The Spy Who Left Me

by Gina Robinson

  “She’s probably overseeing the preparations for the reception.” Hal sounded too smug. He knew very well that she was probably checking her purchase.

  * * *

  Mrs. Ho burst into the control room and trained her semiautomatic on Ty. “You! You’re the spy?” She looked dumbfounded.

  Ah, the element of surprise. Unfortunately, the wrong kind. At least my cover was good. And Tref, in her ineptitude, was a second too late with the “Mrs. Ho’s not at the wedding” warning.

  “Who is the girl, then?”

  “What girl?”

  “Don’t play dumb with me!” She waved the gun at him. “Tleflee, the one with Hal.”

  Ty shrugged. “A guest of yours, I imagine. Like me. I thought I saw her at the wedding.” He nodded toward the semiautomatic. “Is that any way to treat a guest who’s wandered slightly off track?”

  Mrs. Ho ignored his jibe and called out to someone behind her. One of the wedding ushers entered the room. She spoke to him in Chinese. Fortunately, Ty understood her.

  “We’ve been compromised. Tie him up. Call the helicopter. Then release those two and activate the self-destruct sequence.” She stared at Ty with eyes glittering with hate and returned to English. “I could shoot you now, but why waste good bullets? You’ll be in a million pieces soon enough.”

  Ty shook his head, trying to buy time and think of a way out of this mess. The odds were definitely against him. “Blowing me up is really going to throw things out of harmony now, isn’t it? How will you ever put them back in balance?”

  He rolled to his feet and charged her.

  * * *

  The Chinese wedding official raised his arms, smiled, and said in English, “I now pronounce you men and—”

  Treflee frowned. She was sure she heard the pounding of footsteps coming from behind her from Sugar Love. Ty? She turned to look.

  “Stop! Stop this ceremony!”

  “Oh, boy,” Treflee whispered when she saw who it was.

  Every head turned now.

  Kane came running down the aisle, ambling like the great big defensive-tackle kind of guy he was. “Carrie! Carrie!”

  He looked around wildly, trying to find her and seeming confused by the one hundred percent Chinese wedding parties up front. Not a white girl in sight up there at the figurative altar. Just a bunch of terrified-looking Chinese brides whose wedding day was rapidly deteriorating into a spectacle.

  Someone had given Kane bad intel.

  He scanned the crowd. “Don’t do this to me. Don’t marry someone else. I love you, baby! I never cheated. I swear.” He waved a piece of paper he held. “I have the lie detector test to prove it. It’s right here. Right here, baby. Done by your favorite examiner. Twice.

  “You know, you know, baby, these things are nearly one hundred percent accurate. If you won’t believe me, believe it.”

  In front of her, the girls were all encouraging Carrie to talk to Kane. Carrie slumped down and dabbed her eyes with the tissue. Since she was smiling, they must have been tears of joy she was wiping away.

  Carrie is going to ruin poor Abi’s dream wedding if she doesn’t respond to Kane soon.

  Treflee gave her cousin a nudge in the shoulder and leaned forward to whisper, “Come on. Give the guy a break. How long are you going to make him beg? Do something. The Chinese brides up there look like they’re going to faint.”

  “You have to believe me,” Kane yelled. “This is our day, damn it!”

  An usher half his size stepped in to block Kane from making it to the altar. He slammed into Kane with the full force of his puny half-pint size. As his shoulder hit Kane in the chest, the ground shook with the force of a volcano erupting, knocking Kane to his knees and sending the usher flying. The roar of an explosion rocked the air. Behind them, Sugar Love plantation house exploded into a ball of flame, spewing debris and bits of wedding feast two hundred yards onto the beach.

  Treflee stared in horror as the implications of what had happened hit her. Last time she’d seen Ty he’d been standing right next to Sugar Love. She kicked back her chair and stood. “No. No. No! Ty! Ty!”

  She’d blown her cover. But it didn’t matter. Her ears rang so loudly she couldn’t even hear herself. The explosion and crackle of flames had rendered them all temporarily deaf.

  The brides’ shoulders shook, crying silently. The grooms held them in their arms. Abi broke away from Feng and ran toward the plantation.

  Beside Treflee, Hal shoved back out of his chair and started to bolt.

  No! No way was he getting away. Rage took over. Treflee threw herself into him, tackling him and thumping him onto his back on the red carpet. She jumped on him, knocking his breath from him, straddling his hips with her flowing skirt spreading around them.

  “Not exactly the way you planned to have me straddling you, is it?” She pulled off a flip-flop, wishing it were a lethal high-heeled stiletto, and began beating him about the head, screaming for Ty. He’d been inside Sugar Love. She was sure of it.

  Oh, damn you, Ty! Where are you? Just don’t be dead or dying.

  Next to her, Kane held Carrie in a passionate kiss. With the flames in the background, they looked like a movie poster for an action adventure flick.

  Faye, Brandy, Carla, and Laci formed a protective barrier around Hal and cheered Treflee on.

  Treflee bounced on Hal and pummeled him with her ineffective flapping jeweled flip-flop as he struggled to get his breath back and flailed, trying to grab her arms.

  She leaned in and yelled into the hibiscus cam in Hal’s pocket, “Ty! Ty, I love you, baby. I have Hal pinned on the beach. Get the software, take down those bastards in there, and come out here and help me!”

  Next to her, Kane broke away from kissing Carrie. From the corner of her eye, Treflee saw him studying her. He leaned down and yelled at her in a booming voice she felt more than heard above the surf and the ringing in her ears. “Need help?”

  She shook her head no. “Thanks. I got him.” No way was she giving up the pleasure of subduing Hal. Not until her rage was spent, anyway.

  Kane shrugged and slipped off his sturdy leather dress slip-on shoe. He grabbed her arm and shoved it into her hand.

  She hefted it. It had a manly-sized clunky heel. Excellent! A pulverizing size thirteen was so much more effective than a size seven thong. She knew she hadn’t been wrong about Kane. He had keen police sense, recognizing the bad guy right away. She liked him more than ever. Carrie could do far worse.

  As if hearing Treflee’s thoughts, Carrie snuggled into Kane’s arms and rested her head against his chest. Kane squeezed Carrie tight, watching Tref with that look in his eye that said he was ready to step in and subdue at a moment’s notice.

  As Treflee raised Kane’s shoe, she caught the silhouette of Mrs. Ho running into the sunset from the plantation. At the same time, a helicopter appeared on the horizon over the ocean. The sun sat on top of the water, creating a sunset as brilliant as a Haleakala sunrise.

  The bitch is escaping!

  “Don’t let her get away!” Treflee screamed. She tugged on Kane’s pant leg, pointing toward Mrs. Ho and pantomiming a cop taking down a criminal.

  Carrie caught her drift first. She grabbed Kane’s arm and motioned to the other girls. They took off after Mrs. Ho and the two goons who appeared from the foliage following their leader.

  Wait! Is that Abi chasing Mrs. Ho, too?

  As Treflee lifted the shoe to clobber Hal again, a strong hand caught her wrist.

  She looked up, startled and ready to take down anyone who’d come to help Hal. Her breath caught. “Ty!”

  Ty grinned and shook his head. “I leave you alone for a minute and find you riding another guy.”

  At least that’s what she thought he said as she read his lips. It was the kind of thing he would say, anyway.

  He pulled the shoe out of her hand and tossed it away. “You know you could have subdued him with your sedative dart?”

  In the heat
of the moment, she’d forgotten all about that.

  Greg appeared beside him. Both men glistened with sweat tracked with soot. Treflee wiped a hand across her eyes. She was a smudge pot of mascara. Always wear waterproof to weddings and explosions.

  Ty pulled her to her feet and into his arms. Greg cuffed Hal and removed the hibiscus cam.

  Treflee braced her hands against Ty’s chest. “What are you doing here?” She pointed toward the approaching helicopter and Mrs. Ho’s sunset silhouette. “Mrs. Ho’s getting away! After her!”

  He remained fixed in place. She wasn’t sure he could hear her. She pointed more wildly.

  Ty shook his head no and pointed between Treflee and himself before crushing her to his chest.

  “Damn you, you scared me to death,” she said into his shirt as she cuddled against him and hung on to him for dear life.

  “Nice to see you, too.” Ty pressed her against him and kissed the top of her head as she listened to the reassuringly calm, steady beat of his heart. His breath moved against her hair. He was saying something. She hoped it was, “I love you, Tref.” She believed it was.

  * * *

  Back at the plantation, Tita greeted them with cold glasses of guava juice and directed them to paramedics to be checked over. Carla was in her element as head nurse.

  Having brought in Mrs. Ho’s two accomplices and demonstrated his fidelity and undying love for Carrie, Kane was the hero of the day. And Carrie, having decided she would marry him after all, was the happy, radiant, and slightly sooty bride-to-be.

  After being poked and prodded and pronounced fit and able to hear again, Treflee found Ty on the lanai, staring out at the ocean.

  “You let Mrs. Ho go. You came for me first,” she said, tentatively, trying not to choke up.

  “Yeah,” he said, and turned to face her.

  “Does this mean I’m forgiven?” She could barely get the words out.

  He smiled at her in the light streaming out from Big Auau. “What do you think?”

  She threw herself into his arms. “I love you.” She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her head against his chest.

  He responded by wrapping his arms around her. “Wow, I save you from a strangler, rescue you from drowning, scare off a vicious bike-wielding assassin, give you pearls, and take one to the leg for you, and still you want a divorce. I let a dangerous RIOT agent escape and you’re all over me. I’ll never understand women.” He sighed. “Does this mean the divorce is off?”

  She squeezed him. “Let’s set the record straight. I wanted to call the divorce off after the pearls.”

  “Give a woman jewelry and she’ll follow you anywhere!” He laughed. “You did a hell of a job as a spy. Ever thought about a career with the Agency?”

  She laughed. “Never. Living with a spy is excitement enough for me. You were in Sugar Love, right? How did you escape?” She stared up at him as if he’d disappear again at any minute.

  “Underground volcanic tunnel after I rushed Mrs. Ho.”

  “And you just left her there and hurried to me?” She couldn’t keep the joy out of her voice.

  “Yeah, you were pleading for help, remember?” He tipped her chin up, ready for a kiss. “Besides, Abi, Greg, and Kane had things under control.”

  “Abi?”

  “MSS.”

  “Of course. Kane?”

  “Conveniently there.”

  She smiled and met his lips.

  Carrie came out onto the lanai, and cleared her throat. “Get a room, you two. I have an important announcement. Wedding here tomorrow. You’re both invited. Attendance mandatory.” She was beaming ear to ear as she grabbed Tref’s arm and yanked her away from Ty. “Can I speak to you a minute? In private.”

  Tref looked helplessly at Ty and reluctantly let go as Carrie dragged her into the empty dining room. Carrie nodded back toward the lanai and Ty. “Back with your husband?”

  “What?”

  “Don’t play dumb with me. I’m a cop. I know how to sniff out the truth.” She put her hand on her hip. “Beach bum and tour guide Ty is your husband, Ty, no?”

  Carrie had her.

  “Wait a minute,” Tref said. “Did you happen to rifle through my room and look inside a certain locket on a particular charm bracelet hidden under a mattress?”

  Carrie grinned. “You should find a different hiding place for your treasures. You’ve been hiding stuff under your mattress since we were kids.”

  “Shoot.” Treflee caught Carrie’s arm. “Look, you can’t tell anyone back home about Ty being here or let the other girls know who he really is. The work Ty does—”

  Carrie stopped her short. “Yeah, I figured something like that. Top secret work. Probably for the feds.” She punched Treflee lovingly in the arm. “My quiet little cuz is married to a secret agent!” She laughed and shook her head in wonderment. “Your secret’s safe with me. No one would believe me anyway. And the other girls? If they’ve figured it out, you can count on them to keep mum, too.” Carrie paused and gave Treflee the cop stare. “Still going through with the divorce?”

  Treflee smiled. She couldn’t help it. “What is this, the Hawaiian inquisition?”

  “The way you two look at each other hasn’t been lost on me.” Carrie winked at her.

  “Divorce a secret agent? Heck, no. Someone would probably have to kill me.” Treflee laughed. “I’m not going to divorce him. Nor he me.” She grabbed Carrie’s arm.

  “But let me tell our moms, will you? I’ve been in their doghouse over Ty too long. I could use a few brownie points.” Treflee shook her head as a thought occurred to her. “Speaking of your mom—as happy as she’s going to be about you and Kane, she’s going to kill you for getting married without her. She was hell-bent on seeing Hawaii. And Mom will be right behind her.” Treflee became serious. “You really are going to marry Kane? Do you love him?”

  “Yes, and hell, yes. And Mom will forgive me when I explain how romantic Kane was when he charged in to stop the Chinese wedding with that crazy lie detector test to prove his innocence, and how he refused to wait another day to marry me. She’s a sucker for a love story with a strong hero and a happy ending.”

  Treflee nodded. Yeah, she could see her aunt reacting like that. A romantic streak ran through the family. “Good. No doubts?”

  “None.”

  Treflee pulled Carrie into a hug, feeling a deep affection for her. “Be happy.”

  Carrie hugged her back. “You, too. Now let’s get back to our guys.”

  Greg stopped Treflee before she walked back onto the lanai. “We caught Mrs. Ho. Her chopper landed on a ship that was very fortunately just inside American waters.” He winked and handed Treflee a familiar blue legal file. “A gift from Emmett.”

  Treflee’s eyes went wide. She recognized these. “You were the man in the hat at the lawyer’s office? Emmett ordered the theft?”

  Greg grinned. “Forgive Ty, Treflee. The spying life is hell on marriages. I ought to know. My wife kicked me out, too.”

  Treflee stared at the divorce papers. It took a minute to find her voice. “I will. I have.”

  She looked Greg in the eye. “I hope things work out for you, too. I really do.” She paused. “Maybe Emmett can get your wife involved in a mission? It worked wonders for us.”

  Greg shook his head. “Not likely, thank goodness. My estranged wife can’t lie to save her life. Or mine.”

  Treflee blinked back tears. She gave Greg a heartfelt hug. He seemed embarrassed by the show of affection. When she released him, he gave her a lopsided grin and walked away. “Take care, Treflee.”

  She found Ty still sitting on the front steps. She tossed the legal file on the step beside him.

  He arched a brow. “Where did these come from?”

  “Emmett,” she said without hesitating as she plunked down beside him. Well, it was true. Sort of.

  He thumped the papers and faced her. “I never wanted this.”

  “I know.” She
paused. “I was going to return that device. I’d made up my mind I didn’t want the divorce, either.”

  As he nodded, his eyes danced with desire. “I know.”

  She reached around him and grabbed the file.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Making a grand gesture.” She struggled, trying to tear the file in half.

  “Allow me.” He took the papers from her and ripped the stack in half with ease.

  “Wow!” She squeezed his bicep and leered at him. “They teach you how to do that in spy school, big boy?”

  “YouTube.” He made a neat stack of the papers.

  “Hooray for YouTube.” She ran her fingers lightly down his sooty arm.

  “Oh, you dirty girl.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “You still look damn good in that dress. What do you say to getting clean together?”

  “Only if we can get dirty after.”

  “I say we keep it dirty during.” He ran his hands over her bare back.

  Shivers of delight ran through her. He was good with his hands. This was just a tiny sample of his talents.

  “Deal.”

  “Love you, Tref.” He stared into her eyes. “About the baby—I would have been there if I’d known.”

  “Yeah, I know. Mea culpa. I promise not to keep something like that from you again.”

  “You forgive me?” His eyes pleaded with her.

  She swallowed hard and nodded. “I think I understand about your work now.” She looked up at him with her best sultry, flirty look. “How do you feel about babies these days?”

  He shrugged. “We could give one a try. But we’ll have to pray it doesn’t inherit the sticky-fingers gene from its mother.”

  “Or the thrill-seeking gene from its father.” She kissed his cheek. “Glad you’re receptive to the idea.” She whispered in his ear, “Because I went off birth control when you left. The good time we had at the waterfall? I’m thinking that was day fourteen.”

  “No.” His expression was priceless.

  “Maybe.” She kissed his neck. “We’ll see in a few weeks. Tonight, we’ll just have fun.”

  STINGER