by Amy Allen
Lana fell back asleep, with a smile on her face, until Sydni woke her a few hours later.
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Lana and Sydni spent the day shopping to replace destroyed clothes, earrings, and belly jewelry, as well as finding the perfect outfit for Lana’s date on Saturday. They also went through the pile the guys thought might have salvageable items in it. They ended up making note of what was there but tossed it all. Jack had come by to re-measure where her ‘ohana was going to go so she also gave him the sketch. Looking at it, he liked the changes she’d made, agreeing to add them in. Though they had invited him to dinner, he declined since he wanted to get to work on adding her ideas into his new designs.
Dinner was simple since it was just Lana, Craig, and Sydni. Looking at Craig, Lana asked, “Who found me and called the ambulance seven years ago?”
Craig looked at both women. Seeing Sydni only nod, he sighed. “I initially found you. You weren’t yourself. I could see he’d done more than normal.” He glanced over at Sydni again, still not sure how much she knew.
Sydni smiled. “I know he drugs her. Rob and Drew don’t though. And I’m hoping to keep it that way. As much as I don’t like hiding things from my husband.”
Craig let out the breath he’d been holding. Nodding, he said “That’s what I noticed for the ‘more’. Your eyes were glazed. You were shaking, and even asking me to find you more. Before I had the chance to call an ambulance since I was trying to calm you down first, Andre came by. He’d said if he hadn’t noticed it was you and I, he wouldn’t have stopped. Your eyes were closed by then and he took the shaking to be everything else Jeremy had done. I didn’t say anything to him about the drugs either and I don’t know if Jack knows.”
Sydni shook her head. “He doesn’t, and I want to keep it that way for him too. No one but the three of us, plus Joshua, knows.”
Craig nodded. “When you woke up after your change and the doctor came in, I had a feeling the doctor was going to say something about the drugs, so I just shook my head at him asking him not to say anything. I didn’t know you knew, Syd.”
Sydni smiled. “I had noticed when you did that. I’m glad you did so I didn’t have to say anything.”
Lana was watching the two. Still slightly confused over part of it, she asked, “So who called the ambulance?”
Craig chuckled. “Sorry, forgot that part. Andre did. But I talked them into letting me ride with you. I asked Andre to let Syd and Drew know you were on the way to the hospital.”
Lana nodded. “Ok, that makes more sense.”
The rest of the night finished quietly with them watching TV and Lana sketching.
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Sometime during the night, Lana woke up scared and shaking. Grabbing her phone she texted ~I haven’t woke up this scared in a long time. I’m still shaking.~
Joshua was glad for the quiet night. He, Rob, and Andre were kicking back with Andre giving him a bad time about Lana when Joshua heard his phone tone with what he’d put for Lana. He looked at the time, realizing she normally would have been asleep, then he frowned, worried. “Be back, guys.” Grabbing his phone, he moved to where he could read without eyes watching. Opening the text, he read her message. He smiled some that she didn’t give any normal greeting, just got to the point, and that she didn’t mention what woke her. He was glad she did message him. Hitting the call button, he wasn’t surprised when she answered on the first ring, though she didn’t actually say anything other than him hearing some quick sobs. “Still scared?”
Tears were sliding down her face and she was trying to get the sobs under control. “A little, but I’m glad you called. That helps.”
Joshua smiled. “Good. If I could help with the shaking from here, I would, baby.”
Lana smiled a little. “I know, but me having a nightmare doesn’t over-ride you being on duty. This actually is helping for that too. You weren’t busy, were you?”
“Nope, I wasn’t. And even if I had been I would have sent you a quick text and called you when I could.” As he finished, he heard the alarms going off with dispatch’s voice announcing where a fire was. Sighing, he said, “And time to go. I’ll call or text later this morning to check on you.”
“Ok. Stay safe.” She didn’t expect a reply and noticed they ended the call at the same time. Though it took a little while, she fell back to sleep dreamlessly.
Thursday
Thursday morning Sydni had gone in to see if Lana was awake. Seeing Lana hanging on to her phone while sound asleep, Sydni knew why she, herself, woke during the night. Though Lana hadn’t screamed, she must have called out in some way waking Sydni. She had come down to check but hadn’t come in when she heard her daughter on the phone. Looking at her daughter now, she guessed Lana had let Joshua know and he’d been able to calm her down enough over the phone so Lana could go back to sleep. Quietly closing the door, Sydni let her daughter sleep.
Lana woke to hearing her phone ring, the tone she’d put in for Joshua. “Thanks for earlier,” she said by way of hello.
Joshua chuckled. “My pleasure. Sleep better after?”
She couldn’t help but grin. “I did thanks. What time is it?”
Joshua laughed. “Noon. You just wake up?”
She giggled. “Your call woke me, which was fine.”
He laughed again. “Glad to help. Any plans for the rest of the day?”
“Hopefully a whole lot of nothing. Jack has the sketch and liked it so I’m not sure if he’ll be out there getting started. I talked to Craig last night. I’ll fill you in on that later.”
Joshua smiled. “Glad Jack liked your ideas, and that you talked to Craig. I look forward to hearing about what you and Craig talked about. Unfortunately, I need to get going. If I don’t talk to you later today, I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Okay. Sounds good. Stay safe.”
Like it had when she’d said it early in the morning, it made him feel good that she cared enough to say that. Smiling, he replied, “Will do.” Hitting end, he grabbed his gear and headed out.
Hearing a knock on the door, Lana said, “Come in.”
Sydni smiled when she saw her daughter awake. “Sleep good?”
Lana sat up. “After having a nightmare and talking to Josh, yeah, I did. I didn’t mean to sleep this long.”
Sydni shook her head. “I checked on you this morning and saw you were out good, so I let you sleep. I am surprised you’re awake, though.”
Lana smiled. “Josh just called to check on me. Phone woke me. Do we have anything planned for today?”
Sydni shrugged. “Your dad needs me to go by the insurance office. If you don’t mind going with me, we can look at furniture when we’re done. I know it’ll be a little while before Jack is done with the rebuild, but we can at least look for when he’s done.”
“That sounds good. I’ll get showered and meet you outside in 20-30 minutes.”
“That will work. I’ll call the agent and let him know we’ll be there in an hour or so.” Sydni smiled. Even with Lana having had a nightmare during the night, she hadn’t seen her daughter this relaxed in a long time. It looked to Sydni like Lana finally found the one she was meant for, even if she didn’t quite know it yet.
Lana showered and dressed. Getting outside, she saw Jack working, cleaning up the blackened ground. Walking over she asked, “How soon can you get started on it?”
Jack smiled at her. “Hey, little one. That’s part of why you two are going by the insurance agent for your dad. Drew wants to make sure they have everything so I can get started. I believe your mom is also giving them receipts for what's been bought the last couple days.”
“I hope you can get started soon. I’m already missing my own place. Mom mentioned looking at furniture while we’re out, too.”
“Good. You need the distraction.” Looking up, he saw Sydni come outside. “There�
�s your mom, little one. Go and enjoy. I’ll see you later. Can I use that rain check for dinner from last night tonight?” When she nodded, he smiled. “Good. See you when you get back.”
They took Sydni’s car into Kahului. Getting to the insurance agent’s office, Sydni gave the receipts for what they’d replaced. The agent then let them know they had everything from the fire investigator and from the MPD. Though the MPD was still investigating to find the arsonist, everything was moving forward and they could start on the rebuild. But they would need three different bids. Sydni pulled out the three bids that were needed, having had Jack already let her know. She knew which was the lowest and who the agent would say to go with.
Smiling at Sydni, the agent said, “Mahalo, Mrs. Tai’igi. I’ll look this over and call you later today or tomorrow for which one we’ll be suggesting you use.”
Standing, Sydni gave a nod. “You’re welcome.”
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He watched the little bitch and her mother leave the office. He could grab her with ease if he wanted, but it wasn’t time and he wasn’t ready yet. But that little whore bitch was going to be destroyed. The sooner the better.
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Getting in the car, Lana did a quick look around and shivered. “He’s watching us, Mom.”
“They’ll get him, baby girl. One way or another.” Sydni hated that Lana always had to look over her shoulder because of Jeremy. Although Sydni would never say it out loud, she hoped someone killed the man.
Lana only nodded, hoping Andre found him first. The sudden thought of Andre had her laughing out loud. Seeing her mom look over at her, she said, “I forgot to tell you on Tuesday, or even yesterday, Andre gave me a voodoo doll that looks like Jeremy that Mari made. Can we also stop somewhere for me to get some pins for it?”
Sydni started laughing. “Of course. Just don’t tell your grann about it. As much as she hates Jeremy, she doesn’t understand you also following, or even practicing at times, the dark magic. She wouldn’t like to know you have one and are using it. No matter who gave it to you.”
Lana giggled. “I didn’t know she knew I dipped into the dark at times, or even that I followed it. And there is no way I’ll be telling her Mari gave it to me. Grann may be a priestess, but she wouldn’t understand my wanting to know both sides of the magic.”
Shaking her head, Sydni laughed again. “No, she wouldn’t. But Dad, your grandfather, wouldn’t either. Your dad and I do but we also know you like to know both sides when it comes to voodoo. Just like you like to know why things do what they do, and how they work, even if you have to take something apart yourself then put it back together just to find out. You are our tomboy that still loves to be a girl.”
Lana grinned at that as they pulled up in front of Ben Franklin.
It didn’t take long to find the pins she wanted. She planned on using them on the doll that night, in hopes of keeping nightmares away.
Getting back in the car, Sydni asked “Pacific Home Store?”
Lana nodded. “Sounds good since that’s where we went the last time.” Thinking of something else, Lana asked, “I think Joshua has something planned for us for tomorrow, though I don’t know what. Can we borrow the boat if needed, just in case?”
“Of course you can. And why do you think he does?”
Lana shrugged. “A feeling. And he said if he didn’t talk to me later today he’d see me in the morning.”
Sydni nodded as she pulled up in front of the furniture store. “Then it sounds like he may. Wait until morning to see if you need the boat. And if you do, it’s at the Lahaina Harbor.” She saw Lana nod as they headed in. Sydni’s phone rang as they started around the store. When Sydni finished, she told Lana, “That was the insurance agent. Jack is getting the bid. He can start tomorrow.”
Lana smiled. She’d had a feeling her uncle had the lowest bid, and not just to get the job. He was good at doing excellent work while keeping costs down.
They found everything they wanted, letting the associate know that one of them would call when they were ready for delivery after Sydni gave them a down payment. They stopped back by the insurance agent’s office to drop off the receipt for the down payment on the furniture. Back in the car, Sydni asked, “What are we doing for dinner?”
Lana thought about it for a minute. “Jack is joining us tonight but I’d still like to have it be simple so how about we take home a pizza or two?”
Nodding in agreement, Sydni drove over to Little Caesars. Getting the pizzas with breadsticks and wings, they headed home.
It was six p.m. by the time they got home. Seeing Jack still there, Sydni grinned. “Hungry?” Seeing him nod, she then said, “Then come on. We got pizza. And, by the way, you got the bid. You can start as early as tomorrow.”
Reaching them, Jack grinned. “Good. I’ll call my cement guys to come pour the foundation tomorrow.”
“Call in the morning. It’s time to eat now.”
They headed in. Dinner was another quiet one for the four. Followed by a movie. Jack left for home after the movie and Lana headed to her room. Pulling out the voodoo doll, she stuck the pins in where she wanted them. Satisfied she went to bed.
Friday
Lana had slept through the night with no nightmares. She woke to feeling someone sit on her bed and hearing, “Time to wake up, beautiful. We have a lot to do.” She smiled as she turned toward him. “Good morning, handsome. We do?”
Joshua laughed. “We do. Get up, get dressed – jeans, and either hiking boots or tennis shoes please, but an extra set of clothes and suit too – sandals are fine with the extra clothes. You can worry about a shower later. Hair in a ponytail or braid would be best too.”
Sitting up and moving to sit next to him, Lana grinned. “Really? Good thing Mom and I went shopping.”
“Yep, really and it is good.” Putting an arm around her, Joshua kissed her, stood up and said with a smile “So get a move on, brat. And don’t ask, not telling.”
Lana grinned and gave him a mock sigh. “Alright, I won’t ask. But if we need a boat for anything, Mom said we could use Dad’s boat.”
“Good to know, but we won’t need it.” Chuckling, he left the room, closing the door.
She dressed quickly making sure to put on jeans and a short sleeve top as well as the hiking boots she’d just got. Grabbing her bag, she threw her new swimsuit, a pair of shorts and a tank top in, as well as her new sandals. Getting out to the kitchen she grinned at Joshua. “Do I have time to eat?”
He nodded, “You do. And I was going to suggest it.”
Lana started laughing as she pulled down a bowl. He knew what they were doing and she didn’t. On purpose, she took her time eating the bowl of cereal she’d poured. Finishing her cereal, she added her sketch pad and phone to her bag.
They headed out. Joshua had heard the Kapalua Village Walking Trails and Mt. Haleakala were great for hiking. He decided on the Kapalua Village Walking Trails for this time. They took the longest trail so they could get in a good four-mile hike.
Though the trail wasn’t bad, Lana was glad for the jeans and boots. It was a beautiful hike up and back, taking a couple of hours. When they stopped to see the ducks, Lana took a moment to sketch the tiny creatures. They stopped at other times to either let her sketch or just for a break and to make sure they were drinking water. After one such break heading back down toward the visitor’s center and the truck, she asked when they started walking again, “Was this the only place to hike?”
Joshua shook his head. “There’s also Mt. Haleakala, which sounded like a good hike, but we can do that another time if you want.”
Lana smiled. “Yeah. I’d like that. Why didn’t we do that one today?”
“It’s a good two-hour drive to get there, and I’m not sure on the trail distances, so I thought this would be a good first one to try.” As he finished they were passin
g back by the visitor’s center. Getting to the truck he opened her door helping her in, even with the step.
“Mahalo.” She grinned. “Being short can really suck at times. So, what’s next?”
“Anytime. And I don’t mind. I like that you’re small, not short.” He leaned in to kiss her, smiling when she put her arms around his neck, bringing him closer. Ending it, he said, “My place to change. After that, how about some lunch and then diving? I thought we could go back to Maliko Bay so you can see what’s there during the day.”
She waited for him to get in on his side before she said, “That sounds perfect.” She turned on her seat to face him as he started the truck and left the parking lot. “I’m glad we didn’t bring the boys out today. Oh, Jack is starting on my ‘ohana today. Or at least getting the foundation poured. Mom and I found some nice furniture for when it’s done.”
He chuckled and nodded. “They’d probably enjoy the day, but we wouldn’t have been able to keep an eye on them for anything more than that hike. Glad to hear Jack is getting started. Looking forward to seeing what you picked out.”
They pulled up at his apartment complex and he parked. Getting upstairs, he said, “Go ahead and change first.”
Lana headed into his room and closed the door. She quickly changed into her suit, grabbing out her shorts, tank top, and sandals. After putting her jeans, top, and boots in the bag, she opened the door and stepped into the living room. Pulling on her tank top, she said, “All yours.”
Seeing her walk out, he thought, and almost said out loud, ‘Yes you are.’ This bikini was in white and really set off the color of her skin. Swallowing, he just nodded and went in to change, resisting the urge to grab her as he went past to take her to bed and forget about everything else. He quickly changed, pulling his jeans back on over his suit. Stepping back into the living room, he grinned. “Ready for lunch?”