Primitive Flame

by Lakes, Lynde

  Earlier he’d seduced her in so many ways. Now he couldn’t wait to get away. It was her choice not to spend the night with Cort at the site, but it was he who’d let that decision come between them. Was their romance over before it had really started? As he turned and disappeared from the doorway, the same sensation of loss engulfed her as when her Hawaiian family had given her away.

  Perhaps Bev was right—she did always find a way to sabotage any chance for love. If only the subject of the site hadn’t come up. Now that it had, how could she ignore Cort’s insensitivity to the Hawaiian culture when she cared so deeply about it? She closed the front door and leaned against it, feeling incredibly alone. Listening to the roar of his Harley fading, she brushed away a tear.

  Hearing a soft meow and feeling a familiar warm, furry sensation brush her ankle, Lani stooped and picked up the kitten. He touched her face with the cool pad of his paw. Then the tears really flowed—she didn’t know why.

  Lani put the kitten on her bed while she undressed. He found a loose strand of string and took it in his paws as he flipped on his back and chewed at it playfully. His antics brought a smile to her face.

  “At least, all’s right in your world huh, lil’ guy?” Lani said, liking the sound of the name. “That’s what I’ll call you, Lil’ Guy.” He looked up at her, purring as she stroked him.

  She turned out the light and climbed into bed. Normally, it would be too early for sleep, but staying up the night before had taken its toll. The even rhythm of the kitten purring lulled her to sleep.

  Lani awoke with a start. Something was wrong. Lil’ Guy whimpered and scooted down under the sheet. He pressed a trembling body against her thigh. The temperature in the room rose. Perspiration soaked her pajamas. A change in room pressure caused a painful thundering in her ears. Her lungs burned with every breath of the choking, rotten-egg smell of sulfur.

  A volcano image flashed on the wall. Orange-red lava seethed and spewed over the sulfur banks of the raw, bleeding earthly ulcer. Majestic billowing blasts of steam exploded from its core. Out of one of the vaporous crimson eruptions, Pele stepped forward, eyes fiery.

  Lani curled her hands into fists. “What do you want of me? Tell me, dammit!”

  Pele stopped, as though caught off guard by Lani’s outburst. They stared into each other’s eyes. Finally, Pele pointed to the raging volcano.

  Lani wanted to flick on the bedside lamp, but she froze as the inferno changed shape from a volcano to a trailer. She could see inside, as if its walls were made of glass. On a day bed, maile vines bound Cort like steel tentacles and flames licked at him. Oh, no! It was that horrible dream again, only she was awake.

  Cort reached out to her. Then the whole place exploded. “No!” Lani’s scream slashed the silence of the old house.

  Abruptly, the roaring flames on the wall receded to a single pinpoint of light. She heard a loud whoosh and ducked as the light flew past her out the window. She raced to look. Against the backdrop of black sky, it grew in size again, slicing the night like a shooting star. Suddenly in an arcing instant, a flash of lightning swallowed it. Now there was nothing. The ball of fire had disappeared.

  For the first time, Lani noticed the hard, blowing rain. The bedroom curtains hung limp and wet from the downpour. Beneath her bare feet the carpet felt damp. She closed the window. Perhaps she was still asleep and the fiery vision was part of a nightmare. Lani lifted the trembling kitten out from under the sheet. Oh, no. He’d seen it too. It wasn’t only her screams and the stormy weather that had frightened Lil’ Guy.

  She flicked on the light. What should she do? Cort was alone at the construction site, and even a strong resourceful man like Cort couldn’t match the powers of Pele. No mortal could. Still, the old woman told Lani she could save him. This vision could be her last warning. Her heart raced. Or was it already too late?

  Stay calm. For God’s sake, stay calm. Lani rushed to the living room and grabbed the phone. Her hands trembled as she punched in the construction office number. What reason could she give him for the call? She ran through a litany of possible excuses. They all sounded stupid. The telephone rang and rang. Why didn’t Cort answer? Maybe he’d changed his mind and hadn’t gone. Why wasn’t the recorder on? With rigid fingers, she punched the number of his apartment. No answer. She should’ve asked for his cell number. It was silly to be so concerned. He could be anywhere.

  Lani stared out the window at the downpour. Only a fool would go out on a night like this without a very good reason. Her only justification was that dream with its terrifying, burning clarity.

  Lil’ Guy looped a figure-eight path over her foot, as though trying to comfort her. Lani picked up the kitten and stroked him. He rewarded her with a steady purr. She couldn’t go back to bed without knowing if Cort was all right.

  She dumped the kitten onto the couch and ran to the bedroom. She yanked on a pair of jeans, slipped a red sweater over her head and, holding an umbrella, ran from the house to the car. Rain pelted the umbrella, and then the forceful wind flipped it inside out. She held tight, determined not to let the wind whip it from her hand. Soaked to the skin, she slid into the driver’s seat. When the car started on the first try, she whispered, “Thank you, God. And Please let Cort be safe.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The rain came down in relentless sheets, rendering the winding dirt road barely visible. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel as the car skidded and zigzagged. Lightning hopscotched over the black sky. She swerved dangerously close to a ditch but refused to slow down. She floor-boarded the gas pedal when she reached the highway

  When she pulled up in front of the site she exhaled. Praise God. Cort’s Porsche was parked inside the fence. He must have stopped by his place and exchanged the motorcycle for the car. Good thing, since the weather had turned bad. The rain eased to a drizzle, but the wind battered everything in its path.

  The absence of lights, music or voices inside the trailer that served as his second home didn’t worry her. At this late hour Cort would be asleep. She’d been foolish to battle the raging storm and drive the long distance based on a vision. Still, she couldn’t leave without seeing him. What if the gate was locked? She’d have to scale the fence. Then what? March up and knock on the door? Cort would think she was crazy. Everything looked normal around the trailer. His not answering the phone wasn’t a good enough reason to race here in a storm.

  Lani put the car into gear and was about to pull back onto the highway when she heard a loud crackle. Dancing flashes of lightning speared around her. A bolt of brightness hit a power post. It fell thunderously onto the trailer.

  “No!” She had to get to Cort! She ran from the shelter of the car, fighting a howling wind that kept forcing her back. Finally, she reached the gate and yanked on the padlock.

  Locked. She shrieked in frustration, then hoisted herself over the top of the chain link fence. Her sweater caught. She pulled the wool loose and lowered herself to the ground. Something sharp scratched her arm. She ignored the stinging. A whipping power line sizzled and undulated in the wind near the trailer door, holding her at bay. If she went any closer it would fry her to a crisp. The wood steps caught fire. Flames licked at the trailer.

  The construction vehicles parked nearby could ignite and explode any minute. “Cort!” she screamed. “Cort! Cort!”

  The thunderous crash should have awakened him. In her nightmare a ceiling beam had fallen. Was he unconscious? She banged on the side of the trailer with the palms of her hands. More flames blocked her path. She rushed to the rear of the trailer.

  Using a narrow, two-foot section of pipe, she pried at a window. It wouldn’t budge.

  She hurled a concrete block. The window smashed, leaving a jagged frame. Using the pipe, she pounded at the sharp splinters to clear the frame. I need something to stand on to climb inside.

  Lani spied some concrete blocks on the ground next to the window and piled them into a small platform. Cort appeared at the win
dow, looking dazed. Blood trickled down the side of his face from a cut over his eyebrow.

  He was alive! Thank you, God. “Are you okay?”

  Cort hoisted himself out and dropped in front of her. He had keys and jeans in his hand. He struggled into his pants. He rubbed his forehead as though disoriented. “What are you doing here?”

  Lani tugged at his arm. A flame crept closer to the nearest gas-driven construction vehicle. “Let’s go. The trailer is going to explode.” Like it had in her dreams.

  “What’s going on?” he shouted as she dragged him along toward the fence.

  The trailer exploded with an earthshaking blast, knocking them into the mud.

  “My God,” Cort said, covering her body with his. “If you hadn’t broken out the window, if I hadn’t gotten out when I did, I’d be dead.”

  “Cort…” Lani clung to him, soothed by his pounding heart, his body heat. She just wanted to hold him and revel in his solid weight on top of her.

  Cort rose and helped her up. “Are you all right?”

  “Fine.” She wiped at the tears and mud. “But you’re hurt.”

  He touched a gash on his forehead, wincing as he wiped the blood on a handkerchief. “A beam nicked me. Dazed me. But it’s minor.” He ran to a small metal box on a pole and yanked down the handle. An alarm clanged loudly. Cort removed a couple of keys from his key ring and tossed them to her. “Open the gate, then get in your car and stay there.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  Cort glanced toward the machinery. “Save what I can. Now go!”

  Lani didn’t want to let him leave her side, ever. “I can help.”

  “Just move my car. Then get in yours and wait.”

  She found the key to the gate and quickly unlocked the padlock. The wind yanked the gate from her grasp and banged it against the post. She secured it and ran to Cort’s Porsche. The fire alarms clanged. Was it sounding in a firehouse, or was Cort counting on someone would hearing it and calling the fire department? He was too busy to ask. She didn’t want to chance it. Lani drove to the nearest house.

  “Please, I need to use your phone…fire!” Lani knew what she must look like with dripping hair plastered to her head and soaked clothes clinging like a second skin as she spoke to the sleepy-eyed old man who answered the door. The man motioned her inside and pointed to the telephone. Relief washed over her. She could dial the number faster than the old man.

  She alerted the fire department, then returned to the site. Lani parked Cort’s car safely behind her own. Cort needed assistance, but she didn’t know how to operate any of the equipment.

  “Cort, what can I do to help?” she shouted.

  “Stay out of the way!”

  Chauvinist, Lani thought, frowning. She watched Cort in action. His bare chest looked golden-brown and powerful in the firelight. Every muscle functioned at his command. Using a nearby skip loader, he moved machinery and lumber away from the fiery shell of the trailer.

  “Do you have a hose?” She couldn’t make herself heard over the wind, the alarm and roar of the inferno.

  She ran to the equipment shed. Picking up a rock, she busted the combination lock.

  Somehow, she managed to drag one end of the cumbersome commercial hose out through the doorway toward a hydrant. Cort had moved everything a safe distance away from the blaze. On the run, he grabbed the hose from her and connected it to the spigot.

  “Thanks!” he yelled, as he sprayed the flames.

  When the firemen arrived, Cort’s energy seemed to resurge and he assisted them. She left them to their jobs. Suddenly, the full impact of the situation registered. If she’d arrived seconds later… The thought was unbearable. She staggered to the car and climbed inside.

  Later, when the fire engines pulled off the property, Cort stared at the ashes of the trailer. His shoulders slumped. She could imagine what he was thinking. His files, permits, plans, and designs were all gone.

  After a few moments, he turned and joined her in the car, slouching into the seat beside her. He reeked of smoke. His face and clothes were blackened.

  “You saved everything,” she said with pride in her voice.

  Cort sighed heavily. “Yeah, all but the trailer and the field files inside.”

  Lani frowned. With the construction stopped, why had Pele done this? Maybe the goddess knew something Lani didn’t know. Why did Cort have to spend the night to meet deliveries? He could’ve driven in early in the morning. What if he’d gone to hide evidence of the artifacts and the only way for Pele to fight his underhandedness was to burn him out? “Did you stay in the office all evening, or did you go outside and shovel some dirt, too?”

  He darted a sharp look at her. “What? Are you accusing me of something?”

  She couldn’t prove any wrongdoing, and if he were guilty, he’d never admit it. “When I tried to call, you didn’t answer your phone.”

  “I had the ringer off. I was exhausted and didn’t want to talk to anyone. Haven’t you ever felt that way?”

  She had, so she nodded. Lani’s gaze settled on the bloody gash over his eyebrow and her concern for him overrode her doubts. “How’s your head?”

  “Throbs a little.”

  He probably had a tremendous headache. “Thank God you weren’t badly hurt.”

  “And you.” He took her hands in his and looked at her intently. “What brought you here in the middle of the night?” He tightened his hold on her hands.

  “You won’t believe it.”

  “Try me.”

  She shifted under his scrutiny. “We can talk after I make sure Lil’ Guy’s all right. Storms terrify him.”

  “Sounds like a stalling tactic to me,” Cort said tiredly. “But I’m a patient man.” He rubbed his hands down the sides of his smoke blackened jeans. With hair disheveled, singed, and his face smudged with mud and sooty streaks, he didn’t look a bit patient. He kissed her forehead. “I’ll follow you in my car.”

  If it hadn’t been for Lil’ Guy and her need to be where Grandfather could contact her, she would have suggested they go to Cort’s place.

  “Thanks.” She hoped she could talk him into staying the night. It wasn’t her safety she was concerned about. After almost losing him, she didn’t want to let him out of her sight.

  She drove slowly so he could easily follow. The rain hadn’t subsided in the upper valley. Before the night ended, this road could flood out.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  With his windshield wipers battling sheets of rain, Cort followed behind Lani’s little yellow Toyota. He knew she was creeping at a snails pace to make sure he didn’t lose her in the deluge. She needn’t have worried. He wasn’t about to lose her. He wouldn’t sleep until he had an answer.

  Something was wrong with this whole damn scenario. He’d seen the downed electrical wires, but what if this fire wasn’t an accident and sabotage was involved? What the hell had brought Lani to the site in the middle of the night? She’d saved him, but the trailer was gone, meaning more delays. The tension between them today was over the project. She wanted to close him down and made no bones about it. Was he falling for her innocent crap again?

  Cort rubbed his aching head. She couldn’t have messed with the wires, but what if she was working with the Tanaka brothers? Cort shook his head at himself. Had the beam that conked him on the noggin addled his brain? Why was he digging up the conspiracy angle again? It’d be more likely that the Tanaka brothers messed with the wires on their own. What if he was on the wrong track entirely? He’d seen Kimo leaving the site, but when he’d looked around and found nothing wrong, he’d pushed the incident from his mind. What if Kimo weakened a connector, intending to let the next big wind do his dirty work and make it look like an accident? But why had Lani shown up at exactly the right moment? No matter how he laid it out, it came back to her. She’d better have a good reason for racing out in the dead of night and braving the storm to come to his site. She’d looked frightened when he came to
the window, then relieved when he escaped. Her expression, full of love and concern, was a vision he’d take to the grave. He felt his heart softening and focused on staying angry. But his anger felt all wrong and supported his certainty that she’d gotten to him in ways he couldn’t explain. Or understand.

  ****

  Lani turned into Grandfather’s driveway and stopped abruptly, blocked by a sea of mud. Cort pulled his car behind hers, about a hundred yards from the house. An arc of lightning highlighted the sharp lines of the shake roof on the old structure. Was Pele up to more tricks? She had to face it—Pele could strike anywhere. Anytime.

  Please, Lord, don’t let me have saved him from the flaming trailer only to lose him here to another lightning fire.

  Lani ran beside Cort through the ankle-deep puddles toward Grandfather’s house. When she unlocked the door the gusting wind yanked it from her grasp and slammed it hard against the interior wall. Cort helped her force the door shut again. The small sense of teamwork between them gave her hope. She flicked the switch. Its click produced no light. She sought the safety of Cort’s large, warm hand and drew him along through the darkened living room to the kitchen. Torrents of rain and a moaning wind battered the house. A streak of lightning flashed across a wall. She jumped.

  Cort squeezed her hand. “I’m staying until the storm lets up. No argument!”

  Lani let out a nervous laugh of relief. “Who’s arguing?” She paused to get her bearings. Cort bumped into her, and her heart surged wildly. Cort’s nearness was bittersweet. The heavy odor of smoke reminded her how close she’d come to losing him.

  “Got any candles?” He sounded angry. Well, after all that happened tonight, he had a right to be.

  “Forget fire. I know where Grandfather keeps a flashlight.”

  Cort gave a humorless laugh. “Yeah, I guess we’ve played with enough flames for tonight.”