Everywhere and Nowhere (Safe Haven Book 1) Read Free Page B

top. Nodding briefly to the other man, he noted that Jeremiah had taken the afternoon to shave his head again. Someday he’d have to ask him why he bothered.
    Shaking off his brief interlude, he got right to the point. “Did you get buzzed?”
    Jeremiah shook his head and stared up the sky, worry passing over his blue eyes.
    “No, my prince. You did?”
    Hadrian nodded. He wasn’t going to bother correcting the “my prince” nonsense right now. It was pointless—his formerly blond-haired friend who was for today bald would never stop doing it.
    They were out there, and it was more than one. That Jeremiah, and most likely the others, couldn’t sense them yet didn’t mean he’d been wrong. It was just another example of how heightened everything had gotten lately, especially for him.
    Jeremiah barked orders loudly, instructing the others where they should be, what he thought was happening. Hadrian reached out and grabbed his arm.
    “Protect the Pettigrew woman. I won’t lose her. We’ve come too far to turn back now.”
    The other man’s eyes widened and Hadrian nodded. It wasn’t often he gave the other man such a direct order and he had no doubt it would be followed.
    Hadrian strode to the center of the deck, deliberately putting himself out in the open. If they wanted him, he was there. He could feel his pupils dilate and he smiled. Oh yes, they were out there and he itched for a good fight.
    His youngest crewman, Stone, rushed toward him, grabbing his attention. “We took the wrong one, Hadrian. Maybe we should give her back and go find the other.”
    He shook his head. “We’ll never find the other one. They’ll be gone forever now. Count on it. This is our last chance, period.”
    The air around him stirred and Hadrian had two seconds to refocus himself before a gold streak of light shot in front of his face.
    Prize .
    He swung around and reached forward, grabbing what seconds earlier had been thin air but now contained the body of a man twice his size and weight. Hadrian didn’t mind. He loved a good challenge.
    “Ah.” With every ounce of his strength, he pulled the newly arrived man into his body space. If Prize wanted a fight, he would get one.
    “I see you’re the same, Hadrian.”
    Prize’s voice sounded gruff. It was almost hard to hear him, the result of part of a grenade landing in his throat years earlier. Hadrian had been responsible for that incident, and hearing the trouble Prize had uttering his words always brought a smile to his face.
    “I’m always well, as you know.”
    Hadrian shoved the three-hundred-pound near giant backward to get a better look at him. Same brown hair and perpetually tanned skin, same muscle mass… Hadrian’s brief inspection told him nothing much had changed about Prize since their last encounter. That was good. It meant he still knew how to defeat him.
    His opponent raised his hands as if in surrender but Hadrian didn’t let down his guard.
    He knew better. He’d been tricked too many times before.
    “I come as a messenger, nothing more.”
    “Funny they’d send you to deliver a message, considering you can barely speak.”
    Prize narrowed his eyes but didn’t move. Hadrian suppressed his grin, knowing what the control cost his opponent. “They want her back. That is all. Give her back and we can return to normal.”
    Hadrian shook head. Not this time, not again. “Sorry, I’m not sure to what you are referring.”
    “The princess wants her back.”
    “She couldn’t care less and you know it. It’s been a long time since she had anything to do with her children. But good try just the same. Tell Pettigrew he’ll have to do better than that.”
    “If you don’t give her back, we’ll take her back by force.”
    “Ha.” Hadrian laughed—he couldn’t help it. The ridiculousness of that statement was more than he could handle. “Am I supposed to be afraid of that, Prize? The only person here who could be harmed by that encounter is the