Hard as Stone (Passion in Paradise: The Men of the McKinnnon Sisters) (39 page)

“Honor?” Patience
murmured, reaching out to touch Honor’s hand.  Her gaze going to Harmony,
Patience winced.  “Jesus, Harmony…your face,” she whispered, lifting a hand to
gingerly probe her big sister’s bruised face, shifting her body so that Cain
could kneel beside them to check Harmony’s injuries.

“I think it’s just
bruised, sweetheart,” Cain murmured after a few seconds of gentle probing. 
“I’ll find some ice.”

“Yeah,” Harmony
grunted when Cain rose back to his feet.  “Tanner is still a mean bastard.  I
wish I’d plunged that knife in his heart.  Unfortunately I’m pretty sure I only
hit his shoulder.”

“Harmony,” Faith
whispered, staring at Honor’s vacant eyes.  “I can see what he did to you, but why
is Honor…”

Shaking her head
quickly as Honor moaned, burrowing against her side, Harmony cut Faith off. 
“That’s for later.  Alone and in private when it’s just us.  We’ll talk about
it then,” she told her sisters firmly as Honor squeezed her arm. 

Both sisters seemed
to suddenly understand, their eyes dilating and faces filling with rage.  They
all knew that only one thing could send Honor spiraling into the darkness, and
they didn’t need the words to know what it was.

“Zeke can’t know,”
Honor babbled suddenly, her words high and hysterical as she twisted her hands. 
“He can never know!  Nobody can tell.  Nobody!”

“Fuckin’ hell,”
Harmony heard Abel whisper behind them, his eyes tortured as he stared down at
them all.

“Honor…” Patience
began, keeping her voice gentle.

“No, I’m fine,” her
youngest sister insisted, shaking her head as she pulled herself away from
Harmony and got control of herself.  Taking a deep breath, she stared down at
the floor for a  long minute. Finally turning, Honor rested a hand against
Heaven’s back.  “Is she okay?  He didn’t…”

“He just scared her. 
He never touched her,” Harmony whispered, holding her daughter close as she
tried to get control of her emotions.  It had been a close call… too fucking
close.  But, both Heaven and Honor were sitting beside her, alive and
breathing.  They’d survived. 

“We need cookies!”
Heaven wailed, lifting her little head from Harmony’s shoulder.

All the women
laughed brokenly at that pronouncement.

“And ice cream”
Honor sniffed, wiping her wet cheeks as she rested her head against the wall
behind her.

“And cupcakes,”
Faith added, wrapping her arm around Honor and pulling their baby sister close.

“And fuckin’
tequila,” Patience agreed, dropping her hand over Harmony’s leg and squeezing. 
“Two bottles,” she decreed, jabbing two fingers in the air as the swinging
kitchen door crashed against the wall one last time.

Harmony felt Jake’s
raw, angry energy hit the room before she ever turned to look at him. When she
did turn, her eyes connected with his and the already dangerous vibe filling
the atmosphere skyrocketed to a whole new level.

That was fine; her
fury matched his in a big, bad way – only hers was directed solely at him.  Her
own eyes narrowed as she tightened her arms protectively around her daughter
and glared at the man who’d lied to her.  “Get out.  You do
not
belong
here,” she hissed.   Using the wall behind her for leverage, she got to her
feet, feeling Honor do the same beside her.

Ignoring her
demand, he took an angry step toward her.  “I’m gonna fucking kill him,” Jacob
Stone breathed, his gaze cataloguing every angry red mark on Harmony’s face. 
“I’m gonna make him hurt in ways he never imagined.”

“Get out!” Harmony
barked, Heaven shifting in her arms as her little head came up and looked
around in alarm, trembling in fear.  She watched as Cain tagged Jake’s arm,
stopping him in his tracks.

“Man, this is
not
a good time,” Cain warned Jake in a low, serious voice.  “Shit’s gone down. 
Bad shit.”

“You think I can’t
see that,” Jacob spat, shrugging off Cain’s hand as he stared at his girls. 
“Zeke called.  He’s on the hunt.  I’m joining him as soon as I see to my
girls.”

“We are
not
yours,” Harmony snarled, tightening her grip as Heaven seemed to finally
recognize Jake’s deep voice. “You stay the hell away from us!”

“Did he touch our
girl, too?” Jacob growled, again ignoring her demand as his eyes went to
Heaven.  “Are you alright, Princess?” he asked the little girl instead,
softening and gentling his tone as he met the terrified eyes of the frightened
four-year-old.

“Jake!” she
whimpered, holding out her arms to him.  “My Jake!  I want my Jake!” the little
girl demanded, struggling against her mother’s arms.

Holding her
daughter closer, Harmony shook her head and bumped into Honor as she moved a
few steps away.  “Don’t you dare touch us!” she screamed at him when he moved
to follow her.  Snatching the knife she’d used on Tanner from the counter, she
heard Patience hiss in a breath beside her as she pointed the weapon still wet
with her ex-husband’s blood at Jake.  “You come near us and I swear, Jake, I
swear,
I’ll make you sorry!”

“Harmony,” Jake
growled softly as he went still. “Put down the knife, darlin’.  You know I’m
not gonna hurt either of you.”

“I don’t know
that,” Harmony denied shrilly.  “I don’t know that because I don’t know
you
! 
I have no idea who you are,” she accused, her whole body beginning to shake as
she held her daughter against her.  She no longer knew who she could trust
outside of her sisters, and she’d be damned if she’d make one more stupid decision.

“Dat’s Jake,
Momma.  I want my Jake,” Heaven argued, still leaning toward the man facing
them.  “Down, Momma.  I want down!” she ordered, kicking her legs.

“You know me,
baby,” Jacob assured Harmony steadily, his warm eyes never wavering from her
face.  “You knew me last night.  You know me now.  I’m the same man.  Now, put
the knife down, darlin’.  You’re scarin’ our girl.”

“Did you bring him
back here to us?” she asked, her breath coming fast as she felt a wave of
dizziness creep over her.  “Are you the one that’s been watching me?  Is that
how he knew about my baby?  Did you tell him?” she asked, firing questions at
him in quick succession.  “Did you?” she screamed, shaking the knife at him. 
“Did you, Jake?  Was it you?” she screamed.

“No.”  His answer
was simple and firm.  “And I’ll answer every question you have, but first, you
need to put down that knife and let me hold Heaven.  Trust your heart and do as
I say.  Now, Harmony,” he ordered, hardening his voice as he stared into her
confused blue eyes.

Stepping between
them, Honor faced her oldest sister.  “I believe him, Harmony,” she supported
Jake.  “I don’t know why, but I do.”

Taking a long, hard
look at Jake with assessing eyes, Patience frowned.  “Fuck,” she muttered. 
“For what it’s worth, so do I.”

Jacob felt Faith’s
eyes on him as well and he watched her nod out of the corner of his eye, adding
her sisterly consensus to Patience and Honor’s opinions.  “Please, baby,” he
whispered, willing to beg if it meant he could hold at least one of his girls
in his arms.  “I know you got doubts and good reasons to have them, but I swear
to Christ, I’d never hurt you or that little girl.”

“Mommmmmaaaa,
down,” Heaven whined.  “I wanna go Jake NOW!”

Harmony’s eyes
drifted over each one of her sister’s concerned faces before falling to her
daughter.  Slowly, she bent and carefully placed her baby’s feet on the floor
and watched as Heaven flew toward Jake.  Seeing the big man sweep her little
girl into his arms and how Heaven’s arms closed trustingly around his neck as
her little face buried in his throat sent Harmony sinking to her own knees and
sagging into Patience’s arms.

“Da bad man tried
get us, Jake,” she heard Heaven sobbing into Jake’s neck.  “He hitted my Momma
and made my Auntie Honor cry.  He telled me he was my daddy, but I telled him
he wasn’t ‘cause he not!  I telled him you’s gonna be my daddy ‘cause I pick
you, and he called me a brat!  I not a brat.  I a princess.  You beat up da bad
man, ‘kay?  He won’t hurt Momma ‘gain if you beat him up,” she babbled into the
skin at his neck.  Hearing everything through Heaven’s lips just made Harmony
cry harder and she leaned heavily against Patience’s hip.

Jake’s arms
contracted around Heaven and he buried his face in her soft hair, inhaling
deeply as he reminded himself not to lose it.  It wouldn’t do Harmony or Heaven
any good to watch him lose his mind.  He could do that later.  Now, he had to
focus on his girls and give them what they needed.  Everything else could wait.

Jake’s heart
clenched at her words and he squeezed his eyes closed for a moment as he felt
his throat tighten with emotion.  Christ, he wished he was her father.  It
didn’t matter that she wasn’t, though, he loved her like a daughter.  And one
day, after he’d overcome Harmony’s doubts and fears, he’d make that a reality. 
“Nobody’s gonna hurt you or Momma ever again, Princess,” he promised against
Heaven’s temple.  “I’m not gonna let that happen.”  Jake saw Harmony open her
mouth to argue, but he quelled her with a hard look.  “I’ve got you, sugar,” he
murmured, rocking the trembling child against his chest.

“He mean, Jake,”
Heaven whispered in his ear, her arms clutching him harder. 

“I know, baby, but
I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere again.”  He could feel Harmony’s glare
burning his flesh, but damn it, she’d just have to deal.  “You were a brave
girl, but nobody is ever gonna hurt you.  You’re safe, you hear me?  I’ll take
care of the bad man.  You don’t worry about him.”

“He
not
gonna be my daddy,” she insisted, rubbing her nose sleepily against his neck. 
“He’s not.”

“No, he’s not,”
Jake agreed softly.  A sperm donor didn’t make a man a daddy, and that bastard
wasn’t getting anywhere near this precious girl again.  He didn’t care if he
had to put a bullet in Tanner Suarez brain to insure it.

“I love you, Jake,”
Heaven whispered, her hand curling around his neck as her eyelids fluttered. 

“Love you, too,
Princess,” Jake murmured as her body got heavier against his.  Shuffling her
against his chest, he whispered, “Look at me, sugar.”  Waiting until he met
Heaven’s tired eyes, he pressed another kiss to her forehead.  “Right now, I
need you to go with your Uncle Cain and Aunt Faith, okay?  They’re gonna take
you home.”

“N-no!”  Heaven’s
eyes widened with alarm as her arms and legs went back around Jake.  “I stay
wif you!”

“I’m gonna be there
soon, Sweetness.  I need to take care of Momma first,” Jake explained gently
even as Harmony started to rise back to her feet, shaking her head the entire
time.

“No, I’ll go with
her,” Harmony said quickly, holding out her arms for her daughter.  “I’ve got
nothing to say, Jake.  This is over.”

“This is far from
over,” Jake countered softly, holding Heaven against him as he pinned Harmony
with his eyes.  “And I’ve got plenty I need to say.”

“Yeah, to
all
of
us,” Patience growled, her lips tight as she stepped in front of Harmony.

“Look,” Jake
replied carefully, “I’m happy to face a McKinnon Family Inquisition when
Harmony and I get back to the house.  For now, though, I owe
her
an
explanation. 
Alone
.” 

The room was quiet
as Harmony met Jacob’s eyes for a long, electrically charged moment before she
finally nodded slightly.  Releasing the breath he held, Jake tipped his head
down to brush his lips against Heaven’s temple one last time.  “Momma and I
will be there shortly, Princess.  Be good for us now, alright?”

Heaven nodded
before Jake shifted the little girl into Cain’s strong arms.

“Cain,” Harmony
called worriedly as Faith joined her husband at the door.  She bit her lip
uncertainly as she stared at her daughter.  Her baby had been through so much
already.  She didn’t need to witness her mother having a showdown with the only
father figure she’d had in her young life, but still, she was reluctant to
allow her out of sight.

“I’ll guard her with
my life, Harmony,” Cain vowed, meeting Harmony’s eyes with a seriousness that
she knew she could trust.  “I’m armed and alert.”

“And I’ve got
deputies following them home,” Zeke added, moving toward Honor.

Surprised to hear
his voice, Harmony turned toward the sheriff.  She’d never noticed him
rejoining the group.  “Did you find him?” she asked quickly.

“No, he’s in the
wind,” he said quietly.  “We will catch him, Harmony.  I’ve got roadblocks up
at every major exchange, and we’ve contacted the hospital in case he tries to
have his wound looked at.”

“He won’t.  I don’t
think I did more than slice him,” Harmony muttered, running a hand down her
face.

Clearing her throat
as she took a half step toward Patience away from Zeke, Honor looked around the
room.  “I suggest everyone meet back at the house in an hour.  I’ll help
Patience and Abel close up the front of the café.  I think it goes without
saying that we’ll be closed tonight,” she pronounced, exchanging a look with
her sisters.