Billionaire Vacation

by Nella Tyler

  “The resort is on fire. Where are Ashlee and Beni?” she wailed.

  “We’ll find them,” Kai said. He and Noah ran off.

  Meg saw screaming people running from the hotel. She realized the scene looked exactly like the drawing they saw in the cave.

  “Oh my God! Drake, it’s the drawing. The people running from the hotel is just like the drawing,” she exclaimed in horror.

  “It’s the re-enactment of it,” he replied in dismay.

  “Why? How could this happen?”

  Drake sucked in his breath.

  “It’s a decoy. Look around. Every kind of rescue personnel is here. It’s the perfect opportunity for Doug to go to the treasure room and steal it. Even Lono and his men are here,” Drake said. “I’ve got to tell him. Stay here.”

  Drake ran off. Meg wanted to go with him, but she was worried about Ashlee and Beni. She glanced around wildly trying to spot them. Then she saw them running with toward Kai and Noah. Meg felt a tremendous amount of relief knowing they were safe. She then ran after Drake who was standing on the other side of the barricade about forty feet away.

  “Drake, Ashlee, and Beni are safe. They’re with Kai and Noah,” she said in a rush.

  “That’s good. I’m going down the tunnel with Lono. There was an explosion while we were gone and the entrance to it from the storage room is blocked with rubble,” Drake said. “Doug must have done it to buy time. He would have guessed that we spoke to the authorities.”

  “He must have set the explosion to go off after he had traveled some distance down the tunnel,” Lono said.

  “He’s smarter than I gave him credit for,” Drake said.

  “He had help. Denise is the brains of this heist. I’m sure it was her suggestion to blow the only entrance that we have to the tunnel,” Meg said.

  “They will use that same explosive to open that steel plated door,” Drake said. “And the little door to leave. It’s actually a damned good plan.”

  “I’ll need you to tell me to find the little door you spoke of,” Lono said.

  “Of course. It’s on Kualoa Ranch. Meg knows exactly where it is,” Drake said.

  “Will they actually get away with it?” Meg asked.

  “Not if I can help it,” Lono said. “They will never get off the island. But I want to put you under protective custody. You can identify them and Murphy will not like you being free to testify against them.”

  “Is it really necessary? I will be fine with Drake,” Meg protested.

  “I’ll take no chances,” Lono insisted. “We will transport you to another island. Perhaps Kauai in the rain forest. There are several homes there that are tucked away from prying eyes. They will make a good safe house. We’ve used them before.”

  “Well, it had been my wish to go to the Kauai island as well, but we couldn’t afford it,” she responded.

  “It’s a lovely island. You will enjoy it,” Lono said.

  “What’s important is that she is safe,” Drake said.

  “I’m sorry about your resort, Drake. You’re going to lose a major part of it,” Lono said morosely.

  Drake shrugged.

  “It needed a complete overhaul anyway. This way I can start from scratch and rebuild as I envision.”

  “We need to go to Kualoa Ranch now,” Lono said.

  “All right. I need to call Ashlee to tell her what’s going on,” Meg said.

  “You can call from the car,” Lono said.

  They ran to Lono’s car, got in, and sped off.

  *****

  By the time they made it to Kualoa Ranch, explained what was happening to the owners, and arrived at the room, much of the jewels and gold had been removed. They looked at the nearly empty room in despair as the owners converged on the remaining treasure.

  “It’s gone. Nearly all of it is gone,” Meg said forlornly.

  “They took all that they could haul, only leaving these three chests,” Drake said.

  “At least you know we weren’t lying about there being treasure here,” Meg commented despondently.

  “Damn it! We wanted so badly to do the right thing,” Drake exploded.

  “And you did. Don’t worry. We’ll catch them,” Lono said. “They couldn’t have gone too far with such a heavy load.”

  Meg had a sudden thought. Denise was the brains behind this raid and she was the financier of it as well. She wouldn’t have chanced getting caught on the road with the goods.

  “They’re not on the island,” Meg said.

  Both men looked at her.

  “What do you mean?” Lono said.

  “When I was with Denise I realized just how smart and cunning she is. She wouldn’t take the chance of traveling the road and getting caught,” Meg said. “Denise is very rich and she has the money to rent a plane and fly out of here. She’s somewhere over the Pacific right about now.”

  “Even flying, she can’t have gone far. All flights off the island have been grounded. She would have been advised to land by the flight tower. Refusing to do so would have drawn unwanted attention,” Lono said. “So if she flew off island, it was to another island.”

  “Maybe I would be safer by remaining on Oahu,” Meg said.

  “Possibly. But I would feel better if you were on Kauai,” Lono said. “I will make arrangements for you and Drake to fly there from here. I’ll also fly your friends to the island as well.”

  “Okay. If you say so,” Meg replied wearily.

  “I do,” Lono smiled, then moved to speak with one of the FBI agents.

  Meg leaned against Drake who wrapped his arms about her. He kissed the top of her head.

  “Will this day ever end? I am so tired,” she mumbled.

  “It will. Just hang in there a little longer.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “Did I tell you how deliriously happy I am to have you back in my arms? I was going bonkers not knowing that you were at Doug’s mercy,” he murmured.

  “Doug really wasn’t a problem. I mean, he started out being obnoxious and hateful. He threatened to kill me. And I think he would have if Denise had not stepped in to stop him,” she said. “It was then that I saw who was really running the show. It’s Denise. She funded it and planned it. Doug is just along for the ride because she thought that she wanted and needed him. She has since learned that she doesn’t. So I doubt that they will be a pair for much longer.”

  “That makes me very concerned for you where Doug is concern,” Drake said.

  “Well, we can only hope that he is satisfied with his lot and will leave me alone.”

  Lono approached them.

  “There’s a helicopter waiting for you just over the ridge. It will take you to Kauai and a car will be waiting to take you to the safe house,” Lono said.

  “All right,” Drake said.

  “I will call you tomorrow,” Lono said. He turned to Meg. “Take care, Meg. Don’t worry. We will keep you safe.”

  “I trust you,” Meg said. And she truly believed that she would be.

  She and Drake left the room and made their way to the helicopter.

  *****

  When Meg and Drake arrived at the cabin, Ashlee and Beni were already there.

  “Meg!” Beni and Ashlee chorused.

  The three women embraced tightly. Finally they broke apart.

  “We were so worried about you,” Beni expressed fervently.

  “I know you were. But I’m fine now. I’ll tell you all about it if I can just get into my pajamas and have some dinner,” Meg replied tiredly.

  “We’re so glad you are all right,” Beni sighed.

  “We were able to get back into our room after the fire. Miraculously, it wasn’t burned to a crisp,” Ashlee said. “I brought your things you had left in our suite. It’s almost all of them.”

  “Unfortunately Drakes suite didn’t fare as well. It was badly burned. You lost all of your belongings, Drake. I’m so sorry,” Beni said sadly.

  “It’s okay. I
can always buy new stuff,” he smiled.

  “I was able to make out your shirt and pants size from some of burned clothes. We bought a few things for you,” Ashlee said. “We put them in the room down the hall.”

  “It looks like we’ll all be bunking together,” Beni said gaily.

  “So it does. It will be fun,” Drake smiled. “I’ll go check out the items you bought for me.”

  Meg slumped onto the sofa.

  “I could curl up right here and sleep for three days,” Meg sighed. She curled her legs under her and rested her head on the back of the couch.

  “The lauders are fully stocked. Our agent told us that they had called the caretaker to make sure the cabin was in readiness,” Beni said as she sat next to Meg.

  “I’ll warm up something for us,” Ashlee said as she went into the kitchen.

  “Your ordeal must have been awful,” Beni said empathetically.

  “It wasn’t a picnic. But it could have been worse. What I wasn’t expecting was the fire. You guys must have been terrified,” Meg said.

  “It was a nightmare. There was a tremendous explosion in the basement that started the fire,” Beni said.

  “Drake and I have our suspicions about that,” Meg said.

  Ashlee brought in a platter of turkey, pastrami, several cheeses, condiments, rye, and French bread slices. She also held paper plates under her chin. She put everything on the coffee table.

  “Oh that looks good,” Meg said as she uncurled her legs and scooted to the edge of the sofa.

  “I decided to skip warming something up and bring in sandwich fixings,” Ashlee said.

  “Perfect! We’re too tired to be cooking,” Meg responded.

  “I’ll tell Drake to come in for a sandwich,” Beni said. She stood and moved down the hall.

  Within seconds, she was back. She flopped onto the sofa.

  “He asked if one of us would make a couple of sandwiches for him and bring them to him in his room,” Beni grinned. “He’s quite comfortable reading a magazine in bed.”

  Ashlee laughed and Meg looked outraged.

  “Oh, he’s going to play up being the only male in a house full of women,” Ashlee crowed.

  “And we will wait on him hand and foot,” Beni grinned.

  “And he knows it,” Meg grinned.

  Meg made turkey and pastrami sandwiches, grabbed a bottled soda, and took it to his bedroom. She set the plate and soda on his nightstand.

  “Thank you, babe,” he smiled.

  “Don’t get used to this. You are not an invalid,” Meg tried to keep a straight face.

  “I wouldn’t dream of taking advantage of three women. I was just a little tired tonight and didn’t feel up to going into the living room. I’m sure you understand,” he said innocently.

  “Oh, I understand. Just so long as you do,” she said as she put her hands on her hips.

  “Absolutely, babe. Absolutely,” he smiled benignly.

  Meg didn’t believe a single word that came out of his mouth.

  “Yeah. Right,” she muttered as she left the room.

  She heard him laughing heartily as she walked down the hall. She couldn’t help but to chuckle. She sat with Ashlee and Beni long into the night telling them everything that had happened. Eventually they said goodnight and went into their bedrooms. She put on her pajamas and climbed into bed beside a sleeping Drake and slept soundly.

  *****

  She woke the next morning refreshed. She washed, dressed, and went into the kitchen. Drake, Beni, and Ashlee were already there.

  “Good morning,” Drake smiled. “Did you sleep well? You were snoring as you did.”

  Beni and Ashlee laughed.

  “I don’t snore,” Meg retorted. “And yes, I slept beautifully.”

  “There’s breakfast warming in the oven,” Ashlee said.

  “Thanks,” Meg said. She made a plate of scrambled eggs and sausage. She poured a glass of orange juice and moved to sit at the glass top kitchen table.

  They all ate, talked, and laughed. Nobody seemed anxious to talk about yesterday’s event. But Drake knew they needed to. It was the reason why they were at the cabin on a different island.

  “We can’t avoid talking about it forever,” he said.

  “This is such a lovely island. I hate that we can’t enjoy it. Instead we’re stuck here until they catch Bonnie and Clyde,” Ashlee complained.

  “It won’t be long. They’ll catch up to Doug and Denise,” Drake said.

  “You know, I really hate to see Denise go to prison. She’s a bit of a tortured soul,” Meg said somberly.

  “And she did keep Doug from killing you. That says a lot,” Ashlee said.

  “But if she’s caught, I don’t see how she won’t do time. She was the mastermind behind the entire theft,” Beni argued.

  “I know. I just feel badly for her,” Meg responded. “I wish things could have happened differently for her.”

  “Like have a loving father to start,” Ashlee sighed.

  “That would have been a good start,” Drake said.

  Meg picked up her juice to drink then set it down again.

  “Did you hear that?”

  “Hear what?” Ashlee said.

  “I’ll check outside,” Drake said. Drake left the kitchen by the back door.

  The girls looked at each other nervously. They then heard the front door being forced open. They got up to run when suddenly Doug was standing in the kitchen. He held a gun pointed at Meg.

  “One move and she’s dead,” he barked.

  “What do you want, Doug? You have the jewels. You are you here bothering us?” Meg stormed.

  “Because I need to get rid of the one person who can turn me in,” he sneered.

  “You fool! Now there are three people who can turn you in,” Meg said. “Do you think Beni and Ashlee won’t report you?”

  “Not if there dead along with you. The dead can’t talk from the grave,” he said. “And there’s nobody else here to tell the tale.”

  Meg realized that he didn’t know that Drake was with them. That was to their advantage. She saw Drake approach the back door and look through the window. Then he backed away.

  “Just leave, Doug, while you still can. The FBI agent is coming to check on us today. He’ll be here at any time,” Ashlee said.

  “And when he arrives, he’ll find three corpses,” he spat.

  “Where’s Denise? Does she know you have come here?” Meg asked.

  “I told her just before she tossed me to the wolves. She took most of the treasure and left me with next to nothing. The bitch!” he said harshly. “So I figured I might as well send you to an early grave for all of the trouble you caused me.”

  “Doug, you’ve lost all reason. Killing me will only make more trouble for you. Leave now while you can,” Meg said.

  “Not before killing all of you,” he grinned evilly. “It will give me great pleasure to hear you beg for mercy, only to then hear you scream in pain. It will fun to see you die.”

  “Fun? Have you lost your mind completely?” Beni asked in astonishment.

  “I’m very sane. Now move into the other room. All of you.” He jerked the gun toward the living room.

  Meg was glad to go into the other room. This would allow Drake the opportunity to come back into the house. He could go down the back hall through the house. And that was exactly what he did. Drake slipped silently through the back door and moved down the back hallway. He needed to get to his bedroom and get his gun from the nightstand drawer. He could hear Doug bragging about how he intended to kill the girls and his blood boiled with anger. Well, he had a surprise for Murphy.

  Chapter 25

  Drake retrieved his gun from the nightstand drawer and moved quietly down the hall to the front of the house. He leaned against the corner of the wall and aimed at Doug.

  “Drop the gun, Murphy,” Drake called out.

  Doug quickly grabbed Meg and put the gun to her head.

/>   “Now who’s going to drop their gun,” Doug boasted.

  Meg fisted her hand and rammed it into Doug’s groin. He howled in pain and Meg pulled away from when a shot rang out. Doug fell to the floor wailing pitifully. Drake had shot him in his shoulder. Drake ran over to kick his gun away from him. Then he moved to Meg.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  “I’m fine.”

  He kissed her temple then started giving instructions.

  “Beni, find something to tie him up with. Ashlee, get some towels for the wound. Meg, call paramedics,” he said. “I will call Lono.”

  Everyone ran to do his bidding. In a few minutes, the paramedics had arrived along with Lono. Lono handcuffed Doug to the stretcher before they took him to the hospital.

  “Good shot, Drake. If you ever decide to join the FBI, let me know. I’ll hook you up,” Lono grinned.

  Drake smiled ruefully.

  “I think I’ll stay in the construction business. It’s a lot safer.

  Lono laughed.

  “Now you can enjoy the island. Have fun!” he said, then left the house.

  “It’s over. It’s really over!” Meg exclaimed.

  The girls literally jumped for joy.

  Epilogue

  It was two years later and Meg sat on the lanai overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean. She rocked a baby boy in her lap who slept peacefully. Life could not be better. She was living in Hawaii on the lovely Oahu Island, living the life of luxury. She and Drake had married four months after their adventure and now had had a beautiful, baby boy: Chase Alexander Hanover. Meg didn’t believe it possible that she could be happier. She had everything that she had ever wanted.

  She often saw Peleke and they would have long, happy talks. He had become a good friend, and it no longer perturbed her that he would leave as mysteriously as he had come. Doug was now serving twelve years in prison for theft and attempted murder. Denise had never been found, but she had miraculously sent the treasure to the Bishop Museum. Meg had received a text from her stating that money had not brought her happiness and maybe it would come to her if she did the right thing. Meg returned her text wishing her well.