Constant Craving (Task Force Hawaii #3)

by Melissa Schroeder

  He frowned. It wasn’t something they had not discussed before. Truth was, they had discussed the damned thing to death. He wanted this over. He wanted to get on with his life. He wanted to have more with Charity than this case.

  It was sad to admit, but in the two weeks they had known each other, he had thought more about the future than any of his previous relationships. He had lived with a girlfriend in college, and he had never contemplated what would come next. Maybe it was his age, but he was sure most of it was the woman. She hadn’t been Charity.

  Before he could tell her what he had been thinking, Emma came tearing into the office. Well, as fast as an 8-month pregnant woman could move.

  Charity tried to stand up, but he held onto her tightly. He wasn’t embarrassed by their relationship, and she would have to get used to it.

  “Hey, we have something. I have something.”

  Del smiled indulgently, as he stood behind her. “She’s been talking like that since she arrived a few minutes ago.”

  Emma pulled out several pieces of paper from her messenger bag and handed them to Charity. Charity and he looked at the screenshots that Emma had ran off. The stamped time was at the bottom of the picture. And there, dressed in a white and red polka dot dress, was Charity. A few days later, she was seen leaving, wearing a pair of Mickey ears. He had seen them in her room.

  “These prove it,” Charity said.

  “I’m at a loss as to why they haven’t found it at the FBI,” TJ said.

  “I have a theory on that,” Emma said.

  He looked up and found her smile had been replaced by a solemn expression. Before she said it, he knew what she was going to say.

  “You might have a mole in the FBI.”

  “Damn.”

  “You’re not disagreeing?” Del asked.

  TJ shook his head. “I mentioned it before and I have assumed all along Foley might have someone working with him in the FBI. He always seems to be one step ahead of us.”

  “With that in mind, I’m going to ask you to keep this from your supervisors at the FBI, unless we need it.”

  He looked at Charity, then looked at Del. “Agree.”

  “Wait, what did that mean?” Charity asked.

  “Nothing.”

  She frowned, and Emma apparently decided to take control of the conversation.

  “What he means is that if the FBI comes back and tries to bring you in to question, we keep this in our back pocket.”

  “You don’t think that will happen, do you?”

  TJ shrugged. “I’m worried that nothing has happened yet to you.”

  “Well, thanks a lot.”

  “No. You were singled out, or this office was, for a reason. We have yet to realize the reason.”

  “It’s probable that this was all a diversion. They picked us because we are out on our own and not tied directly to HPD,” Emma said. “There is always a chance they are done with us.”

  “But I pulled Charity into this.”

  “No, you didn’t,” Charity said. “Whoever this asshole is pulled me into it. Not you.”

  “So, agreed that we don’t reveal what we know. We don’t know who is listening to what,” Del said.

  TJ nodded. “I could ask and find out who is going over the footage.”

  “We’ll wait,” Del said.

  “I might be able to find out without us alerting anyone,” Emma said.

  “You have contacts at the FBI?” he asked.

  “Yeah. Contacts with contacts.” She rubbed a hand over her stomach. “I’m hungry.”

  Then she turned to leave without another word.

  “She’s kind of scary,” TJ said.

  “Yeah. One of the things I love best about her. We’ll call if we hear anything.”

  “I guess we can go home,” Charity said after they were alone.

  “Yeah. I was thinking.”

  “About what?” she asked.

  “How about we go up to Giovanni’s and get some shrimp?”

  She glanced at the clock. It was just before four. “We would be cutting it close.”

  “We can go to the one in Kahuku. They’re open until six-thirty.”

  “Sounds fantastic.”

  They were on their way out of the building when they ran into Drew. TJ would rather avoid the man. He did not hide his disgust of TJ. But, TJ knew that if he was going to be in Charity’s life, he was going to have to accept Drew. That also meant that TJ needed to get Drew to accept him.

  “Hey, there, Drew. What do you have planned tonight?” Charity asked him.

  “Mom’s trying to get me to come over to the house. They have a church thing...”

  “Oh, no,” Charity said. “A set up. See, this is why I don’t live in Atlanta.”

  “Why don’t you come with us?” TJ asked. They both looked at him as if he’d lost his mind.

  “We’re going to Giovanni’s for dinner.”

  Drew looked back and forth between them, then said, “Sure. I need to change.”

  “So do I. Do you need a ride?”

  “Naw. I walked because it’s just so damned close. I don’t need my car here.”

  “We’ll pick you up, if that is okay,” TJ said.

  Drew nodded and headed off in the direction of his apartment.

  “What was that about?”

  He shrugged. “I think we got off to a bad start, plus, I understand the whole parents trying to fix you up with someone.”

  “Is that a fact?”

  He nodded. “Mom tried to fix me up with Dad’s best friend’s daughter. It was a disaster from start to finish.”

  “Is that a fact?”

  “Yeah,” he said thinking back. “She was kind of girly.”

  Charity stopped and stared at him. “I’m girly.”

  He chuckled when he thought about the Minnie Mouse-inspired dress she wore to LA. “Yeah, but you know how to shoot and fish. I like balance.”

  Her frown smoothed out. “That’s true.”

  “Don’t smile at me like that, woman. We have Drew expecting to be picked up. You look at me like that, and we won’t get out of the apartment.”

  She laughed and hurried to her car. “Then we better get going so we can get back.”

  Drew had just started walking down the sidewalk when he heard his name called. Without looking, he knew who it was, and a small part of him, a very small part of him, almost kept walking. The childish urge to pretend he had not heard Cat’s voice nearly won out.

  Unfortunately, his mother had raised him better. Drew stopped and then pulled in a deep breath before he turned to face her. The impact of Cat Kalakau never seemed to fade. She always took his breath away.

  She jogged toward him, a smile on her lips. Her long black hair was secured in a massive braid that bounced against her back with her movements. The TFH t-shirt was tucked into jeans, and she wore her trademark black boots. Her eyes were hidden behind mirrored sunglasses.

  “Hey, I was trying to catch you before you headed out. What are you up to this weekend?”

  She spoke casually, as if they had not had a romantic night of dancing...and a bit more...before she bolted the next day. Sure, he had been shot and almost died, but when she failed to appear at the hospital—then not once visited him while he was recuperating—she told him exactly how she felt about their relationship.

  “I’m going out tonight.”

  Sure, it was with Charity and TJ, but she didn’t need to know that. She lost that privilege when she hadn’t returned his calls.

  She slipped off her sunglasses. “Oh, because I was thinking about heading out to Dave’s Ice Cream later and getting a few scoops.”

  It was his favorite place on the island to get ice cream, and they had often gone after work. She knew that, and at one time, he would have jumped at the chance. But now, he couldn’t.

  He shrugged. “Sorry. I’ve got plans for the weekend.”

  “Oh. Family?”

  He shook his hea
d and said nothing. She had no right to know that he really wasn’t doing anything much at all. She was no longer part of his life like that. Part of him hurt to know that, but the bigger part of him knew he needed to keep away from her, away from the feelings she brought out in him.

  “Oh. Okay.”

  Then she said nothing.

  “Is there something else, Cat?”

  For the first time since he had known Cat, she fidgeted. She looked down the street, then she played with her phone.

  “I wanted to talk to you about what happened.”

  Women could be cruel. He knew that she had bailed on him when he had been in the hospital, and part of him didn’t blame her. It was a lot to take after a first date. But they had been friends before they had been...involved. It was wrong to bail on a friend.

  “Listen, I get it. It was too much. I don’t want to rehash everything.”

  She stopped fidgeting then. “I would like to explain myself.”

  Inwardly, he sighed. He had dreamed of this. In those first few days in the hospital, he had prayed that she would show up and apologize. The need to forgive, to accept whatever she said, burned at the back of his throat. He swallowed.

  “I don’t see a reason to. I’m not in the mood to go through it. Not right now, not when I just got back. Let’s just go with what we agreed. It was six months ago and better forgotten.”

  She stared at him, and for a second, he thought she might start crying. Her clear hazel eyes clouded before she slipped her mirrored sunglasses back on. He knew better. Catherine Kalakau didn’t cry.

  “Sure. Okay. See you later.”

  She turned and hurried in the direction of parking lot. He couldn’t help but enjoy her pavement eating stride. The woman definitely knew how to cover a lot of ground fast.

  He wanted to go after her and apologize. He had been harsh and he shouldn’t have done that no matter what. But, he didn’t. After watching her disappear around the corner, he shoved his hands into his pockets and then turned to go home. There was no reason to visit old wounds. A clean break is what they both needed.

  Charity watched as TJ went back to the food truck to get another water. The man definitely knew how to move. And those legs. She sighed.

  “Hey, Earth to Charity.”

  She glanced at Drew. “Sorry.”

  He shook his head. “No worries. He seems like a really nice guy.”

  “He is.”

  “I just...”

  Then he trailed off. He looked at TJ, who was standing behind a family of four ordering. Drew glanced back at Charity. “I’m worried about you.”

  “Why?”

  He hesitated for a long moment before speaking. “You don’t act like this about other guys.”

  She nodded. She couldn’t deny the fact that she had let him move in with her under the guise of protection, but knowing full well it would lead to the bedroom.

  “Maybe that’s a good thing.”

  “Yeah, but from someone who got trampled on not too long ago, take it from me. When it fails, it hurts. A lot. I think for the first time you might really get hurt.”

  And that was sad because she knew Drew was right. She had never been tempted to be hurt, to take a chance on someone. With everything that was going on with the investigation, it wasn’t probably that smart to do.

  “Don’t you think it’s a good thing? Like I’m growing or something?”

  The sad smile Drew offered did little to help the way her heart quivered. She knew he had been hurt, but she thought he had moved on from it.

  “I guess you’ll just have to find out.”

  There was something in his tone that drew her attention. “Did something happen today?”

  He hesitated, then looked out over to Kam Highway. Cars filled with tourists and locals, buzzed by. “Cat stopped me today. Wanted to talk about our issues.”

  “Is that what she called it?”

  He shook his head. “She said she wanted to explain herself.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I told her there was no reason for it.”

  The dead flat tone of his voice shocked her. “Drew.”

  He looked at her. “I thought about it, but she has had six months and a whole week of work. It was her idea to not discuss it. She’s the one who decided we should just move on. I did what she asked, and she apparently expected me to do something different. She needs to learn to live with disappointment. I did.”

  Before she could respond, TJ returned to the table.

  “Here you go,” he said, handing them each their second water. “I’m a man who likes spicy food, and I will say that was definitely spicy.”

  Drew smiled and thanked him for the drink. Charity wanted to push, to get Drew to talk more about what happened, but the moment was over. She made a mental note to push later. Drew might think he was doing fine now that he was back at work. But he wasn’t. Not by a long shot.

  After breakfast at the Wailana Coffee House Saturday morning, TJ suggested they stop by his house in Waimanalo.

  “I need to pick up some more clothes.”

  She shrugged, happy to go along. She was definitely interested in seeing his house. The ride took a little longer, as it was Saturday morning. Folks were heading to the beach since the waves were up on the other side of the island, but Charity didn’t mind. She was in a Jeep without the roof, the sun was shining, and she was getting to know TJ. Right now, she didn’t even want to think about work or Foley. She just wanted to be with TJ and pretend they were a normal couple.

  By the time they made it there, she was definitely ready for a tour. He pulled into the driveway and parked the car. The street was quiet and definitely on it’s way back. She knew this area had been hit hard by the ICE epidemic in years past, but refurbished homes and the presences of families told her those days were over.

  It wasn’t that big, but most houses in Hawaii were not big—at least on Oahu. Land space was limited and getting worse by the day. Real estate on the most populous of the islands was a nightmare. It fit the area and the size of land that surrounded it.

  The house was painted green with white trim, pretty common in the islands. It was built in the fashion of a plantation house. Back home, they called it a farm house. The walk led up to a large, covered lanai, which boasted tons of planted pots and a swing attached to the roof. He had a little garden along the front lanai. A large banyan tree gave much of the small yard shade.

  “What?’ he asked as she stood there and stared.

  “It’s so cute.”

  “Don’t sound surprised.”

  She glanced at him. “This is the crack house?”

  He shook his head and waved to one of his neighbors, as they walked up the sidewalk to the lanai.

  “It was when I bought it. I spent a weekend picking up discarded syringes, pipes, and spoons. And, it didn’t even have a roof. Add in rats and a rotted floor, and it was definitely a fixer upper.”

  He unlocked the front door and stepped aside to let her enter. Lord, it was gorgeous.

  “Is this wood?” she asked as she slipped off her sandals.

  “Bamboo floors. More sustainable.”

  She smiled, then turned. “Oh, my word.”

  “They installed it yesterday.”

  Gray cabinets filled the walls, some with open shelving, some with glass doors. A farm house sink sat beneath a window she knew looked out over the lanai. It was still missing a stove and refrigerator, but she was already in love.

  “The rest of the appliances are coming in a couple weeks. There was a delay.”

  It was perfect. At first look, the colors were bland. But when she took in the entire scene, she saw the beauty of it. Every little aspect complimented the others. She could imagine he would add pops of color after he was done.

  “I love it.”

  He smiled. “I had to make sure that I had it ready by the end of next month.”

  “Why?”

  “My parents are
coming over. I’d like you to meet them.”

  “Your parents?” she asked, her voice coming out kind of strangled. He had taken her by surprise.

  “Is there something wrong?”

  “Under the circumstances, don’t you think we should wait?”

  His face softened, as he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. “We’ll have this all cleared up by then.”

  “So, you plan on sticking around?”

  “Sweetheart, you better believe it.”

  She released a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. Meeting the parents. It was something she hadn’t done in years, and she hadn’t been sure she wanted to. Not until he mentioned it. Now, she was both terrified and excited by the prospect.

  “Now, when you look like that, you worry me.”

  She sighed. “I’ve rarely had a serious relationship, and even more rarely, met my lover’s family.”

  “Hey, you have time,” he said, leaning down and nibbling on her bottom lip. “Plus, I’m sure my mom will have swag from Comic Con.”

  She placed a hand on his chest and pushed him back. “Don’t you even be joking about that, Thor.”

  “Cross my heart.”

  “Well, then, I might be able to handle that.”

  He smiled and stepped back. Taking her hand, he tugged her to a hallway off the kitchen. “Let me show you the rest of the house, especially the bedroom.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I want your opinion on this bed I have.”

  She chuckled and followed him along. She’d worry about parents and relationships later.

  The call at three in the morning caught Adam completely off guard. With his job, he was used to it, and he had a few younger cousins who often needed a ride after drinking too much on a Friday, but getting a call from Queen’s Medical in the middle of the night stopped his heart.

  It took him forty minutes to get there. He rushed into the ER, and used his badge to get passed all security. His cousin, Miyako—the person who had called him— met him in the hallway.