by Dylan Keefer
“The police said this was the best thing for us,” Kyle said as he rolled up to them. Raine leaned down and hugged him.
“They're right,” she said. “You're away from it, and like I said on the phone, you can stay here as long as you need. We're going to be on our honeymoon; so, you have the place to yourself until this blows over.”
“They're close to catching the Mocker, and when they do, we'll be good.”
“Okay,” Micah said shuffling by the group with a couple of bags in his hands. “Enough talk. Tonight, I've got to endure whatever shenanigans that Tai has cooked up.”
Raine rolled her eyes. “Don't act like you aren't excited.”
There hadn't been any talk of the bachelor and bachelorette parties being planned because Micah hadn't been too keen on it at first. He hated surprises, but Tai had been immovable about the fact they were going to have one.
“Ride number one is here,” Rachel called out as she peered out of the window. Micah looked over her shoulder.
“Tell me that one is for the girls. If Tai is trying to get me into a limo…”
“Oh, hush, you Scrooge,” Rachel punched him in the shoulder. “Yes, this is the girl's ride. Raine! C'mon!”
Rachel's heels echoed on the floor as she walked over to where Kyle was texting someone on his phone. He looked up and boasted a wide grin at his wife.
“Damn. I gotta be away from you all night?”
Rachel sat on his lap and leaned over for a kiss. “Oh, not all all night.”
Micah was about to comment when Raine entered the room. He couldn't have stopped the smile from coming to his lips if he wanted to. Raine smirked as she walked up to him and kissed his stunned lips. She leaned her forehead on his.
“You're going to enjoy yourself tonight,” she said. “If you do, I promise to show you what's underneath this dress when the night is over.”
“Oh, you are so wrong,” Micah shook his head. Raine giggled.
“I know.” She stepped back. “I'm ready Rachel. Let's go.”
The brother's watched them climb into the limo and be carted off for the night. Micah sighed. “So, if they get a limo, what do we get?”
Kyle laughed as he nodded. “Looks like we go less classy, and more sporty.”
A sleek, all black Audi R8 pulled up to where the limo had been followed by a deep red Nissan GTR. Tai and Ailani climbed out of the respective cars as Kyle and Micah came out.
“Whachu tink? I did good.” Tai patted himself on the shoulder. Micah pointed to the cars.
“What kind of strings did you pull to get these?”
“Not a whole lot,” Ailani said. “Police and military. Both have perks.”
“Yeah,” Tai said. “Had ta git two. I'm a big guy, and your bruda has a bum bottom half of his body.”
Kyle let out a loud laugh which startled Micah and amused Tai. “Sorry, but that was funny. I've never had anyone say it like that.”
“Well, that's Tai for you,” Micah said. “So, where are we going?”
“Casino,” Ailani said. “Tai scored us the VIP treatment. You ready?”
He tossed Micah the keys to the Nissan which he caught. Micah shook his head. “Oh, you have no idea.”
It was a beautiful boat. Ironically, Raine had never been on a boat before especially a Yacht like the one she was staring at now. Its sleek look boasted the word “Helena” in black letters on the side. Their limo pulled up to the docks, and Heather downed her drink before bouncing up and down in her seat.
“Ladies, we have arrived.”
“Where did you get this?” Rachel gasped.
“Malanie said she wanted to do a night on the water, and I know a guy who knows a guy. Well, my husband knows a guy who knows a guy. Either way, this baby is ours for the night.”
“I can’t believe this,” Raine said. “This is too much. You guys…”
“You deserve it,” Malanie interrupted. “You finally deserve something amazing to happen to you. So enjoy it.”
There was a chorus of agreement with the rest of them. Raine shrugged and downed the rest of her drink.
“Okay. Here it goes then.”
A man in a white suite greeted them as they walked on board of the yacht. He held a tray of champagne glasses. “Ladies. My name is Robert. The owner would like to welcome you aboard the Helena. I understand that we’re celebrating a bride-to-be?”
“Right here,” Rachel pointed to Raine. Robert smiled and snapped his fingers. Raine gasped as music started playing and the boat lit up with lights.
“Well, let’s get you settled, and we’ll shove off!”
The women were led to the top of the yacht where a DJ was set up next to a bar. It was perfect. As the boat shoved off, Malanie cleared her throat and pointed to the DJ to turn the music down. He nodded.
“Okay,” she said. “I know there is only four of us, but I really wanted this to be the best night for you, Raine. You’ve been my big sister, and because of you, my life changed. I thought for sure that with my dad dead and my mom locked up, I had nothing left. You stuck by me. I’m really horrible at speeches. You can ask my public speaking professor, but I just want you to know how much I love you.”
Raine nodded unable to speak as she held back tears. Heather raised her glass. “I gotta echo, Malanie. I’m so glad to have met you. My life has not been boring since, but I look forward to more adventures together.”
“And I have to say something,” Rachel said. “Echoing Heather now. I just met this girl, and I was immediately thrust into adventure and mystery.”
“You all act like this is a perk of being friends with me,” Raine sat back. “I hate that any of you have been in danger because of me.”
“Life is dangerous,” Rachel said. “Danger is what brought you and Micah together.”
“True,” Raine said. Malanie raised her glass again.
“To Raine and Micah. Your journey together has been epic, and we’re excited to see what epic adventures await you in Hawaii now that you’re married.”
Raine dropped her glass as the others cheered. She had to say something, and she didn’t want it to be now.
“What’s wrong?” Malanie asked. Raine set down her glass and looked at each of them.
“There’s something that I need to tell you all,” she started.
A gunshot echoed on the deck below them. Raine jumped up. Robert’s body was dumped by their feet as three men emerged from below them with guns drawn. Rachel’s eyes widened. She recognized one of the men. In fact, she didn’t think she would ever forget the face. She swallowed hard as his gaze fell on her face and a smile on her lips.
“Hello, Rachel,” the Mocker said sweetly. “We’ve got some unfinished business.”
Drinks were placed on the table in front of the four men as they waited on their meals to come. Tai grabbed his drink right away as he stared intently at the show in front of them. Micah chuckled to himself. They had watched dancers, a comedy act, and now, a magician was on the scene.
“No way,” Tai whispered loudly from their VIP section high above the rest of the crowd. They had plush seats with their own personal wait staff and a ton of game tokens for the slots if they wanted to use them. To top it off, they had a meal personally prepared for them by the chef. Tai nudge Ailani. “How’d he do dat?”
“I don’t know Tai. It’s magic. I’m not a magician.” Tai looked at Kyle.
“Don’t know either,” Kyle said. He was the most amused at the big man. Micah forgot that Kyle hadn’t really had exposure to the culture, and Tai was definitely full of culture.
“Guys, you think I have time to play a few slots before dinner,” Ailani asked grabbing some tokens.
“Prolly,” Tai said. “I’ma go wit you.”
“We’ll text you when the food gets here,” Micah said. “Maybe.”
Tai pointed back to them as if holding them to the promise. Kyle sighed. “So I haven’t said anything because I don’t know who knows, but my gu
ys at the department back home said some Feds were asking about you and the case of the Book Club several weeks ago. They said the Feds sounded interested in you and Raine.”
“Oh, really?” Micah said taking a sip of his drink. Kyle crossed his arms.
“C’mon,” he said. “Tell me what’s going on. Did the Feds contact you?”
“Yeah,” Micah nodded. He sat back and stretched his legs out. “They set up a visit with us about a month ago and--and they want us to go to New York.”
“Wow,” Kyle said. “That’s big. What are you going to do?”
“Well, we’ve been thinking about it, and--well, we both really think this might be a great step for us. I’d hate to leave Hawaii behind, but like you said--this is big.”Two waiters appeared in front of them with steaming plates. Micah grabbed his phone. “Don’t say anything to the guys or anyone. We’re still waiting to tell people, and--oh--Rachel’s calling.”
Kyle frowned as Micah answered the phone. “Rachel?”
“Micah,” her voice sounded shaky. “Micah, listen. I need you to come to the address I’m about to text you. Just you and Kyle. No cops. No one else. You have 30 minutes.”
Micah gripped the phone hard. “Rachel,” he growled, “tell me what’s going on.” The line clicked, and Micah cursed as he slammed his phone in his hand.
“Micah, what happened?”
Micah looked at his brother. “Nothing good.”
Chapter Twelve
Rope dug into Raine’s skin as she sat cramped on the ground against the bar. The knots were tight, and as much as she tried to wiggle free, it wasn’t working. She just felt the ropes getting tighter. The gag in her mouth wasn’t much more pleasant. She turned her head to see the other girls in the same predicament. There hadn’t been any room for conversation. The DJ and the bartender had been taken below. Who knew what happened to them. Raine, Malanie, and Heather had been tied up right away, and Rachel had been forced to call Micah and Kyle. That was almost a half hour ago, and she wasn’t sure what the plan was after the 30-minute time limit was up. Rachel sat next to her. Her eyes were closed. She was praying. Raine remembered her saying she and Kyle were religious. Praying wasn’t going to help them out of the current situation as far as Raine was concerned, but to each their own.
The sound of a motorboat approaching caused all of them to sit up at alert. The Mocker sat on a couch facing them with his gun in hand. His eyes were closed as if he were meditating. Was this really about revenge? Had they made enough of a dent in his operation that he would come after them? What was she thinking? Of course they had. This guy had sent people after Mya for getting too close. They had actually infiltrated.
People were coming. Micah walked up the stairs to the upper deck with his hands raised. His eyes immediately searched for her. Anger surfaced on his face when he saw her tied up and gagged. Don’t do anything stupid, Micah. Kyle was dragged up the stairs next to him and tossed on the ground. Rachel stiffened.
“Hey!” Micah yelled. The Mocker stood up and placed his gun against Micah’s forehead.
“I don’t appreciate being addressed in such a manner. I’m glad that you both could join us. Makes it a lot easier to do this. Please allow my men to tie you up and gag you.”
Kyle was dragged beside Rachel and gagged. Soon, both men were secured. The Mocker stood in front of them. He had a pleased look on his face.
“I’m not going to prolong this. You ruined what I had going and cost me a lot of money. I can’t let that go unpunished. It’s simple.” He pointed to Heather and Malanie. “And I’m sorry, but you are guilt by association. If you weren’t here, you would have been excluded, but--should ofs and could ofs. Just sit tight, and it will be over soon.”
The Mocker nodded to them and turned to make his exit. Micah looked at Rachel. They were both thinking the same thing. Something was about to happen, and they needed to move fast. Micah tried in vain to spit the gag out of his mouth while he looked around for something to help him cut the ropes off. Raine slammed her head back against the bar. The others turned to her. She slammed her head against it again. Micah’s eyes widened. Of course. The bar. Bottles. He looked towards Heather who was the one on the end closest to the entrance to the bar. She understood his eye movements and head nods. She had to hurry. The sound of two motorboats starting up alerted Micah to what about to happen. The only way they would be left alive on the yacht was if they were planning on taking it down somehow. Make it look like there was something that went wrong with the boat. Heather tipped herself over and tried to roll onto her knees. They were tied together, too, but she was able to sit upright on them. Balance, Heather. You can do this. She inched forward on her knees as quickly as possible ignoring the pain she had from placing all her weight on them. Rachel and Kyle were leaned up against each other as she tried to support him. They both looked like they wanted to do more, but they were all pretty helpless. Micah nudged her. She frowned not understanding what he wanted, but finally figured out that he wanted her to lay on the ground. She tipped herself over in similar fashion to what Heather had done and lay with her back to him. She heard him fall to his side and soon felt his back against hers. His hands just above hers. He was trying to untie their hands. She relaxed herself as much as possible hoping that he could get a good grip on the ropes with his fingers. Micah grunted. The ropes around his hands restricted some movement. The motorboats were pulling away. It wouldn’t be long. The sound of bottles crashing and breaking alerted him the Heather was one step closer to getting free.
Glass cut into her fingers as she grabbed for a large piece and began working frantically sliding it back and forth through the rope. They weren’t extremely thick, but they were thick enough. Snap! One came off, and she felt instant relief. When her hands were free, she took off the gag and began slicing through her other ropes.
Micah heard Heather’s footsteps before he felt the gag removed from his mouth. He spat out the words along with the cloth. “Heather! Quick!”
The boat wasn’t heading back to the docks. In fact, it was heading the opposite way. The Mocker had to have another escape plan. Ailani stood up and yelled out.
“I want boats in pursuit yesterday! Get me a chopper in the air ASAP!” He turned to Tai who looked concerned. They had walked back to their table at the restaurant in the casino and had seen Kyle’s cell phone and a note scribbled on a napkin next to four plates with beautifully made steaks. It didn’t take long for them to ping Micah’s phone and verify where he and Kyle were heading.
“You tink dey still on dat yacht?” Tai asked.
“I didn’t see anything through the binoculars when I watched that motorboat take off. I’m sending coast guard out there. I’m going out to…”
An explosion shook the air around them as the yacht just in their line of sight exploded. Smoke and fire were the only thing visible as Tai and Ailani looked on in horror.
“Get me a boat!” Ailani yelled as he took off to one of the police boats in the harbor. Tai’s thundering footsteps followed him. He climbed in after the chief, and the boat took off. Pieces of the boat were scattered in the water. The bomb had been powerful enough that anyone left on the boat could never have survived.
Tai grimaced as he scanned the waves for any sign of his friends escaping. Ailani hit his arm. “There they are! Look! Hey!”
Tai followed his finger and saw six bodies floating amidst the debris. Arms were waving them over. The boat stopped several feet away and floated towards them. They all helped get Kyle in first, and then Rachel climbed in next. When everyone was safe inside, Tai grabbed Malanie in a hug. She buried her face in his chest and cried.
“How? What?” Ailani said.
Micah laid back against Raine who spoke for them. “Barely made it off the boat.” She explained how Heather had cut Micah loose and the two of them had tossed the others overboard before jumping in themselves right before the explosion. “They untied Rachel and Kyle knowing that Malanie and I probably could
hold our breath the longest.”
“Damn, dat’s crazy,” Tai whistled. “dat’s sum real James Bond stuff.”
Raine leaned over and kissed Micah as she hugged him close. She looked at Rachel. “And you were saying that meeting me was an adventure?”
Epilogue
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
She didn’t want the kiss to end, and it truly felt like it wasn’t going to. The wedding had been perfect. She half expected something to happen. A hostage situation. A fugitive on the loose. Random attack from outer space. Instead, it was simple, beautiful, and peaceful.
Her ears finally caught the cheering and applause that accompanied their first moment married. Micah backed away. He loved seeing the gleam in her eyes when she looked at him. Every part of him was excited for their life together, and it promised to be an adventurous one.
The reception was filled with dancing and laughter as they gathered with their small community of friends and fellow officers. Malanie gave a wonderful toast and held back emotions a lot better than Kyle did for his best man speech.
“So, you guys haven’t told anyone where you’re going on your honeymoon?” Rachel asked.
“No,” Micah said. “We figured that if word got out, there was going to be some sort of case that follows us.”
“Well, I’m just glad they finally caught the Mocker. I’m still going to have nightmares about him for a while.”
“I think we all are still a bit shaken up about that, but everything ended well. I do wish Mya--well--I wish she could have been a part of this somehow.”
“I think she and Raine’s former fiance, Donny, are looking down with big smiles,” Rachel said rubbing his arm. Micah nodded.
“I think this might be the first time that you haven’t pun…” Rachel punched his arm before he could continue. Micah shook his head. “Never mind.”