Her hips would not hold her. Instead of standing, she fell to the floor right next to her attacker. On her knees with no use of her hands, she squirmed toward the door, dodging Bobby’s outstretched hand and blocking out his howl of fury.
The door seemed to hover miles away. She blinked several times to focus. Just as her head began to clear, Bobby threw his body on top of hers, pushing her down and onto her stomach. They fought and crashed. She used her bound arms to block his blows to her face.
The fight lasted only a few seconds. The adrenaline punch could not outlast her injured and exhausted body. Without effort, he rolled her over to her back. Straddling her writhing body with his knees, he rose above her and shoved the discarded cap in her mouth.
He was in a killing rage. He bared his teeth and swore as he wrestled to subdue her. She turned her head, thinking a moving target would be harder to kill, hoping the thrashing around would get someone’s attention on the floor below.
Cassie always thought her life would flash before her eyes before she died. Just like the movies promised, a series of flashes of every good moment in her life. But she saw only Cal’s face. She would never have the opportunity to tell him how much she loved him.
Then Bobby drew back his fist and the world went blank.
“She’s not here.” Cal stated the obvious as he raced through the last empty room of Dan’s house.
He was a man who lived his life on the edge, who had fought and killed for his country. This didn’t even compare. This unknown ripped at him like having a part of his body torn away.
He bargained with his maker for Cassie’s safe return. He would have promised anything to anyone in that moment. For a man who thought he never loved a woman, he was finding out the hard way that he did.
“Damn it.” Ted stood in the middle of the disheveled bedroom and trailed his fingers through his dark hair. His usual calm façade was starting to slip.
Cal squatted down by the bedroom closet. “But she was.”
Ted frowned. “How do you know that?”
“I can smell her.”
“You’re kidding.”
Cal could feel her presence, too, but he decided to keep that fact to himself. Being a practical man, Ted wouldn’t get it. Hell, a week ago Cal wouldn’t have understood it, either.
“Look where you’re standing. A struggle took place right there.”
Ted glanced under his feet, then rubbed his index finger over a small dark pool. “Blood. Still wet.”
The words crashed into Cal, nearly knocking him off his feet. “She didn’t wander off. She’s not out looking around for evidence. Someone has her.”
Ted did not question him. “Bobby Polk.”
The name drove a chill deep down in his stomach. “Yeah.”
“He was probably waiting for her, looking for an opportunity.”
“Why now?”
“Could be the list. Could be he’s wrapping up loose ends.”
“We have to find her.” Cal heard the vulnerability ringing in his voice and didn’t try to hide it.
“Time to call Josh. He attached a GPS monitor to Polk’s car. With it, Josh can track Polk’s movements all over the island. As long as Polk is in his car, we’ve got him.”
For the first and only time, Cal appreciated Josh’s way of operating. The tight fist squeezing his heart eased up a bit. “Is that legal?”
“Do you think Josh cares?”
Cal didn’t care, either. “If he does one thing to bother me, I’m shooting him.”
Ted nodded. “I’ll give you my gun.”
Chapter Thirty-seven
She could have been out for ten minutes or two days, Cassie wasn’t sure. A warm breeze tickled her face and the familiar scent of plumeria comforted her battered body. She was outside. Bobby had dumped her body near the canyon.
With her eyes clamped shut, she listened. Slowly eyelids eased open to stare up at the clear blue sky. She knew she had to move. Staying here amounted to a death sentence. Bound hands didn’t help, but she was strong. She could escape if she kept calm.
Black dots swam in front of her eyes when she tried to sit up. Vomit rushed up her throat but she choked it back down.
“Cinderella awakes.” Bobby’s sarcastic voice cut through her mental planning.
She glanced over and saw him sitting in the middle of the helicopter crash site. Her brain tried to catalog what was happening.
“Confused?” Bobby jumped off his rock chair and squatted down in front of her, spinning his switchblade in his hand. “Probably from the punch to your head. You started screaming and making all that noise. I had to get you out of there before security showed up.”
“How?”
“Service elevator. Amazing what you can buy even in an exclusive resort.” He pointed at her. “You might want to remember that next time you splurge on the suite. Not worth it.”
Her cheek started to throb. Blinking hurt. So did moving, sitting, and breathing. Her body had been knocked around until her bruises had bruises. But she was alive and believed there was a chance to stay that way.
“I can see why Cal took such a liking to you. Lots of spunk.” He ran the closed knife under her chin. “Bet you’re great in the sack.”
She blocked out these disgusting comments. She would not let him cheapen her relationship with Cal. Whether it was over or not, her time with Cal meant everything to her. The memories had sustained her since she woke up to Bobby’s face. Cal’s eyes, not Bobby’s, would be the last she ever saw. She promised herself that much.
She struggled to sit up, ignoring the shots of pain that ripped through her head. “How did we get here?”
“You came the long way around last time. There’s a rough path the rangers use, accessible by the right car, if you know where to look. It’s not on any map, but it’s there.”
“And you knew about it.”
He smiled, clearly impressed with his plan. “You in the mood to talk, are you?”
Polk leaned back against the rock with elbows balanced on knees. While he watched her, he threw the knife in the air and caught it. The game played on, tormenting her. It should have been so easy to reach out and steal the thing, but it wasn’t.
“Tell me why you killed Dan.”
“I didn’t.”
She turned her head to the side, unable to look at this guy one more second. “Sure.”
“Since you’re going to die anyway, I guess it doesn’t hurt anything.” The knife slapped against his palm as it landed again. “He helped transport the stolen goods. He didn’t know about the drugs, but why should he? His tourist operation proved to be the perfect cover.”
“Why are we here?”
“I thought you were supposed to be so smart.” He swept his hand out in a grand gesture.
“Guess not.”
“This is your final resting place. This is where you decide to end your life.”
“This idiot is trying to drag her into the canyon?” Ted drove at top speed, his warning lights flashing, as he glanced in the rearview mirror at Josh.
“How poetic,” Cal mumbled, distracted by the numbing dread spiraling through him.
“Meaning?”
Cal tapped his fingers against the passenger-side window. “Dan died there.”
The unspoken sentiment was that Cassie might, too. Cal broke out into a cold sweat just thinking about it.
Josh handed over the mobile GPS tracker from his position in the backseat. “Polk’s car is moving again.”
Cal said a silent prayer that movement was good news and not something too awful to contemplate, like dumping Cassie’s broken body.
As if Ted read his thoughts, he said, “That’s a good sign. If he stops, we could lose him.”
“But where is he going?” Cal looked on the device for roads. “The only way in there is by plane, boat, or hiking trail. The only road is filled with tourists.”
Josh cleared his throat. “There’s another way in.”
“The path is only accessible by trail vehicles and you’d need to know where it is. It’s hidden. It’s an emergency route for the Forest Service. The rangers use it, and don’t talk about it. No one wants a bunch of cars driving in and out of here dropping off tourists.” Ted said.
Josh took over. “It winds in through the side, on an abandoned trail that stops close to the clearing where Dan’s helicopter went down.”
“How convenient.” Cal looked out the window but was too occupied with worry to notice his surroundings.
“You two walked right by it to get down in that cave,” Josh said.
Cal’s worry over Cassie battled with the temptation to throw Josh out the window. “You watched us?”
“Of course not.” Josh ducked his head and focused on the GPS unit. “Just following all the leads in an ongoing investigation.”
Ted gripped the wheel even tighter. “Any chance Cassie isn’t with this nut?”
“He has her.” Deep down, Cal knew Bobby had her at his vicious mercy. He refused to think about what was happening or what Polk had planned. If he did, he would crumble. Then he would tear the island apart rock by rock.
“Do we have a plan?” Ted asked.
“Other than to get her out safely?” Josh asked.
“That’s good enough for me.” Cal turned around to face Josh. “If it comes down between her life or yours, you lose.”
Josh nodded. “Agreed.”
Chapter Thirty-eight
“Suicide? No one is going to believe that. I’m not the type.” Cassie sat on a rock with her hands tied, wracking her brain to figure a way out of the canyon and away from Bobby Polk.
Every part of her hurt, every last bone and blood vessel. But she wasn’t about to let that stop her from fighting back.
“Every woman is the type.” Bobby poked at the dirt about three feet away from her.
“That’s very evolved of you.”
“Shut up.”
She tried to figure out if she could grab that stick away from Polk. With her hands tied, the odds weren’t good.
“Or what? You’ll kill me faster.”
He laughed. “Too bad you have to die. It’s a waste. If you had handled this differently maybe we could…well, doesn’t matter now, does it?”
Her stomach heaved. The idea of Bobby touching her was too awful to contemplate. “I’d rather you kill me.”
Cassie hated to antagonize the lunatic, but some thoughts were too horrid to contemplate. Spending one more minute alone with Bobby Polk qualified as a nightmare in her world.
“Soon.” He flipped the knife one more time, caught it, and shoved it in his pocket. “After all, you’re depressed.”
“I’m not.”
“Here you are grieving for your dead, destructive brother. No one believes your outrageous claims. The police think you’ve lost your mind. You’ve taken up with a strange guy.” Bobby shook his head as he made a tsk-tsking sound. “You think you don’t have any other choice.”
“Your plan doesn’t make any sense.”
“You can’t go on.”
A helicopter flew up the canyon but turned before reaching them. She watched despite the pounding behind her eyes. Short of sending up a flare, she did not have a plan to capture a pilot’s attention, so her mind raced trying to develop a viable one.
“It will never work, you know,” she said.
“Sure it will. In one last dramatic gesture, you throw your body off the cliff where your brother died.”
The enormity of his sickness hit her. “You’re insane.”
“No, you are.” A mixture of desperation and madness moved in his eyes. “And I need you gone. You’re a loose end, one that doesn’t know when to shut up.”
Bobby jumped to his feet. She considered the charred earth a sacred burial ground. Bobby’s presence defiled it. And gave her the kick of adrenaline she needed to overcome the pain thrumming through her.
Bobby walked around the area. He talked tough, but being this high off the solid ground without a safety net was risky for anyone. She would bet his footing was not as sure as he wanted to pretend. Not when he thought she couldn’t challenge him.
“You want one final smoke?” He glanced back at her over his shoulder.
“No.” She didn’t want anything that would interfere with her last chance. That and because she didn’t smoke.
The opportunity came in the form of a lighter. Like with the knife, he flicked the lighter into the air. She didn’t wait for it to land. She sprang to her feet, ignoring every ache, and barreled toward him before he could prepare and gain his balance.
Speed gathered beneath her feet. She rammed into his side with her shoulder. The unexpected force knocked her sideways onto the rough terrain. The pain in her shoulder had her screaming, but the important thing was that her move worked. He went flying.
He fell to his knees in an uncontrolled roll. One more shove from her foot and he careened down the embankment, smashing into trees as shrieking screams filled the canyon.
His rage-filled yell came to a sudden stop, but Cassie wasn’t taking any chances. She didn’t wait to see him land. With her hands bound, her movements were awkward and her legs devoid of any strength, so she crawled. Her breath thundered in her ears as she got up, carefully placing each movement to prevent sliding down after Bobby.
She scrambled, knees then feet barely touching the ground as she glided over the rough terrain. When rustling sounded off to her left, it distracted her and she lost her footing, going down on her bruised shoulder.
New pain jolted through her. But she had to move. She wandered out of the clearing and into the brush where she had a chance of hiding. Stray branches scratched at her face, but she couldn’t feel the cuts.
Louisa stepped right in front of her and stopped her tracks. “Nice work.”
The sight was something out of a nightmare. Louisa’s eyes were wild and crazed, and her clothes ripped and stained. The hand not holding the gun hung loosely at her side as if it were barely connected to the rest of her. Dirt covered every inch of her and blood pooled in the area above her right eye.
“What the hell happened to you?” Cassie asked, not sure she wanted to know.
“He tried to get rid of me first. Figured he could work the route without me. The dumb bastard couldn’t even get this part right. Didn’t shoot me or take my gun. Just pushed me.”
Cassie gulped in as much air as she could take. Louisa looked ready to fall down but somehow managed to hold the weapon steady.
“You honestly didn’t think that Bobby Polk was the brains behind this outfit, did you?”
“I admit it didn’t seem likely.”
Cassie searched her brain for a plan out. Taking down Bobby was one thing. Hurt or not, getting this woman out of the way would be tougher.
“Dan was bad enough. Never knew what side he was on.” Louisa stepped closer. “But Bobby had to go.”
“We agree on something then.”
“I owe you for getting rid of the loser for me.”
“Then let me go.”
“I’m not that grateful.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Cassie saw movement. For a second of blinding fear she thought Bobby had risen from the dead. Her only hope then would be for these two to kill each other and leave her alone.
Relief soared when Cal came into view. Part of her wanted to run to him. The other wanted to warn him to flee. His gaze locked on hers. Without a sound, they communicated. He wanted her to stay quiet. Maintaining contact was vital to her but she understood his message. Pretend he wasn’t there.
“While I appreciate your help getting rid of the trash, we have a problem.” Blood dripped down Louisa’s sleeve and onto the dirt. “You have two choices. You can fall down the mountain on your own or I can help you.”
“There’s a third choice.” Cal’s gravel-deep voic
e cut through the relative quiet.
The scene unfolded in slow motion. Louisa pivoted to the side and grabbed Cassie around the neck. Cal whipped his gun into position as he yelled for Cassie to duck. The loud command shot through her nervous system and her limbs bent without conscious effort on her part, but Louisa held on tight.
Both women dropped to their knees still entangled. The landing sent a shot of agony right to Cassie’s head.
“Put the gun down, Louisa.” Cal aimed right at Louisa’s head.
“Bobby was a mistake.” Louisa increased her hold even as her words began to slur. “We had a good operation without him.”
“Lower the weapon.”
“We needed a patsy, and he was perfect. Stupid and mostly muscle. But he got lazy and greedy.” Louisa voice took on a singsongy quality.
Cassie wondered if the other woman’s wounds were taking their toll. Blood seeped into Louisa’s shirt. Cassie felt her strength waning and figured Louisa must be suffering from the same.
Cal did not waver. “He’s gone now, Louisa. Let Cassie go.”
“You’re the type I needed, strong and in control. It’s not too late. My father’s group is just as extensive and he doesn’t depend on children to sell drugs.”
The nightmare wouldn’t end. Fear clogged in Cassie’s throat. She could not let anything happen to Cal. She inched forward thinking to give Louisa a target if she needed one.
“Cassie, don’t move.” Cal roared his threat.
Louisa yanked her arm back, forcing Cassie’s head up and opening her throat to view. “Let’s try it this way, big boy. I’ve got your girl. Drop your gun.”
After a brief hesitation, Cal bent down and slid the gun to the ground. Hope fizzled out in Cassie’s chest. She watched in horror as Louisa then aimed the gun at Cal. The crack of a gunshot bounced through the canyon.
“No!” Cassie slumped forward, searching Cal for signs of blood. She didn’t realize the shot came from behind Cal until she saw Josh race into the small area, his gun raised in the air.
It’s Hotter in Hawaii Page 23