by Lakes, Lynde
Chapter Sixteen
Lani turned slowly and looked at her reflection in the mirror, carefully examining the fit of her white capris and top that bared her midriff. She tilted her head. The outfit was sassy, yet modest. And cool enough for the humid night. She glanced at her hair, which hung loose to her waist. Pictures of Pele showed the same flame-red tresses. Lani shivered, chilled by her thoughts of the goddess.
At the sound of a horn, she rolled her swimsuit into a towel, stuffed it into a beach bag along with a soft white chenille robe and hurried out the door. The minute she climbed into the car, Julie sped off, leaving a cloud of dust behind.
Lani braced herself. Julie could best be described as dynamite in a petite package. The images that followed, lighted fuses and explosives, unnerved Lani almost as much thinking about Pele. “Any trouble finding my place?” Lani asked.
Julie shook her head. Her blonde hair brushed her shoulders before settling softly around her skillfully made up face. “I have a good feeling about this party,” she said.
Lani wished she did.
Without taking her hands from the wheel, Julie crossed her fingers. “Perhaps this is the night I’ll land Mr. Right.”
“You’ve set your sights on someone?” Lani had thought it might still be Cort, but he wouldn’t be at this party.
Julie smiled. “Maybe.”
“Well, go girl. Reel your man in. If that’s what you want.” Unlike Julie, Lani wasn’t in a hurry. After her near mistake with David, she didn’t want to rush into any relationship. Although it had been a mistake, she knew why she’d allowed herself to get close to Cort so quickly. She’d had such fun with him and looked forward to getting to know him better. Although it worked against her, she admired his loyalty to his employers and his men. And his friends. She also liked the gentle and caring way he related to children.
With him occupying her nightmares, it had seemed she’d known him longer. Her nightly struggle to save him from leaping flames had strengthened the bond. Now whether she liked it or not, she cared for Cort.
Julie maneuvered around a curve. “That’s it just ahead.”
Cars lined the curb on both sides of the street. Julie had to park a block and a half away. Lani heard the blare of rock music before they rounded the stone wall and passed through the open wrought iron gate. Across the courtyard the two-story house sprawled before them.
Even though not yet sunset, the party was in full swing. The overflow of partygoers had spilled into the yard.
A blurry-eyed guy came forward to welcome them, holding a bottle of Coors. He staggered, then made an effort to stand without tilting. “Hi, lovelies. Don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure. And I do mean pleasure.”
“I’m Julie. This is Lani. Where’s Gill?”
“Out back on the beach playing chef. I’m Larry, won’t I do?” He sank down on the steps and tried to pull Julie down next to him. She tottered a bit on her high-heeled sandals, but didn’t lose her balance.
Julie shook herself loose. “Later, Larry.”
Lani smiled. It didn’t surprise her that the petite Julie could take care of herself.
They escaped into the house, which was decorated in elegant modern Hawai’iana with opened-beamed ceilings and a highly polished, wide-curved stairway. The mysterious host had set up two bars. Overwhelmed bartenders wore bowties, black French swim trunks, and harried smiles. Julie gave the drink-jockeys a good once-over and laughed. “Gill will keep his female guests happy with these guys.”
Lani nodded. God, she knew nothing about these people and could be way out of her element. Stop it, she scolded herself. No negative thoughts.
Large fans rotated slowly overhead in the crowded room, dispersing a smoky haze. Julie grasped Lani’s hand, and they eased their way through the crowd to the rear of the residence.
Outside beyond massive beachside windows, white froth rode on gently breaking waves. Lani opened the sliding glass doors, stepped out onto the beach, and greedily drew salt air into her lungs. The rhythm of the surf offered a quiet contrast to the noise and commotion of the party.
“I see Gill!” Julie said, over the blaring rock music. “Come on, I want you to meet him.” Julie gripped Lani’s arm and dragged her along. The aroma of barbecuing hamburgers and hot dogs spiked the air, reminding Lani she’d skipped lunch.
Gill had just flipped a hamburger over and poked at it with a long spatula. His dark wavy hair fell over his forehead. His mouth spread wide in a mischievous grin. Three guys stood around him, laughing and joking with each other. A willowy platinum blonde in a red bikini approached and handed Gill a beer. He took a long swig. When the girl turned to walk away, he slapped her playfully on the bottom.
Julie frowned, then plastered a smile on her face. “Hi, Gill. This is my friend, Lani.”
While Gill hugged Julie, he peered over her shoulder and pursed his lips, making a kissing gesture at Lani. She lowered her eyes in disgust. Another womanizer. How could Julie be attracted to someone like Gill? He wasn’t anything like the stable guy she’d claimed to be looking for.
“Girls,” Gill said, “these hot shots are my brahs. Meet John Wineinski, Brad Davis and Butch Kingman.”
Butch leered at Lani. “Wow, you’re one sexy wahine. I’m in lust.” His look and comment set Lani’s teeth on edge.
“Again?” Gill asked on cue. The guys laughed as if he’d said something funny.
Lani glanced around for a secluded corner to escape to at the first opportunity.
“What can I get you ladies to drink?” John asked.
“A beer, sugar,” Julie said, keeping her eyes on Gill.
Lani forced a small smile. “Do you have any diet cola?”
“Whatever your little heart desires,” John quipped.
She was probably the only one at the party ordering a nonalcoholic drink, but she liked to keep her wits about her, especially with people she didn’t know.
When John came back with the drinks, Gill asked Butch to take over the cooking. Gill grabbed burgers for the four of them. When Gill and John joined them, Lani stiffened. She didn’t want any of these guys to think she was looking to match up with anyone. Gill and Julie seemed to have eyes only for each other and talked in low voices. That left Lani to talk to John. Finding common ground wasn’t as difficult as she’d imagined. They were both movie lovers. She was comforted to learn he was a cop. He planned to move to the mainland to get better pay and benefits. She ought to be safe enough with him. At least he didn’t make sexual overtures like Butch.
When the orangy sun dipped low in the sky, sensors got the message of approaching darkness and outside lights clicked on. Someone lit the tiki torches. Lights and shadows danced across the sand, giving a surreal feel to the night and escalating her uneasiness.
After John got up to greet friends who had just arrived, Lani realized that her tension had diminished some. Talking to him had relaxed her. It surprised her to discover she’d been so tense. Maybe driving Grandfather to the airport in the afternoon rush-hour traffic earlier had been more of a strain than she’d admitted, or perhaps the thought of staying in the isolated old house alone for a week had caused the stress.
She wasn’t any more comfortable here. She felt like a child wading with sharks. Lani flicked her gaze over the groups of people huddled together talking and laughing. Everything looked normal, yet she had the eerie feeling that someone was watching her. Apprehensive, she studied the dancing flames in the tiki torches spaced along the sand. Just fire. No threatening face of Pele. She wanted to believe that stopping the construction had stopped the haunting, yet the feeling of being watched persisted.
Julie stood. “Let’s go upstairs and change into our swim suits,” she said.
Before Lani followed her, she glanced around again. The only person looking in her direction was the lecher, Butch Kingman. He was so glassy-eyed, he probably couldn’t see three feet in front of him.
It didn’t take long for Lani and Julie to ch
ange into their suits and return to the beach. Gill whistled at Julie who wore a fuchsia bra with her breasts pouring out, and a thong. Lani drew her white chenille beach cover-up closer.
“Come on, Lani, strip,” Julie said. “You can’t swim in that cover-up.”
Wishing she could, Lani slowly slipped out of her robe and revealed a modest sarong.
“Wow. Great suit, Lani,” John said. “You look like a Hawaiian princess.”
Everyone stared at her. “Thanks,” she mumbled, then ran and dove into the darkened surf. John, Julie, and Gill followed. After the swim, they all gathered in the Jacuzzi. John eased closer as if he wanted to pair off with her. She moved far enough away to keep things casual.
Alcohol flowed nonstop, making the crowd high and unruly. A couple of fights broke out, but John calmed the guys down. Lani wanted to leave, but Julie wasn’t ready. Gill decided to buy more beer and Julie offered to drive him to the store. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, sugar,” she promised.
Lani felt like calling a taxi, but gloomy thoughts of the empty house changed her mind. She stayed on the beach, drying her long, thick hair in the wind. John went inside to make a phone call. When he didn’t come back, she figured he’d given up on her.
A prickle at the back of Lani’s neck warned her of trouble. Before she had a chance to think anymore about it, Butch crouched down behind her and placed his hot mouth on her neck. His breath smelled of beer and garlic.
Lani glared at him as she dodged out of his reach. “Don’t ever do that again!”
Butch’s bloodshot, glassy eyes narrowed. “Why so uptight?”
“You’ve had too much to drink. Leave me alone.”
“Hey, I’m sorry.” Butch looked contrite. “I just wanna be your friend. To prove it, let me get you another cola. Okay?”
She nodded in wary agreement. If she were lucky, he’d get lost and not come back. When Butch returned, he handed her a cola and sat down. It disgusted her the way he licked his lips and glared at her with sullen, droopy eyes. She pulled on her robe and wrapped it tightly about her. She met his attempts at conversation with cool one-word answers and locked her gaze on the dark, churning surf. When he finally wandered off, she sighed in relief.
Darn, why wasn’t Julie back? Lani glanced toward the house. Her breath caught. Cort! He stepped out onto the beach, head held high, shoulders squared, wearing local-style black swim shorts. Other than in her dreams, she’d never seen him so bare before. How could a body of sculptured granite move with such supple grace? The sight of him sent a quiver through her. With her memory of their argument still raw, Lani pulled the hood of her robe up to obscure her face. She turned her head toward the ocean, hoping he wouldn’t see her in the shadows and pretending not to see him.
Her hands trembled as she took a big gulp of the cola, then another, until she’d emptied the can. If she’d known Cort would be here she’d have stayed home. Suddenly she felt weak, dizzy. How ridiculous. She mustn’t let him have this effect on her.
Cort headed toward the water without even a glance in her direction. Now she could slip into the house and get dressed. That way, she’d be ready to go home when Julie returned, and Cort wouldn’t have to know she’d been here.
Lani tried to get up, but her legs buckled beneath her. The house seemed far away, across a wide desert of sand dunes. She sank to her knees, then struggled up again and made her way through the open sliding-glass doors. Lani wove through the crowd, bumping into people. Other than a few curious glances, no one paid any attention. What was wrong with her? She gripped the rail and climbed the stairs. The steps undulated like a snake. Lani tripped several times, but caught herself. Music hammered against her skull. Everything had a purple haze over it.
Miraculously, she made it to the top of the stairs. She stumbled into the first bedroom where she’d left her clothes and locked the door. She struggled with her robe and finally shook it off.
A rattling drew her attention to the doorknob. It jerked back and forth. The lock gave. The door opened a few inches. A massive hand reached in and switched off the light.
She stood motionless. Her heart thundered in her chest. The light from the hallway disappeared as the door closed again. Lani tried to accustom her eyes to the blackness. She shook her head, trying to clear the fuzziness. “Who’s there?”
Footsteps thudded toward her across the hardwood floor. She backed away and screamed loud and long.
Music from downstairs blared full blast. Oh, God, no one heard her. The intruder charged against Lani, forcing her onto the bed. She smelled beer and garlic on his breath. He ripped at her swimsuit. “No!” she shouted.
He pulled on the cloth until it gave, leaving her bare. As he pinned her under him, her adrenaline kicked into high gear. With a surge of strength, she got one hand free and jabbed two fingers above the smell of foul breath. He must have turned his head because her fingers slammed into facial bone instead of his eyes. She raked her nails down his face. He yanked her hair, jerking her head backwards. She screamed. When he tried to cover her mouth, she bit his hand. He hit her hard. She clenched her teeth against the dizziness and nausea, determined not to black out.
The door burst open. Someone pulled her attacker away. The two men fought in a shadowy blur of lurching bodies and swinging fists. Breathing hard, they cursed and groaned as they pounded each other, thudding against furniture. Things crashed to the floor. Then silence.
In the semi-darkness, the victor lumbered toward her.
Chapter Seventeen
Lani squinted as a sliver of sunlight sliced through a bunched up slat in the closed blinds. She covered her throbbing head with a pillow and closed her eyes tight. After a few moments, she opened one swollen eye, then the other. Her jaw hurt. Her limbs and muscles, too. She lifted the sheet and looked at her body. Naked! Oh my God. Where am I and where are my clothes?
Her gaze moved around the room. Framed black and white photos of helicopters and airplanes decorated the pale gray walls. It was definitely a man’s pad.
Gradually, she began to recall what had happened before she passed out. Peering again under the sheet, Lani noted bruises on her breasts. Her body ached like she’d been in an accident.
At the sound of movement in the adjacent room, she lifted herself up on her elbow. She felt weak, nauseated. The door opened slowly. Terrified, Lani fixed her watery gaze on it. A shirtless man stepped through the doorway.
She blinked trying to bring the tanned blur into focus. His face was unshaven, one eye swollen with a cut over it, hair mussed as though he’d just awakened.
“Cort!” She pulled the sheet up to her neck.
“How are you feeling?” His gentle tone failed to put her at ease. The top button of his white jeans was undone, exposing a firm flat stomach.
Her tongue felt thick, her throat parched. “Where am I?”
“My apartment.”
“How did I get here?” Lani gathered the sheet up tighter around her.
“I brought you here after that guy attacked you. It wasn’t safe for you at Gill’s house. Too many drunks. Later, I tried to reach your Grandfather—no answer.”
“You’re the one who pulled the man off of me?”
Cort nodded. “When the guy you were sitting with followed you upstairs, I tailed him. You looked too drunk to take care of yourself, and he appeared to be up to no good. Then you screamed.”
“I wasn’t drunk.” She glared at him. “I only had colas all evening.”
“He must’ve slipped the date-rape drug into your drink. You were staggering all over the place.”
“If you hadn’t come in time…” She felt a rush of gratitude.
“You put up a good fight. After I smashed the bastard in the face, you passed out.”
She lowered her voice. “I thought you hated me.”
“No, Lani, I don’t.” He looked at his hands a moment, then looked up. “Do you want to see a doctor?”
She shook her head. “I’m not
hurt badly, just bruised and woozy. Where’re my clothes?”
“Gill’s.” He pointed to a red bedspread tossed over one of the chairs. “I wrapped you in that and carried you out. Several people tried to stop me, so I didn’t have time to look for your clothes.”
“But, but, I’m naked under this sheet.”
His eyes glinted. “Yes. Without clothes, you would be.”
She twisted at the sheet held firm under her chin.
Two deep creases rode low over his brow. “Oh, you thought…You’re safe here,” he growled. “If I make love to a woman, I’d want her to know it—and want it as much as I do.”
“I didn’t accuse you of anything.”
“You didn’t have to. The way you’re hanging on to that sheet tells it all.”
She didn’t have the energy to explain how vulnerable she felt, and that it had nothing to do with any fear of him. “Thanks for saving me,” she said softly.
“You were outmatched. I just evened the odds.”
The cut over his eye was open, raw. The blue shiner was darkening to purple. It was her fault he’d been hurt. She wanted to touch him, soothe away his pain, but she didn’t dare.
“Could you loan me some clothes?”
“In the closet. Help yourself. If there’s anything there you can use, you’re welcome to it.” He made no move to leave.
Thoughts of him looking at her without clothes made Lani’s face flame. “I can’t get out of bed with you in the room.”
“You might pass out again and hit your head,” he said. “Pretend I’m not here.”
She wrapped the sheet around herself and attempted to stomp across the room. The effort proved too much for her, and she had to steady herself on a chair. “You don’t intend to make this easy for me, do you?”
He stared at her with unflinching eyes. “Should I? I haven’t forgotten that you betrayed me.”
Lani had the urge to throw something at him. “If you feel that way, why didn’t you just leave me at the party?”