by Anna Lowe
“Pull yourself together. Then get in here and back on the job. Do you hear me? If you’re not here by noon…” He trailed off.
“Ken,” Anjali started then stared at her phone when the line went dead.
She closed her eyes. Jesus. How much more out of control could things get?
“Time to go,” Dell said gently.
Her mouth opened and closed, but she couldn’t speak. All she could do was silently follow Dell out to the sidewalk while the gears of her mind spun.
The smart thing to do was report in at work — immediately. Damage control, like Ken said. But Dell was hurrying her into the cab as if there might be snipers on neighboring rooftops. Was there really that much danger, or could it all be in his head?
The man is coming unhinged.
Had she misjudged him?
“Dell…” she said, but it came out a whisper.
He leaned over the open door of the cab, motioning her in. Quinn was in his arms, reaching for her as if to say, You’re coming, right?
Anjali gulped. Was she?
Dell had signed the adoption papers. He was on his way back to Maui, where his friends would help him with Quinn. That made sense. But what about her?
If you’re not in by noon…
She’d spent years building her career. Sacrificing. Working long hours. Was she really going to throw all that away?
The morning air was chilly, but she broke into a sweat, and her legs refused to move. Letting Dell and Quinn go now would shatter her, but maybe it was for the best. Like yanking off a Band-Aid, getting the pain over in one quick rip.
“Anjali,” Dell whispered in a shaky voice. The same voice had awoken a new part of her soul over the past week — and the voice that had murmured all those sweet things to her the previous night.
“You coming, lady?” the cabbie called.
The whole street seemed to go still, while the sound of her thumping heart echoed in her ears.
You don’t have to do this, a little voice said.
Anjali frowned. No, she didn’t. But, damn it. How could she not?
Around her neck, the pearl seemed to warm. And slowly, her doubts vanished, one by one.
A moment later, her hand was tight in Dell’s, and she was ducking into the cab. Taking Quinn from her lover’s powerful arms and hugging her close.
“To the airport,” Anjali said to the driver. “As fast as you can.”
Chapter Seventeen
Anjali stared out the window as the cab swung out along LaSalle Drive, but when it joined I-90, heading for the airport, she looked at Dell.
“I swear I’ll explain everything when we get to Maui,” Dell whispered, kissing her hand.
Anjali closed her eyes. Somehow, she doubted he could, just like she’d never be able to explain the decision she’d just made. Her hand shook in his. Did he realize what she’d just done?
“I swear, I’ll explain,” Dell repeated as if he’d read her mind.
His voice was determined, and his eyes were swirling with flames. Really swirling, making her stare.
“Will you explain that too?” she whispered, drawing a finger along his cheek.
He blinked, confused. “Explain what?”
“Your eyes are glowing. Again.”
Dell looked alarmed, and she nearly snorted. Of course, she’d noticed that before — several times, in fact. What did he think?
He took a deep breath, took hold of both her hands, and bowed his head. “I’ll explain that too. I promise.”
Anjali tilted her head. His voice was determined but hesitant. What great secret was Dell harboring that he hadn’t yet shared?
She squeezed his hands and rolled her shoulders a few times. “Okay. What time is the flight?”
Dell straightened, looking grateful. “Eleven.”
He showed her the printout, giving her something to focus on other than the fact that she was about to lose her job. Approximately an hour after takeoff, if Ken had been serious.
Holding Quinn helped, as did the hubbub of the airport. Dell drew as many admiring looks as he had back on Maui, and even Anjali had to smile. He was wearing his usual combat boots and cargo pants, with the pockets stuffed with baby gear — a bottle along his muscular thigh, the lion in another pocket, and a rattle in yet another.
“What?” he asked, catching her grinning.
She smacked his ass, just because she could. “You’re like G.I. Adorable. Every woman in this airport wants to take you and Quinn home.”
He flashed that winning smile. “There’s only one woman I want in this entire airport. Oops. Make that two. You and you,” he said, pointing to her and Quinn.
Laughing felt better than fretting, so Anjali let herself give in for a while. Pretending she wasn’t about to lose her job. That Dell was her husband, and Quinn was her daughter. Pretending Maui was her home.
It could be, a little voice whispered in her mind.
Could it, though? All the happily-ever-after stories Anjali had grown up with involved responsible choices, savings plans, and carefully weighed decisions. Not wild risks like dropping everything for a man and a baby that wasn’t hers.
But what if?
“How old is your daughter?” an older woman asked.
“Almost fourteen weeks,” Dell answered without that millisecond of hesitation he’d shown a few days before.
“She looks just like you,” another woman cooed.
A shadow fell over Dell’s face, and his voice was raspy when he answered. “Yeah. Just like her dad.”
Anjali squeezed his hand. His pain for Quentin might never fade, but that didn’t have to keep him from being a proud parent. Of course, he would have to give some thought to what Quinn would call him. Dad? Dell? She didn’t dare ask, though, because that raised another question. Would there ever be a mom for Quinn?
Anjali pursed her lips. Maybe she’d add that to the list of what they had to discuss once they got to Maui. Dell hadn’t been clear about anything except fleeing danger, and frankly, neither had she. But once things settled down — if they ever did — she and he would have to have that talk, for sure.
For the time being, she had other things to concentrate on. Dell studied every stranger and eyed every exit, vigilant as ever. When he stepped away to call his friends in Maui, his shoulders tensed. It was only when the plane took off that he relaxed. The second the Fasten Seat Belt sign went off, Anjali raised the armrest between them and nestled closer. Contact seemed to settle him down, and it helped her too.
“Nice,” he sighed when she put her head on his shoulder.
“Nice,” she echoed, closing her eyes. Quinn was still active, trying to crawl up Dell’s chest and grab at his beard. But somehow, that was calming. Dell gnawed at the baby’s chubby fingers, patient as can be. Anjali found herself feeling more patient too. Maybe things would work out somehow. Maybe everything would be okay.
Her eyes closed, and she drifted off to sleep. Dreaming of the way Dell had touched her the night before. Where he’d touched her, and how he’d made her feel. Cherished, protected, and respected, all at the same time.
She sighed, opening her eyes to find Dell watching her with heated eyes.
She blushed. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
His right eyebrow jumped up, and he cleared his throat. “I’m not sure your thoughts are as dirty as mine.”
She laughed and whispered back. “We were naked in what I was thinking.”
He shrugged. “Goes without saying. The question is, where? How?”
Her cheeks heated as the fantasy replayed in her head. A fantasy she’d gotten to act out the previous night — the one where she had been on her hands and knees with her head resting on the mattress and her ass in Dell’s hands. She could practically feel his hard thrusts and see her pearl sway hypnotically in the air.
She fanned herself and leaned in. “Like last night. But I pictured us on the beach, not in that mansion.”
His ey
es sparkled. “Like which part of last night?”
The heat rose in her cheeks. She’d never really engaged in dirty talk before, but then again, she was on a roll when it came to firsts.
“Doggy style.”
Dell waved a hand, dismissing the term. “Such a misnomer.”
She laughed. “What would you call it, then?”
His eyes grew mischievous, and he whispered in her ear. “Remember what you said about lions? I like that better.”
A hot flash went through her body as she pictured him nuzzling her. “God, why does the flight have to be so long?”
He laughed out loud. “Just you wait till I get you home. Just you wait.”
Home. Anjali held on to the word, letting it roll around her mind. Home was her apartment in Chicago, right?
A moment later, she frowned, picturing the ransacked mess she’d opened the door to.
Dell elbowed her gently. “None of that. Think happy thoughts.”
“Like what?”
His grin grew downright dirty. “Like what else you’re dreaming of.”
So they talked dirty for a while. Napped. Watched a movie. Walked up and down the aisle with Quinn. Hours later, in San Francisco, they endured a change of planes and an hour’s delay. The flight to Oahu seemed every bit as long, but finally, the second flight started its descent.
“Not long now,” Dell murmured in relief.
Anjali reset her watch and watched as Oahu came into view. The sun was setting, making the craggy slopes of the island glow, though Dell didn’t seem impressed.
“Maui is better,” he murmured.
She laughed. “You’ve only lived on Maui for what — four months?”
“Five.”
She chuckled. Once Dell made up his mind about something, he really made up his mind. Just like with Quinn. And with her too.
Or so she hoped.
Anjali reined in the thought before her imagination got away from her. “One last flight…”
Dell sighed. “God, will it feel good to be home. Hopefully, Connor will be waiting at the gate.”
“I can’t believe I’m here,” a young woman squeaked when the flight had finally landed and the passengers stepped out into Oahu’s humid air. “Hawaii.”
Anjali pursed her lips. Yes, Hawaii. What now? She knew the plan — find Connor, take the helicopter to Maui, and return to the safety of Koakea. But after that?
The baby carrier was waiting for them at the gate, and she put Quinn in it, taking a break from the snuggler. Quinn cooed, kicking her feet and swiping at the rattle suspended from the handle. Dell had stepped off the plane behind Anjali, and she could see his chest expand with a deep breath. But instead of smiling when he processed the tropical scents, Dell frowned.
Anjali looked around. Was something wrong?
As they walked up the ramp to the concourse, Dell tilted his chin upward and twitched his nose. The hand he’d rested gently on her upper arm tightened, and his eyes went wide in alarm.
“What is it?” She clutched the handle of the baby carrier.
It was like the scene in her office the previous day. Dell’s eyes narrowed, and he set his shoulders wide, bristling without saying a word.
She glanced around. There were people everywhere, but she couldn’t pick out anything suspicious. “Is everything okay?”
A stupid question, because Dell had gone on high alert. He didn’t say a word, but he grabbed the baby carrier and started guiding Anjali forward. Fast.
“Stay close.”
Stay close didn’t bode well, and Anjali found herself tucked right along his side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, moving ever faster. The concourse stretched out ahead, and Anjali glanced back. What was it that had alarmed Dell?
He hurried onward then came to an abrupt stop. “Shit.”
Anjali followed his eyes. Straight ahead were three men in suits. Men who could have been anyone, except they were looking directly at her and Dell.
Dell pulled Anjali into a tight U-turn then down a side hall that ended in a door marked Personnel Only.
“Whoa. Wait,” Anjali cried, but Dell pushed right through.
An alarm sounded, but Dell didn’t so much as pause. Anjali looked over her shoulder, catching another glimpse of the men, who were moving forward at a deliberate walk. A second later, the door slammed shut, closing her view.
“Dell…” she said, trying not to succumb to paranoia. “Where are we going?”
“Out.” He steered her into the next hallway and broke into a jog. “We need to get out of here fast.”
Anjali murmured as he towed her along. “What’s going on?”
He was scaring her — not to mention Quinn, who bounced along in the carrier. The alarm was still ringing, and it was only a question of time before security guards would appear with weapons drawn.
“Those guys…” Dell started, then trailed off.
Anjali frowned. What was it about those men that had set Dell off? She’d never seen them before. “You know them?”
“I know they’re bad news.”
Anjali watched him closely. Could her boss be right? Obviously, the man is coming unhinged. Some kind of PTSD.
Dell’s face was pinched, and he kept looking back, as did Anjali. Then the three men rushed into view at the end of the hallway, and she froze.
“Brody.”
Her blood went cold, her body stiff. She had never met Brody, but Lourdes had sent her a picture once — a picture from happier days when Lourdes had first met the man who would go on to abuse and torment her over several years.
So much for Dell being paranoid. And, God. She could sense Brody’s malice from all the way down the hall.
“Brody,” Dell affirmed.
He hurried her around a corner, then pushed through another door. He paused briefly, barricading the door with an empty baggage trolley before motioning her across the open runway.
“Let’s go.”
“The runway?” Anjali protested. “We can’t go out there.”
“Yes, we can.”
He took her arm and rushed forward. The sky was fiery with the color of the setting sun, and the whine of jet engines rumbled in Anjali’s ears. Then a bang rang out, and another. Anjali glanced back and gasped. Brody and the other men were banging on the door, trying to get out.
“Connor?” Dell barked into his phone. “I need you guys here now.”
How he expected Connor to hear him with the background noise of the runway, Anjali had no clue. But the idea of Dell’s Special Forces buddies coming to the rescue certainly appealed.
“Damn it. You’re where?” Dell swore. “Well, get your ass over here. Fast.” With that, he clicked the phone off and shoved it into his pocket.
“Where are they?” Anjali asked.
“Still at the heliport. The fucking heliport,” Dell muttered. “Come on.”
Their jog became a sprint — an awkward one, what with Quinn to carry. Crossing the open runway made Anjali feel terribly vulnerable, as if there were snipers out there, aiming their cross hairs at her. Her heart pounded, and not just from the exertion of running.
Then it hit her. Was this how Lourdes had felt that night on by the train tracks? Desperate. Afraid. Hunted?
“Brody,” she whispered, surer than ever that Lourdes’s death hadn’t been a suicide.
Chapter Eighteen
Two blocky cargo buildings stood directly across the runway, and Anjali followed Dell down the narrow lane in between. That opened onto an eerily quiet lot full of baggage trolleys where Dell rushed onward, darting around the uneven rows.
“How is Connor going to know where to find us?” she asked as they ran.
Dell answered in a low, raspy voice. “Believe me, he’ll know.”
She frowned. How, exactly?
“I’ll explain,” Dell muttered. “Later. I swear, I’ll explain.”
He angled to the left, and a minute later, they raced into a huge hangar. Dell ra
n for the far end, but the door there was locked.
“Shit,” he murmured, heading to the opposite side. Cables snaked around the floor, and the entire place was a minefield of trash bins, workbenches, and orange safety cones.
“Damn it,” he muttered, finding another dead end.
Anjali spun around. Damn it was right, because Brody and two men were rushing toward the open hangar door.
Dell cursed again, looking around. A medium-size jet stood in the middle of the hangar, surrounded by boxes of equipment, scaffolding, and tools. A movable set of stairs led to the open door of the plane, and scaffolding cluttered the tail section.
“Hang on,” Dell murmured, handing the baby carrier to Anjali. Then he leaned his full weight against the portable stairway. Slowly, it started rolling. Anjali pitched in as best she could with one arm as Dell maneuvered it up to the jet’s wing.
“Okay, go,” he said, motioning her up.
She blanched. “Up there?”
“Go. Go,” he grunted as Brody and the others ran through the hangar door.
Her footsteps rang out in metallic thumps as she hurried up the stairway. Then she paused, eyeing the gap to the wing. It was barely two feet across — nothing, really — but from that height…
Dell leaped across and reached for her hand. “I got you.”
The moment his fingers wrapped around hers, a tingle went through her body, and something throbbed against her chest. She looked down, half expecting to see Quinn there, clutching her shirt. But Quinn was in the baby carrier, and the only thing against her chest was the pearl.
Anjali stepped away from the edge of the plane’s wing and kneeled over Quinn, echoing Dell’s words. “I got you.”
Dell wrapped his arms around them both and bowed his head in a way that terrified her. What was he about to do?
“Anjali,” he whispered. “I never thought it would come to this. I thought I would have a chance to explain.”
She clutched his hands, terrified at the regret in his voice. “Explain what?”
But the three men were racing closer, shouting to each other.
“Get her! Get the kid!”
Anjali turned white. Quinn flailed around, nearly dropping her stuffed animal. Dell grabbed it just in time.
