Paradise Crime Thrillers Box Set

by Toby Neal

  “Sophie. Listen.” Connor reached for her arm.

  She shook him off. “No. I’m not going to listen. My boyfriend has been shot. I’m going back to Hilo to see if he is all right.”

  “Jake’s fine. He’s had stitches, and his leg is in a support boot. He’s at home resting. I just had a call from Felicia. She even got him settled in bed in his apartment and took the dogs out for a walk. He’s passed out from pain meds and will be feeling a lot better in the morning. You can talk to him then.”

  Their gazes clashed.

  Connor took off his Sheldon Hamilton glasses and set them aside. He grasped Sophie’s shoulders. “Jake would not want you running back into the line of fire. Let this situation play out. Let Akane show himself, so we can catch him and deal with him. Then you can play Florence Nightingale to Jake all you want.”

  “Florence Nightingale?” A frown-wrinkle appeared between her elegant brows.

  Connor wished he could smooth that line with his thumb, maybe put his lips right there. He squeezed her shoulders instead. “Famous war nurse. Braver and stronger than an army. Which both Jake and I know you are. But trust me on this—he wouldn’t want you anywhere that put you in danger. And don’t forget—you’ve got someone else to keep safe now, too.”

  Sophie’s hand dropped to her slim waist. Her whole body sagged. “This doesn’t feel right. Jake will think I don’t care, that I’m staying with Alika.”

  “You can call Jake tomorrow and set him straight. Tell him your boss is making an executive decision, and Hamilton’s a real bastard. Which we both know is true.”

  Sophie looked up swiftly. Connor smiled.

  She smiled back. “You are a bastard. But at least you’re…my bastard.” Sophie turned away as heat flushed Connor’s chest and neck at her words. “All right. We can stay here, just for tonight. I’ll leave Jake a message, though, and talk to him tomorrow. I need to make sure he knows I want to be with him.” She took out her phone and strode into Connor’s office, shutting the door.

  Connor’s office was the one part of the plane where he didn’t run surveillance devices, and Sophie knew that.

  “Damn it.” Connor shook his head ruefully. He’d give his left nut to know what Sophie was saying on that message to Jake.

  But another part of him sure as hell didn’t want to hear her declarations of love for another man.

  Connor still had no idea how the talk with Alika had gone, though from Sophie’s demeanor it didn’t seem like the possible pregnancy had thrown them into each other’s arms.

  Sophie re-emerged from the office. Pink spots burned high on her cheekbones and her honey-brown eyes flashed. “Felicia answered Jake’s phone before I could leave a message. She assured me Jake is in good hands and being cared for.” She picked up the backpack she’d dropped near the door of the jet. “Where is this condo? Let’s go.”

  Connor wasn’t about to argue with her change of heart. He followed Sophie down the steps. Clearly, something was amiss between Sophie and Jake, and the addition of Felicia was complicating things—but that wasn’t a situation he had any intention of helping resolve.

  He was a bastard, indeed. But he was her bastard.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Day Six

  Sophie stood on the deck of her little condo, looking out at the idyllic setting of Kalapaki Beach on the south side of Kaua`i. The sun was up at last, gilding nearby palm trees with golden light. The wind, usually such a part of life on that side of the island, hadn’t come up yet, and little peeling waves were being ridden directly in front of the resort by longboard surfers, standup paddlers, and bodyboarders.

  Sophie stroked her phone with the ball of her thumb, gazing at the vista. Was it too early to try to call Jake?

  “This is Felicia.” Sophie had been shocked when their receptionist had answered Jake’s phone when she’d tried to call him on his cell from Connor’s office the day before.

  Sophie’s voice was sharp. “What are you doing with Jake’s phone?”

  “I took his phone to monitor it, while he’s sleeping from the pain meds. I thought it would be helpful if I could answer questions from family members or the cops, if they called.” Felicia sounded clear and confident.

  Of course. That made sense.

  Sophie felt bad about the possessive, suspicious feeling growing in her chest. Felicia was just doing her job, looking out for them both. “I’m so glad you’re there to take care of him. How’s he doing?”

  “He has a four-inch-long, two-inch-deep gouge in the back of his calf, and he’s lucky to be alive. I guess he dropped something on the sidewalk and bent to retrieve it, or the sniper would have nailed him.”

  “Evil spawn of the devil!” Sophie swore. She pressed her hand over her thumping heart, imagining getting the news that Jake was so unexpectedly dead.

  “What’s that?”

  “Sorry. I curse in my native language. That sounds like a serious wound.”

  “I imagine it hurts like crazy. He had stitches and he’s on antibiotics and has some good drugs for pain, so it’s just a matter of time until he’s back on his feet.”

  “I’m here on Kaua`i on personal business, as I texted you. Mr. Hamilton flew over and we’ve been discussing the situation. I’m glad the injury wasn’t too serious.” What an understatement. “Can you tell me more details about what happened?”

  “Sure. From what I gathered, Jake left our building, and somebody shot at him from an apartment across the street. He took cover behind a car. The shooter tried again and blew the window out on the car. Jake, being Jake, decided to go after the guy. Never mind that he was bleeding like a stuck pig.” Felicia’s voice wobbled. “Jake figured out where the shot came from, went across the street and found the room. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, the shooter was gone by the time he got there. He directed the police to the location, and they ran prints on a bottle that was left behind. They identified Akane Chang as the shooter.”

  Sophie swallowed and sat down abruptly in Connor’s office chair. “That man won’t have the decency to die, or at least stay in jail. Foul slime!”

  “Your foreign swearing sounds so cool, better than me just yelling, ‘that evil asshole!’” Felicia said. “I gather Chang’s quite the public enemy number one.”

  “And he has sworn revenge on Jake and me for testifying against him. Did the police send any support to guard Jake?”

  “I’ve been trying to get a police officer stationed outside Jake’s room, but they’re acting like I’m a hysterical girlfriend or something. It’s super frustrating,” Felicia said angrily.

  “And it doesn’t help when his actual girlfriend is on another island,” Sophie said. “Our CEO, Mr. Hamilton, is insisting that I stay here on Kaua`i until the Chang threat is neutralized. I’ll call Jake in the morning, but can you make sure he knows that I’m very concerned, and on my way back as soon as possible?”

  “I sure will. Don’t worry. I’m taking good care of him, and your dogs, too.” Felicia had said goodbye and hung up.

  Yes, every word of that conversation with Felicia yesterday felt chiseled into Sophie’s brain. She wished she didn’t feel jealous, territorial, and possessive just thinking of Felicia helping Jake into bed, fixing food for him, and taking their dogs for a walk. It was stupid and wrong and beneath her.

  She understood Jake’s difficulty with her relationship with Alika now.

  This was good. Educational. Painful as hell.

  Sophie turned away from the ocean view at the sound of the knocker at her door. Probably Connor, with some new update or plan.

  Room service had arrived, a breakfast for two. Sophie accepted the cart and peeked under metal lids covering a delicious-looking breakfast of eggs, waffles, bacon, and fruit. She checked in with her stomach. This morning it rumbled with hunger, not morning sickness. This might be one of the mornings she was going to be able to eat.

  The knocker sounded again, and Sophie let
Connor in. “Thanks for thinking of breakfast. I’m actually hungry today.”

  “Excellent.”

  They sat on the balcony overlooking the ocean. Sophie liked that he wasn’t wearing his dark contacts or glasses—he knew she hated his Sheldon Hamilton disguise, and he’d come over only wearing sunglasses that he could put on if anyone saw them.

  “I feel guilty being here, having such a nice meal in this setting.” Sophie fiddled with her napkin as Connor served fruit onto her plate.

  “Guilt is a waste of time and energy.” Connor poured pink guava juice into her glass. Sophie inhaled deeply before she sipped, enjoying the sweet, tangy smell of it, as he went on. “Guilt doesn’t help the person you feel guilty about, either. It just steals any joy you might have had in the moment. A useless emotion.”

  “I shouldn’t be talking to you about my relationships, but I…don’t know what to do.”

  “Yeah, you probably shouldn’t. But tell me anyway.” Connor poured coffee into his mug from a carafe.

  Sophie shut her eyes to enjoy the cool, unique flavor of the guava juice. “I was going to call Jake. But I’m worried that Felicia will answer. Worried what it will mean if she does.”

  Connor laughed. “You’re afraid of your receptionist?”

  “Don’t underestimate that young woman. Felicia’s a psychology graduate student. She’s just doing office temp work while she completes a doctorate in clinical psychology.” Sophie took a bite of her eggs, relieved not to feel nausea when she did so. “Felicia’s smart and hard-working, and really admires Jake. She is very careful with me, but I get the feeling she wouldn’t be sad if we broke up. She’s very appropriate in her communications, but I don’t want to have to talk to her about Jake again.”

  “You’re not even going to try to call him?” Connor reached over and grabbed her phone. “Coward. Let me do it then.”

  The phone was already unlocked. Connor scrolled to Jake’s number in Sophie’s favorites, and pressed it. Sophie frowned, but allowed him to. She was a coward.

  Connor lifted a brow at her as he removed the cover from his plate and picked up his fork, the phone set on speaker between them. He took several bites of eggs while it rang.

  Jake’s voice came on. “Sophie?” He sounded rough, his voice scratchy.

  “Hey, Jake. This is Hamilton. I’m here with Sophie on Kaua`i. We thought we’d get in touch and see how you’re doing.” Connor’s tone was upbeat and businesslike.

  “What are you doing on Kaua`i?” Sophie could hear Jake’s confusion, and she reached for the phone and took it off speaker.

  “Jake. Are you all right? I was so worried. By the way, I just took you off speaker.”

  “I’m fine. Just a flesh wound. What are you doing with Hamilton over there?” She could hear the rasp of his whiskers as he rubbed his face, the sound of his yawn.

  “Hamilton thinks that, since the shooter was Akane Chang, I should stay here. Where it’s safe, supposedly.”

  “He’s right. Hopefully, the cops get Akane soon.” A pause. “What did Alika say about the paternity test?”

  “Alika agreed to it.” A silence stretched out. Sophie rubbed the scar on her cheekbone. He clearly wanted to know more about Alika’s response to the news, but right in front of Connor wasn’t the place or time—although Connor appeared oblivious, shoveling in his breakfast, Sophie knew better. She rushed on. “Felicia said she took care of you yesterday. And the dogs.”

  “She sure did. The dogs are fine, keeping me company. She said she’d be back at lunchtime to walk them. Don’t worry about me, Sophie. It’s just a gash, as I’m sure Felicia told you. I’ll be back on my feet in a few days, on crutches.”

  “Give me back the phone,” Connor said. “I have some news for him.”

  Sophie handed the phone over.

  “Jake, it’s Hamilton again and I’m putting you back on speaker. I’ve arranged for a couple of our security guys from Oahu to come look after you. I’ve also put in a call to the FBI about this attack by an escaped felon on one of my operatives. I’m putting pressure on the FBI about my team’s safety, and letting them know that Hilo PD has a positive ID on Akane as the shooter, in case the officers didn’t report it right away. I hope you don’t mind if I keep your girlfriend here for a while, out of the line of fire.”

  “Thanks. Yes. Keep her there; I’ll sleep better knowing she’s safe.” The gratitude in Jake’s voice brought tears to Sophie’s eyes; she blinked hard.

  “I’ll set Sophie up to work on the Merrie Monarch and other cases over here. Once the cops get a line on Akane, I’ll return her to you.” Connor looked down and away; Sophie couldn’t read his expression.

  “Thanks. Especially for the security guys, since Hilo PD doesn’t seem to have the staffing to give me any coverage, and I’m a sitting duck for Akane laid up like this. We rented the apartments under our aliases, but that’s not much protection if he’s got us under surveillance. Felicia is doing a great job keeping everything going, but I don’t know how good she’d be guarding my door with a gun. Thanks for making sure Sophie is safe. If I know her, she’s not making it easy.”

  Connor met Sophie’s gaze with a blue-green one. “You have no idea.”

  Sophie leaned closer to the microphone on the phone. “I will see you soon, Jake. Feel better. I miss you.” She ended the call.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Day Seventeen

  The beautiful view of Kalapaki Beach had begun to fade in novelty eleven days later. Sophie paced in front of the sliding glass window restlessly, on the phone with an obstetrician’s office on the Big Island. She had been using the enforced downtime to address various neglected areas of her life, beginning with interviewing doctors that she hoped might be a fit for her prenatal care. So far, she hadn’t decided if she wanted to try a natural birth with a midwife or go the more traditional hospital route.

  Not having a partner to talk it over with was a lack Sophie felt keenly. She’d been calling Marcella to hash things over as much as she could, but between the FBI’s busy schedule and not knowing anything about the topic, her friend had not been much help. Her other friend, Lei, had recently lost a pregnancy. Sophie was reluctant to poke at that wound with her many questions, so had held back from contacting her.

  She and Alika had both submitted blood to the Oahu clinic doing the paternity test, and Jake had mailed in his sample. They were all just waiting for the processing. Every morning Sophie held her breath as she checked her email.

  If she just knew who the baby’s father was, she could talk to him about all of this.

  But the only person she really had available was Connor.

  Connor had been endlessly helpful, researching questions that Sophie had, running statistical analysis on best health practices for her to try, fetching her treats and providing ideas to alleviate her nausea, and giving her work to keep her busy.

  Work was the best thing she could find to keep her mind off the situation. Sophie did as much as she could on the Merrie Monarch case, wrapping up her notes for Kim Kauwa and the Tourism Authority. She called Esther and had a three-way conference call with both women, letting them know unequivocally that everything pointed to Penny Chang as the festival funds embezzler. She had a follow-up phone therapy session with Dr. Wilson and continued to sort through her feelings about being a mother.

  She’d called Jake several times, but their conversations were stilted, focused on the practicalities of the dogs and the office. The question of the baby’s paternity loomed large. Avoidance seemed better to Sophie; perhaps she and Jake could work things out only in person. Jake must have concluded the same, because he didn’t call her either.

  Alika had invited her to dinner one night at his home, and Sophie met a host of his lovely Hawaiian relatives. However, she sensed his reserve, the strain of waiting to know the results of the test inhibiting their friendship. Once again, avoidance seemed best.

  And now, she was more than ready to leave Kaua`i.<
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  Room service breakfast arrived, as usual, but this time Connor was the one to roll the cart into her room. “Surprise. I headed the guy off in the hall.”

  Sophie faced him, dressed for travel. She pointed to her packed bag, lying on the bed. “It’s time to go back to the Big Island. Chang has not surfaced. I can’t live indefinitely in this condo. I need to get back to my apartment, my dog, and my boyfriend. In addition, I’ve got an appointment with an obstetrician this afternoon in Hilo. You can take me, or I’ll go by myself.”

  Connor cocked his head to the side. “You’ve certainly built up a head of steam. Were you thinking I was going to try to dissuade you? I was actually going to propose that we head back today, as well. Thom already has the flight plan submitted. We’ll have to work on a trap for Akane Chang, since he hasn’t shown himself. Now, can we take time to eat breakfast before we get going?”

  Sophie spontaneously threw her arms around Connor. “Thank you! You’ve been my best friend through all of this. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

  She thought she might have felt his lips against her neck. “Anything for you, Sophie.” His whispered words did not make Sophie uncomfortable—he meant them. He had demonstrated the truth of them over and over, in large ways and small; and it was gradually healing the wound of his betrayal.

  Sophie’s apartment in Hilo smelled stale and musty as she opened the door. After the bright colors and luxurious surroundings of the condo on Kaua`i, the bare little place seemed dark and drab. Glancing around the barely furnished rooms, Sophie realized that she hadn’t felt depressed the entire time she’d been on Kaua`i.

  In fact, she hadn’t had an episode since she found out she was pregnant.

  Maybe something was different with her hormones. Maybe knowing that she had this new, important purpose, despite its many challenges, had changed something.