by Bobbi Brattz
“Hi. Here’s the box,” Van said, placing it on the desk and carefully opening it. Quickly, he closed it tight and stood still, every muscle tensed.
“What is it?” Layla asked, not sure she wanted to know.
“It’s a snake.”
Layla shuddered. “A snake?”
“What kind of snake?” Mateo asked.
“It’s a poisonous one, based on the markings I saw. Layla, this is getting more serious by the minute. I want you to come back to Logan’s place, and no arguments.”
Shaking head to toe, she stared at him, shocked. “A snake. Is he trying to kill me?”
“What does the card say this time?” Piers asked.
“I don’t know. Hang on a second. Mateo, can you open it?” Van asked.
Slipping the note out of the envelope, he read it in silence for a moment before looking up at Van.
“It says, ‘You’re mine, or you’re dead.’”
Layla gasped, sitting down hard on a chair. Rae got up and poured a drink, handing it to her.
“Here, drink this, sweetheart. You’re safe with us.”
Tara said, “I know there are a few species of snakes on the island. Can we track down who bought it where they’re sold?”
Shaking his head, Van said, “They wouldn’t be sold legitimately. Snakes don’t belong on the island. There are only a few species that were smuggled or came over on shipments from other lands where they reside. None of them are poisonous. However, this one is. Anyone selling them would be charged if caught. I wonder where it came from.”
“I say we get Layla out of here, and keep her away.” Logan stared at her. She was sure he was thinking about taking her back to his house.
“I’m tired of running. We have to find this guy or he’ll burn something else down. It’s time to stand up and fight,” Layla cried then gulped her drink down as though to find the courage she’d misplaced.
“We should stay here tonight. He knows you’re here, and I don’t want him following us.” Placing an elastic band around the box to hold it tight, he secured it. “I’m going to take this to the precinct. We need to find out where it came from.”
Layla was shaking harder now, furious with herself for losing her nerve.
Taking her empty glass and refilling it, Rae handed her another drink.
“Where is Kona?” Layla asked.
“He’s down at the luau, watching over the guests.”
Thanks, Mateo. Can you call his cell phone and get him to come here?” Fearful that the arsonist might target her brother, Layla gave Mateo a pleading look.
He picked up the phone and dialed Kona’s number.
“There’s no answer.”
“He always answers his cell.”
“I’ll go look for him,” Van said, heading for the door.
“Van?” Layla cried. “Be careful, please.”
He nodded and left with Logan hot on his heels.
Layla looked at the box and began to tremble.
“Stay here with us, Layla. The guys will be back soon.” Rae took her hand and held it, offering support.
“Keep trying Kona’s number, please, Mateo.”
Again, there was no answer. Panic set in. Where is he?
Fear snaked up her spine as she realized that it wasn’t simply a case of arson anymore. The man was threatening her life. Tears filled her eyes as she worried about her brother. What if the man killed him?
When the phone rang, everyone jumped.
Mateo answered it.
“Hello?” He paused, listening to the caller. After a moment, he hung up and sat back, staring at Layla.
“Who was it?” she asked, afraid to know the answer.
“The voice was disguised. He’s got Kona.”
Chapter Ten:
Feisty Female
Layla jumped to her feet, heading for the door.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to give myself up, and get my brother back,” she said to Logan.
“Like hell you are,” he yelled, racing after her as she ran down the hallway to the front door. Before she could open it, Van stepped out of the shadows and had her in his arms.
“You scared me. What are you doing back here?”
“Layla, I forgot to take my cell phone with me. What’s going on?”
“He has Kona. I’m going after him.” He held onto her arm, stopping her flight.
“You’re not going anywhere. We’ll get Kona back. I promise you.”
Tears kissed her cheeks as she fought to get free.
“He’s my brother. I’ll do anything to get him back safe and sound.”
“Layla, be reasonable. Do you honestly think he’ll let Kona go if you give yourself up? He’ll keep the two of you and you’ll both be dead. You’re not going to do that. I promise, we’ll find Kona and bring him back to you. Come on back to the office so we can come up with a plan to save him.”
“Van, he’s all the family I have left. I can’t just sit around and do nothing.”
“We aren’t sitting around doing nothing, honey. We have to make some decisions based on the information we have, and then we’ll be able to track them down.”
Heated anger suffused her cheeks as she stared up at him.
“He wouldn’t be in trouble in the first place if it wasn’t for me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. The man is a psycho. He would have targeted anyone if not for the fact that you and Kona do the fire dances. He’s an arsonist. There’s nothing he won’t do to get you in his grasp. Come on.” Van took her back to the office, holding her tight under his shoulder.
She had to admit that there was no argument that she could come up with that would give good reason to go after the man. Layla was thinking on impulse as she usually did when it came to her brother.
Back in the office, she sat down and tried to pull herself together. Rae and Tara looked relieved that she’d returned, while Mateo, Piers, Logan, and Van simply watched her, their expressions full of concern.
Van spoke first. “I’m calling this in. It’s now kidnapping. We’ll have to check every room, every closet, and look under every rock, but we’ll find him, Layla, I promise you.”
She looked up at him, feeling hopeless and finding it hard to believe. “Kona is a strong man. He’s all muscle. How can that bastard have taken him?”
“Honey, there are many ways he could have been taken. The thing that has me questioning if he actually does have your brother, is that Kona knew about the gift and was warned. He’d have come straight here after the luau knowing what was going on.”
“That’s just it,” Mateo said, “Kona is a strong man. It must have been hard to tame him if he—”
“What’s going on?”
Everyone looked up at once. Layla cried out, “Kona!” She began to sob as she threw herself at him, hugging him close to her.
“What’s the matter?” He lifted her chin, studying her eyes.
“We thought—where have you been?”
“I was schmoozing with the crowd to see if I could pick out the arsonist. No such luck. Why are you upset? Did something happen?”
“He called and said he had you, and he sent Layla a poisonous snake.” Van nodded toward the box on the desk.
“We don’t have any poisonous snakes on the island.”
“Kona, he got it from somewhere. I’ll have some detectives track down where he could have acquired it.”
Van picked up the phone and dialed, while Kona sat Layla down on the chair, brushing at her tears with his thumb. Once Van had asked for an increased patrol of the property, he hung up.
Kona kissed the top of Layla’s head. “Don’t cry, sis. I’m fine.”
Logan stood and walked over to her, taking her hand in his. “Maybe we should cancel the fire dances until he’s caught.”
Shaking his head, Van answered, “No, I don’t agree. If he’s fixated on the show and we take it away from him, he might end up starting mor
e fires. I’ll have more security guards brought in to watch the resort. The guests could be in danger as well.”
Mateo nodded. “If he starts a fire in one of the rooms, the whole place could go up.”
“Why would he call and say he’d captured Kona?” Rae asked.
“He’s obviously a psychopath, bent on scaring Layla into giving herself up. Kona is her Achilles’ heel.” Logan tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair and thought out loud.
“True,” Piers agreed.
“Let’s get out there and patrol the area. I have a feeling he’ll retaliate tonight, because she didn’t come to him. The guy must be a complete psycho to do this to Layla.” Ready to move out, Van stopped, staring at her.
“Someone has to stay with Layla.”
“Tara and I can do that,” Rae said.
“Okay, then it’s settled.” Mateo, you and Piers search the north sector of the resort. Logan, you search the south with Kona, and I’ll keep watch on the house until help arrives. Somehow we have to fish him out. At least we can take turns watching over Layla.”
She put her foot down. “Look, what if he’s waiting for you to do that? You said yourself that he’s unpredictable. What if he’s ready to break in like he did a few days ago?”
“That is possible, but we’ll be on the lookout, so he’ll probably make himself discreet. We’ll have to go door to door in the morning to try and figure out what’s going on. I’ll get Mateo’s staff searching for anything out of the ordinary. The maids would be the best bet since they clean the rooms daily.”
“Van, won’t they be in danger?” Layla asked, shivering as the adrenaline rush stopped.
“Not if we do it discreetly. There must be something they can do. They’re familiar with what most guests bring along. The thing is, we don’t know if he’s solo in this or if he has a partner. I didn’t see anyone near Layla’s bag on the beach, yet someone did it right under our noses.”
Mateo tapped a pen on the desk. “What if the partner is a woman?”
Shaking his head, Logan said, “In my experience, most arsonists are solo. That’s what makes this so strange. He obviously has help. If it is a woman, then ninety percent of the guest couples are suspects.”
Layla sat forward. “I’m tired of running. It’s time I learned how to walk. Let’s give him a target—me!”
“No!” There was almost a unanimous reply from the men, but Rae and Tara had thoughtful looks on their faces.
Rae spoke up first. “I think she has a point. Now, you guys just listen for a minute. We need to get bait for him to fish him out. Van, don’t you have undercover woman cops who could dress in Layla’s costume and walk outside alone? You could have a stakeout and—”
“I like that better.” Logan scratched his chin as he thought about it.
“Mateo, what do you think? Would it be a problem for your staff if we could get some female cops to pose as maids and search the rooms? We’d have to get a warrant to make it legal, but only you would have to know about it.”
“That’s a good idea,” Piers agreed. “How many women do you have in the department that could fill in as staff?”
“No one that looks like Layla. We could replace some of the maids with cops. It would have to be dark out to dress one of them as Layla. We can manage it, but I’d have to recruit some more women from the precincts on the mainland.” Van was interested in the idea, and a plan began to form.
Logan mused, “We’ll have to keep Layla at my house in the meantime.”
“No way! I’m staying right here. If the lady cop is seen leaving the house when I haven’t been around, the stalker could get tipped off. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Layla, be reasonable. You’re in danger here.”
She looked around them, waving her hand at her friends. “We’re all in danger. One match and he could burn down any building he wants. By the time the fire department got here, everything would be engulfed.”
“She’s right,” Tara mused. “I vote for her staying here. We can work together to watch for fire or someone trying to break in.”
Mateo shook his head. “We already had someone break in twice. I have to upgrade our security by installing a fire alarm system that links directly to the police station.”
“Well?” Rae said. “What are you waiting for? If he sees the alarm company working on the house, he might think twice about trying to get past the security system.”
Mateo nodded. “I agree. Piers, you have one at your office. Why don’t we talk about it?”
“I’m hungry.” Layla walked toward the door, but Van cut her off.
“You aren’t going anywhere.”
“Yes, I am. I’m going to the kitchen to get something to eat. I hardly ate a thing at dinnertime.”
Rae and Tara stood and moved to her side.
“We’re hungry, too. Step aside, Van. We’ll be with her.”
Though he seemed reluctant, he finally moved away from the door.
Chin up in the air, Layla went past him and left with her friends. When Van followed, Layla turned around to stop him.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“The alarms aren’t set up yet. I’ll check the kitchen first.”
“Oh, for crying out loud! Fine, but I’m not making you a sandwich. You can get your own.”
He laughed. Now that he had a plan to arrange, he seemed happier. Once he’d checked the kitchen, he stood in front of her and slipped his arms around her waist, seizing her lips. In seconds, she stopped trying to get away and fell into the kiss.
When he released her, she whispered, “You fight dirty, officer.”
His smile warmed her insides. She watched him walk down the hall, heading back to the office, and whispered to her friends, “He’s got a nice ass.”
When they laughed, he glanced over his shoulder and frowned, and then they rushed off into the kitchen, their moods much improved.
* * * *
On her back, Layla swam in the pool, watching a shooting star fall. The air was fragrant with Hawaiian flowers as she breathed them in. Alone finally, she used the time to think the day over. She wasn’t half as afraid of the stalker or anyone else the way she used to be. She’d come a long way since Van and Logan came to her bed. She seemed to have lost a lot of her fear.
As a matter of fact, she looked forward to the night with them. Since neither of them would let her leave the resort unless she went to Logan’s place, she planned on making them work to romance her. She grinned, thinking of ways to drive them crazy with want. Rae and Tara told her all about their experience with ménage relationships, and Layla wanted to try some of the exciting ways to have sex with two men. She decided to study the sex paintings in the hallway and living room to give her some ideas.
She heard a splash, the water rippling beside her. When something grabbed her below the water and pulled her under, she couldn’t scream, but began to fight. Thoughts of the stalker made her panic, shoving away from the man who’d grabbed her. As soon as she surfaced, she screamed.
“Layla, it’s me!” Logan shouted.
She turned to face him, and blasted him. “How could you do such a thing? You scared me to death!”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just playing.”
Her hand pressed hard to her heart, she sucked in a few deep breaths to try and calm herself down. Before she could blink, the patio was lined up with friends, all of them ready to fight for her.
“Everything is okay. I made a mistake. She’s fine,” Logan said sheepishly.
“He scared the hell out of me. Logan, if you ever do that again, I’ll kick your ass,” Layla yelled, her heart still beating a tattoo.
“All right, everyone, let’s go inside and have a drink. Nerves are running high tonight, and it’s no wonder.” Mateo led the way, entering the house through the patio door.
Van stood still, watching Layla as she fumed.
“Get out of the pool.”
<
br /> She looked up at him and shook her head.
“Stop bossing me around. I only wanted to be alone for a while. You have no idea how closed in I feel with everybody watching my every move.”
“I’m not bossing you around, Layla. I’m telling you to get out of that pool or I’ll come in and get you.” His tone brooked no arguments.
“Go for it!” she shouted, crossing her arms over her chest.
Slowly, Van stripped off his shirt, dropping his pants on the patio. He only wore his boxers when he walked down the steps into the pool and swam over to her, his muscles accented by the water and the moonlight. He resembled a mythical god, his body perfection.
Logan waited beside her for Van to capture her in his arms. Both men commanded her, whether she liked it or not. When she tried to swim away from him, he followed, catching her foot in his strong fingers.
“Come with me,” he said, pulling her toward him.
Layla kicked out, trying to break free, but his grip was tight enough that she couldn’t budge him.
“Logan, go get some wine and take it with glasses to the bedroom. We’ll be along in a few minutes. We have to talk.”
“Sure. See you in a bit. I’m really sorry that I scared you, Layla. I promise I won’t do it again.”
Her heart now racing for an entirely different reason, she nodded, keeping her eyes on Van. He stared at her without looking away, while Logan left the pool and went into the house.
“If you can’t protect yourself from Logan, you won’t be able to do so with the stalker. For now, you’ll keep someone with you at all times. No swimming alone, no walking anywhere alone. Do you understand me?” His voice was a low growl.
“I will be alone whenever I want to, Van. You will stop treating me like a child. Do you understand me?” she snapped.
He moved to her side quickly, not giving her enough time to swim away. She squealed, unable to avoid him as he captured her in his arms.
“You are coming out of the pool now, and I don’t want to hear another peep out of you. For the rest of the night, you’re staying in our room with me and Logan.”