Rebel Wolf

by Lowe, Anna

  “What is your role, sir?” they asked Chase, who growled a curt reply.

  “I heard the explosion and came running.”

  Sophie squeezed his hand. Chase made it sound so simple. But she’d never had anyone come running for her before.

  “Did you notice any odor or anything out of place?” the police pressed on.

  “Are you sure you didn’t see anyone?” another asked.

  She did her best to answer, but the questions were relentless, and it felt like all those sirens were wailing at her. Chase stood at her side, looking like he was about to snap, and she was afraid what might happen if he did. Dell had been ordered to one side, and the questions went on and on until one of the officers went a step too far.

  “Did you adjust or otherwise tamper with the cylinders this morning or at any other time?”

  Sophie stuck her hands on her hips. “Tamper? What are you suggesting?”

  The policeman — a big, sunburned haole — blinked and took a step back.

  Sophie stuck her hands on her hips. No, I’m not a pushover, she wanted to bark. I’m just trying to be nice. But push me too far, and this is what you get.

  Even Chase whipped his head around, and for a moment, Sophie felt on top of the world. But then her gaze caught on the burning wreckage of the smoothie truck, and she wanted to crumple to the ground. The truck was destroyed. It was a miracle no one had been hurt. But, still. That fire was a menacing, evil thing, and it was scarring Lahaina’s beautiful landscape. Was it her fault somehow?

  Luckily, a female police officer — a beautiful islander Sophie recognized as a friend of Chase’s — stepped up with a bolstering smile. “I’m Officer Dawn Meli. Guys, let me handle this.”

  The other officers backed away, giving Sophie some breathing room. Chase relaxed a tiny bit too.

  “Okay, take a deep breath,” Officer Meli said. “And start at the top. Just one more time, I promise.”

  It was easier talking to Officer Meli, who actually seemed to listen when she spoke. When Sophie finished, Officer Meli mulled over various scenarios.

  “Could it have been an accident?”

  Sophie considered. Theoretically, yes, but the truck and all its systems were inspected regularly.

  “Foul play? Are there any competitors in the business?”

  Sophie frowned. There were a few. But someone who’d stoop to such violence? “Not that I know of. But I guess you’d better ask the owner, Mr. Lee.”

  Officer Meli jotted a note then lowered her voice. “What about you? Have you had any trouble? Any threats?”

  Chase clenched his fists. “Why would anyone target Sophie?”

  Officer Meli put up her hands. “I’m not saying that’s the case. But I have to ask. Anyone out for revenge for something?”

  Sophie blanched but searched her memory. “No. No way.”

  “An ex-boyfriend who might feel snubbed?”

  In a previous life, Sophie might have thought, I wish. But ever since she’d met Chase, her only wish was for more time with him.

  She shook her head, and Officer Meli pressed on. “What about money? Any trouble there?”

  Sophie’s gut twisted. Money? She’d been avoiding that topic for a while, not quite ready to deal with some news she’d recently received.

  She answered carefully. “I don’t owe anyone, if that’s what you mean.”

  When Officer Meli nodded and went on, Sophie exhaled. After a few more questions, Officer Meli snapped her notebook shut. “All right. That’s it for now. Thank you for your cooperation. We’ll need you to come to the station for a full report this afternoon.”

  Sophie’s stomach sank. A report even fuller than the one she’d just given?

  But Officer Meli smiled, promising it wouldn’t be too bad. Then she turned to Chase. “Will you take care of her?”

  Was there a hint of a tease in the officer’s voice? Sophie couldn’t tell.

  “You bet I will,” Chase grunted, making Sophie go all warm inside.

  Dell came over with the dogs then, laughing as Darcy strained at his leash. “You got yourself a real tiger there.”

  Sophie hugged Darcy, hoping he hadn’t bitten anyone.

  “I need the car keys.” Chase held out his hand.

  Dell looked about to question that, but Chase growled, and Dell raised his eyebrows in a question. “You sure you got this, man?”

  Chase took the keys and gripped Sophie’s hand firmly. “I’ve got this, all right.”

  He made a slight gesture, and the dogs fell in step, all following their alpha, as it were. Sophie followed too, still shaky in the knees. Chase whisked her right through the crowd and past several reporters who might have hounded her if it hadn’t been for Dell, one step behind.

  “I saw the whole thing,” he announced loud enough for everyone to hear. “Ask away.”

  Everyone’s attention jumped to Dell, and Sophie exhaled in relief. Chase glanced back with a sigh. “Yeah. Dell is good at that kind of thing.”

  “Well, thank goodness for him,” she said. Then she covered Chase’s hand with both of hers. “But most of all, thank goodness for you.”

  He beamed then tugged her forward against the flow of curious onlookers headed toward the fire. A short time later, they arrived at his pickup.

  “Where to?” he asked.

  She blinked a few times. First of all, at the truck. Sometimes, Chase drove a fancy red Ferrari. Other times, he drove this battered Toyota pickup. The funny thing was, he didn’t seem to notice the difference, and she loved him for that. Well, she loved him for a lot of things.

  Slowly, she forced herself to focus. Where did she want to go? Home or to her quiet, thinking place? And, wait — there was Chase to think of.

  “What about work?”

  He tilted his head. “Work?” He didn’t actually say, I hate to mention it, but your job just blew up, but his eyes suggested as much.

  She laughed. “No, I mean your job.”

  He shook his head. “Dell will find someone to cover for me.”

  She studied him for a second. It would be nice to have friends who would jump to your assistance at the worst — or best — of times. But then her eyes drifted to the dog tags hanging around Chase’s neck. Dell wore a set too. She had never asked exactly where they’d served and when, but it was clear they’d been through a lot together.

  Chase stood silently waiting for her answer, and her heart swelled again. He was so quiet. So steady. So eager to help. What had she done to deserve him?

  Then she cleared her throat. “Would you mind driving a little way up the coast?”

  His look said he’d drive to the moon and back for her, and she fell in love all over again. Then he leaned down, picked up Boris like a sack of potatoes, and placed him in the bed of the truck. Coco jumped at Sophie’s knees, begging to join in. Meanwhile, Chase turned to Darcy, who growled.

  “Growl all you like, little guy,” Chase murmured. “I’m the boss here.”

  A second later, a grumbling Darcy submitted to being scooped up by Chase and being placed in the back. The little terrier didn’t dare bite Chase, but his dignity was clearly hurt.

  “Good dog.” Sophie petted him while securing each leash. “You’re my good dog.”

  That seemed to help, and a minute later, she, Chase, and the dogs were cruising up the highway, heading north.

  “You live here?” Chase asked after a few miles ticked by.

  She waved over her shoulder. “No, back there. But if you don’t mind the drive…”

  “I don’t mind,” he said quietly.

  With every mile that passed, Sophie relaxed a little more. Chase did too. Were the turquoise water and pure blue sky as soothing to him as to her? Did he enjoy that feeling of open space as much as she did? Hotels and condos choked the first part of the coast, but once they passed the high-end resort at Kapalua Bay, it was all open country again. On Maui’s inland, mauka side, the slopes climbed higher and higher, rea
ching into a veil of clouds. Out to the makai side was the beautiful scoop of Honolua Bay, and out in the distance, the long, sleek shape of Molokai.

  The road dipped and turned, and just when Sophie was thinking of asking Chase to pull over for a moment, he hit the blinker and did exactly that.

  “Okay with you?” he asked.

  “Perfect,” she whispered, looking out over the ocean. A tangle of wild roses stood beside the pickup, and she could smell their heavenly scent. Beyond them, the Pacific stretched to a hazy, faraway point where she couldn’t tell water from sky any more.

  “This is why I came to Maui,” she whispered.

  Chase cocked his head and waited exactly the way the dogs did when she had no one else to talk to.

  She waved vaguely. “The beauty. The peace. A reminder of everything positive in the world.”

  To her relief, he didn’t ask what that might be in contrast to. He just nodded as if he knew precisely what she meant.

  “What brought you here?” she ventured a moment later.

  Chase, as always, contemplated his words before committing to exactly two. “A job.”

  “At the Lucky Devil?”

  He laughed, and a little bit more tension slipped away from them both. “No, that’s just a side gig. I work security at a private estate.”

  She’d heard as much, but she wasn’t sure it was true. Did that explain the Ferrari?

  A dozen questions bounced around her mind, but she didn’t utter one. Did it matter where Chase lived or what kind of car he drove? All she really cared about was him. The real him.

  “Do you like it here?” she asked.

  He pursed his lips and looked off into the distance. “I like it well enough.”

  For a moment, she thought that was it. But miracle of miracles, Chase expanded on that thought.

  “When we first got here, all I wanted was to go home to Montana. But then…”

  She waited the way he waited when she spoke. But that seemed to be all, so eventually, she prompted him. “Then what?”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he looked at her, then at the floor, suddenly shy.

  “Then I met you.”

  A dozen white doves might have fluttered around her heart for all she knew — that’s what his words did to her. Her breath caught as she gazed into his eyes. “I’m really glad I met you.”

  “I’m really glad too,” he whispered.

  It was one of those perfect, on the cusp of something amazing moments they often shared. If only she could figure out what to say from there.

  Chase, I really like you. That would be a good start, but her throat closed up, and she couldn’t speak. Not even to ask, Do you like me?

  Well, he must like her. He’d agreed to a date, after all. But part of her mind still refused to consider herself worthy of such a sweet — not to mention sexy — guy, and doubts welled up all over again. Still, the way he looked at her — really looked, like she was a flower worthy of painting — said, Sophie, I really like you too.

  Her spirits soared, and she smiled, feeling more beautiful than she’d ever been. The front seat of the pickup wasn’t that wide, and it was all too easy to picture herself sliding over and kissing him.

  And, whoa. Nearly getting killed must have freed her inhibitions, because she really was sliding over to kiss him. It was as if she’d hastily penned a bucket list and had to tick off as many items while she could. Number 3, Stop and smell the roses. Number 2, Spend time with the people she loved. Number 1, Kiss Chase…

  Chase inched closer as well, and before she knew it, their noses were brushing in a prelude to a kiss. For a moment, they both paused, savoring the sweet innocence of that Eskimo kiss. Then Chase’s lips twitched, and Sophie started closing the distance again, when—

  Zoom! An eighteen-wheeler rushed by, making the pickup bounce. The dogs exploded into frantic barks. Chase and Sophie broke apart, turning toward the commotion.

  “Sorry,” Sophie murmured, hiding her crimson cheeks. “They get a little loud at times.”

  Chase looked at her wordlessly, and all kinds of emotions rushed through his eyes. Yearning, like he had longed for that kiss with all his heart. Regret, for having missed his chance. Resolve, to make it up as soon as he could.

  Then he cracked into a tiny smile that said, Next time.

  Sophie smiled back. Next time was right.

  Chase chuckled, and just like that, the awkwardness passed.

  “Barking is the best part,” he said. “That and riding in the back of a pickup.”

  She grinned. “You sure know dogs.”

  Chase cleared his throat and started up the vehicle again. “I guess you could say that.”

  He drove on, following the coast. The road narrowed a short time later, becoming a winding one-laner that kept most traffic at bay. The scenery grew wild and more tangled, and cars were few and far between. When they eventually reached mile marker thirty-eight, Sophie waved for Chase to pull over.

  “Nakalele Blowhole,” he said, recognizing the spot.

  She nodded. “I love it out here.”

  It was a raw, rocky place — not one most people would put on a list of Maui’s best. But there was space and enough solitude to make it a good place to think.

  The dogs pranced around the back of the pickup, excited to explore. Sophie let them out, and Chase fell into step behind her as they all followed a winding path to the rocky coast. The wind yanked at Sophie’s shirt and hair on that harsher, more exposed side of Maui. But something about the place kept her coming back again and again.

  She whistled, making sure the dogs stayed close, and headed to a rock several hundred yards away from the blowhole. Near enough to watch and wait for it to spout, but far enough to have some space to herself, what with the handful of visitors drawn to the sight. She settled down on the rock, listening to the waves crash against the shore. Every few minutes, the blowhole would spout like a whale coming up for a breath, covering the area with a fine mist. Chase sat beside Sophie, and she concentrated on his comforting presence.

  “You sure you’re okay?” Chase whispered after some time.

  She nodded, but a second later, tears stung her eyes as it hit her all over again. The dogs had been trying to warn her, but she hadn’t listened. She could have been killed, and the dogs too. Or worse, horribly burned. Then there were Officer Meli’s questions, which still swirled around her mind.

  Have you had any trouble? Any threats?

  Not that she was aware of. But suddenly, she wasn’t so sure. She’d left home on bad terms, which wouldn’t have been a big deal if she’d come from a normal family in a normal place.

  “Hey,” Chase murmured, scooting over to hug her as the tears became a flood.

  She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to lock out the memories, recent and from further back in time. Instead, she concentrated on Chase. His strong, sure arms. His easy silence, allowing her to cry while assuring her everything was okay.

  She cried a little longer, getting it all out of her system. The fear. The shock at being questioned like a suspect. The terrible sight of those flames. Bit by bit, the tears carried all that away, leaving her sniffling and chagrined. Slowly, she pulled out of Chase’s embrace and wiped her face.

  “I’m so sorry. This was supposed to be a nice day.”

  Chase tilted his head one way then the other. “Maybe we can still make it one.”

  She closed her eyes, finding that hard to believe. Today was supposed to be their big day. Their first date. Now, it was ruined. “I was going to kiss you and everything.”

  The second the words slipped out, she smacked a hand over her mouth. Oops. She hadn’t intended to say that aloud.

  Chase went a little wide-eyed, and her stomach sank. Oh God. What if she’d read him all wrong? Maybe he was just being nice, bringing her out here. He might not even have wanted to go on a date with her.

  Her chin dipped, but Chase reached out and tipped it up, making her look into h
is eyes. A slow, shy smile spread on his face, and he whispered, “Who says you can’t?”

  Her breath caught as her hopes soared once more. He wanted to kiss her!

  “You mean, I can?”

  He nodded earnestly and spoke in a scratchy voice. “I’d really like that.”

  She took a couple of deep breaths, because holy cow, her emotions were all over the place. Not only that, but Chase’s eyes were glowing. Or was that further proof of how flustered she was?

  She leaned in to double-check, but then she got distracted by his lips. So close. So full. So kissable.

  A wave washed over a rock in the distance, making a swishing sound.

  So, kiss him, it seemed to say.

  A seagull cawed overhead, telling her the same thing. Even Coco nudged her side as if to cheer her on.

  So, kiss him, Sophie admonished herself.

  She leaned in, closed her eyes, and reached out until their lips met. And, whoosh! The blowhole erupted not too far away, making onlookers cheer. Sophie kept her eyes shut and kept right on kissing, though. She couldn’t stop. Chase’s lips were like the rest of him — tough on the outside but soft inside, and the more she kissed, the more laps those doves around her heart flew. Around and around they went, making her feel dizzy. The good kind of dizzy where you lost track of space and time. The blowhole erupted again, sounding miles farther away, and if she noticed the soft touch of its mist, it was only in a distant, fairy-tale way. All her senses focused on the kiss and how good it felt.

  It felt like home. Like a dream. Like a whole new future revealing itself, one enticing glimpse at a time. Chase cupped her cheek, and she opened her lips. Her heart thumped away. Maybe he was right. It didn’t have to be a terrible day. She could make it as good as she wanted it to be.

  And damn it, she wanted that so badly. More than she’d ever wanted anything.

  So she kissed the man she’d been pining for long and hard, just like the past weeks had been for her. Their bodies inched ever closer, and Sophie found the nerve to run a hand over his ribs. She pressed closer, growing more breathless. Wondering just how far she was ready to go.

  Pretty far, as it turned out, and she was shocked to find herself sliding her hands down his rear. Nearly sliding around the front too. Chase’s touches grew bolder as well, and—