by Nella Tyler
“Hear what?” Ashlee said.
“I’ll check outside,” Drake said. Drake left the kitchen by the back door.
The girls looked at each other nervously. They then heard the front door being forced open. They got up to run when suddenly Doug was standing in the kitchen. He held a gun pointed at Meg.
“One move and she’s dead,” he barked.
“What do you want, Doug? You have the jewels. You are you here bothering us?” Meg stormed.
“Because I need to get rid of the one person who can turn me in,” he sneered.
“You fool! Now there are three people who can turn you in,” Meg said. “Do you think Beni and Ashlee won’t report you?”
“Not if there dead along with you. The dead can’t talk from the grave,” he said. “And there’s nobody else here to tell the tale.”
Meg realized that he didn’t know that Drake was with them. That was to their advantage. She saw Drake approach the back door and look through the window. Then he backed away.
“Just leave, Doug, while you still can. The FBI agent is coming to check on us today. He’ll be here at any time,” Ashlee said.
“And when he arrives, he’ll find three corpses,” he spat.
“Where’s Denise? Does she know you have come here?” Meg asked.
“I told her just before she tossed me to the wolves. She took most of the treasure and left me with next to nothing. The bitch!” he said harshly. “So I figured I might as well send you to an early grave for all of the trouble you caused me.”
“Doug, you’ve lost all reason. Killing me will only make more trouble for you. Leave now while you can,” Meg said.
“Not before killing all of you,” he grinned evilly. “It will give me great pleasure to hear you beg for mercy, only to then hear you scream in pain. It will fun to see you die.”
“Fun? Have you lost your mind completely?” Beni asked in astonishment.
“I’m very sane. Now move into the other room. All of you.” He jerked the gun toward the living room.
Meg was glad to go into the other room. This would allow Drake the opportunity to come back into the house. He could go down the back hall through the house. And that was exactly what he did. Drake slipped silently through the back door and moved down the back hallway. He needed to get to his bedroom and get his gun from the nightstand drawer. He could hear Doug bragging about how he intended to kill the girls and his blood boiled with anger. Well, he had a surprise for Murphy.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Drake retrieved his gun from the nightstand drawer and moved quietly down the hall to the front of the house. He leaned against the corner of the wall and aimed at Doug.
“Drop the gun, Murphy,” Drake called out.
Doug quickly grabbed Meg and put the gun to her head.
“Now who’s going to drop their gun,” Doug boasted.
Meg fisted her hand and rammed it into Doug’s groin. He howled in pain and Meg pulled away from when a shot rang out. Doug fell to the floor wailing pitifully. Drake had shot him in his shoulder. Drake ran over to kick his gun away from him. Then he moved to Meg.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She nodded.
“I’m fine.”
He kissed her temple then started giving instructions.
“Beni, find something to tie him up with. Ashlee, get some towels for the wound. Meg, call paramedics,” he said. “I will call Lono.”
Everyone ran to do his bidding. In a few minutes, the paramedics had arrived along with Lono. Lono handcuffed Doug to the stretcher before they took him to the hospital.
“Good shot, Drake. If you ever decide to join the FBI, let me know. I’ll hook you up,” Lono grinned.
Drake smiled ruefully.
“I think I’ll stay in the construction business. It’s a lot safer.
Lono laughed.
“Now you can enjoy the island. Have fun!” he said, then left the house.
“It’s over. It’s really over!” Meg exclaimed.
The girls literally jumped for joy.
Epilogue
It was two years later and Meg sat on the lanai overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean. She rocked a baby boy in her lap who slept peacefully. Life could not be better. She was living in Hawaii on the lovely Oahu Island, living the life of luxury. She and Drake had married four months after their adventure and now had had a beautiful, baby boy: Chase Alexander Hanover. Meg didn’t believe it possible that she could be happier. She had everything that she had ever wanted.
She often saw Peleke and they would have long, happy talks. He had become a good friend, and it no longer perturbed her that he would leave as mysteriously as he had come. Doug was now serving twelve years in prison for theft and attempted murder. Denise had never been found, but she had miraculously sent the treasure to the Bishop Museum. Meg had received a text from her stating that money had not brought her happiness and maybe it would come to her if she did the right thing. Meg returned her text wishing her well.
Beni and Ashlee had moved to Oahu as well. They said they couldn’t envision a life being so far away from their best friend. Meg was moved by their friendship and love. But she knew that their decisions to move to Oahu had a lot to do with Kai and Noah, whom they were engaged to.
“There are my two most favorite people in the world.”
She tilted her face up to receive Drake’s kiss. He then kissed Chase’s forehead. He sat on the arm of Meg’s chair and stared out at the view.
“I never grow tired of this view. I think it’s the most beautiful in the world,” he sighed.
“I agree. I could sit in this chair forever and never tired of it,” she smiled. “How was work?”
“The Tropics will be open for patrons next week.”
“Really! Finally. It’s has taken longer to rebuild than you had thought,” she mused.
“Yeah. But it was worth all of the extra time. It’s absolutely gorgeous. Just stunning. I will have a grand re-opening to welcome our first guests,” he said.
“It’s a sign of the good things to come for us,” she said.
“I can agree with that. We have a wonderful life. And it’s only going to get better and better.” He tilted her face again and kissed her deeply.
Meg melted into his caress and thought he was absolutely correct.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 Nella Tyler