by Cathryn Cade
“Warrior queen?” she repeated, staring at him. That was how he saw her? Warmth blossomed inside her, calming the howling winds of anger.
And besides—she stared down the slope at the men and the equipment, and her heart thumped with terror and exhilaration. Jack had no idea how true his words were. She was a Hawaiian storm, ready to blow, the likes of which these men had never seen. Had Pele revealed her powers just in time to protect her mountain from their depredations?
She couldn’t let Jack suspect anything. “Sure. You do the talking,” she agreed sweetly.
His look changed to suspicion, but he shook his head and revved the engine.
Lalei expected Jack to stop some distance away, but he drove the four-wheeler onto the edge of the turnout toward the four men. Lalei grabbed his shirt, afraid he was going to run them over, but he stopped a foot away.
Jack cut the motor, and one of the hard hats turned, surveying them through amber safety glasses. He was big and beefy, with curly black hair under his hat. Part Hawaiian, Lalei guessed. “Listen, folks, this is a worksite. You gotta leave. Whole mountainside to play on.”
“We’re not tourists,” Jack shot back.
The two men with the map paused and then turned to Lalei and Jack. The smaller of them, a haole with glossy brown hair who reminded Lalei of Benton with his aura of self-satisfaction, spoke. “Then who are you?”
“Jus’ gonna ask you the same question,” Jack said pleasantly.
The larger man, who still held the map, shook his head, the late sun shining off his bald skull. “No, you’re on our property here, bud. That means we ask the questions.”
“I’m Jack Nord, WorldWide Realty. And according to my company’s records, you’re on someone else’s property.”
“WorldWide?” the bald man asked, clearly taken aback.
“Yup,” Jack said genially. “And I’m guessing you’re from TropicSun.”
“Oh Christ.” Glossy Hair beckoned one of the hard hats with a jerk of his head. “They’re just indignant locals. Get rid of them.”
Lalei had already figured out the two large, hard-hatted men were “muscle”, as Daniel would say. As they started forward, she watched, aghast. Jack was big and strong, but there was only one of him.
Oh God, if only Daniel was here or David. Daniel was scary, but David could truly do some damage here on the mountain, even summon Pele to awaken her mountain. He’d shake these fools right off into a crevasse of molten lava.
But he wasn’t here. She reacted almost without thinking. Standing up behind Jack, she tossed her head, letting the wind catch her hair so it lifted in a flirtatious banner. She gave the four men her best Ms. Hawaii pageant smile. The short man started to grin, his eyes all over her. Lalei lifted her phone and snapped two quick photos of them and poked a few buttons on the phone.
“Mahalo,” she said sweetly. “Just sent that my cousin Sam. He’s the assistant police chief of Hawaii county.” He was also her third cousin twice removed and hadn’t seen her since she was in college, but they didn’t need to know that.
Glossy Hair’s smile disappeared, but he held up his hand, and his two enforcers stopped, eyeing Lalei and Jack. “Thanks for the photo,” he said with mock graciousness. “Now, you have exactly two minutes to get your wheels and your asses off our property, or we will put you off.”
“I don’t think so, Harland,” Jack said. Lalei watched the man’s face change, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. “Yeah, Mike, we’ve met, when you were up before the California real estate commission a couple of years ago. Falsifying loan applications.”
The smaller man’s face flushed dark red. “That was never proven, and you know it.”
“What can I say? I’m a good Realtor.” Jack smiled. “I never forget a face.”
“Get them the fuck off of this road,” Harland spat. Lalei shuddered with revulsion. His eyes were full of hate as he stared at Jack.
As one of the hard hats moved again, Jack revved the motor of the four-wheeler, and the men hesitated.
“We’re leaving,” Jack said. “But if I were you, I wouldn’t start up any of that equipment. This time, they’ll throw away the key, Harland, and you’ll be in a barbed-wire resort at the taxpayers’ expense.”
Harland sneered. “This equipment is starting up tomorrow morning, Nord, and there’s not a damn thing you or your Hawaiian friends can do about it. TropicSun is a powerful force. You don’t wanna mess with us.”
Jack’s body hardened and tensed as if he were about to leap off of the four-wheeler. Terrified he would do something stupid and get himself hurt, Lalei sucked in a deep breath and yanked power from the clouds.
Wind howled down across the turnout, ripping the map from the bald man’s hands. He was pulled forward, eyes wide, as the map caught the wind like a sail. He lost his footing and fell over the side of the turnoff, the map flying up into the air, separating into sheets that Lalei shoved away, down across the mountain.
The smaller Harland reeled against a nearby pickup truck, banging his head. The big Hawaiian grabbed at his hard hat, while his compatriot’s was jerked off and sailed away, rolling down the slope.
“Hang on,” Jack yelled, backing the four-wheeler around in a tight semicircle. “We’re heading for cover.”
That was all right with her. Lalei hung on to Jack, breathing hard, suddenly exhausted as they zoomed back down the mountain road for Nawea.
“Slow down,” she yelled at Jack, realizing the dark mountainside was whipping by at an alarming speed. “You’re going too fast.”
“We’re fine,” he hollered back, but he let off the accelerator.
Lalei slumped against his broad back. She couldn’t believe she’d done that. She had controlled her power this time. No one had gotten hurt, unless you counted those two fools tumbling around like bowling pins. She didn’t.
She peered through her flying hair at the sky, clenching her jaw with resolve. It was already evening. David was at the hospital. If he got back by dark, fine. But if he didn’t, it was up to her.
There was going to be a storm tonight above Nawea, if she had to use every last bit of her strength to create it. She might not understand the details of the legal battle they said would happen, but she could do her part.
Jack stopped the RV in the driveway with a sudden lurch that slammed Lalei’s nose into the hard ridge of his backbone. She recoiled with cry of pain. His shoulders shook, and she realized he was laughing.
“Yee-haw. Nearly bucked you off, didn’t I?”
“Hūpō,” she retorted, raw from the whole encounter. “If you had, you’d be wearing your ass pulled over your head, haole boy.” She scrambled off the RV and hurried away.
“Lalei Kai,” he called after her. “Such language. Does your mother know you talk that way?”
By the time Jack had parked the RV, Lalei was already on the phone on the lanai, so Jack lingered a moment. She clicked her phone shut and leaned her head against the high back of her chair, rubbing her forehead as if it ached. “No news yet. The doctors are running some tests.”
“I’m going in to the hospital,” he decided. “You want to come?”
She shook her head, eyes closed, her thick lashes a dark fan on her cheeks. “No thanks. I have…things to do here.”
“O-kay.” He couldn’t imagine what would be more important than standing by her cousin’s wife at a time like this. “I’ll see you later, then.”
She opened her eyes, frowning up at him. “Jack…maybe you shouldn’t be driving anymore. You were reckless with the four-wheeler. How much have you had to drink?”
Heat burned up his throat. He hid it behind a snort of derision. “I got you back here in one piece, didn’t I? Geez, give me a break.”
“Yeah, you nearly broke my nose.” She touched it gingerly with her fingers. “I just don’t think—”
The doubt in her eyes was more than he could take. It slammed into the teetering tower of his own self-doubts and sent the whole
thing tumbling, his ego shattered at her dainty feet.
“You think plenty,” he cut in savagely. “But it’s all about you, isn’t it? ‘Oh, Jack, I need you to save me from Benton Choy’. Y’know, you should go ahead and marry him. He’d keep you in comfort, and you could have a string of boy toys on the side. Just keep using ’em and tossing ’em. You show real skill at that.”
He turned on his heel and stormed away, but fuck him if he didn’t carry with him the look on her face. Stunned disbelief and hurt.
It was late when Jack drove away from the Kona hospital. It was darker than usual, with heavy clouds hanging over the coast, the air damp and oppressive.
Melia, it turned out, had a bug, the flu or something. The baby was fine, heartbeat strong.
What a relief.
Stopping at a red light on the outskirts of town, Jack blinked blearily. Man, he was dead on his feet. Probably shouldn’t be driving. He shook his head—that was a first for him. Impaired but not by alcohol.
“Go on home,” Malu had told him and the rest of his family. “They’ll move a bed into Melia’s room for me. We’ll talk in the morning.”
Jack felt sick as well, but it wasn’t the flu. It was self-disgust. He cringed when he remembered how he’d lashed out at Lalei. He was sober now, had been for hours. And every time he remembered the look on her face, he craved a drink. He’d been totally unfair. He might be a self-destructive asshat, but he wasn’t cruel…at least not until now.
On impulse, Jack pulled over and dug his phone out of his pocket to call Lalei. She’d want to know her cousin was all right, wouldn’t she? But the phone burred in his ear again and again. Finally, he tossed it onto the console. He closed his hands around the steering wheel, gripping it tightly.
Did Lalei wear that society mask of hers to retain control of deep emotion, or was it the opposite? Hell, there was no excuse for the way he’d spoken to her, but did she care deeply for anyone else? How well did he really know her after their short but intense liaison? They’d communicated, all right, but mostly with their bodies.
His thoughts dark, Jack drove on up the highway across the mountain. The winds were worse up here, with rain lashing at the SUV, leaves and torn blossoms slapping across the windshield only to be struck away by the wipers. The streets were nearly empty, most of the small businesses on the highway closed for the night.
Thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed ahead. He’d be glad to get out of this freaky weather. He yawned again and shook his head, opening his eyes wide to chase the heaviness from them. Damn, he was tired.
The bright neon sign shone across the graveled parking lot beside the road. Kolohe, it read. Below it in a grimy window shone a beer logo. It beckoned to him, bright and cheerful. He could picture the interior of the bar—tall barstools, a few tables and the clack of balls on a pool table. The warm, yeasty smell of beer and the sharp tang of hard liquor.
He was exhausted, not only in body but in spirit. He was alone and far from home. The Ho’omalus were his friends, but they were a unit—he was just a visitor here. And as far as helping them, what the hell did he think he was doing, anyway? He was just a hack from California.
Yeah, a drink among friendly faces would taste so good, feel so good. He could just stop in, have one or two.
He turned into the parking lot, his heart beating with anticipation. He was just pulling to a stop beside a beat-up little pickup with surfboards in the back when he heard sirens.
The sirens grew louder. A fire truck barreled by, followed by two cop cars. Jack watched them pass. Premonition tightened his shoulders, raised the hair on the back of his neck. Oh man, that wasn’t good.
He shifted and backed out of the parking lot. He’d just follow them, drive up to the top of the rise and make sure they were passing Nawea. If they went on, he’d turn around, come back to the Kolohe.
As he started to pull back out onto the highway, another cop car raced by, lights flashing, siren blaring. Jack slammed on the brakes so hard the SUV skidded on the gravel, his heart pounding. Oh man. That had been close. Didn’t need to drive out in front of a cop in Melia’s new SUV.
Shaking his head, he checked the road again before he put his foot down and drove up the hill. As he topped the rise above the turnoff to Nawea, he saw the flashing lights stopped below, on the turnout.
Chapter Fifteen
After Jack stormed away, Lalei huddled in her chair, numb with shock. Then her breath caught on a sob. She clapped her hand over her mouth, muffling the sound. Leilani was somewhere around. She didn’t want to be caught crying like a keiki.
Pushing herself out of her chair, she hurried into her room, closing the door behind her.
“You think only of yourself,” he’d said. “Use ’em and lose ’em, you’ve got a real skill for it.” And that look he’d given her—as if he despised her.
She sank down on the edge of her bed, wrapped her arms about her waist and rocked, hot tears brimming over and sliding down her cheeks. His words had hit home like punches from an expert boxer. He thought she was good only for hanging on a man’s arm or pleasing him in bed. Their lovemaking—no, their sex—meant nothing to him.
Drawing her knees up, her heels braced on the edge of the bed, she leaned her head on her knees and wept, all the tension and turmoil and, yes, heartache of the last few days spilling out. She huddled there as outside the evening turned to dusk, purple shadows falling over the beach. The clouds massed on the horizon grew, tumbling nearer.
She was such a screw-up. She’d dared to assert herself, to reach out and take what she wanted, and it had all ended in disaster. Her mother was furious with her, Jack despised her, and Pele only knew what the Ho’omalus thought of her.
Finally, drained, she wiped her eyes on the hem of her dress. She had to think.
Homu had already called the Hawaii county law enforcement, who informed them they would do patrols, but the contractors had a right to park their machinery there, and there was no evidence they were going to use it.
But after the confrontation with the TropicSun contractors, she and Jack knew different. If something wasn’t done to stop them, the contractors were going to begin revving up their big machines tomorrow morning and tearing into the mountainside. It was up to the Ho’omalus to stop them.
David was not going to make it home tonight. Everyone else was at the hospital with them. Logically, Lalei knew that if she called one of them, all the Ho’omalus would come, sooner or later.
But she wanted to fix this. She needed to prove herself, prove that she was worthy of them. She had the power, given to her by Pele herself, and she was going to use it. She was going to deliberately break the law and destroy property. Last time had been an accident, born of rage and impulse. People got off murder charges with that defense. This time she was planning what she’d do, as surely as the wife who bought poison or the husband who loaded a gun.
She pictured her mother’s reaction. Yeah, Suzy would be truly horrified by this. But strangely, her mother’s face was superseded after a moment by that of Pele, her eyes full of fire.
“You are your mother’s daughter,” she said again in that soft, terrible voice. “My daughter, my ho’omalu. Use the gifts I have given you, Lalei.”
Lalei knew a moment’s exhilaration—she had the power to affect her world, her Hawaii. Her elation was quickly followed by stark fear. She wasn’t the right wahine for this task; she wasn’t worthy. What did she know about being a ho’omalu? She knew how to dress for a cocktail reception at the gallery and how to soothe finicky artists who were convinced their new exhibition was garbage. Jack was right; that was all she was good for. She didn’t know how to be a hero.po’ino,
Jack… She wished Jack was here. She wanted to burrow into his strong arms, hide her face against his broad chest, hear his deep voice reassuring her that all would be well, that she needn’t go out into the stormy night—one that she was no doubt causing—and go alone up the mountain. But no, even if he was h
ere, Jack couldn’t help her…even if he wanted to, which he didn’t. He’d shown that clearly.
She started as someone tapped on her door.
“Lalei?” Leilani called. “I’m going up to Keone’s. You okay alone? Frank is still on Maui. He won’t be back till tomorrow.”
“I’m fine,” Lalei said. “See you tomorrow.” She hoped Leilani had a very peaceful time at her fiancé’s house high on the mountain. Above the havoc Lalei was going to wreak.
But her brave words aside, where the hell was Jack? He should’ve been back from town hours ago.
Whatever, she had to go. It was time. And she couldn’t have let Jack see what she was up to, even if he were here. She looked down at the pretty dress he’d bought her, smoothing her hands down the soft fabric. She hoped it wouldn’t get dirty. Probably should change into her dark brown shorts and top, but her urgency to be away up the mountain was too great.
As she rose, she noticed her cell phone on the bedside table. She reached for it, but clenched her empty hand into a fist. What she was going to do would probably fry it. Better leave it here.
In the garage, she eyed the four-wheeler with suspicion. Could she master it, or should she simply walk? The thought of a hike up the mountain in the dark was daunting. She squared her shoulders—she’d figure out the RV, and she’d drive.
The motor started with a throaty purr. When she settled her hands on the handlebar controls, they vibrated in her grasp. Carefully she set the vehicle in forward and rolled out of the garage, around the turn of the driveway and up the dark driveway, onto the mountain, the headlights illuminating the smooth road.
The turnoff from the highway was dark and empty, the wind and rain her only companions—she hoped. It wasn’t like she spent a lot of time out at night by herself. Try never. And the mountainside that was so benevolent in the sunshine felt like a wilderness in the dark. She was used to Honolulu, where street lights shone.