Jade Book One of the Precious Stone Series

By M. A. Silver

Diana Grene is a 57 year old administrative assistant who has been living a secret life for the last 35 years. Jake Connor is the 59 old year, ex-Marine, currently a captain of detectives she meets and becomes involved with. It takes a more than slightly deranged admirer threatening her life to bring Diana’s secret to light. When forced to unveil her alter ego, will the bond Diana and Jake have forged be strong enough to survive?

Jake has been a cop most of his life. He’s seen it all and done it all. Or so he thought. Then he meets the green eyed beauty with the snow white hair and his well ordered life will never be the same again. But can he protect her from the man who’s already murdered seven people and still keep her secret?

“Jade” is the first of six books in the “Precious Stone Series.” Each book is stand alone, introduces new characters to the series, with each of the characters weaving in and out of each subsequent book in the series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: M. A. Silver
• Release date: Jan 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370401031

M. A. Silver

M. A. Silver lives in the southern California desert area around Palm Springs.

Book preview

Jade

Book 1 of the Precious Stone Series

M. A. Silver

Copyright © 2018 by M. A. Silver

This novel is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead is coincidental.

All rights to reproduction of this work are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced to a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the permission of the copyright owner. Thank you for respecting the copyright.

For permission or information on foreign, audio or other rights, contact the author. [e-mail]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dedication

Jade

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Onyx

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my parents, both of whom instilled the love of reading in all their children. Papa, Mother… I miss you both so much.

I love you.

I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to Andrea H. You have been there from the beginning of this labor of love and I can never say thank you enough.

Thanks to Tatiana Vila for putting up with me. I love the cover art!

[e-mail]

https://www.maag47.com/

www.facebook.com/Ma.silver.982

Jade

The first time I saw, "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" I was probably 9 or 10 years old. Needless to say, I forgot most of the story. I say most, because the one thing that stuck with me was the scene where Jennifer Jones character announces to her family she is in love with an American. As each of her family exit the room, they each take off a piece of Jade and gift it to Han Suyin. Suyin, later explains to her American lover, We Believe That Jade, If Worn Long Enough, Becomes The Person Who Wears It and They have given me something of themselves to take away. By giving the jade to Suyin, the family is in essence, giving her a part of each of them. It also meant that, she was basically disowned and this was all she would have of them. I have seen the movie many times since that first time, and now love the story of Dr. Han Suyin and Mark Elliott. But still love that scene the most.

My mother gave me my first piece of Jade many years later, and I now have several pieces. Some she wore, some she didn’t. But when I wear those she wore, especially one heavy necklace, I always wear it tucked in, against my chest, on the left side, over my heart. That way, I know she is with me.

What follows is information for entertainment purposes only and taken directly from several internet sites. It is not meant to provide any kind of medical advise. So, if you’re sick or have any of the malaise mentioned below, seek medical help. But maybe take a bit of the metaphysical to heart. I mean, what could it hurt? MAS

Jade is a stone of the heart. As such it is related to the heart chakra and has a beneficial effect on all heart chakra related issues. So, of course, it can attract and enhance love of all kinds. It is also a stone of fidelity and generosity. It is also considered to be good for the physical heart and for emotional balance and stability. It is used in crystal healing for increasing self-reliance. Jade is also very helpful as a stone of abundance. Physically, jade is used in crystal healing for lung problems, kidney problems, immune system weakness, PTSD, and nervous system overwork. Jade is also energized by its color, and relates to those color energies as well.

Chapter 1

What the hell was she thinking? Today was her 57th birthday and all Diana wanted was to be home, dressed in her yoga pants, flip-flops and oversized men’s tee shirt reading a good book, listening to the local classical music station. Instead she had let the girls from the office talk her into going to a local club for a celebration party. The music was too loud, the room too warm and the bodies too young. She wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, hell, she spent too much time in her club to be, but she would have to make her get away before too much longer.

What the hell had she been thinking coming out tonight?

The perky blonde waitress, swaying to the bass beat of the overly loud music, reached over Diana’s shoulder to pick up the empty glasses on the high top table and asked if she wanted another drink. Diana looked at the empty glass which still contained a few ice cubes and nodded.

Yes, tall Soda Water, please.

She rarely drank anymore and never during the week. Those days were long behind her. Crawling out of bed in the morning, feeling like crap and trying to get through a ten hours work day just didn’t work for her anymore. And while she didn’t have to work her day job tomorrow, she did need to get to her Pen early and get the accounting paperwork done and do some ordering for a private party she had booked for Saturday night.

She reached up to make sure her waist length hair was still in the bun she preferred for her day business work hours, pushing the Bobbie-pins deeper into the bun to insure it stayed secure. She couldn’t wait to get home and release the constriction. The back of her head and shoulders ached from the weight of keeping it in the elaborate knot she kept it in most days, not to mention spending ten hours working on her computer. Diana kept thinking she should cut it all off, but it was one of the few guilty pleasures she allowed herself. She loved nothing better than having it brushed.

As she started to bring her hand back down, she felt the fine hairs at the nape of her neck tingle and prick up. Her sixth sense kicked in and she know what it meant. As nonchalantly as possible, she turned, swinging her crossed, nylon clad legs to the side of the tall chair and reached back to pull her wallet from her purse where it rested on the back of her chair. Twisting in her chair allowed her to nonchalantly take a look at the bar, tables and people around and behind her.

There was what looked like a bachelor party going on behind her at the bar, but she didn’t immediately see anyone watching her, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was staring at her. She continued her perusal of the bar until her gaze came to rest on the dark haired, mustached man who seemed to be older, more mature than the others in the group. His eyes snagged hers and didn’t let go. She was used to men and yes, women, staring at her, but not when she was in day attire. On the days she worked at the country club office, she dressed very conservatively. Almost dowdy. Only when night came and she was at the Pen did she dress to command attention.

* * *

What the hell was Jake thinking? He had agreed to come to the bachelor party for one of the younger deputies he worked with, but all he wanted was to head home, strip out of his suit and jump into the pool for his nightly swim. Then he wanted to climb into bed and continue the novel he’d started last weekend until his brain was calmed enough to allow him to sleep. The last place he wanted to be was in a club that catered to the twenty-something crowd. The music was too load, the room overly warm and he hadn’t recognized a single song the DJ had played so far. He was getting too old for this shit.

What the hell had he been thinking coming here tonight?

Just as he started to turn to ask the bartender for a soda water, his attention was caught by a woman sitting alone at the high top table that looked to be the center of another party. Balloons, proclaiming Happy Birthday were tied to her chair and the woman looked to be almost as uncomfortable as he felt. He watched as the young waitress started clearing the many empty glasses and leaned in to the women, asking, he was sure, if she wanted another drink. She nodded and as the waitress turned to leave, she raised her hand to the back of her head, probably to make sure the bun she wore was secured. Her hand stalled for a second, then started to drop to the table.

It was then he realized that her hair might not be blonde as he thought at first glance, but silver. When she turned to reach for her purse, the lighting from above caught her hair and seemed to throw sparks around her head. And when she turned around, he noted that the hair around her face was completely white… silver. Interesting… Most women colored their hair at the first signs of gray, hell, most men did too now. Jake never understood it. His own thick, coal black hair was heavily laced with grey and was one of his better feature, or so he had been told by his daughter.

When her eyes locked with his, he felt like he‘d been kicked in the chest. He felt the beginning tingle of attraction skitter down his spine, roll around to the front of his gut and lower to lodge somewhere around his groin.

Hmm… Again, interesting. It had been a long time since a woman had peaked his interest. While he couldn’t tell from this distance, he would bet his Harley, her eyes were blue.

From this distance, he could tell she was a beauty. Fresh faced without heavy make up. And her hair was extraordinary. He wondered how long it would be when released from the bun she had it in. Judging from the size of the bun, it would be long and thick. He would love to pull the pins and release her hair and run his fingers though it. Then grab a handful and pull her head back and run his lips down… Whoa! He felt his cock twitch. Down boy! What the hell? He wasn’t some randy teenager. He was pushing 59, and too old to be fantasizing about a woman in a bar he hadn’t met… yet.

Jake dug into his pocket, pulled out his money clip, peeled off a twenty and headed to the DJ booth.

After leaning over the Plexiglas divider and speaking to the DJ, the twenty landed in the cup near the turntables. The kid nodded, smiled and shot Jake two thumbs up.

When the DJ announced he was going to be slowing’ it down for a couple of songs, Jake watched as several twenty-something women and a couple of young men returned from the dance floor to silver haired beauty’s table. Before he could make it though the crowd coming off the floor, one of the young men rounded the table and grabbed the silver haired woman’s hand, practically dragging her onto the dance floor. He could tell she was uncomfortable, but laughed good naturedly and went anyway.

As they passed him, he drew a breath and could smell a familiar scent he couldn’t quite place. It was so familiar, pleasant, teasing his memory. Something he hadn’t smelled in many years, but something he associated with good memories.

After a moment of watching, Jake decided he’d had enough as the kid step on her toes, again, and made his way to the mostly empty dance area and tapped the young man on the shoulder. Not expecting an interruption, the couple stopped and he caught the grimace on the woman’s face as the kid stepped on her toes again.

Mind if I cut in?

The young man stepped back, relief showing on his face, relinquishing his hold on the woman’s hand.

No, go for it man. he said and scuttled back toward the table.

* * *

Diana looked up into the almost black eyes of the mustached man who’d been watching her from the bar and had tapped David on the shoulder. God, he was big. In an instant, she sized him up. Not just tall, but wide shoulders that tapered to a trim waist and long legs. While she didn’t consider herself that small at 5’ 4" the top of her head barely reached his chin and when he took her left hand in his right, his hand seemed to swallow hers. Oh goodness, hands where one of her weaknesses. There was nothing more attractive to her than a man with big hands and his were huge! He placed his left hand on her back to bring her closer into him. That hand seemed to span her whole back from the top of her spine at the base of her neck to the top of her waist. Goose bumps skittered down her arms, raised the fine hairs at the nape of her neck and she felt her nipples start to harden. She looked at her hand in his and placed her free hand on his left shoulder.

He leaned towards her right ear, inhaling the scent he still couldn’t identify and his mustache and five o‘clock bristle scraped her temple as his lips brushed lightly against her ear.

Happy Birthday he whispered.

Diana barely restrained the groan, as against her will, her head tilted towards his lips. Oh, my goodness, was the only thing going through her mind. He had the voice of a late night disc jockey. Deep, rumbling… A voice made for the dark of night and hard driving sex.

Thank you she replied looking up, gaze locking with his incredibly dark eyes.

Slowly, they started to sway to the sounds of a favorite song of hers. Funny that the DJ would play a Eric Clapton. Wonderful Tonight was a beautiful piece, an oft played song on one of the oldies station she favored in her car and the office. It never failed to bring tears to her eyes.

Looking down at her face, Jake realized she was older than he’d first thought. No twenty-something girl here, but a women. Probably in her late forties, maybe even early fifties. Good, now he didn’t feel like he would be robbing the cradle.

I would have lost. he murmured to himself.

Her chin came up and she tilted her head to the right. Lost? she asked barely loud enough to be heard over the song he‘d asked the DJ to play.

Jake hadn’t realized he’d spoken aloud. "Yeah, I made myself a bet that your eyes were blue. And they are…?

My drivers license says green Diana replied with a slight smile. God, he was handsome. And his voice. As the girls in the office would say, to die for.

And what did you bet yourself? she asked almost coyly.

Coyly? Oh man, Diana hadn’t been coy since she first started training in the lifestyle. What was this man doing to her. She’d loved to flirt