Tangled Passions (Task Force Hawaii Book 4)

by Melissa Schroeder

  There was no way he wanted to get ready at his condo. It would be too intimate. It was bad enough that she had been there the other night. “Here. I think it will be easier. Plus, just in case anyone is watching, they will think I just stopped by work on my way to the date.”

  “Very smart. It was going to be my suggestion too, but I wanted it to be wherever you were comfortable.”

  He nodded. “See you tomorrow night, then.”

  “Around five work?”

  “Yep. Good night,” he said, forcing himself to leave. The need to stay there just to be close to her was a bit pathetic. He needed to be with her on some level that he just didn’t understand. He should be happy that they seemed to have found a way to work together, that it didn’t hurt him just to look at her. Drew knew he had to continue to keep his distance, even if every instinct told him to go back to her.

  With a shake of his head, he headed out the door, glad he had walked to work that morning. He lived close enough he could walk, and he needed the fresh air to clear his senses.

  This was one of his favorite times of day. The sun dipped over the horizon with just the hint of orange glow dancing off the waves, and the sweet scent of plumeria hung in the air. As he crossed the street, Charity’s ringtone rang from his phone.

  He turned down Ala Moana and headed to his condo before he pulled it out and answered.

  “Hey, Charity.”

  “Hey yourself. Aren’t you home yet?”

  “Nope. I stayed after to finish a little bit of work.”

  “So, what are you wearing tomorrow?”

  “I’m not a girl who is going to obsess over what to wear on a date.”

  She snorted. “Are you being derogatory to women?”

  “No. Just different creatures.”

  But now that she commented on it, he started to wonder what to wear. Absolutely not the shirt he had on today. It read: Screw your lab safety. I want my superpowers. For some reason, he thought that might not impress a woman who was accustomed to dates with Premiere Connections.

  “And, you just called us creatures.”

  He heard someone murmur in the background, and knew it was TJ, Charity’s fiancé, and known to some as Hammer.

  “I don’t care what you think. He’s being rude.” Another murmur from TJ. “No. I am not being rude. Go over there and spend time with the traitor cats.”

  Drew smiled as he waited for the walking light to come on at an intersection. TJ might have come to Task Force Hawaii to investigate Charity for aiding a terrorist, but the two had fallen in love. They were perfect together.

  “Well, do you know what you’re going to wear?”

  “A pair of dress pants and nice shirt. No graphic tees, I promise.”

  “Okay.”

  “Is there anything else you need from me, my Nubian princess?”

  She chuckled at the nickname he had given her when she first came to Hawaii. “Nope. Just thought I would check up on you. I heard there is a connection with the other cases.”

  “Yeah, roses, notes.”

  He started walking again and wondered what Charity wanted. It wasn’t like her to call for no reason other than to chit chat. Well, that was a lie. She did that, but he sensed there was something else she wanted to talk about. She rarely spent this long trying to come up with the courage to talk to him about something.

  “How are things going with Cat?”

  And there it was. “They’re fine. We are keeping it cool right now.”

  Another snort.

  “What?”

  “There is nothing cool about you two. Both of you give each other hot looks when you think the other party isn’t looking.”

  “We do not.”

  “Andrew Franklin, don’t you lie to me or I will call your mama.”

  “Go right ahead, and then you can tell her about the case.”

  “Stop trying to change the subject. If you don’t want to talk about it, just say butt out, Charity.”

  “Butt out, Charity.”

  “Fine. But just so you know, you don’t have me fooled. I know you too well. Just let me know if you need to talk about it. You know I am always here for you.”

  He sighed. “I know.”

  “Be careful and call if you need help tomorrow night.”

  “Good lord. I know how to dress myself.”

  “That is up for debate.”

  “TJ is right. You’re rude.”

  She chuckled. “Night, Drew.”

  “Night, Charity.”

  He clicked off the phone, wondering again why he had never been attracted to Charity. Other than the fact she wasn’t attracted to him at all. It had been Cat. She had always been there in his mind, and he could never see another woman other than her. Plus, he sort of felt like a brother to Charity.

  He entered the code to get into his building, and then went to the elevator. Before it arrived, a young businesswoman, white, with long blonde hair and a sexy smile stepped into the lobby. The door dinged and he held it open for her before stepping in.

  “Thank you.”

  “No problem.”

  He pushed the button for his condo floor. He lived on the top floor.

  She was going to three.

  They rode in silence until they got to her floor. He had noted the fuck me heels and red power suit. No mistaking, in some kind of business, and not from Hawaii. Even business people on the islands dressed down, but for haoles from the mainland, they sometimes never learned. Even at this hour, her makeup was perfect, and he sensed she kept stealing glances at him with her big blue eyes. The doors opened and she started to walk out, but she put her hand out to hold the door open. She pulled a business card from her bag and handed it to Drew.

  “If you’re interested, give me a call.”

  Then she stepped out and walked away. He should be interested. She was the kind of woman who garnered attention from just about every heterosexual man around. But, instead, he felt absolutely fucking nothing.

  One thing was for certain. He needed to get a life after they finished this investigation.

  In the dark, not far from where Drew lived, someone sat obsessing. The only light came from the computer screen, which displayed pictures of Drew from the paper, and online. So sweet, so gorgeous. But men always looked that way before they disappointed you. Always.

  She rocked back and forth in her chair and fixated on her newest possession. Soon, he would be hers.

  10

  Cat fought the urge to tap her foot, or bite her fingernails down to the nub. Nothing she did seemed to be able to calm her nerves. The four cups of coffee she’d had today probably didn’t help either.

  Most people would think it was the fact this was her first lead. But it wasn’t, not entirely. No, this had more to do with the man now standing in the conference area with her. She knew he was smart, and he contributed to a lot of the cases, but she didn’t like the idea of Drew acting as bait.

  She decided to make sure to go back over the rules just one more time.

  “Now, remember to keep your phone hidden so she doesn’t see what is going on.”

  “I did this two days ago, Cat. I can handle it,” he said as he slipped the earbud in, quiet irritation easy to hear in his voice.

  Cat knew he was pissed at her. She didn’t care. She wanted him safe and, for some reason, she worried that something would go wrong. It was a hunch, and her hunches were rarely wrong. But it was an easy job, one that they both could handle. Drew hadn’t done much undercover work, but this should be easy enough. Still, every time she thought about him at dinner with a possible killer, it turned her stomach into a gelatinous bundle of nerves. She was glad that she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. There was a good chance Drew would be wearing it by now.

  “Are you ready?”

  He nodded, then looked behind her. He smiled. “Hey, Emma.”

  She turned and saw Emma walk in with Del right behind her. He was holding baby Evie.


  “Hey. Del had some work to do, so I thought I would keep Cat company while you went on your date, which I’m sure will be boring.”

  He laughed. “You crack me up, but I have to agree. Most first dates are boring.”

  She heard the way his voice changed over the sentence and she glanced at him. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but her thoughts moved back to their one and only date. It had been at Emma and Del’s wedding, the day before their lives had changed forever. It had been magical and wonderful, and then it wasn’t.

  She pushed that thought aside.

  “I’m not even going to comment on that,” Del said. “I’m off to do some paperwork. Here,” he said, handing their baby to Emma. He kissed their little girl on the nose. “See you later, short stuff.”

  “I guess I should get going,” Drew said.

  “Remember, try to get info about Branson out of her, but don’t push too much,” Cat said.

  “I know. Don’t worry.”

  “When you get there, be sure to test the earbud. I want to make sure we have a good connection.”

  “Sure thing.”

  “If you think something is off, just get out of there. If she’s the killer, she’s killed without any remorse before, and we don’t want you taking any stupid risks.”

  “I understand. I’m not stupid.”

  “Okay, sure.”

  Still, she had to resist giving him a hug before he went. Completely inappropriate, and not like her at all, but she so badly needed assurance that he would be okay.

  “Anything else?” Drew asked. He was standing there looking completely fuckable, with a pair of black dress slacks and a red Hawaiian shirt.

  “Cat?”

  Yes, don’t go.

  “No. Just be careful.”

  And with a salute, he was off to his date. She watched him leave and heard Emma sigh behind her. It was one of those sighs that told Cat that Emma was bored.

  “What?” she asked, not turning around. She could still see Drew as he walked to the front door of the building. She hoped he’d listened to her and that he didn’t make any mistakes tonight.

  “You two really need to work out your issues.”

  As soon as she could no longer see Drew, Cat turned to face Emma. “What do you mean?”

  Emma rolled her eyes as she swayed back and forth to keep the baby quiet. “I’ve held my tongue for months, but you both look at each other as if you want to find the closest flat surface.”

  She blinked. “I do not.”

  Emma snorted. “Bollocks.”

  “And he does not. In fact, he’s made it very clear that nothing will ever happen.”

  Just saying the words physically hurt her. She had accepted his feelings on the subject months ago, but she still hadn’t gotten over it. The fact that it was her fault entirely wasn’t easy to deal with either.

  “Double bollocks.”

  “Is that even a thing?” she asked.

  “Don’t try to change the subject. You are both hung up on each other. Everyone is talking about it. Taking bets even.”

  “On what?”

  “When you both will finally give in to your need for a good, hard shag.”

  She closed her eyes and tried to forget she even heard what Emma had just said. She didn’t want people to pity her because she was so hung up on Drew.

  “Oh, don’t do that,” Emma said, disgust threading her voice.

  Cat opened her eyes. “What?”

  “God, you Americans.” Emma was English by birth, and spent most of her life in Thailand before moving to Hawaii. “You use sex to sell everything, but you’re so puritanical about your own sex lives. Good sex is healthy. Normal.”

  “It’s not that.”

  “Then what?”

  She shrugged.

  “Bloody hell, Cat. Just spit it out. God, I thought I was bad.”

  Cat chuckled. “Normally you are a little too blunt.”

  Emma just stared at her. She wasn’t just smart; she was a genius. Knowing Emma, she could easily join Mensa, but wouldn’t because she had issues. Still, because of her intellect, Cat understood there was little she could do to hide her feelings. When she still said nothing, she knew Emma was waiting for an answer, and there was a good chance she would not go away until she got it.

  “Okay.” She sighed. “I hate thinking people pity me because I’m hung up on Drew.”

  Emma snorted. “You’re hung up on each other. That is not one-sided.”

  “He was. Not sure he still is.”

  “Yeah, sure. That’s why he almost melts when you are up there talking at the briefings.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. “He does not.”

  “Charity said he practically drooled all over her when you were giving a briefing.”

  She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. Had she really misread all the signals? No, he had shut her down just a few months ago. He had said that he didn’t want to even be friends anymore. She’d had her chance and she had wrecked it. Until now, she thought she had come to terms with it.

  “I know you have some craziness going on in your brain,” Emma said as she patted Evie’s back. “But I just say wait and see. Plus, don’t wait too long because I have a bet for this week.”

  Cat frowned. “When?”

  “Can’t tell. That’s a new rule Charity instituted.”

  Good lord, they were going to need a manual for all their betting rules. “I’m also worried about him. He’s never done anything like this.”

  Emma shook her head. “Everyone thinks he’s weak, but he isn’t.”

  “Not weak. He’s inexperienced.”

  “But smart. Very smart. Don’t worry. Drew will be able to handle the mission.”

  She opened her mouth to argue, but Emma interrupted her. “Let’s get some munchies before this starts, and you can argue with me later.”

  Cat wanted to refuse, but she’d only had breakfast, so she agreed.

  “I think there are even some leftover malasadas in the break room,” Cat said.

  “No. I need a real dinner. Let’s order a pizza. I’ve been craving a good, greasy pizza.”

  Cat smiled. “That sounds good.”

  “I’ll order. You don’t like onions or peppers, right?”

  Cat nodded.

  “Be right back.” She watched Emma hurry off to Del’s office with Evie in her arms. She might not have solved her problems or worries, but talking things over with Emma put her mind at ease, at least a little bit.

  She decided to do the monitoring in the conference area because it had more room. Sitting down, she resolved to push her worries aside and just work on the surveillance. She’d worry about her own feelings later. This case was too important.

  Drew followed Lana Cho to their table. As per their agreement, they had met in front of the restaurant he had chosen. He’d gone for one of the chains, wanting to avoid any of the locally owned dining choices. If Hawaii was small and everyone knew each other, his family and those who worked and owned their own restaurants, was microscopic. Everyone knew everyone else, and they all knew his family for sure. He’d end up getting a call from his mother before the date had ended.

  He smiled at Lana as he waited for her to take her seat before taking his. After the waiter gave him the specials and took their drink and appetizer orders, he hurried off. Drew was glad that Charity had suggested he make reservations. It had been late in the day on Friday when he’d called, but he had been able to get them a table at seven for Saturday

  “I know you probably hear this a lot, but I’ve been to your family’s restaurants,” Lana said as she peered over the massive menu.

  She was a tiny woman, just over five feet tall and probably weighed no more than ninety pounds. In her bio, Asian, with short hair that stopped right at her chin, and green eyes; she hadn’t changed much since she’d had the photo taken listed on her bio page. Her tastes appeared to run expensive, from her designer clothes to the tennis bracel
et that had to be at least five carats. She might just be a simple phlebotomist, but she had to have family money to afford those kinds of things.

  “I don’t think there is anyone who hasn’t,” he said. “Did you grow up on Oahu?”

  A tiny ping of guilt stabbed at his conscious. He knew this was part of the job, but it didn’t make him feel any less a jerk for asking questions. Cat had given him a pretty extensive write up on Lana and her background, so he knew most of the chit chat type of conversation.

  “No. I grew up on Maui. Most of my family still lives there.”

  “Must be nice. My family is always in my hair.”

  She shook her head. “I thought it would be, but I get kind of homesick every now and then.”

  “Something only kamaʻāina would understand, yeah?”

  She smiled. It was sweet, and her green eyes danced with humor. Yep, he was going to hell. “Yeah. So, do you know what is good here?”

  “All the grilled fish is great.”

  She looked over the menu, and by the time the waiter came back over, they were both ready to order.

  "You work for Task Force Hawaii, then?"

  "In a way. I work for the medical examiner, who works for them. I'm her assistant."

  "Cool. I always thought that would be an interesting job. Do you get to do a lot of testing and stuff?"

  He shook his head. "No. That's our forensics tech. I assist in autopsies and help with reports."

  "Do you have a medical degree?"

  "No. I'm taking a few classes here and there so I can get it done, but I'm in no rush. I enjoy my work."

  She nodded. "I get that question all the time too. I mean, I love being a phlebotomist. I guess you could say it is in my blood...so to speak."

  He chuckled. "Good one. Where do you work?"

  "In Aiea; although, I would rather work on the windward side. I want to move other there."

  "I hear ya. I won't ever get that choice, but I like the idea of living over there too. I grew up there."

  "Yeah?"

  He nodded. "Most of my family lives over there. It's funny because we have people in our office who have moved halfway across the world, but my parents act like I have committed a sin by living in Honolulu."