Boned2 (Mandarin Connection Book 5) Read online

  Table of Contents

  PROLOGUE

  PART ONE – THE STORM

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  PART TWO – THE AWAKENING

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  EPILOGUE – Part One

  EPILOGUE – Part Two

  Boned2

  A Stepbrother Romance

  By Stephanie Brother

  © 2017 Stephanie Brother

  All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the author’s imagination.

  Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented as 18 or over. None of the characters are related by blood.

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  Book cover designed by Kasmit Covers

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  EXCERPT

  Sylvia had brought a cat along with her, when she’d shown up.

  Its name was Quint, and it was a tomcat. It had a bit of a mean streak, and was downright finicky. It didn’t like to be petted, but it would sit on your lap if it wanted to do so.

  And, when it got up, it made sure to stretch out its claws, and draw a little blood.

  That happened one time to me, when I was wearing a short skirt. My thighs looked as though I were an addict!

  That bastard!

  I made sure to try to give Quint a wide berth, but it didn’t always work out. A boat, even a yacht as nicely appointed as the “Miss T”, was still pretty small out on the ocean.

  We eventually came to an understanding, and then a truce. I figured out old Quint like two things – raw tuna, and to have its tail stroked.

  So, I would arrange to feed him a can, once a week, being sure that he knew that -I-was the only one who cared enough to do so. And, when he wanted to sit, if he looked ready to bolt, and the claws were coming out, I would grab his tail and stroke it until he calmed down enough for me to stand up.

  Oh, it wasn’t foolproof. But, it worked well enough so that I avoided a lot of bloodshed.

  Even Sylvia noticed.

  “You’ve got some magic touch with Quint,” she said to me one morning.

  “How so?” I asked.

  “Normally, he hates pretty much everyone except me,” she replied.

  “Well, he’s just a typical male mammal, right? Feed him and stroke him and there you go,” I said, smiling.

  “No, that’s not it at all, Rachel,” Sylvia said, quite cooly.

  “You have that effect on many men, but Quint is not one of them. He likes you. He watches you sleep, and I’ve seen him try to play with you. Plus, he brings you presents,” she said.

  Was she jealous of my relationship with a cat? That was just crazy!

  “What presents?” I asked, astounded.

  “The dead seagulls?” she replied. Again, very cool.

  What was this about?

  “I thought Karl had said they had been killed by the microwave array or just unlucky enough to hit a tie-down?” I said to her.

  She laughed. It was a bit disconcerting. It wasn’t a very pretty laugh.

  “Oh, my! Not at all! That cat hunted and killed them. For you!” she said to me.

  Her beautiful eyes were hard. I didn’t think she liked me much.

  Then, they softened, as if she had remembered something about me, or caught herself and decided to be nice.

  “Quint is a skilled hunter, and only kills for pleasure. I’ve seen him do so, ever since he and I decided to join forces, so to speak. He puts up with me only because I feed him,” she said, with a touch of disappointment.

  “I’m sure he likes you…” I began.

  Then, Sylvia stood up and strode off.

  I thought I heard her mutter something as she left.

  It sounded like “Not even a fucking mouse.”

  Talk about weird!

  —————

  Over the next few days, Sylvia and I had some more testy moments.

  It finally culminated with a situation that involved Karl and Olga. One of Sylvia’s duties was to assure that the laundry was stowed properly, and that the dishes and other loose items were secured.

  My experience with the Storm had indelibly etched the immense importance of battening down the hatches, and securing loose items. The “Miss T” had been in complete disarray, and it took almost a week for a cleanup crew to make repairs and fix and replace broken crockery, vases and electronics once we’d made it to harbor.

  Of course, it was that fucking cat that was the initiator of the argument.

  While I was on deck, sunning and fretting about my feelings for Bone, there was a loud crash from the bar. One of the TV monitors had fallen to the deck, and smashed to pieces!

  Seconds later, Quint came sauntering out of the lounge, ignoring everyone. He had somehow managed to dislodge the monitor. A piece of glass was sticking from his fur.

  Sylvia, concerned that the cat might be injured, rushed over to it, at the same time Quint jumped onto my back.

  I screeched as his claws bit into me!

  “Ouch! You fucker! I thought we were friends!” I yelled.

  I rolled over, and Sylvia caught him in her arms. He yowled and spat, and then fell to the deck, as she hadn’t a good hold on his writhing body.

  His head smacked on the decking, and he howled with rage, glaring at Sylvia.

  “Fuck you! You unappreciative little monster! Let this bitch feed you from now on!” she hissed.

  I was aghast.

  I knew she was not on the best of terms with me, but I had not realized the depth of her hatred of me.

  Or her jealousy.

  “Hey, now! It was just an accident!” I said. I was trying to forget she’d called me a bitch, when she smacked me in the face with her open hand.

  “Bitch! You don’t deserve him! He’s mine! Do you hear? Mine!” she yelled.

  Contents

  EXCERPT

  PROLOGUE

  PART ONE – THE STORM

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  PART TWO – THE AWAKENING

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  EPILOGUE – Part One

  EPILOGUE – Part Two

  THE MANDARIN CONNECTION SERIES

  By Stephanie Brother

  SPECIAL BONUS EXCERPT ONE:

  Billionaire Stepbrother - Addiction - The Complete Series

  SPECIAL BONUS EXCERPT TWO:

 
; Haunted: A Stepbrother Romance

  SPECIAL BONUS EXCERPT THREE:

  Fraud: A Stepbrother Romance

  SPECIAL BONUS EXCERPT FOUR:

  Boned: A Stepbrother Romance

  About Stephanie Brother

  Also by Stephanie Brother

  PROLOGUE

  “What do you think, Stephan? Karl?” asked Derek White.

  “And, you most of all, Bone,” he added.

  “It’s your ass – literally and figuratively,” he added drily.

  The others chuckled.

  The members of Alpha Team, Admiral Reginald Decker, and the Jaeger brothers were in a secured conference room.

  Bruce and Bart, two of the Black Dog operatives, stood guard, assuring that the perimeter was secure, and that the discussions were not being monitored.

  Bone sat at one end of the table.

  He wondered what his brothers were thinking, about their reactions to Derek and Brett’s idea.

  “It seems pretty dangerous, and there’s a large element of chance. Karl, what has been your experience sailing in that part of the world?” asked Stephan.

  “This time of year, we run the real probability of encountering some hellacious weather. It would provide the perfect cover. But, again, there’s a risk to my crew, and Rachel. I’m not too worried about Bone. He’s a damned good diver…” Karl paused.

  Then he winked at Bone.

  “And swimmer, of course. Can we be sure the proper assets can be deployed and ready at the rendezvous point? Say, with three hours’ notice?” Karl asked.

  Admiral Reginald Decker, known as The Old Man of the Sea, or just The Old Man, by the other Alpha Team members, looked at Derek, and then Brett.

  “We can be on point whenever you require us,” he said.

  “Might take a little arm-twisting, but Captain Rodgers owes me a favor.” He grinned slightly.

  “I introduced him to his current wife. And his girlfriend, too,” he added.

  “That’s a tall order, though, no matter how we slice it, Sir,” said Captain David Spalding.

  Derek White nodded.

  “We can make it happen, tactically, then. And, Bone, it’s on you to make sure nothing goes wrong with the extraction, ok?” said Derek.

  “You can count on me, guys,” said Bone. “Sounds like fun…”

  “The important thing is to make sure you reach the Team with the coordinates. If the situation is still viable, seconds will count,” said Spalding.

  Bone nodded.

  “I won’t let them down,” he said, somberly.

  “What about Rachel?” said Stephan.

  “Karl and I have been discussing this for some time,” said Bone.

  “I think we have a solution of sorts, but it’s delicate. As you can imagine. And, we’d rather play it close to the vest, for now,” he said.

  Stephan frowned.

  “If anything should happen to her, or if she gets hurt in any way by your scheme, I’ll make sure you both regret it,” he said.

  “Bro, it’s not like that at all,” interjected Karl.

  “Yeah, we all feel the same about her, right?” added Bone.

  “That, my friends and neighbors, is the problem,” said Stephan.

  The other men in the room chuckled.

  Travis even managed a small laugh.

  “That girl has you all in a tailspin, eh?” he said, with a mirthful look.

  “You’ve got no idea, my friend,” said Randy.

  “Still, if she were my stepsister, I’d be looking out for her, too!”

  Walt laughed, smacking Karl on the back.

  “Sounds to me as though you’ve got the best end of this deal, Mate!” he said.

  “Bone gets to go swimming, and you maybe get to go diving, eh?” he laughed.

  The men all laughed, but the Jaeger brothers failed to see the humor in the situation.

  All of them loved Rachel, in their own ways.

  And, she loved Bone, totally.

  “Let’s do this, gentlemen,” said Stephan, with authority.

  “Brett, you know what you need to do,” he said.

  “I’ve got to get on the horn to Mike, then,” said the Old Man.

  He excused himself, and the other men parted like the sea to Moses, letting him out.

  The others contemplated the coming action plans.

  This new twist in the ongoing interaction with the agents of the Mandarin Connection organization had forced them to make uncomfortable compromises.

  They were being forced to act sooner, with their plans uncertain.

  The stakes were high, the consequences dire, and the odds stacked against them.

  Bone, Karl and Stephan looked at each other, surrounded by men they trusted with their lives.

  None of them shared in the laughter, the ribbing.

  They all loved Rachel.

  Her mother and their father were part of a huge chest of treasured memories from their younger days.

  But, when their parents had gone missing, the door had been opened to tremendous danger for all of them.

  There was new information that had pushed them to action, and timing was everything.

  A chance existed to crack the code behind the Mandarin Connection, and maybe even redeem something far more valuable to the Jaeger men.

  It all hinged on whether they could successfully execute the plan precisely.

  There were a lot of moving parts, interlocked by the necessity of intricate coordination.

  They were faced with Pandora’s box, the contents of which might be a cornucopia of treasures and success, or the direst of consequences.

  Not just for them, but for the world.

  And, Rachel Bloomberg was the key.

  PART ONE – THE STORM

  CHAPTER ONE

  I am soaking in my tub.

  It’s huge, porcelain, and white, with claw feet.

  It’s surrounded by white, marbled tile.

  There is a red towel and a black towel sitting a few feet away from me on a white chair.

  The chair is wicker.

  There is a red satin pillow on it.

  On the pillow is the latest of a series of letters from the New Zealand Coast Guard.

  I sit there in the tepid water, which was scalding at first.

  I’d relished the pain, the heat on my skin.

  It took away some of the dull ache.

  My back is sore.

  My eyes begin to water as I scan past the chair, and past that letter, to look through the window.

  Outside, it’s a beautiful day.

  The birds are chirping, the leaves of the tree are changing as they do, and it’s a fabulous colorful arcade.

  The wind from the ocean is fresh, and the sounds of an occasional gull come calling from the cliff.

  It’s a gorgeous day.

  A wonderful day.

  I think idly, eyeing the straight-edged razor on the wicker and rattan vanity next to me.

  A good day to die…

  The letter is only there to remind me of what I’ve lost.

  It sits there, mocking me with its banal and empty promises.

  The same bullshit phrases are there, the ones that they were telling me from the first hours when we let them know.

  “We’ll find him!”

  “He can’t be far!”

  “There’s a chance he’s still alive, just unable to let us know where he is!”

  All lies.

  All half-truths, a salve for my wrecked soul.

  Poor, fragile Rachel.

  I eye the razor.

  Maybe that is the best way.

  The only way?

  What would he think?

  What would he say to me?

  Would he tell me to go on without him?

  How can I?

  HOW?

  I lift the razor from the linen where it sits.

  I heft it, and toss it carelessly around.

  I slice off a bit of my hair wi
th it.

  I trace the blunt edge against my arms.

  I imagine its sharp bite.

  The sudden shocked awareness of my last, desperate and fatal act.

  I let it drop to the floor, tinkling off the white marbled tiles.

  I can’t do it.

  I can’t die, and rejoin my lover, my soul mate.

  BONE!

  You bastard!

  How could you do this to me?

  How could you leave me alone?

  Why did you die?

  I cry for what seems hours until my eyes feel like they are two white marbles, ready to fall into the cruddy, lukewarm water.

  No one comes anymore.

  They are all too busy.

  OCTAVIUS.

  The Mandarin Connection.

  What a bunch of horse manure.

  Who cares about all that?

  It’s happening a world away.

  It’s been going on for decades.

  Centuries, maybe.

  Who really can make any difference in a place like that, full of thieves and bastards and their cronies?

  I look at the razor, resting on the floor.

  A slight red tint glints off its steel edge.

  It’s just a reflection.

  I fantasize that it’s my blood, and that I am dying.

  I sigh.

  What a drama queen, I think.

  Lifting my wrinkled, prune-like flesh from the cold water, I reach for the black towel, sopping some of the dripping water from my body.

  Some of it falls on the floor, but I just walk through it.

  I am careless.

  I don’t care.

  Bone is dead, I am dead inside.

  In spite of everything Karl has tried, and he’s been doing an awesome job, there are times when I can’t do anything but just obsess over Bone.

  —————

  Six miles off the coast; that’s where it happened.