by Kaylea Cross
For now, much as it upset her, there was nothing she could do to help.
So she called Cindy. Her friend didn’t pick up, so Abby left a message. She kept her phone with her as she paced around the room.
Sitting out on the lanai now held no appeal whatsoever. She tried reading, but her eyes kept skipping over the same lines again and again, her focus shot. Finally, she turned on the TV and lay there channel surfing for a while, but nothing held her interest for long.
She forced herself to watch a movie. When it finished she checked her phone. More than two hours had passed since Kai’s call. Was he still talking to the police? At the hospital? At his grandmother’s?
Wanting to be supportive but not invasive, she sent him a quick text. Thinking of you. Wrapping you up in a big hug in my mind.
His reply came back a few minutes later. Thanks. At my grandma’s. Just told her. She took it hard. Call you later. Miss you.
She blew out a breath and typed back Miss you too, then added an XO. His grandmother had raised both him and Hani. This would be like losing one of her own children. Abby hated to think about the level of grief they were both experiencing. It distressed her not to be there for him or helping in some way.
If this had happened back when Kai lived across the hall from her, Abby would have made him a bunch of dishes to freeze and taken them over. He and his grandma shouldn’t have to worry about trivial things like cooking, cleaning and laundry right now. She could do all of that for them, show them she cared and try to help in her own way.
Kai said he missed her. And he was hurting. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing,” she muttered in frustration, and decided to call her boss.
Normally she wouldn’t simply show up on Kai’s doorstep without being invited at a time like this, but these were extenuating circumstances. If it turned out to be awkward, she would just drop off the food and leave, wait until he was ready to see her. But her gut said he wanted to see her and was either trying to be the alpha male who didn’t need anyone during a crisis, or was afraid to lean on her too much early on in their relationship.
“Abby. What’s up?” her boss asked.
“The session starts at ten tomorrow, yes?”
“Right.”
“If I miss the opening meet and greet, would that be okay with you?”
“I guess so, but I’d sure like you there. Why, something wrong?”
She sighed. “Something’s come up. The guy I’m—” Dating? Involved with? “seeing called a while ago. His cousin was just gunned down in front of him. I’d like to go to his place tonight, see if I can help with anything.”
“Oh, damn, I’m sorry. Yeah, for sure you can miss the meet and greet.”
“Thanks. I might still make it. I’ll be back in lots of time for the panel presentation, though.”
“All right, sounds good. You’ll call me if anything changes?”
“Yes. But don’t worry, I’ll be there for the panel no matter what.” After she got off the phone she went straight to the closet and packed an overnight bag, then went down to the lobby and hailed a taxi. She stopped at a grocery store to pick up some ingredients, and gave the driver half-assed directions to Kai’s grandmother’s place upcountry.
She worried she’d gotten them lost, relying on landmarks she’d only seen once in the dark, then she spotted the red Mustang parked at the other end of the driveway. “Here, this one,” she told the driver, who pulled in. A few dim lights glowed from inside the house.
Jitters started up in her belly when she unloaded her bags from the trunk and started for the front door. The driver waited where he was, engine running. Abby wasn’t sure what kind of reception she was going to get, so she might need a return trip back to the resort.
Shifting the bags into a more comfortable position, she drew a deep breath and knocked on the front door. Heavy footsteps approached. The door swung open. Kai’s face showed his surprise at seeing her there. With a hesitant smile she opened her mouth to say hi, but then he pulled the bags from her, dumped them on the front porch, and dragged her into his arms.
Abby hugged him back in silence, her heart squeezing at the fierce way he held her, his face buried into the curve of her neck. He inhaled deeply, a tiny shudder rippling through him as he held her. She kissed the top of his head, stroked a hand over his back. She hurt for him. Hated what he’d seen, and that he was in so much pain.
At last he straightened, his arms still around her. “How did you find your way here?” he asked softly, looking at the taxi.
“I got lucky and remembered the turns.” She released him, gestured to the bags. “I brought you guys some food. I can stay and make something for you, or I can just leave it here if you want privacy.”
His gaze swung back to hers. Held. “You took a taxi to the other side of the island in the middle of the night to come to me, and you think I’d want you to leave?”
“Well, I don’t want to impose, and I showed up uninvited and unannounced.”
Kai waved to the driver, signaling for him to leave, and snagged Abby’s hand. “You’re staying.”
The anxiety in her chest eased. “Okay.”
Before she could bend down to get the food, he’d snatched up the groceries and her overnight bag. Abby followed him inside the entryway. The house was still and quiet. Eerily so. “Is your grandmother still up?” she whispered.
“No. She finally cried herself out about half an hour ago. I had to carry her to her bed.”
“Oh, the poor thing.” The image was heartbreaking. “And what about you?” He looked okay, but he was damn good at the brave face thing.
“I don’t think it’s really hit me yet,” he answered, unloading the groceries onto the counter.
Abby didn’t offer to help or try to take over, sensing that he needed something to do right now. “Yeah.”
He crumpled the plastic bags together in a ball and tossed them onto the counter beside the fridge, then faced her, expelling a deep breath. “I’m glad you came.”
“Me too.” He looked tired. And there was still blood around his fingernails.
She swallowed, tried not to stare at them. “Have you eaten?”
“No. I’m not hungry.”
That in itself spoke volumes about how upset he was. She’d never known him to pass up a meal.
“And I still need a shower.”
“Why don’t you go take one, and I’ll make you something? Maybe you’ll feel like eating later. I brought the stuff for your favorite, my lasagna.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to.” She wanted to take care of him, in any way he’d let her. “Let me do this for you. I’ll be quiet. And this way there’ll be plenty of leftovers for your grandma for the next few days. I don’t want her worrying about cooking or anything like that right now.”
Kai studied her for a long moment, as though he couldn’t believe she’d do such a thing for him. “Okay,” he finally said. “Thanks.”
“It’s nothing.” She wished she could do more. Things had changed for her over the past twenty-four hours. She and Kai had forged a new kind of bond, and it was more powerful than anything she’d felt before. She would do anything for him.
“Back in a bit.”
She nodded, her gaze following him as he moved out of the kitchen and disappeared down the short hallway into what she assumed was a bathroom. A few moments later she heard the rush of water through the old pipes.
Being as quiet as possible, she got to work on the lasagna, finding the equipment she needed in various drawers and cupboards. She’d made this dish so often she knew the recipe by heart, and she’d bought enough for a double batch. By the time she was done prepping all the ingredients and assembling the lasagna, the water shut off in the bathroom. Wiping her hands on a kitchen towel, she popped the large casserole dish into the preheated oven.
In forty minutes, Kai’s favorite comfort dish would be ready. Maybe he’d even feel like eating som
e. Until then, she would be here for him and listen to whatever he wanted to tell her.
****
Diane’s hands were no longer shaking as she drove the final few miles to her motel in Kaanapali. A different motel from last night, because she was too paranoid to stay more than one night in each place.
The adrenaline rush that had fueled her on the long drive here was gone, leaving her mentally and physically exhausted. She couldn’t believe she’d had the guts to shoot Hani. So many times, she’d almost chickened out. Then, standing in the shadows between the townhouses while he talked with that dirty DEA agent, something had snapped. She’d shot Hani several times, had fired at the agent too, but hadn’t been brave enough to risk staying longer to chase him around the back of the truck and try again.
She had no idea how she’d gotten away. People must have seen her. They had definitely heard the shots. The agent would have called the cops.
Being on edge for so long was eating away at her. She’d stopped partway here to throw her disposable raincoat and wig in a Dumpster outside a restaurant in Lahaina. Hani must be dead now, considering how many times she’d hit him center mass at close range. He couldn’t ID her. But that agent could.
Dragging her purse from the passenger seat, her half-empty pistol safely tucked away inside, she exited her vehicle. She’d parked right at the base of the stairs leading to her second-floor room, allowing her to get to it as quickly as possible.
Two steps from the base of the staircase, she froze when a man appeared out of the shadows to confront her. She started to reach for her pistol, heart in her throat, but the man held up a hand in warning.
“Don’t,” was all he said. He had an accent.
Diane stood there frozen, ready to bolt if he took another step toward her.
He didn’t. Merely stood there staring at her, the dim glare of the nearby streetlamp gleaming on his dark hair and black leather jacket. “I saw what you did.”
What? Her insides curdled. She started to take a step backward, but he stopped her with a single word.
“Stop.” It was so cold, so full of menace, that she automatically stilled. The man cocked his head, revealing a dark goatee and mustache. His black eyes glittered at her, the icy calculation there chilling her. Was he a cop? Something worse?
She darted a frantic glance around. Was he alone? Was anyone watching them?
“Why’d you kill him?”
Her gaze snapped back to him, the muscles in her jaw trembling. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she grated out.
Without looking away he held up his phone and touched the screen. A video clip started playing, showing a view from across and down the street from Hani’s unit.
Diane blanched when it showed her coming out from between the detached townhomes and opening fire on Hani. She held her breath, flinched as the bullets struck him, taking him to the pavement. She hated seeing it. Her belly clenched with guilt and fear.
The man lowered his phone, that dead-eyed stare making her skin crawl and her heart hammer. “Why’d you do it?” he repeated.
She couldn’t answer. Couldn’t even swallow she was so scared.
“I could turn you in.”
An image of prison popped into her head. Her in an orange jumpsuit, her ankles and wrists shackled in cuffs and chains. A big, uniformed guard escorting her into her cell. The finality of the metallic clang when the door locked. An image of her future.
He raised a taunting eyebrow. “You gonna tell me?”
“He killed my daughter with his drugs,” she forced out, her voice shaking.
His expression never changed. “So you wanted revenge.”
“Yes,” she hissed, the anger growing now, burning away the terror that had frozen her.
He raked his chilly gaze over her, a smirk twisting his mouth. “I wouldn’t have thought someone like you would have the guts. I’m impressed.”
I don’t care what you think. She raised her chin, glared back at him. She’d gone into this knowing she would pay eventually. At least she’d killed two of the people responsible for Bailey’s death. It wasn’t enough, but it was something.
The smirk turned into a grin. “I like your attitude. So I’ll give you a choice, since it benefits us both.”
She eyed him warily, darted another glance around to make sure no one else was watching. “You a cop?”
He gave a cold laugh. “No.”
“A dealer?”
“I’m a businessman.”
Yeah, she could guess what business he was in. Her lips curled in disgust.
“You want revenge?” When she stared at him in defiance, he continued. “The guy with Hani was his cousin. He’s a DEA agent.”
She drew in a deep breath, squeezed her hands into fists. “And?”
“Guess you haven’t heard, but there’s a bounty on his head.”
Bounty? Diane nearly laughed. What did she care about money? Her life was over, and soon enough she’d be going to jail for the rest of her days.
“You take him out, and I’ll give you ten percent of the money.”
“I’m not interested.”
“No?” He cocked his head. “Then what if I told you I could get you off this island without being detected? They’d never find you.” He watched her like she was a pinned insect. “No jail time. Just a fresh start in Mexico, and a shitload of money to live on.”
Diane blinked as she considered it. Bailey had loved Mexico. They’d vacationed there twice together at different resorts. Such a happy time in their lives, lots of great laughs and memories. She could have that instead of constant pain every time she drew a breath of Maui air? But she didn’t for one second think she could trust him. “And why would you do that?”
“Because then we both get what we want.”
She eyed him. “If you saw it, why didn’t you do it yourself and get the bounty? You were right there.”
“Because I have people like you to do it for me.”
Asshole. There was every chance this man was connected to the very cartel that manufactured and supplied the drugs that had killed her daughter. If so, she should kill him right here and now. And yet he’d just offered her a way out. Her only way out that she could see. An option she hadn’t believed existed.
“You’re either in or you’re out,” he said flatly. “If you’re in, I’ll hold up my end of the bargain once the job is done. If you’re out, I’ll make an anonymous tip and you’ll be in jail before midnight. Your choice.”
It wasn’t much of a choice. Except by going along with his offer, she might still be able to kill the last two people on her list. She might even get away with it.
“I’ve got eyes all over this island. Over all the islands,” he told her, a smug gleam in his eyes. “I’ve got some on you right now, and will until this is finished, one way or the other. My way is the only way out for you.”
Diane drew in an unsteady breath, stood up taller. “Fine. I’ll do it.” She wanted the agent dead anyway, and she’d agree to anything if it bought her more time to kill the others too.
He nodded once. “That’s good to hear, señora. That’s very good. For you.” He turned away and started walking. “I’ll be in touch with instructions soon.”
What? “How?” He didn’t even have her number, and there was no way in hell she was staying the night here, low cash supply or not.
“Don’t you worry about that,” he said over his shoulder just as a silver Lexus pulled up. He climbed into the back passenger seat. The dome light was disabled, but enough light from the streetlamp showed two big men in the front seats for a moment before the car drove off.
Shaken, Diane hurried straight back to her rental car and drove off in the opposite direction the Lexus had gone. No place was safe anymore.
The clock was ticking even faster now. She had no idea where the hell to go from here, only a gut-deep certainty that she’d just sold her already damned soul to the devil.
Chapter Si
xteen
Kai stood in the shower until the water turned cold, letting it pound over his head and shoulders, against his back. It ran clear now, not the faint pink that it had at first when he’d washed the residual blood from his hands and forearms. He scrubbed at his nail beds one last time to make sure they were clean, his stomach rolling at the thought of Hani’s blood being trapped on his skin for a moment longer.
Abby showing up had lifted the weight he’d been carrying on his shoulders. He was amazed that she’d done that for him, had somehow found her way here without the address. She’d bought groceries, was in the kitchen right now making his favorite meal. God, he was crazy about her. She was so good to him, for him. No wonder he was falling for her.
It had been building for a while now. He’d already cared about her way more than as a mere friend before he’d kissed her the first time. Tonight, she’d been the first person he’d wanted to call after what had happened. That said so much about his trust in her. And when she’d shown up on his doorstep with her arms full of food because she cared and wanted to be here for him, his already battered heart had split wide open.
He shut off the water, dried himself. It was impossible to grasp that his cousin was gone. Would take a while for that to sink in. Even longer for him to be able to forget the look on Hani’s face tonight, the things he’d said with his dying breaths.
Abby was on the couch in the living room when he came out dressed in clean jeans and a fresh shirt. She gave him an uncertain smile, her legs tucked beneath her, bare feet poking out, her toes polished with bright pink. “Lasagna will be ready in just over half an hour.”
“Smells amazing.” He still wasn’t hungry. Right now, all he wanted was to be close to her.
Lowering himself next to her on the sofa, he curled an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his chest. Abby wrapped herself around him, laid her head over his heart.
And Kai pulled in the first full breath he’d taken in the past four hours. Along with Hani’s murder, the bounty was still heavy on his mind. He’d spoken to his commander about it, and the local cops were having someone come out to watch his tutu’s house soon, just in case there was a threat against her. Otherwise Kai wouldn’t be here, and wouldn’t have let Abby stay either.