Free Freaky by Nature by Mia Dymond

cell phone and dialed, confident in his decision.
    Just about the tim e he was ready to hang up, a fam iliar
    sm art-ass v oice answered. “How the hell are y a, jungle boy ?”
    Brett let the nicknam e slide, m om entarily distracted by the
    sound of island m usic. “Where are y ou?”
    “On the beach in Hawaii.”
    Brett snickered at the thought of his best friend, Malcolm
    Windsor III, dressed in bright colored, knee-length swim trunks.
    Shadow, as he was known to his SEAL buddies, was norm ally an
    expert at blending into the darkness. If he was try ing to fit in with
    the locals, his current predicam ent could be prim e bribe m aterial.
    “I thought the Shadow only cam e out at night.”
    “Nah, thought I’d catch a couple wav es.”
    Brett twisted his lips. More like a couple babes. Shadow nev er
    went long without fem ale attention. “How long do y ou plan to be
    there?”
    “You know I don’t follow a schedule. What’s up?”
    “Sterling and I could use y our help.”
    “I’m listening.”
    “We need extra security detail for Hawke’s concert.”
    Shadow didn’t hesitate. “I’m there.”
    Brett released a heav y sigh. “That’s not all.”
    “Is Claire okay ?”
    Brett frowned. Only Shadow knew about the relationship
    between him and Claire. Did he know som ething Brett didn’t?
    “Yeah, why ?”
    Shadow cleared his throat. “Just wondered. I’v e tried to call a
    couple tim es but I can’t catch her.”
    Brett let the tension leak from his m uscles. “You know how she
    is. She’ll call when she’s ready .”
    Shadow chuckled. “I’v e said it a thousand tim es. Strange
    arrangem ent y ou two hav e.”
    “That’s the way she wants it. Besides, I’d know if som ething
    was wrong.”
    Shadow lowered his v oice. “I just worry about her som etim es,
    y a know? She can’t be as strong as she wants us to believ e.”
    Brett felt a surge of pride. No one else but Shadow understood
    Claire as well as he did. And, they would both be lost souls without
    her. “She’ll call.”
    Brett heard the deep beat of drum s and som ething close to a
    war cry . “What the hell is going on there?”
    Shadow laughed. “Relax, just the nativ es. What else y ou got
    for m e?”
    “We need som e help on a case.” Brett sum m arized the recent
    action, not surprised when Shadow jum ped at the opportunity to
    weav e in and out of the darkness. Only , he didn’t quite expect
    Shadow’s next bit of adv ice.
    “Sleep with her, jungle boy .”
    “Say what?”
    “You heard m e. Sleep with her. Get her out of y our sy stem ,
    then y ou can concentrate on the case.”
    That would be way too easy . And since Shadow knew him too
    well, there was no since try ing to bullshit him self out of it either.
    “Not this tim e.”
    A long pause crossed the line before Shadow responded. “No
    way .”
    “She’s different. I can’t explain it.”
    “What about Claire?”
    “I hav en’t told her.”
    “Hell, she probably already knows. You better pull y our head
    out of y our ass and call her.”
    “I will, just not y et.” Brett then rem em bered the bond between
    Shadow and Claire. “And y ou better not say any thing to her
    either.”
    “Your funeral, m an.”
    Although Brett knew Shadow was right in his assum ption
    about Claire’s reaction to another wom an in his life, he wouldn’t
    adm it it. “Are y ou com ing or not?”
    “I’ll be there. Giv e m e a couple day s.”

    ***

    He breathed fire as he entered Holly’s house and stabbed
    numbers into the alarm keypad. Stupid airhead. Anyone in their right
    mind would know to try her birthday first. Lucky for him, though, he
    needed to get the formula and get out.
    He closed the door behind him, braided the fingers of his black,
    leather gloves, and popped his knuckles. Did Holly really believe the
    cocky surfer guy could help her? The man only wanted one thing from
    her, and it wasn’t a job. Then again, her error in judgment made
    finding the