Tsunami Crimes

by Chrys Fey

  Donovan wasn’t sure what brought about Beth’s change, but her old self was returning, and he was thankful for that.

  “If that’s true then why hasn’t he come for the two of you here?”

  Beth smiled at Thorn’s question. “Because he doesn’t want to make his boss’s mistake. He has another plan.”

  “If only we knew what that was,” Donovan interjected.

  Although anyone could’ve questioned Beth’s sanity over the past few weeks, she was sane and her logic was sound. While in the claustrophobic closet, she had been able to get into her kidnapper’s head and learn his ways. Neither he nor Thorn doubted her instincts in this matter.

  That still left Donovan with one unanswered question. “If we don’t know where the bastard is, and he’s not coming here, how do we draw him out?”

  All three of them were silent.

  Donovan thought of returning to the building where they found Beth and doing a thorough search of it and the surrounding buildings. But that would take a lot of manpower and time. There was no way of knowing how far Mr. Gun could’ve gone to find a safe place to hide and plot his next move. For all they knew, Mr. Gun could be in the hotel across the street watching them through the window with a sniper’s scope.

  Donovan peered over his shoulder and made a mental note to draw the blinds.

  Putting out an APB would be pointless. They didn’t know his real name, and he could’ve disguised himself by now. Besides, he wouldn’t be showing his face anywhere.

  With one look at Thorn’s scowl, he could tell Thorn wasn’t having any more luck coming up with a plan.

  “There’s only one obvious answer,” Beth’s gaze locked onto Donovan. “We set ourselves up as bait.”

  Donovan looked at her aghast. “You already were bait!”

  Beth peered at him as calm as ever. “But now we can be bait together.”

  “This isn’t a game, Beth,” Donovan shouted.

  “To him it is.”

  Donovan faced Thorn, hoping the cop would take his side, but Thorn shook his head. “I hate to say it, but it’s the only option.”

  Obscenities flew from Donovan’s mouth. He stalked away from the table. In the kitchen, he clutched the edge of the sink. His hands tightened. If he could break the counter and bend the metal with his rage, he would.

  Beth’s words carried to him. “Thorn, can you—”

  “No need to ask,” he said. “I’ll get some food and come back in thirty.”

  The door closed.

  Though she moved silently, he could sense Beth behind him. Her right arm looped around his waist. Her palm flattened against his abdomen, and the splints on her fingers scratched him through the thin fabric of his T-shirt. Against his back, he felt her other arm trapped in the sling, as she pressed herself as closely as she could to him with her cheek between his shoulder blades.

  After a moment, he turned and wrapped her in his arms, being careful not to disturb her shoulder. They stayed like that for a minute before Beth spoke in a hushed voice.

  “I know you don’t want to risk me. I don’t want to risk you either, but we have to do whatever we can to get this guy. If we don’t, we’re always going to look over our shoulders. What kind of life will that be?” She leaned back.

  He lowered his head to look into her eyes. They were clear, not clouded with drugs or fear.

  “What if we have a baby?” she asked. “How would we keep him or her safe if we can’t keep ourselves safe?”

  The mention of a baby knotted his gut. “We can’t have a baby if you’re dead,” he whispered.

  “But if we get him, we’ll be able to live long, happy lives.” She lifted her right hand and lay her palm on his cheek. “We’re not the only ones who face uncertain futures if Mr. Gun is free to continue Jackson’s work. Think of all the other people he can kill. We have to stop him. Not just for us, but for his future targets. I can’t sit back and let him hurt other women as he hurt me.”

  He knew she couldn’t. And neither could he.

  “Okay,” he said. His voice was hoarse. “I’m in.”

  Those two words felt like a death sentence, but for whom he didn’t know.

  ****

  Thorn helped Beth into a bulletproof vest while Donovan strapped on his own. “So these things can stop bullets?” Beth asked.

  “We wouldn’t wear them if they didn’t,” Thorn said as he put the last strap into place.

  “What if he shoots at our heads?”

  Her words caused Thorn to glance at Donovan, but neither of them said a word.

  “Never mind,” she said. “I think I know.”

  Donovan pulled a T-shirt over his head and picked up the purple flannel shirt Beth would wear. He eased the sleeves up her arms then worked the buttons into place. Each one hid more and more of the vest. His gaze flicked to her face. She was watching him with wide eyes.

  His heart clenched.

  “I’ll be right beside you the whole time,” he said.

  “I know.”

  “No one is going to let anything happen to you.”

  “I know.”

  “We’re going to be okay.”

  Her lips pulled into a small smile. She nodded, but he felt her doubt.

  He captured her lips and kissed her deeply. His heart hammered into his chest. Could Beth feel it through the vest? When he pulled away, he slipped her arm into the sling.

  She looked as vulnerable as ever.

  With his arm around Beth, his hand on her hip, he faced Thorn who wore his own bullet proof vest over a black T-shirt. In his hand, he clutched a radio.

  “When you go outside, linger a moment so if he’s watching, he’ll see you. Drive to the beach. Go the speed limit. If you drive too slow or too fast, he’ll know something is up. When you get to Waikiki Beach, head toward Diamond Head. We’ve drawn an infinity symbol in the sand for you. If you see it, we’re close. You won’t see them, but undercover police officers will be there. They are getting into position as we speak. Don’t do anything suspicious. Don’t look over your shoulder. Act like you’re alone. We’re doing this at sunrise to eliminate the possibility of innocent people getting caught in the mix. If Mr. Gun shows up, play his game. I’ll give the order to shoot him when the opportunity arises.” He looked at them. “Are you ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be,” Beth said.

  “Let’s get this over with,” Donovan agreed.

  “All right.” Thorn lifted his radio. “Beth and Donovan are on the move. Everyone into position.” He nodded at them.

  Hand in hand, Donovan led Beth out of the hotel room, into the elevator, and onto the sidewalk. At the curb, they paused. It took all of Donovan’s self-restraint not to look up and down the street, not to search the windows. The sky above was a pale gray. The streets were quiet. Even so, he couldn’t shake the feeling someone watched them.

  He faced Beth.

  She turned to him. A sweet smile was on her face. It tugged his heartstrings. How could she give him such a lovely smile knowing how dangerous of a situation they were in? Knowing their lives could come to an end at any minute?

  She put her right hand on his neck and rose up on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. “Kiss me and make it good. Because nothing will piss him off more than seeing us together, in love and kissing.”

  She dropped back onto her heels. Her smile was wide, showing her teeth.

  Donovan grinned down at her. Dipping his head, he nipped at her bottom lip. His arm snaked around her, pulling her body snuggly to his. With his other hand, he caught her chin and held her head in place as his tongue entered her mouth. A soft caress, a gentle bite, a light suck. He drew a moan from her, a sound he hadn’t heard in a long time. It ignited a fire within him. He cradled her head in his hands as he eagerly explored her mouth. Her flavors, textures, and scent, he could drown in them. Her warmth, even in this moment, was strong enough to seep into his pores and set him ablaze.

  A groan rumbled in the back of
his throat. He had to pull away before his needs became too powerful. Beth wanted to give Mr. Gun a show of their romance, not a theatrical. But, by God, he couldn’t wait until this was over and she healed so he could make love to her again and reacquaint himself with her body.

  Panting, he pressed his forehead to hers. Feeling her lips, her tongue, hearing her moans and breathy sighs invigorated him. He wanted more, but couldn’t have it. Not on the sidewalk with Mr. Gun watching.

  “Damn,” Beth gasped. “That was…” Words failed her.

  He inched back, but his hands were still tangled in her hair. Her cheeks were flushed. How nice it was too see that versus the pallor her nightmares brought.

  “I miss that,” she managed.

  He smiled. Kissing her, caressing her, holding her to his humming body…he had missed that, too. The kisses he had given her before today were soft and quick. The caresses he had given her were soothing rubs on the back, and the embraces had been to ward off pain, not to heighten passion.

  He kissed her on the tip of her nose before leading her to their rental car.

  After they crossed South King Street, signs of the tsunami became visible. The roads were clear, but filth and debris were piled along the road. Crews made their way up and down Oahu, cleaning up what they could while machines used their metal jaws to pick apart demolished buildings. It would take Oahu months, years even, to return to its former self. If it ever did.

  Donovan glanced at Beth. She sat stiffly in the passenger’s seat with her head bowed and her hair curtaining her face.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” Her voice was muffled. “It’s just better if I don’t look.”

  Heart breaking for her, he put his hand on her knee. He drove like that all the way to the beach. When the coast came into view, his jaw clenched. Many of the hotels dotting the coast were gone. He knew Beth had seen some of these images on the news, but he didn’t want her to see them in person. He drove to the end of the beach and parked next to the last hotel that was luckily still intact, except all the windows were busted.

  He squeezed Beth’s knee. “We’re here.”

  Beth slowly lifted her head. She looked toward Diamond Head and then back at the rest of Waikiki Beach. Her body jerked as if an electric current shocked her muscles. She took a deep breath before turning her head to Donovan.

  He was relieved not to see her eyes swimming with tears, but there was pain between her lashes. The same pain he felt while looking at the demolished beach line and thinking about the people who had been there when the tsunami struck.

  “Let’s get this over with,” she said.

  They walked toward Diamond Head where Thorn and his undercover team hid. Their footsteps were leisurely, as if they had no reason to think danger was near.

  A couple of surfers were in the water, undeterred by the ruins as long as they could catch a wave. One person jogged along the shore and another snapped pictures of the water. Other than that, the beach was stranded.

  They were drawing closer to the massive mountain that was Diamond Head when the infinity symbol appeared in the sand. Beth’s hand twitched in his. He kicked away the infinity as they passed it.

  “How about this spot?” he asked.

  Beth peered at the scenery. “I like it. We’re alone.” She smiled at him and sank onto the sand facing Diamond Head. He lowered next to her and put an arm around her waist.

  Gentle waves gently rolled forward and stretched over the soft sand beside them, reflecting the colors of the sunset—soft oranges and bright yellows. The skies’ brilliance wasn’t matched in the rolling waves, though. The colors staining the clouds behind Diamond Head struck Donovan with awe. He couldn’t remember the last time he admired a sunrise or sunset. If ever.

  “So this is where it’s going to end,” Beth whispered. “In this pretty place?”

  He knew what she meant. Sting operations should be done in sketchy places, not a place as beautiful as this.

  “You know I don’t think I’ve ever watched the sunrise before. I like to sleep in.”

  Donovan chuckled. “I was thinking the same thing.” He drew her closer to his side. “Do you know how magical a sunrise or sunset is? Although it looks like the sun travels across the sky, the Earth is actually moving. While we go on with the little things that make up our days, the Earth is rotating on its axis, giving us sunrises and sunsets. At the same time, it’s spinning so fast that it grounds us. Yet, it still orbits around the sun, a journey that takes a full year. And the sun”—he turned his face to it—“it’s large and full of magma, but we’re so far away from it that it looks like nothing more than an orb. And yet, it’s still powerful enough to burn us. Although it’s motionless compared to earth, the sun orbits around the center of the Milky Way.”

  Beth sighed. “Makes me feel so small.”

  “But we’re part of the puzzle.”

  Beth tilted her head to him. “We’re part of the mystery.” She smiled and then added softly, “I think we should face the ocean. In case he’s waiting to sneak up on us.”

  “Good idea.”

  While facing the waves, he kissed her temple, and she lay her head on his shoulder. They sat like that for several minutes. Oranges, yellows, and thin streaks of purple filled the sky to their left. With Beth at his hip, the soft sand beneath him, frothy ocean water creeping closer, he forgot why they were there.

  Beth picked up a shell and held it up for him to see. “My first shell from Hawaii. In San Fran, you said the shells I collected could’ve come from anywhere in the world and washed up there for me to find. Do you remember that?”

  “How could I forget?”

  She tucked her new shell into the breast pocket of her shirt. “I could be wrong,” she whispered. “We’ve been here a long time. Maybe he’s not—”

  Something slammed into Donovan’s back with such force his head went back. Bullet! That one word was a scream in his head. He collapsed onto the sand. The scream in his head turned into Beth’s scream in his ear.

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Beth draped herself over Donovan and tapped his cheek. “Donovan?”

  His eyes stayed sealed.

  “Donovan?” She pushed his shoulder off the sand so she could slip her hand underneath him. Wetness touched her skin. She pulled her hand back and choked on a sob at the sight of red tainting her fingers.

  “No! Donovan!” Tears blurred his face.

  He wasn’t moving, wasn’t breathing.

  She laid her forehead to his chest. “You promised me forever.”

  Sand shot into the air a foot from where Beth knelt. She lifted her head to see Mr. Gun a few yards away. He looked more menacing than she remembered, the gun in his hand larger.

  “Hello, Beth.”

  Her mouth went dry. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. The moisture in her body collected in her eyes and leaked down her cheeks.

  “Get up,” he ordered with a jab of the gun in her direction.

  She rose onto wobbling knees. Her hands shook.

  Next to her feet, Donovan lay lifelessly.

  “You killed him,” she gasped.

  Mr. Gun cocked his head to the side. “You always knew I would. I said from the beginning I’d kill him.”

  “You also said you’d kill me, so why didn’t you shoot me in the back, too? Why didn’t you take me out? Put me out of my misery?”

  “After I told Jackson how wounded you were, how fragile you became, he realized you weren’t as much of a threat as he first thought. Donovan was always the main objective. Not you.”

  “But I want to die,” she shouted. “I don’t want to live without him.”

  “Ah, but that would be a waste of a good bullet.”

  Anger edged out her sorrow. “You already put a bullet in me. Using another one won’t be much of a loss.”

  Mr. Gun shrugged. “I’m not fond of unnecessary bloodshed.”

  Beth sputtered. “You live for bloodshed. Yo
u work for Jackson Storm for God’s sake!”

  “And I have orders from Jackson to let you live. You should be happy.”

  “Happy?” Her body vibrated with a million swarming emotions. “Happy? My husband is lying dead at my feet. You’ve taken everything from me—my husband, my sanity, my happiness. Now take my fucking life. End this once and for all!”

  “Beth, Beth, Beth—”

  “Don’t say my name like you know me,” she shouted. “You’re scum. You don’t know anything about me, and I don’t want to know a damn thing about you.”

  “Ouch!” He rubbed a hand over his heart. “You’re hurting my feelings.” He had the nerve to pout. “I’m gonna go.” He flicked the muzzle of his gun at Donovan. “Enjoy your dead husband.”

  His comment was like a blow to her heart. She bent forward as breath punched out of her body.

  Mr. Gun strutted away, whistling. The bastard was whistling! All the anger she ever felt during her life didn’t compare to the rage she had at that moment. Red flashes stole her vision. Her heart rate was so erratic it was all she could feel. A thousand hearts beating at once with the force to shatter her body. Her chest heaved. She dug into her shirt’s pocket and threw the shell at Mr. Gun. His head jerked forward, and she knew it had cracked into his skull. She hoped it had cut him.

  “I’m not weak,” she shouted. Her voice spat venom. “I’m not broken! You can lock me in a closet, starve me, shoot me, beat me. You can do your worst, and I will still survive. I will still be a bigger man than you’ll ever be.”

  Mr. Gun charged at her, but she stood her ground. Not so much as taking a step back in retreat. “You don’t think I’m a threat?” she said. “You don’t know the meaning of the word.” Her voice had taken on an edge she had never heard come out of her vocal chords. It was deep and raw.

  Mr. Gun stopped a foot from her and jabbed the muzzle of the gun between her brows. She could smell the metal, the grease, the gun powder. She pressed her forehead to it and glared into his black-hole eyes.