“I should have helped him,” Chief Kalani said.
Blythe watched Lou fumble around, attempting to carry the camera and all the other necessary equipment.
“The extent of the wildfire’s devastation is on the other side of the island, closer to the old military encampment. It’s impossible to drive a boat up to that side due to the shoreline dangers.”
“Wait, there’s a military camp here? Is it still operational?”
“No. It’s just used for storage and scientific excursions now. We have quite a few historic excavation sites dotting the island too.”
“It’s not like me to come into a situation unprepared. I usually know all my facts before arriving, but last night I had to drive Rachel and Jarrod to the airport, so it was an emotional night for me. No time to do my homework. I miss them already.”
“That’s alright. I’ll fill you in on the specifics. I got to know the island intimately after last year. We had to traverse most of it, so knowing where concentrated landmine areas are is a bonus.” Chief Kalani tapped his temple. “I have a mental map of this entire island right up here.”
“I’m in safe hands, then.”
“The safest.”
Blythe couldn’t help herself the indulgence of a sideways glance. As his lips moved in explanation of the islands ecosystem, her eyes devoured them. She wondered what it would be like to take his bottom lip in hers and suck it. He was luscious. His jaw line was firmly masculine and chiseled, and his smile stretched wide to reveal movie-star white teeth. And that dimple. Blythe knew she was in trouble when he pulled out that kind of temptation. She was a gonner for dimples.
“I made it,” Big Lou panted as he reached them on the ridge. He paused, taking out a bandana and wiping his already sweaty face. “Let me take some sample footage to adjust the picture.” Lou turned his baseball cap backward and hoisted the camera onto his shoulder. He looked through with one eye while waving them over to the right. “Just a little over there, great. Okay, say something.”
Blythe laughed and waved. “Here we are on Kahoolawe in the middle of nowhere.”
“Aloha,” Chief Kalani smiled and waved.
Big Lou brought the camera down from his eye and the red light went off. “So, what now?”
“We go to the worst affected area at the center of the island. It’s a long walk, Lou. I can carry the camera,” Chief Kalani offered.
“Nope. Don’t have to. I’ve got the case with a strap in the boat. It’ll make things easier. Back in a minute.”
Lou turned and headed back to the boat and as he did, Blythe noticed the large wet circle of sweat on his wide back. Today was a scorcher.
“He’ll be cursing me later for making him do athletics,” Blythe laughed and then flinched at her own use of the word curse. He didn’t seem to notice.
“It’s quite a hike to the middle, but skirting the island shoreline to get there’s out of the question. Off limits. We have to follow the beaten paths since Kahoolawe is in reserve status.”
“The entire island?”
“Yeah. See those tiny orange flags in the ground? Ordnance markers.”
“Wait, ordnance means landmine, doesn’t it?”
“Landmine, undetonated WWII bombs, or any form of weaponry.”
“So I should avoid those little flags at all cost, right?”
“Yes, but not everything’s marked. The island is undergoing extensive restoration and ordnance clearance. It’s an ongoing process that will take decades. The wildfire actually made it a little easier to find stuff for a while there, before the grasses and brush grew back.”
“Lovely. What have you gotten us into, Chief Kalani?” Blythe smiled.
He hesitated. “Hey, do you mind calling me Mak? Everyone else does. Chief Kalani seems so formal, so…”
“Mainland?”
“Something like that,” he chuckled.
“Okay, Mak. I’ll try to remember.”
Mak waited. “And?”
“And…?” Blythe looked up at him.
“And may I call you Blythe?”
“Oh, yeah, sure. Sorry.” Blythe shifted her weight back and forth on her high wedge heels. Yes, perhaps her footwear was impractical, but she’d found these little beauties on a spring trip to New York and couldn’t resist them. They went perfectly with her outfit, despite the rugged terrain. There was no exception for fashion, especially with a hot Fire Chief by her side.
“No reception out here,” Mak said as he fiddled with his phone. He shoved it into one of the many pockets of his cargo pants.
“Who’s that?” Blythe asked, bringing her attention back to Lou. He was down at the dock now talking to a man dressed in a black tee shirt and jeans.
“What the hell?” Mak said, his voice trailing off. He slowly walked forward, never taking his eyes off Lou or the man. Blythe blindly followed, wondering why Mak was suddenly so mesmerized by the stranger. “Like I said, there shouldn’t be anyone else on this island right now. No one.”
Mak’s tone caused her some alarm and his body language screamed defensive.
“Maybe he’s on one of those scientific excavations you mentioned.”
“No way. Not today.”
There was something about the stranger’s stance. Mak suddenly stopped and put up a hand to block her. The stranger was leaning into Lou now and appeared to be screaming at him, but the wind and the distance between them made hearing anything impossible. And then Blythe saw the reason for Mak’s sudden halt. The stranger had a gun in his hand.
Without a word, Mak swiveled and grabbed her shoulders, guiding her backward and to the left, hiding her in the shadow of a shallow rockface. As they crouched and watched, Blythe felt helpless. “Shouldn’t we go down there and help Lou?”
“I’m afraid that guy might panic and do something stupid. I don’t even know who he is or why he’s here, but he has a gun. Lou will explain things to him.”
Still, a nagging urgency forced Blythe to stand and crane for a better look. What she saw next would haunt her for the rest of her life. If she’d felt helpless before, nothing would change that feeling now. The man raised his gun and without hesitation, shot Lou point blank in the chest. The force of impact was so great it drove Lou back and he fell instantly, sprawling lifeless on the dirt path.
As Blythe staggered forward, her steps faltered and her knees were about to give out. Mak rose to his feet and reached a hand over her mouth to stifle the scream as it found her throat, pulling her down and out of sight once more. With their faces inches apart, he tried to convey his sorrow without speaking. The look on Mak’s face confirmed what she already knew but didn’t want to believe. Lou had been murdered. This was really happening. He slowly brought his hand away from her lips as tears streamed down her face. She searched his eyes, but words escaped her in her shock.
“We’ve got to move, Blythe.” Mak’s face was stern, serious. She had no other choice, though a big part of her wanted to run toward Lou, to help him.
“But…” the word was barely audible.
“Now.”
Chapter Nine
“Who is that man?” Blythe finally asked after they’d walked for a few minutes, her shock settling in deeper. Her legs were numb and everything felt suddenly surreal, like some twisted nightmare she couldn’t wake from.
“Don’t know. But something’s going down on this island and we’re caught in the middle of it.”
“How do you know?”
“Did you see the men in the distance near the dock?”
“No, I only saw one man…and Lou,” Blythe’s eyes welled and she bit her lip to prevent from sobbing.
“Three more, all with guns.”
Fear gripped Blythe and she shook like a leaf, feeling deathly exposed and vulnerable. “Will they come after us?”
“They haven’t seen us. But…”
“But?” Blythe asked frantically.
“But they have Lou’s camera. Maybe they’ll check. Lets try n
ot getting shot by keeping mobile. We just have to keep moving,” Mak instructed. It was as if he’d slipped into military mode, no-nonsense and hard.
“But…”
“But nothing. We’re defenseless against automatic weapons, Blythe. It’s no use. The last thing I want is to end up like Lou. We have to run and hide. There’s no other choice. Lets move.”
Blythe dropped the discussion and followed. She knew she was of no use at the moment, like a lifeless rag-doll. She wanted to curl up in the fetal position and scream. Mak pulled her to a halt once they reached a rocky drop-off. They were forced to stop here and double back. The only way forward was down toward the rushing water.
“Stay low,” Mak said. He hunched and she followed his lead willingly. The terrain was treacherous for a girl in high wedges, but she didn’t dare complain. She dissolved into a fit of inward rage, an undercurrent of anger consuming her every step. She wanted to physically hurt the man who killed Lou. She wanted to get violent, the impulse juxtaposing with fear and tension. Running for her life was a better option to confrontation. It would keep her alive. Still, everything had changed in an instant.
<><><>
Mak’s mind raced. Whoever those men are, whatever their agenda, the outcome for he and Blythe was clear. Sudden death. It didn’t look as if Lou knew them, so the act was random and coldblooded. He’d heard the locals discuss Kahoolawe and it’s history of smuggling before, but that possibility hadn’t crossed his mind – until today. If a man was willing to kill an innocent bystander on a whim, he had to be protecting something worth killing for. Something so valuable, so secret, that the risks far outweigh the consequences.
Could be drugs, or weapons of some sort. Whatever it is, Mak knew the men would stop at nothing to kill whoever else was around to witness their dealings. For now, he and Blythe were safe as long as they stayed anonymous. Getting to higher ground and away was the number one priority. Mak had to make sure they were undetected – as if they didn’t even exist.
<><><>
The air was pungent with the smell of fuel, a slick trail of gasoline and oil snaking from behind the docked powerboat. Tuan Pax, a stocky man with an emotionless face, quickly untied the rope that held the boat to the dock.
“And where do you think you’re going?” called Don Blunt. Lanky and balding, he squinted in Pax’s direction. Blunt, the North American go-to-guy and mastermind of the entire smuggling operation, held Pax’s cold stare.
“I didn’t agree to murder,” Pax spoke with assertion.
“We finish the job, leave the dead guy and get on with it. That’s it,” Blunt ordered, cocking his gun for good measure. He left no room for debate.
“Sure, whatever you say,” Pax retied the loop with hesitancy.
“They’ll be here soon. Taipei’s a little farther away than Hawaii, we’ll just give’em time.”
The buff Al Sanders sauntered over to Pax and Blunt, totally unfazed by what he’d just done – like shooting a man down in cold blood was a daily occurrence.
“Why’d you have to kill him and make things more difficult?” Pax scolded.
“Had to be done. No loose ends,” Sanders grunted.
Blunt admired Sander’s steely resolve. That’s why he’d brought him into the fold in the first place. He was the meaty muscle of the group. Sander’s had done some hard time for assault and battery and had admitted to two murders that he’d never been caught for. It was enough of a resume for Blunt to trust Sander’s capabilities.
“What did the contact say?” Sanders asked a short, middle-aged man leaning against a rock wiping his sweaty brow with his forearm. “Hey, Roland, I’m talking to you. Wake up!” Sander’s slapped the communications guy on the knee, making him wince.
Roland sneered, his blatant hatred for Sanders seething. “The contact has already met the barge to load the shipment. They should be here by powerboat in a couple of hours – if all goes well that it.”
“Geez, Roland, always the optimist. Keep your damn cynicism to yourself,” Sanders snapped.
“Why’d you have to go and complicate things?” Roland nodded up the embankment toward the large lifeless body. “You too stupid to think things through, is that it?”
“Had to be done. You sure as hell couldn’t do what’s necessary. And if you don’t watch it, you’ll be next.”
Blunt tisked the men. “Easy, Sanders, lets all be friends. Focus on why we’re here. This’ll all be over soon enough and we’ll be richer than we were yesterday.” Blunt smiled the crooked smile of a man on a high-stakes mission. There was just a hint of desperate crazy lingering in his expression and he embraced it. It was his leverage. “If we can stay calm and avoid careless mistakes, you’ll all be paid. Anything goes wrong and I may reconsider.”
Blunt turned to Roland. “Any more details?”
“Contact says the shipment was one box short. I’m thinking a payoff, maybe someone on the barge threatened to squeal unless they got a small cut.”
“Even so, things like that can’t happen without my permission. I’ll only pay for what I receive,” Blunt looked at his fingernails, inspecting them nonchalantly.
“Sounds about right to me.” Pax cocked his semi-automatic and shoved it into his belt. He liked the feel of its power near his manhood. Made him feel taller.
“Sanders, Roland, make yourselves busy by rolling that body into the bushes,” Blunt instructed as he brought the dead guy’s camera up to his eye. He flicked on the power and pressed the rewind button. “Well look what we have here.”
“What?” Pax asked, stepping closer.
“Seems that big guy wasn’t alone. We’ve got two more people on this island and I bet they’re close by.” Blunt brought the camera down again. He looked toward the long meandering path that led to the other side of the island. “On second thought, leave the body there. You can move it later. We’ll need to find those two. A man and a woman.” He turned his attention to Sanders and Roland. “Bring them back alive.”
“Wait,” Roland piped up. “Lets wait for the shipment and then leave. Those two haven’t even seen us.”
The tension emanating off Blunt was dense.
“Move it, Roland. Do what you’re told,” Sanders instructed as he pushed the much tinier man forward with a forceful shove.
Blunt begged for patience. He found the uncivilized dynamic between Sanders and Roland continuously amusing and didn’t dare intervene. If anything, he spurred it on by throwing them together continuously. He found joy in Sanders’ bullying, hoping it would eventually toughen Roland up a bit. So far, the man was softer than ever, not to mention a liability.
“Don’t be too complacent, Roland, or Sanders will give you something to really whine about. I know the money’s the only reason you’re here. So keep yourself together and maybe I’ll pay you in the end of all this.”
“Sure thing, I’ll keep him in line,” Sanders said as he hiked the steep incline. Like a good guard dog, he followed orders without question. He sidestepped the body, not giving it a second glance.
Roland dawdled, finding the task demeaning.
“Move it!” Sanders barked over his shoulder. Roland fought back the temptation to go commando on Sanders ass. Only in his dreams, which were fulfilling enough. He knew they needed Sanders expertise and muscle power, despite his wisecracking fat mouth.
Chapter Ten
Moving at a steady pace, Mak tried to ignore the heavy heat as it wrapped them like a stifling blanket. Periodically looking back to check on Blythe, he noticed the sweat trickling down her temples, her neck, and between her breasts. Soft auburn tendrils fell around her face. She pushed them back as if begging for relief from the scorching sun. Mak was used to the heat, having grown up in it all his life. Being saddled with Blythe was the curse’s doing and Mak reminded himself of that. Pele, the God of Fire, was not about to make escaping easy for him. Not when a beautiful woman was involved. Hell, maybe the curse is what brought him to this damn island in the fir
st place…in the form of Blythe Davenport.
The rocky terrain grew steep as they climbed to higher ground. Mak assumed the men would stick to the shoreline if they ever found out about them. In turn, the men might assume he and Blythe would stay within view of a potential rescue boat. There were spots on the rocky hillside that were almost impassable, so Mak skirted around these until the ground flattened out, making it easier to trespass. There was also less chance of triggering a bomb on the slopes.
Mak knew they were too exposed to the elements up here. With minimal sunscreen and no hats or shade, they didn’t have long before the sun took its toll.
“We’ll have to find some cover. Protect ourselves. Who knows how long we’ll be on this island.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and a group of scientists will be at the base camp. We can leave with them.”
“No chance of that. There was nothing on the reserve schedule to indicate anyone here but us.”
“Anyone can boat over here if they wanted, can’t they?” Blythe asked, huffing in her attempts to talk and keep up.
Mak shook his head. “No way. Not unless it’s an illegal entry. You have to clear it with the Island Reserve Commission. All unauthorized person’s must stay at least two miles out from the shoreline of Kahoolawe.”
“Then the Commission people know we’re here, right? You cleared it with them. They’ll know something’s wrong if we don’t return on time.”
Mak’s expression conveyed her answer.
“No?”
“No. They approved our visit here today, but leaving is our responsibility. They assume whoever arrives would want to leave. They don’t follow up.”
“Won’t someone come for us?” Blythe croaked in desperation.
Mak’s heart skipped at her naivety. The reporter really had no idea what was at stake here. He knew he’d have to be her protector and take charge. Otherwise, they both may end up dead. “Blythe, I’ll be honest. All of my men are at the Fireman’s Convention. Your sister and her boyfriend are gone now and it’s Saturday. We’re on our own. I think it’s best to stay out of sight and wait it out.”
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