Paradise Wild (Wild At Heart Book 2)

by Christine Hartmann

  She’s safe. And I can fight.

  Hard iron blocks on Noa’s belt dug into her waist. His left arm hooked firmly under her armpit. Ellie willed her body to relax, to create dead weight and resistance. He surprised her with his wiry strength as he pulled her up the two steps to the front entrance, her feet bouncing on the floorboards. He grunted and shoved his shoulder against her while he fumbled with the door.

  The pungent, stinging odor inside made Ellie gag. He dropped her without warning and she crashed to the floor. Her head knocked against the hardwood and for a moment the room’s darkness closed in on her with an even deeper blackness.

  ***

  Olivia lay flat behind the fountain. Her knees hurt. Her head spun. Her ears rang. She rubbed her eyes, confused.

  What’s that noise?

  The ringing in her ears sounded increasingly like screaming. Her brow furrowed.

  Is that Ellie?

  She pushed herself to the fountain rim with effort, wincing at the pain in her knees. Near the house, she saw Ellie fly across the grass. A man charged after her. Olivia held her breath as the man grabbed Ellie from behind and dragged her back across the lawn.

  She ducked back behind the fountain and stretched herself flat on the lava stones, hoping the man wouldn’t see her. The rocks, still slightly warm from the sun, soothed her face. She stared at the wall inches from her face, torn by loud strings of commands racing in her head.

  Sprint to the house. Call the police. Run to the neighbors.

  But she couldn’t move.

  This is just like what happened to Brandon. I saw them pull him into that car. I didn’t hear from him for days. They could have killed him.

  The fear of those interminable hours that happened years ago washed over her now with undiminished intensity. She had waited then for Brandon, helpless, alone, and frightened. Dread and hopelessness had paralyzed her, weighing her down with as much force as a block of cement. And they did the same now.

  “Run,” said one voice in her head.

  “I can’t,” said another.

  The war raged, with neither faction gaining the upper hand. She laid still, the trampled victim of indecision, rage, and foreboding. Breathing seemed an effort. She concentrated on the lava stones in front of her. The patterns of air holes in the ancient rock, the leaf-like shape of the chiseled lines.

  Leaf? Lines?

  A new thought cleared her head as effortlessly as a child blows dust from a forgotten toy.

  A maple leaf.

  Her finger slowly traced the shape.

  Brandon’s maple leaf. Here in the stone. He carved it. For me to see.

  The rough surface seemed to transfer energy to her hand. Strength shot through her arm, animating her limbs. Determination and forcefulness blossomed in her chest, unbidden but welcome.

  She peered over the edge of the fountain. The garden was deceptively still, with no obvious sign of the recent deadly chase. Only a faint track of scuffed grass indicated where the man had forced Ellie to the guesthouse.

  Hold on, Ellie. I’m getting help.

  Olivia dashed for the lanai in a soundless sprint.

  ***

  He’ll kill me.

  The thought pumped energy through Ellie. She held her hand to her nose and breathed through her mouth as she spied Noa unsheathe the knife from the holster on his calf. In the gloom she could barely discern the outline of a table, two chairs, and galley kitchen.

  “What’d you do that for, bitch?”

  Ellie cried out as Noa’s foot collided with her ribs.

  “Nobody ever would have found me.”

  His guttural laugh made her shiver.

  “I’ve been right under your fucking nose for weeks. The cops even came by, lights flashing. I thought you’d found me out.”

  He snorted and kicked her again. He wasn’t wearing shoes. But the pain made her gasp and she rolled away from him.

  “Cops are such losers.”

  “How’d you get in here?” The sound of her own voice surprised her. It was rough and faint, almost unrecognizable.

  “Fucking easy.” He kicked her again. “Broke in and put in a new lock at night. Anybody can do that.”

  No more questions, Ellie. But her voice had a mind of its own.

  “What’s that smell?”

  The collision with her ribs this time lacked the vehemence of before.

  “Raw fish. Lobster. What you think I’ve been living on?” He threw something wet and sticky at her face. Ellie pawed frantically at the substance, willing herself not to think of what it could be.

  Noa laughed. “Spearfishing. I’m in the water all day. Nobody bothers me.” His voice lowered and Ellie curled into a ball with her hands over her head, dreading the implication of the drop in tone. “Not until now.”

  He pulled her up by her hair. She rose reluctantly, clutching at the top of her head to minimize the pull. He shoved a chair into the back of her legs. She fell into it, her bottom hitting so hard it knocked the wind out of her.

  Her head throbbed. Her stomach pitched a violent fight to empty itself. Her eyes had trouble focusing.

  “You slut.” The collision with the butt of his knife drew blood from Ellie’s lips. The bitter iron taste felt like a relief in the stifling air of the cottage.

  “I saw you outside with your boyfriend. Giving him what you should have been giving me.”

  Ellie racked her brain.

  What’s he talking about?

  Then nostalgic scenes bubbled through her mind’s chaos.

  Denver. And me. That morning he slept over.

  She held her breath.

  Noa was watching.

  He waved the tip of the blade in front of Ellie’s eyes.

  “See this?”

  Ellie nodded.

  “Want me to use it?”

  Ellie clamped her hands between her legs and Noa laughed. He swung the knife at her face. Ellie blocked it with her arm just before it connected with her cheek. She screamed as the sharp edge cut deeply.

  The pain of the gash crystalized her emotions. She leapt from the chair with a shout of rage and flailed at Noa, pummeling him with her fists and kicking him with her sandaled feet. Her knee made contact with his groin and he reeled backward, knocking into the table. The knife fell from his grasp.

  A sudden voice from outside made them both pause in mid-fight.

  “Police. Come out with your hands up.”

  Noa regained his sense of place an instant before Ellie, long enough to grab her arm and twist her around so that he held her with a chokehold by the throat.

  “I’ve got a hostage,” Noa yelled at the door. “Get me a fucking boat.”

  “Come out and show your hostage.”

  “Fuck you.” Noa screamed into Ellie’s ear. “Come in here and find this bitch for yourselves.”

  He pulled Ellie to the window and wiped her bloody arm across the pane. Ellie shrieked. In the darkness she watched the black smudge weep down the window in long trickles. She felt Noa inhale deeply. His chest rumbled against her back and he released his hold on her slightly as he yelled.

  “Think that’s my blood? Think I cut myself? Get me a boat, or I’ll cut off her hand and throw that out next.”

  Ellie tucked her chin and bit. She ground her teeth into Noa’s arm, his blood mixing with hers as he wrenched his arm back and forth. He punched her face with his free hand but she held on, desperation fueling her grip, her hands protecting herself as much as she could. He finally landed a solid blow to her solar plexus. She gasped and fell to the floor.

  From her position, Ellie watched Noa bend.

  He’s got the knife.

  Just before she covered her face with her arms, she caught sight of a pair of feet dashing through the front door. A thud reverberated in the small room. Ellie hoisted herself on the chair back and struggled to her feet. Behind her, two men grunted. Furniture crashed. Ellie staggered through the door.

  ***

&
nbsp; She lurched down the two steps to the grass, where she fell to her knees.

  “Ellie.”

  The woman’s voice reached her as if through a long tunnel. Ellie’s head spun. The pain in her face and arm seared its way to the surface of her thoughts. She heard sirens in the distance. Then someone stood over her and a warm hand pulled under her good arm.

  “Thank God. I thought he’d killed you.”

  Ellie focused briefly on the face that gazed down at her.

  “Olivia?”

  Olivia smiled. Then she wrenched Ellie forcefully, pulling them both toward the house. Ellie tottered but Olivia tugged insistently.

  “I can’t.” She fell to the grass.

  Olivia hovered over her, pointing to the guesthouse.

  Ellie made out two figures, one limping down the grassy expanse in the direction of the ocean. The other tearing after him. Ellie held her hands in her head. She glanced up at Olivia, who nodded almost imperceptibly and answered Ellie’s unasked question.

  “That’s Denver.” Ellie felt a rush of unexpected energy at the thought. Every muscle in her strained to protect him.

  Near the shore, Noa turned and slashed at him with his knife. Denver staggered.

  Ellie surged to her feet, ready to run after them. Olivia held her back as police cars screeched into the driveway and, almost before the first one stopped moving, an officer sprinted over the grass, gun raised.

  Noa plunged into the ocean, the waves reflecting moonlight even so far away. Ellie jerked from Olivia’s grasp and followed the men at the shore. She barely noticed the gallop of footsteps that raced close behind her.

  As she neared, she saw the officer push Denver aside and stand, legs astride, on the sand. He fired repeatedly into the water after Noa, who splashed farther out to sea and submerged.

  The officer threw off his belt and kicked off his shoes. He plunged through the shallows and dove toward the place where Noa had been.

  Denver lay on the grass, face pale, chest bleeding. Ellie knelt next to him. She tore off her shirt and pressed it hard against the cuts on his torso. The wound on her arm flowed more freely as she clamped down both fists.

  Officers trained lights on the ocean, the brilliant glare reflecting off the still water.

  “There.” A female officer pointed. “I saw Rao.”

  K-Rao? Ellie jerked her head to look.

  “Over there.”

  The beams illumined two heads that shone black and wet in the glittering whiteness around them. They bobbed a foot apart. It was impossible for Ellie to tell who was who. For a moment, she forgot Denver, her arm, the events of the night. Her attention centered on the two men in the water, splashing, fighting for their lives.

  One man’s head sunk momentarily beneath the surface. Ellie held her breath.

  K-Rao?

  It reappeared for an instant and vanished again. The second head floated for another moment and then, in a flash, was gone.

  Lights skimmed the surface where the two men had been. The water smoothed itself. Gentle waves lapped the shore. The small group clustered on shore, no one speaking, everyone gazing at the spot that had melted into the great expanse of the Pacific as the moon rose higher in the sky.

  Chapter 20

  The following morning, Ellie sat at the kitchen island, a mug of green tea placed far away from her open laptop. Her face sported dark, puffy bruises. The skin on her neck glowed with angry stripes. Thick white bandages wrapped around her left arm, which she propped on the granite, her hand protruding, immobile, like a tan head on a ghost.

  She typed, one-handed, into boxes on a web page. The logo of a recruiting firm specializing in non-profit sector hires stared up at her from the screen.

  Experience? Got lots, with companies that value corporate profits over public good.

  She bit her lip and hesitatingly filled in a text box.

  Preferred work location? Hmm…

  Olivia slouched into the kitchen carrying a chisel in one hand and a large wooden mallet in the other.

  Ellie’s eyebrows lifted. “Where’d you get those?”

  Olivia grinned. “Brandon’s gardening co-workers. They brought them by last night.”

  Ellie slipped carefully off the stool, protecting her bandaged arm from unnecessary bumps. “I bet those guys wondered what you were up to.”

  Olivia’s teeth sparkled as her smile widened. “You should have seen the size of the other ones they loaned me. There’s a mallet the length of my arm lying on my kitchen floor. I can barely lift it.”

  “Good protection in case of…” Ellie trailed off.

  I could have used it last night.

  “Nope.” Olivia shook her head. “I’m choosing to believe Noa was the only deranged killer on Maui. And now that he’s dead, I’m returning all mallets when we’re finished.”

  “So let’s get at it.” Ellie ambled to the front door. “I’m stoked to see what Brandon left behind.”

  A gust of fresh ocean breeze carrying a hint of flowers and the sea greeted them when they stepped onto the lanai. The early morning sun bore down with an intensity that foretold afternoon heat.

  “I always feel like I’m stepping into a sauna out here.” Ellie spread her arms. “Not in a bad, humid way. But in a perfect, warm way. No matter how tense I am, I step outside and some of the stress melts away.”

  “I know what you mean.” Olivia closed her eyes and turned her young face to sky. “It’s perfect.”

  “Guess that’s why they call it paradise.”

  They reached the garden’s centerpiece. The hula dancer gazed down at them. Ellie pushed loose stones around the fountain away with her foot, furtively examining the dark red scratches peeking from the bandages on Olivia’s knees.

  “I’m really sorry about pushing you so hard yesterday.” She pointed at the dressings.

  Olivia stared at her. “Are you kidding? You probably saved my life.”

  “I didn’t want him to see you.”

  She let out a slow chuckle. “That was clear. Nobody would have looked at me the way you were screaming.” She sat cross-legged at the side of the fountain wall. “Seriously, dude, no one’s ever done something like that for me before.”

  Ellie rolled her eyes. “Don’t thank me. It wasn’t a hard choice.”

  “That’s my point.” Olivia shielded her eyes from the bright light and glanced up at Ellie. She positioned the metal chisel carefully against the mortar between two stones.

  Ellie looked over her shoulder. “Are you nervous?”

  Olivia let the chisel fall gently. Her fingers traced markings in one of the stones.

  “Kind of. I wouldn’t have seen this if you hadn’t pushed me down.”

  From Ellie’s viewpoint, the lines etched in the lava disappeared into the rough surface that was pockmarked with holes left from centuries-old air bubbles. But when she leaned closer, they clearly outlined the shape of a leaf.

  Ellie cocked her head. “You’ve just got good luck.”

  “I fell and here it was staring right up at me. Brandon’s message.” Olivia blinked a few times. “Here goes nothing.”

  She tapped the mallet against the chisel, chipping away at the mortar that held the leaf-marked rock in place. Tiny specks of brown fluttered down, speckling the grass around them. She worked methodically, digging deeper into the crevice, jiggling the chisel now and then to test for movement in the stone. Ellie watched from above, shading Olivia from the direct sun, cradling her wounded arm with her good one.

  After fifteen minutes, the rock began to wiggle. Five minutes later, Olivia pried it free from its resting place. She removed the warm stone, kissed it, and pressed it against her breast.

  “It’s like his hand touching my heart.”

  Ellie peered into the dark space. “Is there something behind it?”

  Olivia seemed not to have heard, rocking softly back and forth, nestling the lava in her arms.

  Ellie squatted and Olivia passed her the
stone. Ellie placed it on her knee and traced the leaf with her index finger while Olivia thrust her hand into the dark hole. Olivia’s eyes widened.

  “There’s something in here.”

  Her arm pulled slowly, fingers clutching a small metal box taped closed with duct tape. The round container was about half the size of Olivia’s hand and very flat.

  Ellie laughed. “Well, it’s not cash.”

  “Nope.” Olivia bounced the box up and down on her palm. A faint clinking issued from inside. “Maybe a bottle opener?”

  “Or a binder clip?”

  Ellie tried to grab the box but Olivia held it out of reach.

  “Come on. I want to see what’s inside.”

  “You and me both.” Olivia pulled at the tape, which came away with a reluctant sucking noise. Her fingernails dug into the ridge around the lid and worked it open. A small plastic baggie sparkled as the sun reflected from a tiny yellow flash drive inside it.

  In the kitchen, Ellie sat at the counter and pushed the flash drive into a port on her laptop. The rock with the leaf tattoo rested between her and Olivia. Ellie drummed her fingers on the granite, waiting for the drive to register.

  “We’re in.” She glanced at Olivia. “Only one Word doc on here. Okay if I open it?”

  Olivia nodded.

  Ellie read a few lines and pushed the laptop toward Olivia. “It seems personal.”

  Olivia slipped onto Ellie’s vacated chair and scanned the page, head bent over the screen. Tears left glistening paths, sliding slowly down her cheeks as she scrolled. Ellie busied herself making tea.

  “Green tea okay? I’m avoiding coffee after yesterday. I still feel wired.”

  When Olivia didn’t answer, Ellie poured hot water into two cups anyway. She glided one mug across the smooth surface at Olivia. “I’ll be in the living room with Viv.”

  In the living room with the overhead fans whirling silently, Viv jumped on the sofa and stepped carefully around Ellie’s bandaged arm, as though he sensed the wound underneath. A few minutes later, Olivia appeared silently in the doorway. She flung herself into the armchair across from Ellie.

  “Shit.”

  “That’s not the reaction I was expecting.” Ellie wrinkled her brow. “Good news or bad?”