Harmless Revenge: A Harmless World Novel (Harmless #11)

Randy smiled. “I knew there had to be something you were doing on the side. You have never been one to sit still for long.”

“Yeah, and I need to do a little work before Del arrives.”

“I think that’s code for ‘he wants us out of here’,” Randy said.

“Okay,” Jaime said, even though she did not sound too happy about it.

“Hey, why don’t you two go out to the beach. It’s not that busy right now, and it’s going to be a nice day. I’ll let you know when they arrive if they get here before you get back.”

Jaime nodded and Randy gave Sean a look that said he would take care of it. Sean watched as Randy drew her away and up the stairs. He didn’t lie to them. He did have some work to do, and he decided it would be the one thing that would keep his mind off the issue of Emma.

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.