She lifted her head and looked straight into his eyes. “Why would I?”
Her words packed a punch. Hit him right in the gut, out of the blue and with such force, he was surprised he didn’t stumble under the assault.
“I could help you. It’s my job to help.”
“All you’ve ever done is threaten me with jail time.” She waved her hand in the air in a nervous gesture. “You’ve provided security and sex. I appreciated both.”
“Appreciated?” He didn’t think he could get angrier. He was wrong. Everything inside him turned cold.
“It’s not as if you’re involved with me or my life.” She shook her head. When he took a step, she held up her hand to keep him from coming any closer. “The minute you figure out where Howard is hiding and who killed Chester Manning, you’ll put me back on the beach and wave goodbye.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You’re detached.”
Not the first time he’d heard that from a woman, but with Annie things were different. He didn’t understand why or how, but they were.
“You’re not making sense,” he said when he couldn’t think of any other response.
“You’ve never shared anything with me, but I’m supposed to open up to you, tell you my life and put everything on the line.” She scoffed. “No thanks.”
“You’re supposed to be smart enough to know when a situation is dangerous. Blustering your way onto Howard’s yacht isn’t the answer. You don’t know if your mother showed him a photo of you. He could have recognized you.”
“She didn’t.”
She was the most stubborn woman he’d ever known. Bull-headed and frustrating enough to make him want to put his fist through a wall. “Listen, you don’t know. You hadn’t seen your mom—”
“We didn’t speak. I didn’t exist for her. Okay? Happy? Are you satisfied now?” With each question her voice increased in volume until she screamed the last one.
Something about her response, and the desperation behind her rage, deflated his anger. “If you were estranged, why fly around the country trying to avenge her?”
“She’s my mother. I owe her.” The fury left her voice, leaving behind only resignation.
She didn’t need to explain. Guilt, he understood. Kane remembered how lost he felt when his mother died from breast cancer. Being poor and sick in America sucked whether or not you lived in paradise.
He couldn’t seek revenge from a disease. Couldn’t put a bullet through it or punch it out. But, if someone had screwed his mom, he didn’t know what he would have done. Tracking the bastard down would have been the start, but likely not the end.
More pieces fell into place. “What were you going to do when you found him?”
Her mouth dropped open, then closed again. “Confront him.”
“And?”
“Bring in the police.”
Back to lying. He recognized the signs now. Her inability to meet his gaze. The way she clenched her fists against her stomach. “Right. Because you have such a great love for the men in blue. Why don’t I believe you?”
“You never do.”
“That’s because, as far as I can tell, you rarely tell the truth.”
Chapter 23
Annie walked the waterline in front of Kane’s house. The rain had stopped, but not before soaking the sand and whipping the waves into a frenzy. The white-caps curled and crashed against the beach, blocking out all sound except the running dialogue in her head.
Any other time, she would have framed the scene in her mind, looking for the best angle for a shot. Not this time.
An hour had passed since Kane declared they needed to take a break. One of his patented pull-back-and-regroup discussions. Almost sixty minutes later, the break wasn’t working. She didn’t feel regrouped or better. Lost and confused, yeah, those were more like it.
Only an idiot would have spilled all that personal information after realizing Kane had used sex in exchange for getting a few minutes alone with the journal. Not just any idiot, no, the biggest idiot.
Actually, the more she thought about it, the more she believed that title belonged to Kane. She should have knocked him on his ass for the journal stunt.
She sat down on the beach, just out of reach of the incoming waves. Kane’s sweats blocked the chill from reaching her skin. If the sand stained them, who cared.
The fact that he never lied to her danced through her brain, but she shoved it out. No matter how hard she tried to block it, reality wandered back in again. He didn’t lie. Kane had made his intentions clear from that first night with the handcuffs. He was keeping her close until he knew her story.
Shame on her for thinking making love with him might change the rules. This was just another example of Kane’s ability to compartmentalize and stick her in a little box somewhere at the end of his priority list. And her inability to tolerate that box.
His attitude and easy dismissal of their time together still ticked her off. Would it be that tough for the guy to show some connection? Yeah, she would leave the island soon. Yeah, she would track down Howard and kill him, no matter what anyone else said. Yeah, she might go to prison. All that was true, and it all sucked.
The plan had seemed much easier back in Seattle.
She wrapped her arms around her legs and dropped her forehead to her knees. The time had come for a new strategy. Her gun had disappeared along with Howard. Her welcome with Kane was wearing thin.
Without any money or resources, this revenge stuff wasn’t so easy. It certainly didn’t help that her last paying boss rested on a slab at the morgue. And she thought she had problems. At least no one had succeeded in killing her yet.
At the crunch of shoes against the hard sand, her head popped up. Expecting to see Kane, a crush of disappointment hit her when she recognized the anti-Kane.
“Mind if I sit?” Dietz asked two seconds after he actually sat down next to her on the beach.
“I’m really not in the mood for a Kane-is-a-killer speech today.”
“I’m just enjoying the scenery. Travers has a hell of a view out here.” Dietz stared out over the ocean, watching the waves roll onto the shore.
“You expect me to believe that you just happened to be driving by Kane’s house and just happened to feel like a bit of fresh air? I don’t think so.” She glanced over her shoulder at the house to check for signs of Kane in case she needed reinforcements. For the first time since she met him, Kane was leaving her alone. Great timing on the chief’s part.
“That’s how things work sometimes.”
“Uh-huh. What do you want?”
Dietz smiled at her. For being the human reincarnation of Satan, he pulled off the grin pretty well. She gave him credit for his impression of a normal person.
His gaze searched her face. “You’re not very trusting, are you, Annie?”
Every man on the island seemed concerned with her trust and honesty issues all of a sudden. A female visitor didn’t stand a chance with this group.
“I’ve had a rough few days. Finding Chester Manning’s body didn’t help. My vacations usually don’t include corpses.”
“Are you still providing Travers with an alibi for that?”
“I thought I said no killing talk.” She picked up a piece of driftwood and drew a picture of a house in the sand. Not one she’d ever known, but a happy house with trees and a chimney.
“Did he tell you how his wife died?”
“Car accident.” She pretended not to care when, really, all she wanted to do was pepper Dietz with questions and get the whole story.
“A drunken car accident,” he said.
She added stick people to the front lawn. Then a fence.
“She killed two other innocent people.” Dietz stressed the word killed, which wasn’t a surprise to Annie since that seemed to be his favorite word.
“The ‘she’ being Leilani?” Annie tried to remember if she ever saw Kane take a drink.
“She drank to excess. Travers knew it. He stayed away from the house rather than deal with it. Purposely signed up for DEA assignments that took him away from home, so the rest of us got stuck with his responsibility. He abandoned her.” Dietz’s gaze returned to the ocean and stared as if lost in his thoughts.
The last thing she could imagine was Kane slacking on his responsibilities. If anything, he took them too seriously. He’d taken in Derek. He’d taken her in and helped her. He insisted on doing his job, no matter the personal cost, even when on suspension.
Bossy, demanding and a tad too controlling, yeah. All of those fit. But, no, the Kane that Dietz described wasn’t the Kane she knew.
“What should he have done?”
“Stopped her.” When Dietz turned back, his eyes glowed with hatred. “I warned him, and he ignored me. Because of Travers, my sister is dead.”
“See, that’s where you lose me.” She scratched out her happy beach family and their small house.
“They fought, and Leilani went to Oahu.” Dietz cleared his throat. “Oahu is one of the other—”
Good grief. “Stop.”
“What?”
“Stop right now. What is it with people from Hawaii assuming no one else knows about the multiple islands?” She dropped the stick and wiped the sand from her hands. “We’re not all dumb tourists, you know.”
Dietz’s gaze darted from her to the ocean, as if he were looking for an easy escape. “Most people get confused with the idea of Oahu and the Big Island. That’s all.”
“Yeah, well, not me.”
“Okay.”
“Fine.” She waved her hand in the air. “Go on with the story.”
“Leilani went to a baby shower and convinced my sister to go with her. Leilani got drunk, as usual. She always did. Everyone knew. She ran her car right off a cliff.”
He finished his explanation, then looked at her with an air of anticipation. Satisfaction showed in his eyes and on the curve of his mouth.
“When was this?”
“Five years ago.”
That qualified as holding a grudge and refusing to move on. “Is that it? That’s why you hate Kane after all this time?”
Dietz’s head shot forward, invading her space and her comfort zone. “Isn’t that enough? All three women in the car died instantly.”
“It’s enough for you to be mad at Leilani. Not Kane. He didn’t do anything.”
“You don’t get it.” Dietz shook his head in disgust.
One of them didn’t get it, but she suspected she wasn’t the problem. “You both lost someone in that accident.”
“His wife was young and spoiled, much younger than him. He ignored her. He had his pretty bride. That’s all he needed. Like with everything else in Kane’s life, he took what he needed for himself and the hell with everyone else. Only he can win, which means others only lose.”
She had the sneaky suspicion they were no longer talking about Dietz’s sister. “What else happened between you two?”
After a hesitation, Dietz answered. “He took my job.”
“DEA or police?”
“Police Chief.” Dietz picked up her drawing stick and broke it into small pieces. “Convinced the Police Commission I wasn’t qualified for the position, then stepped into it himself.”
“You mean that the Commission voted him in.”
“The Commission led by Kane’s friend.”
“Mike? The guy I met in the police parking lot hardly seemed like a good friend to Kane.” She switched topics before Dietz started arguing with her about Mike. “You were the chief?”
“Acting.” Dietz threw the pieces of wood toward the water and watched them ride the tide. “My predecessor lost his job due to incompetence and fraud. I stepped in. Travers pushed me out.”
She got it now. Dietz blamed Kane for everything that went wrong in his life. If Dietz lost something, then Kane must have caused it. She couldn’t imagine living like that.
Except she did. Her whole life worked like that. Her mother had failed, and that failure defined her life. Made her run from home and stay away. Made her come back and play the role of martyr.
“Annie?” Dietz touched her elbow. “You okay?”
She heard his voice, but it took her a second to focus. “Fine.”
That hand slipped to her back, not in an inappropriate way. More like how a big brother would comfort an upset baby sister. “Do you finally get it?”
“I think I do.” Not the point Dietz wanted her to get, but a more important point.
“Then I have a proposition for you.” He folded his arms over his knees, mimicking her sitting position.
“I’m listening.”
“It has to do with Kane.”
Now there was a surprise. “I’m still listening.”
Chapter 24
Annie walked back into the house, barefoot and holding her sneakers, just as Kane picked his police shield up off the coffee table.
“You planning on shooting someone?” she asked.
“Maybe.” He secured his sidearm.
“Anyone I know?”
This time he really looked at her. Sand dusted her bare feet and calves. Some of the red hair tucked behind her ears had slipped out and framed her ruddy cheeks.
He asked the obvious question anyway. “Where have you been for the last hour?”
“At the dentist. Where do you think?” She dropped the shoes to the floor and walked over until only the sectional sofa separated them.
“Someone out there killed Manning. You need to be more careful.”
“Were you planning on sending a search party after me?”
“Do I need to?”
Since he knew exactly where she’d been and who she’d been with, the search party wasn’t necessary. A leash might be more appropriate. Maybe a lecture. He wasn’t ready to rule out using the handcuffs again.
Dietz. He’d stalked Annie on the beach, then made himself at home by her side. Sat there talking and sharing all of his theories with her. Kane couldn’t hear the conversation, didn’t really want to, but he knew Dietz well enough to know the subject.
Kane wondered who Dietz thought he killed today. Bastard.
None of that surprised or disappointed Kane. No, he didn’t expect much from Dietz except anger and blame. But, he expected more from Annie.
That she hadn’t gotten up right away and come back to the house made every muscle in his body clench in frustration. After she’d heard all Dietz had to say, she still sat there and listened some more. Conducted a conversation. Took in the view.
Her eyes narrowed. “You saw me. You were watching me on the beach.”
“How is Dietz doing today?”
“You actually spied on me.” There was no heat behind her statement. She said it more like a fact than an accusation.
“I haven’t let you out of my sight since I found you. So, yeah, I watched. I also noticed you didn’t push him away. Did you enjoy that back rub? Having his hands on you?”
She dropped onto the couch with a sigh. “It’s not what you think.”
“I think you found a new friend.” With Kane’s hands on either side of her head, he leaned over her from behind. “Maybe one who doesn’t ask as many questions.”
“Get a clue. He was just—”
The front door opened after one sharp knock. Kane jumped almost as high as Annie did. When he saw the visitors, he didn’t feel any relief. Josh and Derek walked into the family room looking pissed and aiming their joint rage in Annie’s direction.
Kane knew she noticed. She stood up and edged around the couch until she stood beside him. The closer Josh and Derek got to her, the closer she moved to Kane. One more step and she’d be inside him.
“I have to start locking that door,” Kane said in an effort to ease the building tension.
“We both have keys.” Josh didn’t spare Kane a glance. No, his attention centered on Annie.
“What did I do?” she aske
d.
“What did you do?” Josh took one last step until he faced Annie across the couch. “You lied. Again.”
“Josh, maybe there’s an explanation.” Derek put a restraining hand on Josh’s forearm.
Annie shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The comment infuriated Josh even further. His face flushed with rage, and his hand moved to his gun.
Kane knew Josh would never hurt Annie. The gesture was unconscious, but it was too much. “Everyone cool down. Josh, back up.”
Josh didn’t move.
“Josh!”
Josh finally took the hint and moved. A firm tug on his arm from Derek helped.
“What the hell is going on?” Kane asked, but when Josh looked as if he was going to speak, Kane cut him off. “Not from you. Derek, you tell me. You seem more rational than Josh at the moment.”
“We saw her.” Derek’s gaze flicked to Annie, then back to his uncle. “She was with Dietz. He wasn’t forcing her, and she didn’t try to leave.”
“Do all the men on this island get off on spying on women?” Annie asked.
“Get off is too strong. Enjoy, maybe.” Nobody laughed at Kane’s joke.
“I wasn’t spying.” The frown on Josh’s face showed exactly how much he disliked that description. “We drove by and saw Dietz hanging all over you.”
“Hanging on me?”
“I thought it looked ‘cozy’ but ‘hanging’ is probably fair,” Kane said.
“You’re both wrong. I was there first. Just sitting there on the beach watching the ocean. Dietz came up to me.”
“Warrior Boy, do you see what I mean now? You can’t trust her.” Josh leaned in toward her again. “Dietz hates Kane.”
Annie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I got that part, Josh. I may not be from here, but I’m not an idiot.”
“So, why were you talking to him?” Derek asked in a much calmer voice than the one Josh used.
“If everyone will settle down and listen, and stop jumping to conclusions”—she pinned Josh with a glare—“I’ll tell you.”
Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy Page 18