by Cathryn Cade
The blade pricked her skin, an ice-cold slice of pain, and Bella screamed again, thrashing. She stretched out her hand, reaching, reaching, and just as he sliced deeper, one of the long stems slipped across the coverlet and into her hand.
Her fingers closed around it, and with a growl, Bella swung her arm and stabbed, aiming for her captor’s throat. The wire imbedded in the stem sank deep into his flesh.
He froze, his eyes going wide, and then reared back, choking and clawing at the bird-of-paradise stem protruding from his throat.
Bella shoved him, and he fell off her, gasping hoarsely, his eyes wild, the whites rolling. Blood spouted over the pristine whiteness of the coverlet.
She scrambled off the bed, stopping only to grab his knife. Shaking like a leaf, she stared down at him as he struggled to pull the wire free with shaking hands.
“That’ll teach you to cut women, you bastard,” she spat.
Behind her, the door slammed open, and she whirled, holding the knife out before her. Her heart leapt with joy. “Joel!”
Her hero filled the doorway, one of his eyes swollen half shut, a huge bruise purpling across his temple and cheekbone. He looked ready to kill someone—for her?
He looked at Li shaking on the bed, at the knife in her hand, and his good eye narrowed.
“You’re bleeding!” His deep voice was a growl of rage.
She shook her head, so glad to see him, tears filled her eyes. “J-just a scratch.”
He glanced at Li again, who had yanked the wire free but was still choking on his own blood. “I’m not even gonna ask. Come on!”
Joel grabbed her hand in his, big and warm and strong, and she ran after him, out of the room and down the passageway away from the main cabin. She flinched as she heard Camille shriek something out on the main deck, and a man yelled in response.
Joel stopped abruptly at the end of the passageway, and Bella jerked her mind back to their surroundings. “Do you know where this goes?” she asked breathlessly.
“It’s a boat,” he replied, peering out of a narrow doorway to the left. “It all leads to water.”
She couldn’t argue with that.
“Here.” He reached back, his hand open. “Give me the knife.”
“Is there someone out there?” She complied and looked fearfully back the way they’d come. How would they ever escape all those armed thugs? How had Joel even gotten this far?
“No, but there’s rope. Always handy.” Was he joking? She scowled at his broad back.
A large shape appeared in the open doorway to the main cabin—one of Camille’s thugs. He had his back to the passageway, but he was turning their way, semiauto at the ready.
“Go!” she squeaked, shoving at Joel.
He moved, yanking her out onto a narrow deck covered by the superstructure. Bella landed, belly against the railing. She looked down and let out a small whimper of dismay. The water was a long way down. She turned to Joel, but he was busy pulling the hatch shut. “Good,” he muttered. “This thing locks on the outside. Don’t need the rope to tie it shut.”
“Of course it locks on the outside,” she snapped. “Other people worry about breakins. These creeps don’t want anyone to break out.”
He grinned crookedly at her. “You really think they use a luxury yacht to hold prisoners?”
“Well, they are now.”
He shrugged. “Can’t argue with that.”
“Where are Cassie and Tanah and Matt?” she asked, peering along the side of the yacht. “We can’t leave without them.”
“We’re not. They’ll meet us.”
“Meet us where?”
“In the damn water! Now come here. Time to jump.”
She looked at him and then at the water below. “I’m not jumping. You said there was rope.”
He scowled at her, but he was already pulling Li’s knife from the pocket of his shorts. He clicked it open. “It’s not that far down. Jumping is quicker.”
“Just get the rope.”
He cut a long section of the rope and then tied it to the railing, yanking the knot. He shook his head at it but turned back to Bella. She started to swing her leg over the railing and stopped, the grass skirt tangling around her legs.
She pulled at the tie, but Joel pushed her hand aside, slipped the knife under the string that held up the skirt and cut it. Free of the clinging strands, Bella let him help her over the railing.
“Don’t look down,” he whispered, pressing a quick kiss to the side of her mouth. “Look at me, and think about how I’m gonna make love to you when we get to a nice, quiet bed.”
“Okay,” she agreed breathlessly. He handed her the rope, his eyes on the knot. He seemed to be enjoying himself, she thought resentfully.
“Let the rope slide through your hands,” he instructed. “And face the boat so you can push off with your feet. And I’ll be right beside you.”
She nodded and stepped off. She slid a little way, grabbed the rope and swung toward the hull of the yacht, banging her shoulder painfully on the hot metal. Gritting her teeth, she stretched out her leg and pushed off. She forced herself to unclench her hands from the rope, ready to slide again, but suddenly she was falling through the bright air. She just had time to close her eyes, and the water hit her in a hard swoosh, tearing at her hair, filling her nose and mouth with salty brine. The ocean swallowed her, sucking her down.
She felt the concussion of a splash beside her, and a warm hand grasped hers and tugged. Bella kicked hard, rising with Joel up into the warm sunlight. The crown was gone, a small cream shape twirling in the water nearby, but the lei was plastered across her face, along with her hair. She choked, coughing salt water, and trying to breathe through the burning in her sinuses and throat. Ack, that was the third time on this trip she’d inhaled salt water. She was never swimming in the ocean again.
Joel yanked her under the curve of the hull, treading water beside her as she caught her breath. She glared at him through her hair, swiping it from her face. He looked fine.
“Sorry,” he said. “Rope slipped. Come on, we have to move.”
“Are we going to swim all that way?” she asked, gazing in horror at the broad expanse of rolling sea between them and the island. From down here, the waves were a lot bigger.
Joel shook his head, already stroking away from her. “They’d catch us in a minute. We need transportation.”
He turned and swam toward the rear of the boat, and Bella followed, trying not to think of the depths underneath her and all the creatures lurking there. Those on the yacht were much worse, she reminded herself. “How are we going to get transportation?” she panted.
“Personal watercraft— Jet Ski. There are three on the back of the yacht.”
“They’re not—just going—to let us—take them,” she gasped, stroking hard to keep up with him.
He paused and pulled her close to the hull. “Nope. We need a diversion.”
Above them, a woman screamed, a man shouted, and then gunfire rattled. Bella ducked with a squeak, clinging to Joel, but he pulled away. “That’s our diversion—Matt. Come on.”
Bella swam as quietly as she could around the back of the big yacht, her heart pounding as she peered at the railing above. But no armed gunmen appeared as Joel clambered out onto the boarding platform beside three shiny black-and-white Jet Skis. Each had an H emblazoned on the side.
Joel unfastened the first craft from its mooring cables and then pushed it into the water. As he did so, Tanah paddled around the back of the yacht, her wet hair hanging in her eyes. Cassie was behind her, eyes wide as saucers.
“Tanah,” Joel ordered. “Take this Jet Ski.”
The redhead nodded and scrambled awkwardly up onto the craft, then reached back for Cassie. The two had discarded their sarongs, and wore their bikinis.
“Oh, hurry,” Cassie pleaded.
Joel loosed another Jet Ski, and then the third. Pulling himself up over the back, he leaned over the ignition and then g
rasped the throttle and controls on the handles.
“Come on,” he said urgently, looking up at the boat as a man shouted something and more gunfire erupted.
Bella scrambled up out of the water, banging her knee, but made it onto the back of the padded vinyl seat. She threw her arms around Joel’s middle and hung on. The instant she did so, he hit the throttle, and the motor revved up in a loud snarl.
At that moment, Matt appeared over the back of the yacht, arcing into a flying dive, silhouetted against the sky for an instant. He landed in an awkward belly flop, and Cassie leapt from the back of Tanah’s Jet Ski onto the third craft, grabbing the throttles, her lovely face pale but determined.
“Get on,” she shrieked at Matt, who grasped the back of the craft and clambered aboard, hunched over as if he were hurt.
A burly silhouette appeared above them. Baldy, with his weapon aimed and ready.
“Go!”Bella screamed.
They sped off across the blue water toward the island, the little craft rocketing through the waves in a series of dizzying lifts and bumps. Bella held on tightly to Joel and tried not to watch the water zipping by at a horrific speed.
They had just started out when he suddenly cranked the wheel to the left, and then the right, zigzagging through the waves.
“What are you doing?” She fought to maintain her balance on the wet seat and her grip on his wet torso.
“They’re shooting at us,” he yelled back. “Just hang on.”
Bella looked back and saw the outline of the yacht shining in the sun. Foam spurted up from the water, a line of sharp bursts that followed them across the water, then disappeared as Joel took the craft in another swooping turn.
Her body rigid, waiting for the bullet that would strike her back, Bella hung on.
Joel slowed as they approached land and turned toward the west, and into the cove at Na’alele.
Bella opened her mouth to ask him why they didn’t keep going to Nawea, and remembered Frank. They had to go back and rescue him. She looked back to see the other two Jet Skis close behind as they slowed in the little bay and slid up to the beach.
“We can c-carry Frank up into the forest,” she said, her teeth chattering as Joel switched off the motor, “and h-hide him there. My cousins should be here any time now.”
“Hope so. Let’s go. Because for sure that crazy bitch will send her men after us any minute now.”
Bella scooted back on the seat and let him stand up and hop off the craft. He turned to hold out his hand to her, holding the Jet Ski steady with the other, and she smiled shakily at him.
“You l-look pretty good even with a black eye, hotshot.” And he did. He looked dashing and dangerous, with one eye swollen half shut and a livid bruise across his temple.
“You look damn hot in nothing but a pair of bikini bottoms and a lei,” he said. “What’s left of one, anyway.”
She yanked the lei over her head, tossing it into the water, and then stepped off into his arms. He pulled her close to him, her bare breasts against his chest. “I’ll buy you a lei when we get back,” he promised. “One that really means aloha.”
She kissed him. And as his mouth met hers at last, warm and firm and soft, opening to sup at her lips, tasting the wetness of her inner lip, then pressing hard, his breath mingling with hers, she believed they would make it happen.
“For God’s sake come on,” demanded Tanah from the beach. “We’ve got a crazy woman after us, in case you two have forgotten.”
“Coming.” Joel stepped back, but he kept Bella’s hand in his as they hurried up to the cave.
Chapter Fifteen
To Do: A skilled tour director will use advance knowledge to make sure her clients see the best each site along the tour has to offer.
Frank was not in the cave, nor did he answer Joel’s calls as they trekked up across the camp.
Bella pulled on a brown tank top, and everyone rifled their bags for shoes. Then Bella climbed the fig trees, Joel close behind her. The weapon was gone. Joel only hoped Frank had it and not Kobe and Eddy, or whoever the hell else Camille had crawling through the forest.
“I’m trying my cell phone again,” Tanah said as soon as she’d pulled a Tshirt over her wet bikini. She plopped down on a camp chair.
“Good. Try mine too.” Joel handed her his phone.
Bella and Joel searched the tunnel and even called Frank’s name into the echoing black depths but heard no answer.
“All right,” Joel said as they walked back out into the main cave. “He’s gone—somewhere. We have to go too.”
“We have to find him,” Bella said.
“We can’t help him if we’re dead,” Matt said, already headed outside. “Let’s get the Jet Skis, and get out of here.”
“Anything on either of our phones?” Joel asked Tanah.
She shook her head, her shoulders slumping. “What are we going to do, Joel?”
“We’re going to find Frank,” Bella said. “And then we’ll—”
“Nani,” Joel said firmly, fixing her with a look from his good eye. “We have to get everyone safe. Camille’s men will be back. She’s a psycho bitch, and she’s not going to give up this easily. Come on, we’re leaving.”
“I’m ready,” Cassie was already at the cave door, huddled in a cover-up and broad-brimmed hat. Her pale hair straggled around her sunburned face.
Bella opened her mouth to protest and cocked her head, almost as if she were listening to something only she could hear in the rustling of the fig trees outside the cave. The hair stood up on the back of his neck.
“What?”
“They’re coming,” Bella said.
Matt burst back into the cave, breathing heavily. He was pale and pressed one hand to his side. “I don’t think…we can make it to…the Jet Skis. They’re…coming back…in the raft.”
“Hell. We’ll head up into the forest,” Joel decided quickly. “Okay, everyone, move. Get your bags, and get to the trail.”
Bella and Joel grabbed two extra provision bags and dumped them out.
Bella opened the nearest cooler and quickly chose a few Tupperware containers. Barbecued pork, bread and something that looked like rice. Joel reached into the other cooler for bottles of water and juice. He threw in a few cans of soda and beer into each bag too. It was all liquid.
Shouldering the bags, he strode over and grabbed his duffel and went to stand in the mouth of the cave. “Come on,” he ordered, peering out at the sea. “I can see them, about halfway here from the yacht.”
Bella grabbed her bag and followed him out of the cave. “Wait—a sleeping bag.”
Joel turned on her. “Damn it, woman, come on.”
She trotted back out in a second, sleeping bag under one arm, her duffel over the other.
“Bella, you lead the way. Matt, you three go next,” Joel said grimly. “That way I won’t outdistance you, and I can watch our back trail.” And he could grab Bella if she got another great idea about something they “needed”, like the tent hanging in the trees on the other side of camp. She’d sure gotten her confidence back the moment they stepped onto land. Oh, well, preferable to the humiliation and fear he’d seen in those black velvet eyes on the yacht.
Despite their loads, Bella set a swift pace up into the trees, not even slowing at the lower grotto.
“We can probably stop here,” Joel said.
“Yeah,” panted Tanah. “I have to rest.”
“Matt needs to stop,” Cassie said urgently. “What’s wrong?”
Joel turned to see the young Hawaiian bent over, an arm clamped to his midriff. “I think I cracked a rib when I dove off that yacht,” he groaned. “I gotta lie down.”
“Are you sure you want to stop here?” Bella asked, looking down on them from the shadowed trail.
“Look at him,” Cassie said, her face crumpling. “He can hardly walk.”
“We’ll hide,” Tanah added, moving over to take Matt’s arm. “Come on.”
&
nbsp; “Walk around the pool, and stay hidden among the rocks,” Bella advised. “No one will find you there.”
Joel looked at her. “Aren’t you stopping here?”
She shook her head. “No, we have to keep going. Up to the top of the waterfall. We can keep watch from there.”
She had an excellent point. Joel handed Cassie one of the bags of food and water, patted her shoulder and followed Bella up the steep trail. His head was beginning to throb like a son of a bitch, and his bag of food, water and beer seemed heavier with every yard they climbed.
He reminded himself that it wasn’t as heavy as the packs he’d toted on week-long treks into the wilds on other continents. And that Bella was safe from that crazy woman, and he meant to see that she stayed that way.
Bella ventured off the trail at the top of the steep climb, and Joel followed her through the thick underbrush. He ducked to step in under the heavy branches of a fig. Straightening, he looked around in amazement. He’d peered through the branches at her, but he hadn’t seen all this little place had to offer.
“I’ll be damned,” he said, letting the bags slide to the ground. They stood in a small lava bowl of sorts, open on one side to the sea. It lay mostly in the sun, but their side was shaded by the trees hanging over the pool of water dammed by the lip of the bowl. Joel could see that it would all be in shadow as the afternoon went on. Good, because the air was heating up with the sun, around eighty, by his estimate.
The clear stream trickled over the edge of the bowl. They’d have to stay away from that edge, but they could take a quick bath if they wanted and not be in any danger of floating over.
Peering cautiously through the branches of another shrub, Joel saw that a cliff dropped away below them. They’d followed the curve of the lava flow and were right over the camp. This was the smaller waterfall he’d seen from the boat, he realized.
“Huh. Nice view,” he murmured. “And there are Camille’s men. Now what are they up to?”
The motorized dinghy rocked on the surf outside the little bay. Bending to his duffel, Joel pulled out his little binoculars. He adjusted them and trained them on the craft, making sure to stay behind the cover of the foliage.
