"Sunshine…"
"Hmm?" My mind was ticking off things I had to do before three o’clock. Bathe, shave, curl my hair…
"We’d be fine if we walked into the chapel right now, just like we are, and said our vows. The rest of it is nice, but the stuff that matters we’ve already done. We made our promises last night."
He had a point. "You’re right. I just want it to be perfect. I guess all brides do."
Mitch reached over and held my hand. "It can’t be anything but perfect, because Annie planned it, and what we share is…perfect, to over use your new favorite word."
I smiled. "I’ll go with that."
We pulled into the Tripler parking lot, hustled upstairs, made final arrangements with Jayne and Adam, set up my laptop so Sean, Annie, and Parker could attend the ceremony, and were on our way to the Ma Kai to get ready before thirty minutes had passed. We didn’t have time to ask Sean anything about what to expect during the ceremony. It was going to be a huge lesson in trust and in going with the flow.
I chased Mitch into Adam’s room to shower and get dressed, because, seriously, a bride needs her space, and I wanted to surprise him at the chapel. Adam had agreed to pick me up at the hotel, and Mitch would drive separately—in the Jeep. No way was I riding to my wedding in an open vehicle. It gave me the shudders just thinking about what it would do to my hair.
It was probably silly, but I wanted this little bit of tradition—Mitch not seeing me until we got to the chapel. There was something satisfying about tradition, and this was one thing, the only thing, I could control.
Twenty-nine
Adam knocked on the door at exactly two forty-five.
I opened it with a flourish, hoping for a positive male reaction.
He grinned. "Well, damn but you clean up nice."
"Perfect. That’s exactly what you were supposed to say, Adam."
He gave me a hug, and then hurried me to the car. The ride was short, and almost before I had time to breathe, we'd parked at the Hilton, and were standing in the chapel reception area.
"Mitch is waiting at the top of the stairs for you," Adam said, offering me his arm.
The Hilton wedding attendant handed me a nosegay of pale pink anthuriums surrounding a single, deep-pink ginger blossom. It was stunning. I accepted the bouquet, and suddenly I was a bride.
My knees wobbled as I looked up the staircase I had to climb.
"Just a moment, Ms. Gray. Ms. Stone also requested a haku lei. It fits around your brow—" She placed a wreath of flowers around my head— "like a tiara. You look lovely."
"Thank you, I…"
A conch shell sounded from upstairs. "That’s your cue. It’s the traditional way to begin a celebration here in the islands."
Adam and I started upstairs, and then I saw Mitch. Dressed in white, traditionally Hawaiian, with a sash of flowers around his waist.
He’d made sure this was perfect. My heart fluttered. Mitch didn’t wait, but walked down to meet me, motioning Adam to go ahead.
Mitch offered me his hand. "Will you come with me and be my wife?"
I clasped his hand. Images of us, the way he saw us, flashed in my mind. "Yes, Mitchell Hunt, I will."
The wobble had left my knees as soon as I touched him, and now there was only love. And trust. "How did you..?" I nodded at the white pants and shirt.
"Late night text session with Sean." His grin was infectious.
Annie had chosen harp music, and the notes of Lei Aloha Lie Makamae drifted toward us. We climbed the stairs and standing at the altar, flanked by Adam and Jayne, was my grandfather, grinning.
He married us. And it was perfect. The diamond sat naturally on my finger, Mitch and I exchanged leis with each other and then gave leis to both Adam and Jayne. There were a lot of flowers and it smelled wonderful.
Mitch’s family wished us well. His mother cried.
Sean held Annie through the ceremony. I couldn’t hear the words, but it looked like he whispered his own vows to her as Mitch and I said ours.
Parker’s eyes fluttered open a few times, but he didn’t really rouse. Jayne touched the computer screen each time, reaching out to him.
My grandfather hugged me, bowed to Mitch, then took him aside. I don’t know what he said, but Mitch nodded, his expression solemn.
When we walked outside and entered the gazebo there was a silver tray with sparkling glasses of champagne. Adam and Jayne toasted us, the gong sounded, and we shared hugs before they hurried back to Tripler to be with Annie and Parker, promising to let us know if as soon as either, or both of them woke up.
My grandfather, the Kahuna, had disappeared yet again.
There was just Mitch and me. Perfect.
Until the first few notes of Mo Ghile Mear pierced the air. From my cell phone. Now? The most delicate, the most important moment of my life, and Tynan Pierce picks now to interrupt me? Of course he did.
I’d tucked the phone in the pocket of my wedding dress, because hey, with Annie and Parker having been so close to death…still, it probably wasn’t my best move as a new bride.
Especially not considering the pain clouding Mitch’s eyes.
The Irish ringtone had jarred me, but it hurt him.
I turned the phone off with a flick of my finger, and nuzzled Mitch, reluctant to move. Needing to comfort him.
He dropped a kiss on my mouth. "You’d better phone him back, Sunshine. I know Pierce doesn’t call unless there’s a good reason."
And then he moved away from me, his head bent, hands jammed in his pockets.
Reality. Why had I thought it was good thing?
I punched Redial with shaking fingers.
Pierce answered on the first ring. "Where’s Hunt?"
Huh? My brain cells stuttered. "Here?" The single word came out as a question.
"Sit down. Listen to me. Sorry I’m not there to tell you in person, but this can’t wait."
Panic slashed through my wedding glow, and I dropped onto the nearest bench. "What?"
"When Williams said you were getting yours—" Pierce paused, sucking in a breath— "he’d set a bomb to detonate in your house. I’m Sorry, Belisama. There’s nothing left."
My breath had been twisted into a hard knot in my lungs. I blew it out, relieved. "This is old news. Adam told me when he got here. What I don’t get—how could Williams have possibly broken into our houses when he’s in custody here?"
"Not that house. Your retreat."
Five words.
A lifetime of memories shattered.
His sympathy flowed through the phone, bathing me in pain-killing numbness.
Mitch strolled to the bench, shot me a glance, and then pried the phone from my hand. "Pierce?" It was a demand.
I stood, and following the scent of the ocean breeze, wandered toward the shoreline. Inhaling deeply, I swallowed my shock, and let the crisp fragrance of sea, salt, and suntan lotion waft through my brain cells, clearing my jumbled thoughts. Why would Brody Williams destroy my parent’s house? And how? Pierce hadn’t answered my question. And where were…
My stomach did a flip-flop, and I ran back toward Mitch and yanked the phone out of his hand. "Harlan and Millie?" I shouted at Pierce.
I grabbed the back of the bench and held on, my fingers scraping against the wood.
"Missing. No remains were found at the house. I’m tracking them." His voice was matter of fact, without doubt. Pierce would find them and bring them back to me.
Harlan and Millie were probably fine, so why did my heart ache? And then it hit. I’d lost the last link with my parents.
Silent sobs wracked my body. I had to get back home. See the damage. Figure out what to do. Annie had almost died, she and Sean would be staying in Hawaii so our friendship was changing, and I was moving to a new life with Mitch. Contentment. Joy. They mixed with the devastating loss and confusion about whatever happened between my grandfather and me.
"A. J.?" Pierce asked, the sound harsh against my ear. "And
Steele?"
I hiccupped. It left a cramp in my diaphragm that screwed up my breathing, so I just handed the phone to Mitch while I nabbed a glass of champagne from the tray the Hilton had provided for the gong sounding.
Considering everything that had been going on, this wasn’t all that big. A blip. After all, it was the second house I cared about that had burned to the ground. My grandmother’s, and now my parent’s. And both within a few days. I should be getting used to it. Like it was normal. Or maybe I should just stay numb. Either way, I would handle it, because Annie and Parker were alive, and that’s what mattered. Millie and Harlan hadn’t been hurt in the blast, so they were probably fine, too.
And I would be moving into Mitch’s house. In the country. Where shit like this didn’t happen. "I’ll be living in your house," I whispered, more to myself than to Mitch. But he heard me. Heard the panic.
He kept talking to Pierce, outlining the progress with Annie and Parker, but his gaze tracked me as I paced the gazebo, thoughts going crazy in my head. I couldn’t see my clients at Mitch’s house. What would happen to my coaching business if I only did phone sessions and never saw anyone in person or touched them?
True, I wasn’t exactly ready to embrace my new genetic heritage and roam the earth looking for poison victims to heal, but no way could I coaching people and touching things. No. I couldn’t do that. There had to be another way.
I was barely aware that Mitch had tossed the phone down until he gathered me in his arms. "Stop it. Let’s take this one crisis at a time, hmm?"
I nodded against his chest. "First thing. I can’t stop working with my clients and your house is too far away—"
He ran his fingers through my hair, stroking my head. "You still have your townhouse, and once it’s cleaned up, why not schedule a few days a week to see clients there?"
Practical. It should be the perfect solution, so why were my spidey senses tingling? "It will be so different without Annie living next door."
"Yes, that’ll take some getting used to, but you’ll have a home. With me. And Annie is going to stay here whether we live in the country or the city."
Again with the practical.
I tried taking a couple deep breaths. Needed to move past this, because compared to everything else going on, it was a minor crisis. "Right. So, why and how did Brody Williams manage to attack my parent’s home when he’s locked up on a secure Army base?"
Mitch ran his fingers over my back, working out the knots in my muscles. "Bombs can be planted and triggered from a distance. I’m guessing he set it up before leaving North Carolina, then activated it to detonate at a specific time."
That made sense. I reached around him, grabbing the handkerchief I knew he’d tucked into his back pants pocket. He’d been carrying one since Annie had been poisoned.
"And Williams chose my parent’s property? Why? It would have made more sense for him to preserve that land and whatever Mom had planted there. There might have been a link to the toxin—ingredients essential for the formula."
I stopped talking long enough to blow my nose. Apparently, silent sobbing is no less messy than normal sobbing. Then I nestled into Mitch, soaking up his warmth and love.
He rubbed his chin on the top of my head. "He would have already searched, maybe collected samples."
"That makes sense." A chill scurried over my skin. "Was he trying to kill Millie and Harlan?"
Mitch shrugged, his muscles moving under my cheek. "Pierce should be able to get details on what happened to them, and why Williams might be interested in them."
I jumped back. "Oh, wait. Grandfather Aukele said something about my grandmother and Millie going to school together, being fast friends. That’s the connection. I know it. We have to find Millie right away and talk to her, keep her safe."
"We will, Sunshine. We’ll find a way to make it right. Together."
He took my hands, and I was home.
Sometime later—
It had been over a year since Pierce's phone number flashed on my cell. The sound was turned off, or the haunting notes of Mo Ghile Mear would have filled the emptiness of Mitch’s living room.
I brushed my fingers over the Answer button. Did I want to hear what Tynan Pierce had to say? Probably not, but he’d never called me unless it was important.
I pushed the button. "Hello, Pierce."
"You okay, Belisama?" Was there a catch in his voice?
"Yes. Mitch and I are settled. I haven’t done anything about my parents’ estate yet…but…I’m okay. Better than, on most days." A smile touched my words. I heard it. Felt it.
"That works. Need you in Hawaii."
A chill trickled down my spine, but I ignored it. I’d become very good at ignoring things. Like how bored I was hiding out in the country. "We’ve been there a few times. For Annie and Sean’s wedding, when Madigan was born, and just to visit. Why now?"
"Your grandfather is missing."
I blew out a breath. "He does that. It’s a Kahuna trait."
"Gonna need to follow him. He’s tracking Millie and Harlan. Could use your fingers."
"Millie and Harlan? You know where they are? I haven’t done any spy work since Mitch and I got married."
Pierce chuckled. "Don’t know where they are yet, but I will. And no more spy work. I left the agency."
Another chill. This one skimmed over my arms. "Annie didn’t say—"
"She doesn’t know. Has a baby to protect."
"I can’t just up and leave."
"Hunt’s next assignment is here. Come with him."
Mitch hadn’t told me.
A note from L. j.
Thank you for reading a TOUCH OF THE PAST. I hope you enjoyed it. You can reach me…
Website: http://www.ljcharles.com/
Blog: http://ljcharles.blogspot.com/
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ljwrites
On Twitter: @luciejcharles
Happy Reading!
Also by L. j. Charles
The Everly Gray Adventures
a Touch of Ice
a Touch of TNT
a Touch of the Past
To Touch a Thief (An Everly Gray Novella)
The Gemini Women Trilogy
The Knowing
The Calling
The Lifethread Trilogy (Ages 14-adult)
Lifethread ~ McKenna’s story
Creation ~ Shea’s story
Destiny ~ Merritt's story (coming in 2012)
Lifethread: Mistake (a short story)
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
A note from L. j.
Also by L. j. Charles
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