The taxi pulled to a stop and Loyria flung the car door open, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Come meet your new in-laws”
James’s heart bottomed out. He’d rather face an army of Sumo wrestlers with his hands tied behind his back.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
MAKANI MALIU RAN OUT OF THE house and enveloped Loyria in a smothering hug. Her chestnut hair hung long and, if it was anything like Loyria’s, it would be a silky weight swirling down her back. He loved everything about Loyria, but her hair was his favorite feature. And now he knew where she got it…and what she would look like when she was middle-aged.
From the back James could barely tell mother and daughter apart. The only giveaway was that Loyria wore a woven tunic thing, and Makani’s shirt had some kind of fancy flowers all over it, and she was more, ah, pear-shaped. And damn, he must be jet-lagged. Why else would be detailing what the hell kind of clothes these women were wearing? Or maybe he was distracting himself from the single glimpse he’d allowed himself of the house. Little more than a shack really, which didn’t fit at all with Loyria’s theory that her parents were wealthy. And then there was the man standing on the porch. With his arms crossed and a snarl on his face. Had to be his future father-in-law, unless the guy decided James wasn’t good enough for his daughter and refused to marry them. Well, shit.
He breathed in a cloud of dust when the taxi took off. “Hey.” James ran after it, pulling his wallet from his back pocket.
Makani spun to face him. “No, no. It’s taken care of. All is well. You must be Kaimi’s Jayme. She speaks of you well and often. I’m her mother, Makani Mailu.” She gestured toward the man on the porch “And this is Kahuna Aukele, Kaimi’s father. Aloha, and welcome to my home.”
Her home? He shrugged the incongruity off for later consideration. “Thank you. Yes, I’m Jayme, actually James Evan Gray as of yesterday. Kaimi…uh, Loyria…told you about our plans?” He held out his hand.
Makani brushed it aside and hugged him. “She did. We’re still working on some of the details.” A heady scent of some kind of spice, or maybe flowers, clung to the air around her. With her arms wrapped around him, Makani seemed shorter than Loyria, and it surprised him. When he’d watched them hug, she appeared to be the same height as her daughter, possibly a bit taller. Definitely rounder.
She backed out of his arms and patted him on the cheek. “Appearances are often deceiving.”
His breath caught. He hadn’t said a word about the apparent discrepancy in height and weight. Not one damn word. “Do you read minds?” he blurted, a slight tremor spreading through his body. That’s all he needed. In-laws that could hear what was going on in his head.
“My gifts are a bit of an enigma, James. I never know quite what to expect, but in this instance your gaze was wandering between Kaimi…Loyria, and me, and you appeared perplexed. Let’s call it an educated guess rather than mind reading.” Her smile was warm. Understanding.
He would have relaxed then, but Aukele still hadn’t moved off the porch. And that very neatly shifted the onus of responsibility for the tenor of their relationship to James’s shoulders.
Gut clenched in a knot, James made his way to the house. Kahuna or not, he’d met his match. James would allow nothing to stand between him and Loyria. It was his job, his right, to protect her from every source of emotional or physical harm, whether it came in the form of parents or not. “Kahuna Aukele, I’m James Evan Gray, formerly known as Jayme Grady.” James didn’t offer his hand. “I love your daughter, respect her, admire her, and have asked her to be my wife. It would make her happy if you would do us the honor of marrying us. Will you do that, and share in our happiness?”
Loyria jogged up the steps and slid her arm around Aukele’s waist. “Technically I did the proposing.”
Of course his Loyria had to choose that moment to be precise. James didn’t bother to check his grin. “Technically, I responded with a proposal of my own, so I believe we’re on equal ground here, honey.”
Aukele turned to his daughter, tipped her face up, and looked into her eyes. “Does this man understand your soul, my daughter?”
“Yes, makuakane. And we have created a child. Your granddaughter will be born in August.”
He bent to kiss her forehead. “Your mother told me.”
The hell with an army of Sumo wrestlers, James would rather be staked on an anthill. Or spend the rest of his life locked in a room with a polygraph tester putting him through a CIA security reinvestigation. Or maybe going through eternal orientation at The Farm. At least there he’d stay in peak physical and mental condition. Fighting condition.
Aukele nodded at him. “Let’s take a walk.”
Loyria poked her father in the arm. “Don’t you lose him in the maze, Aukele.”
Maze? James grinned. This’d be good. Puzzles, cryptography, all that stuff was what he did for fun. And he still hadn’t found the right time to tell Loyria that his primary work for the CIA was cipher creation and decoding. He’d been living under his lawyer cover for so long he’d forgotten how to share. No, worse than that, he’d forgotten how to be honest. Might be good to mention that to her before the wedding, Jayme. James.
Loyria’s kiss was soft on his cheek. “He just wants to be sure you can think your way out of a conundrum. Probably dinner will be at Aukele’s house, so Makani and I will meet you there.”
“Your parents live in different houses?” James wrestled with that information. They wore rings, so probably weren’t divorced. Learning about Loyria’s family was like being in a movie without a script, which would be entertaining if he and Loyria didn’t have so much at stake, and if he wasn’t under the microscope of parental dissection.
She nodded. “Yes, my mother has always believed that a woman should own property, and that too much togetherness isn’t good for a marriage.”
James glanced at Makani and Aukele, huddled together in conversation. “We aren’t going to live in separate houses, Loyria.”
“Of course not. But we will have separate bathrooms. I firmly believe that’s a prerequisite for a happy marriage.” She leaned in, and her lips were soft on his cheek again. “Go. Follow Aukele, and have a good time navigating the maze. It’s really beautiful. While you’re gone I’ll work out the fine points of our new identities with Makani. She’s the detail person who’s getting us into the Hawaiian version of witness protection.”
LOYRIA SAT AT HER MOTHER’S kitchen table waiting for Makani to pour them glasses of fresh fruit juice. The crisp scent of pineapple and sweet scent of bananas filled the tiny room. “Smells good, Mom.”
She set one of the fragrant glasses in front of Loyria. “You’re worried, daughter.”
Some of the tension unfurled from Loyria’s shoulders. “I’m having a baby, bringing a child into this covert life, and into a world that my government wants to endanger with a lethal toxin. One I’m responsible for finding an antidote for. Yes, I’m worried. How will James and I keep her safe?”
Makani arranged her pear-shaped body on one of the undersized kitchen chairs. “The same way Aukele and I protect you. As best we can. And you know how well that’s worked.” Her smile warmed the room.
“Oh, dear heaven. Is this child going to be as stubborn and curious as I am?”
“Yes, daughter. From what I’ve seen your curiosity is like this.” Makani raised her hand, thumb and index finger three inches apart. “Hers is more like this.” She held her arms out, palms up.
Fear rocked Loyria. “What are we going to do?”
Makani took a long drink of juice. “Plan for her future, of course, just like your father and I have planned for this day. All of your documentation is arranged.” She reached behind her, opened a drawer, and pulled out a stack of papers. “Here are your new driver’s licenses, birth certificates, social security information, and a post office box. The actual address of your home has not been recorded anywhere. It’s on a large property Aukele inherited from his grandparents. Int
eresting that you chose my mother’s name. A missionary, you know. Not Hawaiian. Probably a good name to hide behind.” Makani shrugged. “We began building the house when you left to join the CIA. No one knows of the land and no one knows of the house except the three of us, and, of course James, when we take you there later today.”
Loyria ran her fingers over the driver’s licenses. Perfect replicas of the ones issued by the Department of Transportation. “Nice work. Were they done by anyone I know?”
Makani smiled. “If they were, I wouldn’t tell you. Your new home is in Manoa. It should be perfect for you to continue your work, as close in rainfall and temperature to the Amazon rainforest as anywhere on Oahu. You’ll want to check in with your handler, let him know you’re safe. It’s best to be proactive about these things, especially when there’s male ego involved.”
Makani’s words began to seep through Loyria’s thoughts, and her brain cells kicked in. “You built us a house?”
“Yes, but you will only live there for a short while. The next few years are a respite for you, so promise me, daughter, that you’ll live each day of it fully. My sight didn’t provide the number of years Aukele and I will be blessed with our daughter and granddaughter so close, but before long your government will need to step in and take control of your discoveries. It is the only way to keep you and the…situation contained.”
Shock, despair, joy, and curiosity spiraled through Loyria. So many emotions and no place to put them. “I don’t understand. James and I are completely off grid right now. The CIA only knows about the identities of you and Aukele that I provided when they did my background check before I began working for them. And then when whoever the hell Fred works for eliminated my past, well, there can’t be much of a trail for anyone to follow.”
Makani sighed, and her hands trembled when she reached for her glass of juice.
Panic flared in Loyria’s gut. She reached for her mother’s hand. It was cold. “You’re always warm. What’s wrong, Makuahine?”
“Such a short time.” Her words were whisper soft. “My sight was very detailed about what is to become of your child, my granddaughter. The house we built will be her home someday. I will not live to see that day, and, daughter, neither will you.”
“W-when?” Grief squeezed her chest. “How much time do we have?”
“You, twenty years or so. Me, slightly longer. But that time must be spent preparing. Your work and Aukele’s gifts will pass to your daughter. She alone will have the ability and responsibility to complete what you have begun. It is her destiny, and one that we must support and protect at all costs.”
Loyria hugged her arms tightly around her abdomen. “How, Makuahine? How do we prepare her and protect her?”
“We will create a path for her to follow. One that only she will recognize.” Makani stood and gently pulled her daughter into her arms. “The sight, my daughter, is not an easy gift.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
MAKANI AND LOYRIA TOOK TIME to grieve for what was to come, and then, together, mother and daughter buried the heaviness of those foresights to live in the joy of the moment. Then they took the short hike to the house she shared with Aukele.
Loyria’s mind started to spin with the details of protecting her family. “When will Kahuna Aukele marry us? I think it should be soon. We’ll need some sort of legal documentation, but nothing that’s actually filed in public records or that can be traced.”
“We have done that.” Makani pointed to the colorful cotton bag she’d given Loyria. “You have proof right there.”
Loyria patted the bag where she’d stashed the new driver’s licenses, birth certificates, and social security information. “But it’s a trail of documents that aren’t in the system. What happens if we need to use them?”
“You underestimate our underground, child. All of this information is available. Your new home, however, is completely hidden. From everyone but Aukele and me. And in just a short time you and James will learn how to access the property.”
Short time? Manoa was on the other side of the island. “Are you and Aukele taking us there tonight?”
Makani nodded. “Right after supper. Your new car was delivered earlier today. Light silver, Honda Civic hatchback. I had quite an excellent time selecting one that would be both boringly unnoticeable and offer the most protection for an infant in one of those carrier affairs. You never had one of those contraptions, always traveled wrapped to my body. Like a papoose.”
Loyria slipped her arm around her mother’s waist. “You’ll teach me how to do that? I want to carry your granddaughter the same way.” She sucked in a breath to steady her voice. “And thanks for the car. For everything you’ve done. It…”
“It’s what parents do, daughter. You and James needed a safe home and transportation, and times have changed. You cannot live and travel in the same way Aukele and I do.”
Her mother: the perfect blend of traditional and modern. The best mother ever. Loyria choked down her tears. How was she going to manage it? Raise her daughter, protect her, keep her away from the Freds of the world, and smother her with love? Maybe she didn’t know how to be a mom yet, but she sure as hell had the perfect role model.
SWEATY, TIRED, AND EXHILARATED, JAMES propped open Aukele’s screen door when he spotted Loyria and her mother approaching the house. “Missed you,” he said, lifting Loyria off the porch in a hug. Awareness shot through him. No question he loved her, but the lust was damn fine, too.
She nuzzled his neck for a second, then wiggled free, and pointed to his bare feet. “Looks like my father taught you our custom of leaving shoes outside. Did he turn you loose in the maze?”
James’s grin was quick and genuine. “Tested me. Thought I wouldn’t make it out, but complex puzzles are my thing. The labyrinth is a fantastic piece of work, and he’s one hell of a gardener.”
Loyria’s forehead wrinkled. “Not many people are invited into the maze, and I believe you’re the first to find the way out.”
She’d caught him. James cupped her elbow. “Let’s take a short walk.”
“But—”
“Gotta tell you something. Should have mentioned it months ago, but it’s woven so deep in my cover it never occurred to me.”
They’d reached the sidewalk in front of Aukele’s house before Loyria tugged her arm free and changed direction. “There’s another way into the maze, and it will be easier on your bare feet. Let’s talk in there.”
She led him around the side of the house, running her hand along the dense foliage that was the outer edge of the maze. When her hand slipped between two plants, she stopped. “Here. Slide in right behind me.”
Leaves caught on his clothes and snagged in his hair, but he made it through and stepped into the profound silence that Aukele had described as a sacred space. It was one of the things that fascinated him about the wall of security Kahuna Aukele had constructed surrounding the rear of the property. “I want to create something like this around our new house, only all the way around, not just in the back yard. What do you think?”
Loyria shuddered under his touch with a naughty grin. “Yes. I’d like that. There are some things I need to tell you, too. Things my mother shared.” She led him to a bench in the middle of the maze and sat. “It’s not going to be easy to hear, but you have to know. Makani is a gifted seer, but you know that already.” Her voice cracked.
A chill prickled over the back of his neck, and he dropped beside her on the bench. “Tell me,” he said, tucking her under his arm.
And she did.
Emotion burned behind his eyes. He’d lose her in twenty short years. “We’ve barely found each other, and…she’s wrong. Her sight is off. Has to be. Must have malfunctioned.”
Loyria rubbed her cheek against his chest. “No. She’s right. You can feel it, just like I can. The big thing is that we have to work very hard for the next twenty years to ensure our daughter’s protection. We’ll have to hide her somehow, not let a
nyone know—”
“We’ll need to run for the rest of our lives. Do whatever we can to protect her.” A knot of anger exploded in James’s gut. “There has to be a way to keep her away from all this. Promise me, Loyria, that we’ll never tell her we work for the government. We’ll build a world for her that’s safe, away from the things we’ve done.”
“Yes. Makani says I have to keep working with Fred, and that you have to report back to work as well. But we don’t need to tell anyone about our daughter.”
He stroked her hair. “I agree. And speaking of work, what I needed to tell you is that most of the real work I do for the Agency is cryptography. I create ciphers and solve cryptograms. I should have told you a long time ago, but—”
She tapped his lips with her index finger. “No. I get it. I worked for them, too, you know. And Fred is even worse. Can you do that type of work from a distance?”
“I can. But I have no idea how to explain that I’ll be living in Hawaii to my boss. Good thing we’ll have a mail drop instead of an address. Do you really think your parents have kept our new home, ah, invisible?”
“Oh, yes. I’m positive. We’ll be safe there, but I can’t stop working, James. What I’m doing, and maybe what you’re doing, are critical to our daughter’s future. We can’t take a chance on messing that up. I need to call Fred soon to clean up the mess I left in DC.”
Makani strolled up behind them. “There’s a pay phone at the convenience store across Kamehameha Highway, but no phone calls until after dinner. Aukele has made Hawaiian stew for us, and it’s time to sit down for our first family meal.” She rested a hand on each of their shoulders. “And we have a wedding to plan.”
His almost-mother-in-law squeezed his shoulder. Reassurance? Or a warning? One glance at her warm smile told him it didn’t matter. She had their backs. They followed her into the house, and his stomach instantly responded to the rich scent of the stew.
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