, not on the curves he could barely see—but had no trouble imagining.

  The roads were empty. He drove like crazy to get to the airport on time. When he pulled in, a small plane awaited them, the pilot impatiently stamping his feet at the stairs. Conrad, another friend of Levi’s, had been doing flights for them around Europe at odd times. This day he was to take them to London.

  “There you are. Finally,” he called. “I don’t want to have to file another change of flight plan, so let’s move it. I’ve got the paperwork on board.” He opened the truck door, motioned them to get out. “Let’s go. Let’s go. Let’s go.”

  Stone hopped out the driver side and opened the passenger door behind him. Susan, barely awake, was helped to stand up by her husband. But no way could she move very quickly. Nor her husband. Before Stone could make any kind of comment, Levi came around the front of the truck and assessed the situation. He stepped forward quickly, scooping Susan in his arms.

  Levi told Kevin, “Come on. Let’s go.”

  Stone checked to see how Lissa was doing. She walked beside them, valiant but tired.

  The second truck pulled up beside them, the men getting out and doing a fast sweep. Everyone boarded the plane except for two agents approaching from the small hanger.

  Rhodes met the men now responsible for returning the vehicles to the rendezvous point.

  Shit went wrong all the time. They had to think on their feet. Plans changed as needed. They were used to it. Inside the plane Stone sat down across from Lissa. This was definitely a no-frills flight. But they would be in London in a few hours. She just needed to hold on a little bit longer.

  Levi tucked Susan up against a window seat, and Kevin sat down beside her. They’d barely had a chance to buckle up when Rhodes dashed in to grab his seat.

  And the plane began taxiing.

  Good. The sooner, the better. Stone watched as the two vehicles they’d driven pulled away, heading back the way they’d come. Now it was just them.

  As he looked out the window, it was pitch-black around them. The hangar had no lights and neither did the runway. He shook his head. Typical.

  But he also knew Conrad. That man could fly anything anywhere. Just like Ice and her helicopter. Conrad laughed at something Ice said. The two of them were best friends. And at this point, they needed the best they could have. They still weren’t out of danger.

  Just a few more hours would be good. Stone gazed around the interior of the plane and realized Susan was once again asleep. He studied the color of her face and realized her sleek skin wasn’t natural looking. Something was definitely wrong with her. They needed to get her medical attention—and fast. He frowned.

  Why hadn’t her husband said anything? Did he not know? Was he so stressed that he believed she was just exhausted? Or did he know something more serious was going on but also knew how little anyone could do about it now?

  Chapter 5

  London? Now she’d finally traveled to a place she’d always wanted to go, but somehow hadn’t reached yet. Of course that was again due to her father. She had really wanted to go to school here, but he’d vetoed it, sending her to a private school in the same state where he lived. He had more control over her there. His donations made a difference and also ensured somebody watched her with a close eye. She’d hated him for that.

  The other girls in the school thought it was hilarious. They regularly got her into trouble. Still she had been given some freedom, and her father had left her alone while there. But that watchdog presence had hovered over her future until she could get away.

  London was a reminder of the constant battle between her and her father. Only as an adult did she finally break free. When she moved out on her own, she thought he would have a heart attack. Somehow in his mind, she would stay at home until he found the right husband for her.

  He’d been introducing her to men for a long time. But they were all his cronies, older men looking for trophy wives. She’d heard her father actually refer to her as a potential up-and-coming one. It made her stomach curdle. She was anything but. As her father had often said, She looks pretty, but she has a bite. You’ll need to control her with a firm hand.

  Was there ever a statement that would send this potential trophy wife screaming in the opposite direction? A firm hand? Yeah, not what she wanted.

  She stared out at the huge city below. The bright lights were a godsend. They meant safety to her. They landed, disembarked, and cleared customs at Heathrow with relative ease. Levi had large packets of documentation, and their gun cases were even allowed in. She wondered how many people actually got weapons through high-security places like this. These men had ways and means of accomplishing things she’d never seen.

  She walked beside Stone. Since he got on the plane, he hadn’t said a word. Just like his namesake, he’d sat there, rigid and unbending. Every once in a while, she watched him massage his left leg. And she wondered if it was an old injury. He was a big man. That body had to be taking a hell of a brutal beating with these kinds of missions. She was sorry if she had added any stress or pain to his life.

  She was tall and appreciated tall men. The guy was built like a square tank. She was fairly slim, and this guy would make two of her easily. Still there was something very attractive about that strong silent type. Although, if he would crack a smile every once in a while, she’d appreciate it.

  He was quite the protective bulldog a
t her side. They were catching some attention as they walked as a group. Mostly everybody stepped out of their path to avoid them. Ice and Levi as a couple were very striking, but dressed as they were, it was hardly a relationship-type look for them. All the men of this team were big, fit, and looked ready for any kind of trouble.

  The busy airport was suddenly free and clear for them to walk through. She giggled at the thought. She could really use these guys when shopping at the malls.

  Stone looked her way, and in a low voice, he asked, “What’s so funny?”

  She smiled at him. “I was just thinking how helpful it would be to have you guys go shopping with me in the malls. Pathways magically appear when you are around.”

  His gaze narrowed as he studied the airport, and then his lips quirked. “Not everyone’s stupid. They can see danger when it’s coming at them.”

  At that she laughed out loud. “Hell, fear is a big motivating factor for everyone.”

  He shrugged. “They don’t have anything to be afraid of from me.”

  She shot him a look of straight disbelief. “Surely you are not unaware of how you present yourself. Most people would run away screaming if they were to happen upon you accidentally in the dark.”

  He frowned and said shortly, “Garbage.” He spread his huge mitts and added, “I’m a nice guy. No one needs to be afraid of me.”

  At that she burst into gales of laughter. The others twisted to look at what the two of them were talking about. She caught sight of Stone as he shrugged his massive shoulders as if to say, She’s just having a moment, so ignore her. She couldn’t stop giggling.

  She hooked her arm through his and whispered conspiratorially, “You are scary.”

  He slanted a gaze her way and said, “You don’t appear to be afraid of me.”

  She patted his forearm and snickered. “That’s because I’m not. You’re just a gentle giant.”

  Harrison, who’d been walking on the other side of her, sniggered. “Oh, that’s good. We’ll just change your name from Stone to Gentle Giant. No problem,” he said. “I totally agree.”

  “See? Even the guys are on my side on this one.” And she snickered again.

  She knew Stone didn’t know what to make of her. So few big men really understood the impression they gave to others. In his case, he probably thought he was harmless. Unless he was in action. Then that man was all devil. On the other hand, he was on her side, so she had no complaints. He had done a kick-ass job of protecting her so far.

  They walked down toward the exit doors. A large group of schoolgirls approached and giggled as they went past. Several were flirting with him. She leaned closer and said, “Ya see? They all want a gentle giant of their own to cuddle up to.”

  Harrison sniggered again, and she was surprised to see a hint of pink wash up Stone’s neck and cheeks. He was embarrassed. How absolutely adorable. She patted his forearm, still holding his arm linked with hers and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

  His voice low, he said, “You’re having way too much fun with this.” He walked faster, with Lissa almost skipping beside him.

  It made her feel like a schoolgirl herself as she raced to keep up. “My life’s been a bit in the dumps for quite a while. Just a little lighthearted humor to put things in perspective.”

  He shook his head. “You have a strange outlook on life.”

  She laughed. “I know you don’t appreciate my negativity against my father, but you really have to meet the man.”

  “What did he do that made you so upset?”

  “Well, he locked me in the closet every time he got mad at me so I now hate confining spaces. Of course you already know about that. How about the fact that he was lining up suitors for the up-and-coming trophy wife who would need a firm hand because she didn’t yet have the right attitude?” She couldn’t keep the bitterness from her tone.

  He straightened and stared down at her in shock. “You serious?”

  She nodded. “Every time I came home from college, he always had a new one ready. And the summer before I moved out, he had one coming in every day for a week. Same introductory line every time. I wasn’t sure if a bride-price or dowry would be exchanged. My father likes money so maybe a dowry.” She studied Stone’s face, noting the muscle flicking in the corner of his jaw. “See? Like I said, he’s not exactly an angel.”

  “He is a senator,” Stone said cautiously.

  “Yep, he is. For eighteen years now. Hopefully he’s doing something good for his constituency because his family certainly suffered.” Then she gave a mental shrug. “It doesn’t matter. It was a long time ago. I walked away and stayed away. I communicate with him and speak with my mom every once in a while. But I don’t have a whole lot to do with either of them.” She sighed. “Although I owe him my thanks for sending you guys after me.”

  “When was the last time you went home?”

  “Four years ago for Christmas. I was supposed to stay for four days,” she said calmly. “I left the same day.”

  “More suitors?”

  “More suitors, even older ones.”

  “And just how old are we talking?” he asked in a dangerously quiet voice.

  “The last two were in their mid-sixties. My father actually thought I should be grateful because then I’d be a widow before too long. With money and freedom to do as I wanted.”

  “Sounds like a real prize.”

  “Yeah. I guess some people would call it that.”

  They walked out into the fresh air. Rain drizzled, soaking through their clothing to their skin. Of course. They were in London.

  “Where are we going now?” she asked Stone.

  Levi turned to look at her and answered, “To a house for the night, and we’ll fly to the States in the morning.”

  She nodded. Inside her, relief swelled. She wasn’t against going home, but she was damn tired. Now that they’d made it this far, the pressure was off. “Sounds good to me, especially if this house has hot running water for a shower,” she said with a bit of a smile.

  “There are showers for everyone.”

  They gathered inside a large taxi, heading out of the city within minutes. The cab was barely large enough for half of them, since all the men were Stone’s size—maybe not that large, but they were certainly big men. Still they squeezed in, and that was what counted.

  She tried to settle in the seat, but was pinned between Harrison and Stone—a large thigh on both sides. “God, you guys are like tanks.”

  Stone tried to move over, but he had no place to go.

  She shrugged and said, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.”

  The trip to the house took twenty minutes. By the time they bailed out, she was feeling the effect of all the travel. It was hard even to look around and be excited about where she was. Just a surreal atmosphere to the whole thing.

  As much as she’d wanted to keep reminding herself she was safe, she seemed to be more focused on Stone than anything. He was fascinating. Irritating. And yet very comforting. She somehow latched onto him versus any of the others. She didn’t know why; maybe because he was the biggest. Maybe she figured he would offer her the best protection.

  Of course it was stupid. She did need protection, but with so many men, she doubted anyone could get through. Levi led them up to a brownstone where he gave the door several raps. The door opened almost instantly. The man who stood there was of the same ilk. She recognized a military bearing, but this one was older. She guessed maybe mid-sixties.

  They were all ushered inside where jackets and shoes were taken off, and they were led through to the living room. She had never been in one of these townhouses. She looked around curiously. It was sparse but welcoming. With so many of them, they pretty well filled all available seating. The older man motioned to Kevin and Susan first. “Follow me. I’ll take you to your room, and you can get settled for the night.”

  Kevin stood up. “Thank you very much.” He turned to Susan. “Come on,
honey. Let’s get you up to bed.”

  She gave him a wan smile and allowed him to help her to her feet once again. She even climbed a few steps on the stairway. Lissa winced. Every step looked to be so damn painful. She wanted to ask if one of the men could help Susan but wasn’t sure if that was appropriate.

  Kevin was slightly older and also suffering the ill effects of their kidnapping, Levi walked over and said something to Kevin.

  With a nod, Kevin stepped back and let Levi help Susan. He easily picked her up, ignoring her weak protests, and quickly climbed the stairs, following their host.

  As they disappeared from sight, Lissa turned around to see the others staring at her. “What?”

  “Is there something seriously wrong with Susan that we don’t know about?” Ice asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Lissa said. “She’s always appeared strong and capable until the kidnapping. I don’t know if she has a condition that has suddenly taken a downturn or if it’s just exhaustion and shock.”

  “That could be all it is,” Ice said. “She’s been through a lot.”

  That seemed to appease everyone, at least for the moment. Their host returned and cast his gaze around the room, smiling at the various men. And stopped, his gaze landing on her. He walked forward and said, “Hi, I’m Charles. And you are?”

  Suddenly nervous, she stood up and shook his hand. “My name is Lissa Brampton.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” he said. “I understand you were kidnapped, and Levi and his men rescued you.”

  “As long as you include Ice in that category, then, yes.”

  Ice smiled to show him she wasn’t really offended.

  He tilted his head her way in acknowledgment, then resumed speaking to Lissa. “However, as you guessed, they all have been here many a time and have rooms assigned. I will take you to yours. If you will follow me, please.”

  She grinned. Stone leaned against the open entryway to the living room. As she walked past him, she said, “I get the shower before you.”