Blooming in the Wild

by Cathryn Cade

  Frank nodded and pointed at two indentations near the water’s edge. They were just above the line where the surf lapped, and blurred by rain but deep, as if the owner had stood there for several moments. “Saw dese when I came down da first time. And see there, they come down the way we did but closer to da water. It woulda been low tide then.”

  “They’re smaller than mine,” Joel said. “Way bigger than Bella’s. One of the guys?”

  “Could be. But some wahine have big feet.”

  “When could it have been?” Bella asked.

  “Must have been early this morning,” Joel said. “Or the rain would’ve washed these prints away. You hear anyone?”

  “I heard someone stumble outside,” Frank said. “Woke me up about three dis morning. But they just walked to the latrine and back—I could tell the direction of their footsteps.”

  “But everyone slept in the cave,” Bella said. “So if they’d gone down to the boats, they would have had to come right past you.”

  Frank and Joel looked at each other. “Everyone except the photographers. From that cave, they could have walked around the trees the other way, climbed across the rocks.”

  Bella was shocked. Camille was so…so elegant, so friendly. Although she had seemed to relish planting fear in the minds of anyone she could. But surely she couldn’t be involved in anything as ugly as this.

  “I bet I know who it was.” She hugged her arms around herself. “Li.”

  Joel moved closer, his arm around her waist, pulling her against the heat of his hard body.

  “Why, Nani?” Frank asked.

  She shrugged, her bare shoulder sliding against Joel’s warm chest. “I don’t know. Something about that guy—he looks at us like he hates us. It could’ve been him—must have been.”

  “Hey,” Joel said, snapping his fingers. “Gum.”

  Bella and Frank looked at him blankly.

  “I had gum on my shoe yesterday,” he explained. “Noticed it right after we came out of the tunnel.”

  “He always has a piece in his mouth,” Bella added.

  “I’ll search his bags,” Frank said.

  Joel nodded. “I’m with you.”

  “We’ll have to time it right. We go in there, and he has a gun, he’ll grab it.”

  “But how did that automatic weapon get into the cave?” Bella asked. “Is that his too?”

  “He could have had it broken down in his bag,” Frank said. “These new ones come all apart, make it easier to carry without anyone knowing.”

  “Should we go back in?” Bella whispered nervously, eyeing the cave opening. “Maybe he’s waiting for us.”

  “I’ll go up first,” Joel said. “If I don’t come right back out and nod, don’t come in. Head up into the forest and hide.”

  Bella looked at Frank, who nodded slowly. Joel’s hand tightened on Bella’s hip, and he pinned her with a stern look. “You do exactly what Frank tells you.”

  Before she could open her mouth to protest, he turned away, striding back up to the cave.

  “Come on, let’s move up toward the trees,” Frank said. Bella followed him up the beach and across the lava shelf where their camp had been. A turquoise plastic bowl from their camp set lay canted on the rock, full of rainwater, and the models’ tent still rested in the branches of a cluster of figs, like some kind of haphazard tree house.

  Bella’s empty stomach clenched ominously, but a moment later, Joel appeared between the cave mouth and the fig trees and nodded casually, then turned back into the cave. With a deep breath, Bella followed Frank across the camp.

  Chapter Eleven

  To Do: In a crisis, the tour director assumes charge of the situation, making sure everyone follows instructions to remain safe and calm

  Inside, Joel scanned the main cave. In the rear, the models were stirring in their sleeping bags like colorful caterpillars.

  “We want everything to look normal,” Frank breathed at his shoulder. “Gotta draw those other two in here.”

  “Morning,” Joel said in a carrying voice. “Who’s making the coffee?” He gave Bella a nudge toward the food table.

  “You,” she answered drily, already moving away. “I don’t know how to work the stove. I’ll get some juice and muffins.”

  Joel’s stomach rumbled, reminding him that it had been a long time since dinner. He wasn’t interested in food right now, but some juice would be good. He crossed the cave to pour water from a jug into the small coffeepot.

  “Make that coffee strong,” Tanah grumbled in a sleep-husky voice, poking her head out of her sleeping bag. “I’d like to complain about these hotel beds. They’re hard as rock.”

  Joel managed a smile for her humor. “Maybe you can get a refund.”

  She sat up and combed her tumbled hair back with her fingers. “I was thinking more of hardship pay. Think DelRay will cough it up, Bella?”

  “What? Oh, I’ll ask them for you.”

  “Good,” said the redhead as she flipped her bare legs out of her sleeping bag and knelt upon it, clad only in a tiny tank and panties. She gave Joel a pointed look as she reached up to twist her hair up on her head. “Because this trip has been a bust from start to finish, if you know what I mean.”

  Avoiding her gaze, Joel placed a filter pack of Kona coffee in the pot and lit the stove to heat the water.

  “At least we got our photos,” he said.

  “I hope so.” Bella handed him a glass of juice.

  He took it. “Thanks. What do you mean, you hope so?”

  She shrugged uneasily. “Camille mentioned that her cameras might be susceptible to water.”

  Joel’s gut tightened. On top of Frank’s boat being damaged, loss of two days of hard work would make the trip “a bust”, as Tanah had so succinctly put it.

  Then he shook his head. “Nah, cameras aren’t that fragile, not new ones like hers. She uses one of the top brands.” Relaxing with a conscious effort, he took a drink and then drained the cup, the sweet tartness of orange and some tropical fruit exploding on his tongue.

  Bella held up the carton, and he shook his head reluctantly. “Better ration it,” he murmured. “In case we’re here for a few days.”

  Her eyes darkened with worry, but then she shook her head, her expression clearing. “We’re supposed to be stopping by Nawea Bay this afternoon. The Ho’omalus will come looking for us by this evening, at the latest.”

  “Why should anyone come looking for us?” Camille asked behind them. “What’s happened?”

  Bella and Joel turned in unison to see her standing in the cleared area in the center of the cave. Her hair was pulled back smoothly from her narrow face, and she wore a sleek gray knit yoga outfit. Her gaze was sharp.

  Wondering how much to say, Joel looked at Frank, who was crouched near the mouth of the cave, slowly rolling up his sleeping bag and then his mattress. Frank nodded slightly.

  “Can you call Li in here?” Joel asked. He looked around at Tanah, Cassie and Matt, all three watching from near their sleeping bags. “We’ve got a problem.”

  As if called, Li appeared in the opening to the other cave. He wore a dark singlet and baggy pants, his feet bare. He ignored Joel, walking over to stand near Camille. He had a bruise on one cheek, Joel saw with distaste.

  Joel moved, widening his stance, using his body language to focus everyone’s attention on him. “Last night, unknown intruders sabotaged Frank’s catamaran,” he told them.

  Behind Camille and Li, Frank slipped soundlessly out of the cave.

  “Until we can call for help, we’re stuck here,” Joel added. Jesus, he sounded self-important. Hamming it up for the cause.

  Right on cue, Cassie gasped, and Tanah groaned with disgust. “Oh my God. This just keeps getting worse.”

  “What happened to the boat?” Matt asked, patting Cassie on the shoulder.

  Camille listened silently, her arms crossed, Li hovering behind her.

  “Someone shot holes in the hull,” J
oel said. “Used a silencer, probably, so we wouldn’t hear them.”

  “Who would do that?” Tanah demanded, her face screwed up in a bewildered scowl. “I mean, we’re just taking pictures, for crap’s sake.”

  Li moved backward, and Joel tensed protectively as Bella stepped away from the food table, right into his path. “We think it might be drug runners,” she said. “But I don’t want anyone to worry. My family is expecting Frank and me at Nawea this afternoon. When we don’t show up, they’ll come after us.”

  “Well,” Camille drawled. “Isn’t that reassuring.” She looked at Bella, her face taut. Then she turned to Joel, raising her brows. “Since it seems our Ms. Ho’omalu’s company can’t help us here, how do you suggest we remain safe while we wait for help?”

  Behind her and Li, Frank appeared in the opening to the other cave. He nodded to Joel, his face hard—the veteran cop coming to the fore. “Dis got nothing to do with Bella or her company.”

  The others whirled to look at him. Li crouched like a wild animal, ready to spring, as Frank held up a dull black pistol with a long silencer fastened to the muzzle. He stared at Li. “Found this in your bag. You little po’ino, you shot my boat.”

  At that moment, the sun streamed in through a break in the clouds, illuminating Li, his hair a platinum glow against his golden skin. And the trees outside the cave shivered, their branches creaking as if in a rising breeze.

  Camille moved sharply, turning on her assistant and lover. “You did this?” she demanded. Her arm swung, her palm striking his face with a sharp crack. His head rocked to the side, and then he straightened, his onyx gaze fastened on her face. Slowly, even as his face reddened from the blow, he smirked at her.

  She stepped back, away from him, shuddering, one hand to her throat. “Oh, how could you do such a thing? And why?”

  The trio behind Joel moved back, huddling together, staring at Li as they would a wild animal in their midst. Joel motioned Bella back as Frank swung the pistol up, aiming at Li.

  “We’ll ask him,” he promised. “You got some rope in your bag, don’t you, Joel?”

  “I do,” Joel answered. “Bella, would you get it?” He moved closer to Li, daring him silently to try something. He checked when the Asian flicked his hand and a shining blade appeared.

  “I can plow a bullet in your sorry hide before you can throw dat,” Frank said coldly. “You cut anyone, I’ll make sure you die right here. Self-defense, they’ll call it.”

  Li laughed silently, his ropy chest quivering under his snug tank. But then the Asian clicked the knife shut, held out his hand and let go of the knife. It hit the sand, spinning a little before coming to rest.

  On her way back from rummaging in Joel’s bag, Bella reached out her foot and kicked it over to Joel. He crouched to pick it up, never taking his eyes off of Li. The Asian’s eyes followed as Joel shoved the knife into his pocket.

  He looked at Joel under his brows, and Joel’s skin crawled the way it had when he’d looked into the eyes of a crazed shaman in a tiny village halfway round the world. The villagers had been terrified of the shaman, and even The Zone’s local guides had given the man a wide berth. A stone-cold killer. Bella was right; the Asian did look as if he hated everyone. He also looked as if he’d enjoy doing them harm with the knife Joel now had.

  Joel took the neat bundle of synthetic rope from Bella. This was no revered local magician, just a small-time punk. And Joel was going to enjoy hog-tying him.

  “Make sure you look for more knives,” Frank ordered as Joel approached Li. “Dat kind always has more dan one.”

  A short time later, the Asian sat on the back shelf of the cave, hands and feet bound securely, his face stony. The larger knife that had been strapped to his calf was in Frank’s possession, as was the smaller one that had been in one of the pockets of his baggy pants.

  The others were dressed. The trio, as Joel had come to think of them, sat drinking coffee and soda and nibbling muffins while they stared at Li. Bella had shaken her head at the food, but Joel held one of Leilani’s plump fruit-and-nut muffins before her until she took it.

  “You have to eat,” he said, settling down with his own plate of leftover cold egg dish and muffins.

  “’Ae, kahuna,” she muttered, taking a bite.

  Joel grinned at her and took a big bite.

  “You’re enjoying yourself, aren’t you?” she breathed, wrinkling her nose at him.

  He shrugged, chewing. They had their perp tied up, and even if he’d been in cahoots with Frank’s missing crew, Eddy and Kobe couldn’t do much if everyone stayed here in the cave until Bella’s cousins showed up.

  Frank was armed, and he himself could climb up and retrieve the automatic weapon if they needed it. Joel wasn’t enjoying himself, precisely. He wasn’t that big of a poser, but he and Frank had handled a dangerous situation, and he had a gorgeous wahine by his side, so things could be worse.

  “I’m sorry your photo shoot came to such a tough ending,” he told Bella. “And I’m damn sorry about Frank’s boat.” There had been sorrow mixed with the Hawaiian’s rage.

  “DelRay’s insurance had better pay for that boat,” she said fiercely. “Or I’ll know the reason why.”

  She swallowed a bite of her muffin and looked up at Joel, licking a crumb off her full lower lip. He stopped chewing for a moment, pointing at the spot on his own lip. Damn, he wanted to lean over and catch it himself.

  But Frank sat on his other side, eating as well, gun propped on his lap. And Bella’s mind was clearly on other things. She brushed at the crumb absently.

  “I don’t get why Li wanted us trapped here,” she said, speaking in a hushed voice so only he and Frank could hear. “If he and Kobe and Eddy are running drugs, why wouldn’t they want us out of here and gone?”

  “Good question,” Frank said, his brooding gaze on Li. “And one I’m gonna ask him real soon. ’Cause you’re right, Nani. Makes no sense. If it was revenge, I’m the only one here with any connection to drug runners, and that’s a while ago. He was sucking at his mama’s tit when I retired.”

  “Maybe they had another boat come in last night,” Joel thought aloud as he took another bite. “One of them did it just did it for spite.”

  Frank nodded. “Could be. But there was only that one set of footprints.”

  His plate empty, Joel looked at Bella, who was watching Li, her face troubled. “Finish your muffin,” he reminded her. She took a bite, and Joel rose to put his plate away and refill his coffee cup.

  “Are we going to get out of here, Joel?” Tanah asked him, rising to join him. For once, her green eyes were free of artifice.

  “We’ll be fine,” he assured her. “Bella’s cousins will be here by this evening, and we’ll all be back in Kona by sunset.”

  She nodded, looking relieved. “God, I can’t wait.”

  “I’m hot,” Cassie complained, lifting her T-shirt away from her body.

  The cave was heating up as the morning sun streamed over the southern flank of the island and through the trees outside.

  “Can we at least go swimming?” Matt asked, shoving back his tousled dark hair.

  Joel looked at Frank, who shrugged. “Long as you stay near the caves, I don’t see the harm. Nobody wander off, though.”

  “Oh, good.” Tanah, Cassie and Matt dug in their bags for swimsuits, and headed into the other cave to change. Joel caught Bella’s eye.

  “You should go too,” he told her, moving to help her put the remains of the muffins back in their snug container and back in the cooler. He drained his coffee cup, looked around and set it on the table. They had no place to wash dishes in here.

  She looked over at Frank, who still sat in his chair, staring at Li. “I don’t know. I don’t think we should leave Frank alone with him.”

  The older man shook his head. “I’ll be fine, Nani.”

  When Bella turned to her, Camille shook her head as well. “No, thank you. I just want to be still.”
<
br />   “A swim will cool you off,” Bella urged. That was his princess, feeling responsible for everyone.

  The older woman gave Bella a somber look. “No, I—I feel so culpable. I should have seen he was not a good person.”

  Laying it on a little thick, Joel thought cynically. A guy who let a woman slap him around like that was maybe not the most stable character. She seemed like an intelligent woman, but maybe her kinks had led her to ignore the signs.

  Whatever, Frank was in charge here, and he was the experienced cop. Joel was going to back him up while he tried to get some answers out of Li.

  “You go ahead,” Joel told Bella. “I’ll stay here.”

  She hesitated, and then nodded. She turned away to rummage in her bag for her swim things.

  As soon as the others were gone, their voices fading into the sound of the surf, Frank stood and turned to Camille. “You wanna go outside for a while,” he suggested.

  She looked at him, then at Li, who curled his lip at her, his dark eyes gleaming. “All right.”

  She disappeared out into the sunshine, and Frank looked at Joel. “You got any objections to me getting rough, leave now.”

  Joel snorted. “After what he did to your boat? Hell, no.”

  Frank walked over to Li and looked down at him. “Why you wreck my boat?”

  The Asian sneered up at him. “Because it’s ugly, old man. Like you.”

  “Oh, smart boy, yeah?” Frank asked, unmoved by the insult. “Well, smart boy, I been a cop longer than you been alive. I know how to get the toughest little po’inos to talk.”

  Joel moved to stand closer. “One thing you should know, Frank, this one’s into pain. He likes it.”

  The Asian smiled, his gemmed front tooth glittering. “Yeah, I like it. And I like to be watched too, so if you think you’re gonna humiliate me, think again. I can outwait you both.”

  Frank raised his eyebrows at Joel.

  “Saw him with Camille the first night,” Joel told him. “She was slapping him around. They both seemed to be enjoying themselves.”