Twenty

Twenty

Jaime looked out over the beach, taking note of the number of locals compared to the tourists. This had always been a local beach until the last few years. Now, more and more people had found out about the beauty of Kailua Beach Park, and they flocked to it. Thankfully, it was a slow day so she didn't have to be rude with anyone, because she definitely needed to take out her frustration on something.

With a sigh, she moved her attention to the gentle waves rolling in off the Pacific. She should be enjoying her time. She loved the beach, loved Hawaii in particular, and she relished her downtime. She remembered the first time Sean had brought her to Hawaii. She had fallen for the islands, just as she had fallen for the man. Their job was so stressful that if she didn't take quiet times at the beach, she would have lost it by now. She owed Sean for introducing her to Hawaii—and so many other things.

She glanced at Randy. The afternoon sun danced over his golden hair. There were times when it would be darker, but they had been spending a lot of time in the sun lately. The tan he sported proven that. The red trunks with orange palm trees were new, bought in California the last time they'd been on the mainland. She had been the one who had picked the trunks out. She sighed. The man was perfect, just perfect. Oh, there were a few scars here and there. There was the one on the arm where he got hit on his first assignment with Sean. And she knew there was one on the back of his right calf from a knife wound. He had gotten that in one particularly bad situation in Jakarta a year ago. He was like Sean. Each one of those scars just made them both sexier.

She looked back out over the rolling waves. The scent of the salty ocean air and coconut oil filled the air. Usually, it relaxed her. Right now, it was making her fucking mental. She knew without a doubt that Sean wasn't screwing them around now, but she was getting bloody tired of waiting on the answers.

Randy rubbed some sunscreen onto her back. "So, what do you think that was all about? I don't think he was burned, but something definitely went down."

She shrugged, pulling her legs up and wrapping her arms around them. That was what was irritating her. For years, she had been able to understand Sean. Even after their breakup, she could usually tell what he was thinking. It was because she knew where he came from, what he wanted to do with his life. Now, though, it was like dealing with a completely different person. He was a distant stranger; and worse, she worried about his motives.

"No comment?" he asked.

"I don't know what to think."

"Yeah," Randy said as he poured some sunscreen on his chest and rubbed it in. "He's playing this very close to his chest."

"That's nothing new."

He closed the container and tossed the bottle on the sand beside him. "No, but this is another whole level from him. He's acting like he has something else to protect. And we both know that even with our past problems, he has never hidden this much from us. The fact that he won't talk to us is kind of worrisome."

"Maybe not something else…maybe it's someone else."

Randy gave her a sharp look. "You think there is another lover in the mix?"

That was the thought that was gnawing at her gut. Sean had always been very protective of women, even if they could handle their own fights. Jaime always thought it had something to do with the way his mother had been abused in real life. She could hold her own in any fight, and he would let her. But there was always a point for him where he would step in. This felt like that and it was breaking her heart.

"Jaime?" His voice was gentle, and she knew then Randy was truly worried about her. Hell, she was worried about all three of them.

"I'm not sure what it is, but I do know he isn't being truthful with us."

He laid back on his towel and didn't say anything for a few moments. "I think you're being a little harsh because you're a control freak—at least out of the bedroom."

She slanted him a look and saw the cocky little smile. Damn, both of them were bad about knowing they had her pegged. It was hard to deny it because they were right. All they had to do was give her one of those looks, or say something particularly dirty, and she melted into a puddle of lust. There was part of her who wished that wasn't the way of it, but that was just the way it was.

"You haven't heard back from anyone about your father, have you?"

She fought the anger that was pounding through her blood. She was still pissed Royce hadn't contacted her about this, and somehow got Sean tangled up in the mess. "Don't use the term father for Royce. I refuse to let a man who was never around during my childhood wear the name."

"Did he ever explain?"

She nodded. "He tried to say he didn't know, but I don't believe him."

He said nothing to that. She waited, but he was suspiciously quiet.

She pulled her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose and looked at him. He had his eyes closed.

"What? You don't trust him any more than I do."

He sighed and opened his eyes. "But we both work for him."

"Not anymore."

"When did that happen?"

She shrugged again. "Mainly knowing the wanker got Sean mixed up in this mess got him kicked off the list of people I'll work with. Also, I don't think Sean will be working for him any more after this. You know he was the only reason we were taking jobs."

He frowned.

"What?" she asked when he said nothing.

"Jaime, he's your father."

Anger made her voice lash out. "I told you not to use that term."

"You're blood related at least."

"It doesn't mean I have to work with him. Right now, I don't even want to talk to him, other than to tell him to bugger off for this mess."

When Randy didn't pile on to her irritation, she looked at him. He had closed his eyes and seemed to be enjoying the sun. But she knew better. Randy was trying to avoid an argument.

"What?"

He sighed and opened his eyes again. Then he cursed and put his sunglasses on. "How do all these people deal with this much sun?"

"Not everyone wants to live in rainy Forks, Washington. And quit trying to avoid telling me what you were thinking."

"Okay. It's just that as long as I have known Sean, I have found it difficult to get him to do what I want him to do."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that if he didn't want to help your fa—sorry Lassiter, then he wouldn't have."

"That's what I mean. There is something else driving him—something he isn't telling either of us about."

"That wasn't my point."

"What was your point again?"

"That you can't blame Lassiter for what Sean agreed to do."

She frowned and looked out at the ocean again. She knew he was right, but it didn't mean she couldn't still be furious at Royce about it. Royce had made sure they didn't know about it, so he had done the job without telling Randy and Jaime. It had put Sean in danger, and that was just not something she could deal with.

"He didn't have to go to Sean."

"Yes, that's something I have to agree with."

"Wait," she said, giving him a nasty smile, "I need to record this so I can play it back to you when you belittle my opinion."

"I don't belittle your opinion. I disagree with you from time to time, and that is not the issue at hand. Stop trying to start a fight with me."

"I am not trying to start a fight with you."

But they both knew she was. It was the one defense mechanism she used with both Sean and Randy. She should have realized years ago that is why they were both so important to her on that same level. Everything about them drew her, but in different ways. Randy was a talker, a man who liked to talk himself out of a situation—or snap an adversary's neck if that didn't work. Sean was the thinker. The planner. The man who would have the perfect plan for any situation—with a backup plan that usually had the same result as Randy's. And damn, they both knew just how to get her insanely hot.

"Jaime?"

She shook her head trying to bring her mind back to the present discussion. "Sorry."

"No worries, as Sean always says. But if you were thinking what I think you were thinking, you must tell me everything in vivid detail." He wiggled his eyebrows.

She couldn't help but laugh. This is why she had been drawn to Randy. He could always make her smile, no matter what situation they were in. Even in the worst situation, he would coax a chuckle out of her.

"Then tell me what you were talking about."

She thought through their conversation. "You said there was something or someone else this was about. More than likely, it has to do with family or what he calls his Ohana , these people he knows here."

Randy nodded. "That's true. It's not like we're the only ones in the business he knows. And, he has that ranch his uncle used to own, the one over on the Big Island. Something might be up with that."

"Cowboys in danger?"

He flashed her a smile. "Eli St. John owns the ranch now."

The name sounded familiar and then it clicked. Tall, built, blond hair. He was a Dom with a lethal smile and a taste for all kinds of women—until recently. She'd heard he had gotten married. "Oh, yeah, I remember him. Former Special Forces for the Aussie Army."

He nodded. "I know that he is very close to Eli and his new wife. He's related to her in some kind of way. Of course, there is always Ali."

She grunted at the name. She didn't really know the woman, but Jaime did not like her. Or rather, she knew Ali didn't like her, so she thought it fair to reciprocate. Of course, turning down Sean's marriage proposal probably gave Ali some justification.

"I don't think we will need her help."

Randy chuckled. "No, but she does have issues, and Sean was like a brother to her. Granted, her husband can take care of anything that comes up, and so can Micah?—"

"Micah as in Rough ‘n Ready?"

"Yeah. He's Ali's brother-in-law. She's married to his wife's brother."

All the connections were starting to make her head spin. "Hmm, the world is indeed small."

"I agree. There is something else going on, something else driving him. At the moment, pressing him for more answers isn't going to help, but he's promised them. So, why not just enjoy our life right now. We're staying at a million dollar home on one of the best beaches in the world. We are having amazing sex, and pretty soon, Sean will tell us everything."

She knew he was right and nodded. But even as she lay beside him enjoying the heat of the sun on her skin, Jaime knew something bad was right around the corner. One of the things that had kept her alive more than once during her life was her sixth sense. When trouble was approaching, she knew before anyone else did. But, for the moment, Jaime would let things slide. She made herself one promise right then, though.

Blood or no blood, she would kill Royce if anything happened to Sean.