But this one made her nervous. Daniel Martin started out charming enough, until it became apparent she wasn't inclined to stop her research for a pretty face. Then his boyish good looks hardened to granite, and he'd been quick to threaten revoking her permits.
Alex could just picture that conversation with Chad. “Great news—no one quit while you were gone. Unfortunately, we've been shut down because I'm incapable of handling a government stooge on an island so small it's barely a speck on the map.”
Their team had been working for years to find a viable alternative energy source that was both endlessly renewable and easier on the environment than coal, and they were so very close. The energy forum happening in Washington could help ensure adaptation of the new technology once it was perfected. Chad was older, wiser, and much more adept at diplomacy. It made sense that he be the one to go lobby his contacts in Washington to help hydrothermal energy gain traction.
Besides, if Alex went back to the U.S., her brother would rope her into taking his place at the next board meeting for the family company. She'd successfully avoided those for several years. No reason to ruin a perfectly good track record now.
With a new dejected slump to her shoulders, she replaced the nozzle on the pump and went to pay for her gas. She paused at the door, watching a parade of dark sedans fly past.
Cars were rare on the island anyway, so these definitely stood out. Maybe it was the kind of car they were, or maybe it was the angry hulks inside them that set off the warning bells in Alex's head. As the dust on the road settled, Alex paid for her gas and a bottle of water.
She'd just finished loading the gas cans in the back of the Jeep when a lone figure caught her eye. Someone was running toward her. Fast. As the slender frame approached, Alex realized it was a young girl.
The grubby youth was close now—close enough for Alex to see the fear etched on her face. A dark sedan was closing in on the kid, leading Alex to guess its source.
Instinct led Alex to lift the tarp in the back of her Jeep. The girl paused for a breath, weighing her options before scampering into the cocoon Alex offered.
Any hope she harbored that the interaction went unnoticed was shattered when Alex pulled out of the gas station and the sedan hung a left with such force its right wheels nearly came off the ground. She shot forward; her pursuer straightened his course.
Alex glanced in her rearview mirror and saw a pair of frightened eyes peeking at her from under the tarp. She gave the best reassuring smile she could muster under the circumstances and jerked the wheel to the right. The Jeep's back end swung wide, but Alex pressed on, the lines of her face set in determination.
The sedans she'd seen earlier joined. She gave them little more than a passing thought, every fiber of her being focused on protecting this ragamuffin girl who couldn't be more than 12 years old.
Maybe the luxury of thought would have led her to wonder why three cars of henchmen would chase a child. But she didn't have that luxury and was currently being steered by the closest thing to motherly instinct she'd known in her 35 years on this planet.
Alex zigzagged up and down the narrow streets, wondering how she planned on losing these guys on an island the size of a postage stamp and wishing she'd ventured out more in the year she'd been there. Maybe then she'd have an inkling of where to go now.
Once free of the congested streets of the village, she rocketed towards the jungle, pushing the antiquated engine to its very limits. What she lacked in horsepower, she made up for in luck.
The foliage grew thick around the road; they'd reached the island's dense jungle. One of the many exotic birds that called Tuwanga home flew across the road a split second behind Alex's car. The first sedan swerved to miss the turkey-sized obstacle, and the ensuing chaos bought Alex the time she needed to slam on the brakes and jerk the frightened girl out of the car.
Any hesitation that slowed the young beauty's feet vanished when the third sedan freed itself from the fiery mess to resume pursuit.
Alex shoved the girl under a fallen log, flattening her own body against it to offer another layer of protection. She pulled out her pocket knife and flipped it open. The meager blade might be intended for utility, but she felt somehow safer with it drawn.
Wide-eyed, they watched a pair of boots trample past them. Alex tried to envision leaping on the hulk's back. She wasn't sure how that would pan out, exactly. After an excruciating suspended moment, the feet made their way to the road. It seemed to take forever for him to give up the search; Alex felt herself begin to breathe again as the purr of the sedan's engine faded into the distance.
She poked her head up, looking around to be sure they were alone. When she was fairly certain they were, she stood and brushed herself off before offering a hand to the young girl.
“My name's Alex.”
“Lani.”
“Nice to meet you, Lani. Don't suppose you have any idea why those men were chasing you.”
“No.” Lani shook her head, tears threatening for the first time as the adrenaline wore off. “My protector is away today on business. Somehow they must have known. When they showed up at the palace, the maid smuggled me out the trash chute.”
“The palace?” Alex repeated, recognition dawning. The hapless youth was Aolani St. Claire, the only living heir to the Tuwanga throne. Her coronation was in less than two months, when Tuwanga regained its independence from the French.
The princess stood quietly, allowing Alex time to process.
“You said your protector was away on business. When do you think he'll be back?”
“He should be already.”
“Okay, then let's get you to the palace.” Alex moved in the direction of the Jeep. It had only just come into view when an explosion rocked them back on their heels. Alex instinctively wrapped herself around Lani. Both turned to watch in horror as flames lapped hungrily at their only means of transportation.
“Well crap,” Alex muttered. This was going to make returning the urchin-princess slightly more difficult.
Chapter Two
ALEX'S CLOTHES WERE plastered to her skin. The hair that had escaped her ponytail now stuck firmly to her neck. This she could tolerate, but her unlikely ward had become downright surly, and that was becoming more than she could bear. They had walked for hours, and she felt no closer to the palace than when they started.
“The road is over there,” Lani reminded her for the third time in fifteen minutes.
“I know where the road is.” Alex gritted her teeth. Every fiber of her being wanted to verbally eviscerate the petulant princess. But when she turned to chastise her, the fear evident behind the pompous façade stilled Alex's tongue.
She closed her eyes and pictured herself diving cleanly into the ocean off her favorite bluff. It was a visualization trick her father had taught her years ago. Simple as it seemed, the ability to retreat into her mind had gotten her through more than one miserable situation.
Now, she could almost feel her body slicing through the cool, clear water. With her equilibrium restored, she opened her eyes and asked Lani, “What's your favorite thing in the whole world?”
“Why?” the girl eyed her warily.
“Because.”
“Horseback riding with Joey,” Lani answered just when Alex had given up on a reply.
“Close your eyes for a second. Picture yourself horseback riding with Joey. You're on your favorite horse. The breeze is bathing your face; you're laughing. Be there in your mind. Not sweating in the jungle.”
Lani looked skeptical.
“Really. It helps,” Alex promised.
Lani reluctantly closed her eyes, her expression softening as the doubt subsided and the image crystallized.
“You've got it now. Let that image carry you through. Once you learn to detach your mind from your current physical state, you'll be able to endure just about anything.”
“That sounds like something Joey would tell me.”
“Then Joey must be pr
etty smart.”
At that, Lani smiled for the first time, and Alex caught a glimpse of the beauty hidden beneath dirt and fear.
“Come on. I don't think we have much farther to go.” Alex returned the smile.
They moved on, both refreshed from the brief exchange. The silence between them was a pleasant one as each allowed her mind to wander.
The vegetation thinned; Alex hoped that meant they were approaching the palace. She knew she should be devising a plan, but nothing too terribly clever was coming to mind. She wondered which would be worse: leaving the girl unattended in the jungle while she scoped things out, or taking the risk of moving into the open together.
Alex's stomach growled; Lani smiled and nodded as if to say she could empathize. The sun sank into the distance, sending a palette of orange, pink and purple out as one last goodbye.
“Lani!” a male voice called from a distance. The pain etched into it gave Alex pause. Shouting for the princess didn't seem like the official way to handle this sort of thing. Wouldn't there be a situation room and a staff—some sort of coordinated effort?
The voice called again. Lani brightened and took off in a run before Alex could regain the presence of mind to caution her.
Alex broke into a run as well, trying to catch Lani before she burst straight into a trap. After the day she'd had, sprinting seemed especially brutal. Her legs trembled with exhaustion but obeyed the adrenaline coursing through them. She hadn't brought the kid this far to lose her now.
The man stopped in mid-call when he caught Lani out of the corner of his eye. He covered the ground between them quickly, scooping her up with one arm and tucking her to his side protectively as he swung a gun up, pointing it squarely at Alex as she skidded to a halt. Alex stilled, her stomach a solid knot as the cool metal of his 9mm Sig Sauer pressed firmly against her forehead.
Everything had been jumbled—from the moment Alex noticed the pretty sunset to this one—but now things seemed oddly focused. Frozen somehow.
“Why are you chasing Aolani?” His voice was low with a guttural quality that made the blood pounding through Alex's veins run cold. Even scarier, she recognized this man. Storm clouds rolled over his blue-green eyes as he recognized her, too.
“I wasn't chasing her.”
“Put me down.” Lani began to squirm in his arms.
“You could have fooled me. I knew you were unreasonable, but kidnapping a princess to keep your hooks in a mountain… wow. I have to admit I hadn't thought you'd go that far,” he said, completely unaffected by Lani's wiggling protests. His attention was squarely on Alex.
She wanted to recoil from the hatred that rolled off him in waves. Instead she straightened her shoulders. “You have no idea what you're talking about, stupid grunt.”
“That's original, and insulting the man with a gun to your head—not smart.”
“Would you like me to be more original, you imbecilic ass? I will gladly oblige. I was only using little words to avoid injuring your miniscule brain.”
“Lady…” His jaw twitched and his head cocked to the side. She could almost see the wheels turning in his mind as he debated his options.
For a split second, Alex was certain he was going to pull the trigger.
“Stop it!” Lani screamed, the sheer frustration of the sound causing them both to pause and turn to her. “Stop it, both of you. And put me down, Joey.”
“This is Joey?” Alex's eyebrows shot up, and she pointed to the man who still held a gun to her head. She was pleased to note the pressure had lessened. “You're not at all what I pictured.”
“What the hell does that mean?” his attention swung back to her, the pressure from the gun returning.
“She made you sound pleasant. And I thought your name was Daniel Martin.”
“It is. Joey's a nickname.”
“Because it's short for Daniel?” Sarcasm dripped from her voice.
“Alex saved me,” Lani interrupted before they could go for the throat again.
“Excuse me?”
“She saved my life and the car exploded and we had to walk home and you shouldn't be pointing a gun at her.”
He lowered the gun, still eyeing Alex warily. “Is that true?”
Alex shrugged. “They were really big dudes chasing a kid. It didn't seem like fair odds.”
“So you mean to tell me you didn't even realize who she was?”
“You're still holding me,” Lani reminded him.
“Sorry.” He gently set her down.
“We're both exhausted.” Alex took control of the conversation. “Maybe we should be sure Lani is cleaned up and fed. I'll tell you what I know on our way if you could please return me to my job site after Lani is tended to.”
Alex could tell he wanted with every fiber of his being to disagree simply because she was the one who'd made the suggestion. But even he couldn't argue with the logic of her statement, so he gave a slight nod and turned to lead the way.
Alex was so relieved to be led to a car she almost wept. Her legs felt like gelatin as she sank into the plush leather seat. She'd insisted that Lani sit in the front, content to go unnoticed in the back and not at all shy about openly staring at the pair.
Daniel obviously doted on his ward. Alex failed to see why she reciprocated the affection. There was nothing particularly endearing about his rigid stance, nothing remarkable about his features. Except possibly his eyes—when they weren't roiling with storms of anger directed at Alex, they were quite lovely. Like when he looked at Lani. Then they were as bright and pretty as the ocean surrounding this little island.
Lani was busy recounting the story that had led them all to this point. Alex let the words float about her, not really paying much attention. She might have offered to fill him in, but Lani seemed to be doing well enough on her own. The conversation didn't need her input, and she didn't trust her filter to be fully functional at the moment anyway.
“So do you often put strange girls in your trunk?” He glanced at her in the rearview mirror.
“Daily.”
“That's helpful.”
“What did you expect when you asked the question that way?”
“Fine.” His jaw twitched, and she knew she'd irritated him. He ran a hand over his thick, sun-drenched hair in a gesture Alex assumed was yet another tell of frustration. That made her happy. “Why did you help her? I'm struggling to believe this is all a coincidence.”
“Believe what you want. I was putting gas in my car and minding my own business when a bunch of black sedans zipped by. A couple of minutes later, I saw a black sedan chasing Lani. No, I don't typically put strange girls in my trunk, but this seemed like a good time to start.”
“Alex shielded me with her body when we hid in the jungle. And again when the car exploded. Stop being so mean to her, Joey.”
It sounded more like a little sister reprimanding an older brother than royalty talking to a guard. Alex couldn't help being mildly curious about their relationship. She also couldn't help being amused at the expression on Daniel's face. It was obvious he was trying to reconcile his intense dislike of her with the knowledge that she'd saved someone very dear to him.
“Don't get so attached. She wouldn't have been so valiant if she'd known who you are.”
Alex sighed, “Are you always such a ray of sunshine?”
“Yes.” His face had that stubborn expression on it again. Alex wondered if it was permanent. “Alex, please join us for dinner before you go. Let us feed you; it's the least we can do.” Lani ignored her surly guardian. There was something in her tone that sounded very adult and authoritarian. The years of training were evident in the girl's decree, and Alex found herself nodding in acquiescence before she could even think about it. Daniel grunted his disapproval, and Alex wondered when she'd ever disliked a person more than this one.
Chapter Three
THERE WAS A FLURRY of activity when they entered the palace. Daniel was gone without a word the moment they arrived
. Alex couldn't say she was sorry for that.
A crying woman whisked Lani into a frantic embrace before stepping back, slightly embarrassed. Lani gave the woman a smile of thanks and reassurance, leaving Alex to wonder if this was the maid who'd helped the girl escape earlier that day.
“Could I borrow a phone to check in with my colleagues?” Alex doubted they even noticed her absence yet; she was prone to getting engrossed at the jobsite and forgetting to check in. Still, calling them seemed the responsible thing to do.
“Of course.” Lani motioned, and a servant materialized with a phone.
For the first time in a year, her call was answered by the machine and not an eager grad student.
“That's odd—no answer.” Alex frowned and handed the cordless back to the servant, a young man with wide, dark eyes and burnt bronze skin. He bowed slightly and dematerialized as efficiently as he had appeared.
“Come with me, Alex.” Lani distracted Alex from her musing. “We'll want to bathe before dinner.”
She followed Lani, not quite sure what to expect but eager for a chance to rid herself of the day's grime. Still, she was unprepared for the ornate square tub that more closely resembled a swimming pool. Flower petals floated on the surface of the water, enticing in their brilliant beauty.
“I do hope the guest bath suits your needs. Someone will bring you fresh clothing.”
“It's fantastic. You don't have to go to that kind of trouble.” Alex hoped she didn't look too incredulous. At one time, she'd been used to luxury. What she'd known then paled in comparison to the room sprawling in front of her now.
“It's no trouble. I want to do something nice for you.” Lani seemed to blush as tears threatened to spill. “I don't know what would have happened if not for you.”
“How old are you?” Alex blurted before she could catch herself.
“Thirteen in July.” Lani stood a little taller, her regal neck arching as she stood in the pose assumed by every pre-teen in the world trying to convince someone of their maturity.
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