“Don’t panic.” She whispered the words to the room. It was still very early. The team members could still be making their way to the hotel from wherever they’d found to stay overnight.
She began to leave a message in the app and then hesitated. Their procedure was to hold on all messaging until they’d met. As much as she wanted the reassurance, she wouldn’t see messages until people had gathered face to face. No one else had broken their procedure so she shouldn’t either.
Mali grimaced as the skin across her face itched with dryness. As much advantage as she had with her complexion, her skin was tight from yesterday’s sunburn. She probably looked hilarious too because she’d spent the entire time waiting for Raul on her belly with her face hidden. So her shoulders, back, and legs had taken the most exposure.
Where had everyone gone? They’d probably stayed in town. It would’ve been easy to blend in with tourists like she had and gotten a room at a different hotel.
If the men who’d chased her had also been as persistent with her colleagues, staying in town might not have been enough. Her worry spiked as she explored the myriad of possible outcomes. There had been one vehicle and a handful of those shady suits. She hadn’t seen more. If she’d been the only one they’d come after, why her?
She swallowed against a dry throat. The water bottle on the bedside table was mostly full and had a slice of lemon in it. She reached for it and sipped slowly. It wasn’t refrigerator cold anymore but it was still soothing.
Sitting here alone was not a good idea. She’d only work herself into a spiral of panic, asking questions to which there were no clear answers. She needed to get moving.
Mornings sucked at the best of times. She’d never been able to wake up at dawn the way Arin could. When Mali did wake up early, it took forever for her rambling thoughts to focus enough to push her body into moving. Or if she did get moving, her brain hadn’t had the chance to wake up yet, and she might as well be sleepwalking for all the recollection she had of what she’d done before she’d had a good cup of coffee.
Coffee. Caffeine would be good. Kalea had said there’d be coffee this morning, and the woman had mentioned she’d make breakfast. Mali wasn’t sure she was ready to eat breakfast yet but coffee would kick her thoughts into a higher gear. Right now, she was close to useless.
It took some effort to swing her feet over the side of the bed. Another long minute passed before she put her feet on the hardwood floor and stood. Her thoughts scampered around in her head, randomly. Sense and nonsense. She shivered as the cooler air of the room whispered across her exposed legs.
She’d slept in the shirt Raul had given her back at the hotel to wear here to the team house. It was a nice white linen shirt, light and broken in from enough wearings to be soft. It smelled of detergent, fabric softener, and faintly of him. She’d tried to sleep in the nightgown Kalea had loaned her, but the garment’s lace edging had rubbed against Mali’s sensitive skin. Arin didn’t have any actual sleepwear—she tended to sleep in old tees and shorts. So Mali had switched back to Raul’s shirt.
His scent and the memory of his lips had warmed her and distracted her enough from yesterday’s fears to lure her to sleep. And her dreams had been very naughty.
This time, the heat in her cheeks wasn’t from sun exposure. Raul was a very good kisser and in her dreams, she had imagined him to be equally good in other intimate things. Maybe better.
But about that coffee…
She found a pair of soft knit shorts in Arin’s drawers. Her older sister was a couple sizes larger but the shorts had a drawstring. There was also a stretchy camisole Mali managed to slide on over her tender skin. Arin had luscious taste in fabrics even if all her clothes were in a monochrome range of black, white, and gray, with maybe a splash of navy blue for adventure. Every piece of clothing was good quality and of super soft, light fabric.
Dressed, Mali paused and reached for Raul’s shirt. She didn’t need it. She could probably plunder her sister’s entire wardrobe. But having it in hand calmed her nerves so she put it on again over the camisole and shorts. It was oversize and comforting.
Random clattering and the sizzle of something savory became apparent as she opened the door to her sister’s room. The hallway was empty but obviously someone was cooking in the kitchen. Mali padded down the hallway, her bare feet safer on the cool polished wood than socks would’ve been.
Kalea was at the stove, hovering over not one or two, but three pans. Mali had grown up thinking her older sister Arin was big, but Kalea had broader shoulders even than Arin, with amazing curves and a solid presence to fill out her frame. Kalea filled a room with herself, her delicious food, and a sense of welcome. She smelled of coconut and butter. She made this place a home, and it wasn’t until Mali had come to visit Arin here that Mali had believed Arin had really found a family away from home.
The sight of Kalea chased away the lingering anxiety twisting in Mali’s chest. It’d been the right decision to leave the solitude of the room and come out to the kitchen.
Kalea turned from the stove and halted when she caught sight of Mali. “There you are. The boys ate up all the breakfast so I made a fresh batch and was going to come wake you. Come. Sit.”
Mali smiled and slid into the indicated seat at the kitchen table. “Is there coffee?”
Kalea grunted. “Coffee. You all look for coffee first thing. How can anyone think without a good breakfast in their bellies?”
Despite her words, Kalea snagged a pot from the coffee-maker. She set a mug down in front of Mali.
Mali breathed in the rich scent of strong coffee. She might wake up just from huffing it. “Thank you.”
“Cream is in the fridge. Sugar is on the table. You sit and drink your brew.” Under the brusque tone was a soft warmth. Kalea was a nurturing soul. “I’ll have a plate for you in a second.”
A far as Mali was concerned, good coffee needed neither cream nor sugar. She took an experimental sip first to find out if she’d need to add anything. A combination of bitter with a hint of sweet and almost chocolatey richness filled her mouth, and she almost groaned with the pleasure of it. “Oh, this is good.” She should’ve known it would be, based on the rest of Kalea’s cooking.
Kalea chuckled, bustling at the stove. “Apparently.”
Coffee was a wonderful thing. Mali sat with her hands wrapped around the mug, sipping and enjoying. In moments, Kalea set a plate in front of her. “If you’re still hungry, there’s plenty more. Don’t hold back. You had a rough day yesterday and you need the fuel to recover, find your balance again.”
“Mahalo.” Mali gave Kalea her first genuine smile of the day. Setting aside her mug, she lifted a fork and started in on the plate full of food. The warm interaction had encouraged her appetite as much as the fortifying dose of coffee.
There were scrambled eggs, soft and fluffy and rich with just the right amount of milk and cooked with butter. You’d think scrambled eggs were just scrambled eggs, but Mali had learned there could be sad things done to eggs which even scrambling couldn’t save. Served alongside the generous helping of eggs were browned slices of Spam and Portuguese sausage. These were flavorful, and Mali figured she needed the salt content to continue rehydrating after her day in the sun yesterday.
The island of Oahu was hot and humid, though the breezes helped ease the heat most of the time. A person could sweat a lot without realizing how much moisture they were losing. It was easy to become dehydrated, and Mali had learned in the first few days of the research project to drink water every chance she got and enjoy a few salty treats to help her retain fluids.
Kalea remained in the kitchen, unsubtly hovering. The woman’s hands flew from the stove to the countertop where she had a huge Japanese-style electric rice cooker. At the counter, she was making musubi.
Mali made sure to eat at least a third of her food before asking a question, otherwise she bet Kalea would refuse to answer until she ate more. “Is anyone around this morning?”<
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Kalea didn’t look up from her task. “Mmm. Zu and Arin aren’t back yet, but we expected them back late tonight. Todd—all the boys and Arin call him by our last name, Miller—he’s out back working with one of the dogs. Your Raul is downstairs on kennel cleanup.”
He wasn’t her Raul but Mali had a mouthful and didn’t want to spit scrambled eggs making the correction. Besides, Kalea might be fishing. Instead, Mali speared a piece of Spam and kept her mouth full as she tried to get her brain thinking pertinent thoughts.
“Heard my name as I was coming up the stairs. What did you need?” Raul walked into the kitchen with uncanny timing. He was dressed in plain work pants and an old button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Inside, his dark hair appeared black. It was a striking contrast with the bland tan of his clothing and his incredible green eyes.
Mali choked on her piece of Spam and reached for her coffee mug. She downed it in one gulp.
Kalea waved a spatula at him. “Not one step farther into my kitchen until you’ve showered and changed.”
He’d been on kennel cleanup duty, Mali remembered. No one should be allowed to make work clothes and kennel cleanup smoking hot. No one.
Suddenly, she was grateful for Kalea’s menacing spatula. Then Mali hoped Kalea had several backup spatulas to continue cooking in case Kalea actually whacked somebody with one.
Raul held up his hands. “Freshly washed up to the elbows and I left my boots downstairs. I promise I won’t come one step closer.”
Kalea grunted. “Mali was asking who was here.”
“Ah.” Raul paused. “Taz is with me. Ann and Dan are napping downstairs. There’s one unpartnered Belgian Malinois in his kennel, and the other one is out back with your husband.”
“Of course you’d know where all the dogs are. Todd will like you.” Kalea didn’t turn to Raul, but she did reach back to offer a freshly made musubi.
Raul took it. “Thanks.”
“It seems like you’ve only recently joined.” Maybe it was morning grogginess or a need for more coffee, but Mali wasn’t clear on a few things. “What’s your role on the team? Will you be working closely with my sister?”
“Yesterday was my first day.” Raul chuckled. “Taz and I can work on our own, or we can be part of a joint search and extract operation with the other handlers and their canine partners. It’ll depend on the contract and what’s needed. Zu wanted to keep us as adaptable as possible.”
Kalea grunted again but didn’t enlighten them with any further commentary.
“I thought you knew my sister really well. If not here, how have you worked with her in the past?” Mali drew her brows together. Maybe she did need a second cup of coffee.
Raul bit into his rice ball and chewed for a second. “We were assigned to the same unit when we were on active duty. After we both got out, she joined this team first, then recommended me. We’ve been friends a long time.”
The kitchen fell silent except for the sizzling of Spam and eggs. Kalea continued to make a small mountain of musubi, wrapped in clear plastic wrap.
Mali pushed the last of her scrambled eggs around the plate. “Arin didn’t talk much about the people she worked with in the military.”
Actually, Arin hadn’t told her or their parents much at all about her time in the military. She’d gone; she’d come back alive and whole. Arin hadn’t ever gone into details about who she worked with or where she’d been.
“Not surprising.” Raul finished his musubi. “There’s not a lot family would be interested in knowing. A lot of stuff we can’t talk about even if it would make for good dinner conversation.”
“I want to know.” Mali snapped her mouth shut. Old frustration bubbled close to the surface. It wasn’t going to help at the moment, though, and this was more for Arin than him. “Of course family would want to know things.”
“No.” Raul’s gaze caught and held hers. “There’s no going back once you do. Trust me. It’s better to love her the way you do right now and let her tell you things when she can.”
Mali shifted in her chair, suddenly uncomfortable. This was the first time she’d broached this topic with one of Arin’s friends or coworkers. Usually this was a family discussion. Raul’s was a different perspective and having him push back on her comment was unexpected.
“I was hoping to go back to my hotel right now to see if the rest of my research team checked in yet.” A change of topic seemed prudent. It was also chipping away at her calm, and her gut was starting to compact the delicious food she’d eaten into a heavy ball in her belly. “According to our procedure, we were supposed to meet back up in the morning. It’s morning.” Yes, she was stating the obvious, but it bore repeating to back up her request.
Raul was silent a minute longer. He leaned against the doorjamb. “No one is answering their personal phones?”
“We’re not supposed to call or text until we meet up face to face.” She chewed at her lip. “People’s phone batteries could’ve died by now.” Maybe “die” was the wrong term to use at the moment. It had an ominous feel, and she didn’t want to worry even more than she already was.
“You could call their hotel rooms and leave a message if they don’t answer right away.” His logic was solid, his tone lifting at the end of his suggestion in a positive way.
Mali shook her head. “I hate to be an imposition, but after what happened yesterday, I think it’d be good to stay here for at least another night until I can talk with Arin about what I’m going to do next. Arin might want me to stay here for a few days, or I might book a different hotel. Either way I need to pick up my clothes and toiletries. Going right there and checking in person would kill two birds with one stone.”
The line of Raul’s jaw was angled and strong, small muscles jumping as he chewed on her request. “Arin’s not back yet. You shouldn’t go until she’s here and can go with you.”
“That could mean waiting all day. We were supposed to meet in the morning. Please.” She made the entreaty quietly. “I need to go do something. This is constructive.”
“You shouldn’t go alone, and your sister would be a better option than me, mostly because she’d tear into both of us for going without her.” Raul made the statement flat. He studied her, though.
She stared right back at him, sitting up straight and letting him know he wasn’t going to make her back down from her intent. It’d be smarter to have help from somebody here, but she would do it on her own if she had to.
Raul sighed. “I’ve finished kennel duty for the morning. Let me shower and I’ll take you. I’ll clear it with Miller.”
Kalea huffed and turned away from the counter, setting a small plastic bag on the table by Mali. “Here. I packed you a few musubi to take along.”
* * *
The research team’s hotel was a low- to mid-range establishment belonging to a common U.S. chain. The lobby was spacious, with doors open at front and back to allow a natural breeze. It was a few blocks from the higher-end shopping and hotels along the beaches. Raul studied the staff standing casually behind the front desk and the older lady in the lobby waiting with a couple of toddlers while her companion had gone out to the parking lot to pull up their rental car. All this he knew because the lobby was so quiet every conversation carried.
It wasn’t a bad sort of quiet. With the doors open, the hustle and bustle of the street floated in with the breeze. It was just peaceful, laid back, sleepy. It was a good hotel for a relaxing vacation. The only spikes in noise were the exclamations from the toddlers when they caught sight of Taz.
The older woman with them hushed them, not allowing them to bother the nice working doggie. “See he’s working? Look at the harness.”
Raul was glad he wouldn’t need to deal with the additional attention drawn if he’d have to take the time to keep kids from petting Taz. He’d thought about leaving Taz back at the house or in the car, but Taz was his partner and it was easier to watch out for Mali with two of them.
; “Okay, let’s head out the back.”
Mali blinked up at him in surprise. “What?”
She had asked her question quietly, matching the ambience of the lobby.
He gave her a quick grin and jerked his chin toward the back entrance. There was an outer stairwell visible from where they stood. “Let’s take the stairs.”
Mali took his proffered hand, falling into step beside him. To anyone else, they might be dating. He led her out the back and over to the stairwell, Taz keeping pace alongside them. The area appeared clear both at street level and on the balconies facing the hotel, at least for the moment. The stairs were enclosed but the lower entrance was an open arch with no door. He glanced up the stairwell, getting as much of a visual as possible.
Stairs sucked, but elevators were even worse kill boxes. Given the choice, he opted for the route less likely to be watched with the most room for him to maneuver. The men who’d approached Mali’s research team hadn’t made any effort to hide themselves, and they’d probably known they were approaching a group of academics. It was likely they’d be watching the lobby and the elevator if they had figured out where the group had been staying.
“Fourth floor.” Mali’s tone had a hint of a grumpy rumble to it, but she began the climb readily enough. Taz ranged out ahead of her by a step or two, taking point automatically.
“Let’s take our time.” Raul didn’t want to frighten her. Caution was the primary goal at the moment. He’d be better able to spot a potential problem if they weren’t rushing up there.
She was in good shape, heading up at a steady pace. Her fingertips coasted over the railing, ready to grab hold if she stumbled or lost her balance but she didn’t use it to pull herself up the stairs the way some people did. Her breathing came easy. She had decent cardio. Four flights tended to leave the average person at least a little out of breath.
When they hit the landing of the fourth floor, he lightly wrapped his left arm around her shoulders. They crossed the open breezeway from the stairwell into the hotel hallway with her tucked against his side, sheltered from the casual glance of people on the street. They were just a couple, heading to their room. Nothing unusual to see.
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