by Reina Torres
“But I also know that she’s not going to like being in the dark. She has more than enough experience with that just trying to get this thing started.”
“Then tell me,” Train released the man’s shirt slowly, “what you’re about to dump on her so I can soften the blow.”
“Or maybe…”
They both turned toward the door to see Ku‘uipo walking down the shallow steps to the driveaway.
“You can both treat me like the big girl I am and tell me now. And then, I can make my own decision about how much I’m going to let this affect me.”
She stepped up to Train and he couldn’t help but love the way she slid an arm around his back so she could lean into his side.
“And maybe if you two are going to try to be super-secret-squirrels about something, you might not want to beat your chests in front of the doors.”
Palani laughed and then held up his hand. “Sorry.
My bad.”
She waved off the apology. “What’s going on?”
“We can’t find Miles Kirkendahl. For a few days he was staying at one of the cheaper hotels and then he moved to one of the illegal ‘BnB’ rentals. We didn’t crack down on that rental because at least we knew where he was, but I was just informed that the officer I’d asked to keep tabs on him said he’d been busy.”
Train hugged Ku‘uipo closer and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Just how busy can he be?”
“Hey,” Detective Santos leaned closer, “don’t go there. Kaua‘i is a damn paradise on most days, but we have our own problems. And yeah, I ripped him a new one for letting it go this long, but Miles is in the wind. I was hoping we could keep track of him to make sure he stays away from here, but we messed up.”
“It’s okay.”
Train heard the compassion in her voice and he wanted to argue. Still, he knew it wouldn’t do any good. Ku‘uipo wasn’t going to blame the detective or the officer.
“With Efrain and his friends helping us to set up patrols, we’re going to keep everything running smoothly. And you’ll keep looking for Miles, but I understand that unexpected things pop up. It’s the one constant for hotels and certainly for law enforcement. We’ll get through this and then we’ll put it behind us.”
Train caught the detective’s eyes and he saw the agreement there that they’d have to talk sooner rather than later. “Thanks, Detective.”
The two men shook on it and Train loosened his hold on Ku‘uipo as she stepped up to give Palani a hug.
He knew where he stood in Ku‘uipo’s affections, but it was still hard to see her hug another guy like that.
Hell, after he left, she was going to keep hugging a lot of guys like that, but he wouldn’t be around to give those guys a look that said not to expect anything more.
Train knew he was going to have to live with that, but first, he was going to have to get Ku‘uipo through the opening of her hotel.
That was going to be hard enough.
He knew it was time to have an important conversation with her, and it couldn’t wait any longer.
Fourteen
Miles was sure of one thing in his life. That older guy, the one with the money, he knew what he was talking about. Clean up? It sounded like crap, but it was a good idea. Looking like a homeless person wasn’t going to help him get onto the grounds.
Hell, they would have smelled him coming.
Still, the money helped with other things. He was still craving coke. It nagged at him all day long and well into the night, but it was a craving he could put off.
He’d done it before.
It sucked balls, but it had to be done.
He was going to be avoiding a bunch of military guys.
So he kept enough of the money back for a little celebration when this was all over. Enough to keep him high and happy for days.
But, until then, he had to be at the top of his game. Had to keep sharp. Focused.
Who the hell was he trying to fool?
What he needed to get through this was a fairy fucking godmother complete with a magic wand.
Looking at his phone, he saw the list of events leading up to the opening. Tomorrow was the day when a whole slew of press and tourists were ready to show up at the Kailani Palms for the opening event. The day before had a schedule that looked more like the battle plans at Normandy, but the most important part of the list were all the evening activities.
Sure, they weren’t going to make a late night of it, they had plenty to do on opening day in the morning. There were inspections and final planning events. Full staff dinner and then an early turn in.
That’s what he was looking forward to.
She would end the night, crawl in bed and as soon as he was sure she was out like a light, he’d make sure she stayed that way.
No, he wasn’t going to do anything huge or crazy, but he’d already proved that wood was flammable and that stupid little mom and pop cottage of hers was just aching to go down.
In the long run, they would probably use the space to build something better, just like they did all the time in Vegas. Implode, trash, rebuild.
All he had to do was slip in while everyone was at the party and then wait. He had supplies. A few helpful items care of the local hardware store and grocery store. If that didn’t make him smile nothing would. And if everything went right, he wouldn’t have to worry about much of anything after this.
After this, he was set.
Train couldn’t help but feel antsy. Tomorrow the hotel was opening. Two days after that, he would be getting on a plane, heading back to Oʻahu with his team.
Three days.
Walking back to Ku‘uipo’s cottage he couldn’t seem to keep up any sort of conversation. He could hold onto her hand and feel the heat of her skin against his. Words were lost to him.
Ku‘uipo paused at the base of the stairs and looked at him, searching his face. “Is everything okay?”
He huffed out a breath. “Fine.”
“Right.”
Her tone proved that she knew him, perhaps a little too well.
“What’s the real story, soldier?”
“Babe, we have to talk, but not out here, okay?”
Train heard her hasty intake of breath and knew that he’d mucked up his words.
“It’s not bad.” She still wasn’t moving. “I swear. It sounds like it’s bad, but it’s not. I just want you to know something before tomorrow and it’s not going to be something that I could talk about before now. It’s just something I think you should know and I-”
“Efrain!” Her laughter was a little forced, but at least she could still smile in the face of his runaway explanation. “Let’s go inside, okay?”
She held out her hand and waited for him to take it.
When he did, she took the first step up with him following behind.
And really, it was the best thing. From here on out it was going to depend on her. Everything was going to depend on her.
Miles suddenly realized why being a plumber or an electrician would suck in Hawai‘i. Under the house, in the dark, with rocks under him and things moving around him. It felt like being trapped between two big, flat surfaces, waiting for everything to pancake in on him. Snuff him out.
There wasn’t much difference between where he was physically and where he had been job-wise. He could handle borderline claustrophobia. It wasn’t that bad.
But there were noises. Lots of little noises.
He could hear Ku‘uipo near the steps and a man. He had a feeling he knew exactly what man was there too.
“Fuck!” He’d hissed the word, but he covered his mouth with both hands and shook his head. Idiot.
Something skittered away from him and he had to bite into his lip to keep from shouting. He’d never liked the dark.
No, the dark was fine.
He’d never liked the things that move in the dark.
Miles reached into his jeans pocket and wrapped his hand around one of the lighters h
e’d brought with him.
Something small moved in the pile of leaves that he’d gathered under the center support of the house. Sure, it was up on a cement block, but there was more than enough room to pile up leaves. Especially when he had all kinds of time on his hands and little to no wind to contend with under the house.
All he had to do was wait.
And ignore the things moving in the dark.
Yeah, he was going to need to get high after this. Good and fucked up high.
Inside, Ku‘uipo didn’t even wait for him to close the door. She was tired and everything she wore was sticking to her body. Humidity in Hawai‘i was no joke. Weather in Hawai‘i was crazy to begin with. It never failed to confuse visitors to the islands when rain was pouring out of a blue sky.
Or when rain seemed to go sideways, or parallel to the ground. Nature had its own rules in paradise.
It was part of the charm of the place when you lived there, but it could also be the kind of weather that made you shower three times in a row to get the heat and sweat off your skin.
Stepping over the rag rug and its unintentional trap beneath it, Ku‘uipo reached up and over her shoulders and grabbed the pull of her zipper. She got it down far enough to switch angles and reach around behind her.
The curtain that she’d added over the bathroom window was a godsend. Even though the glass in the window was faceted, people outside were able to see colors and vague shapes. The last thing she wanted was one of her staff or guests to see her vaguely naked body in the window.
“Hey,” she called out over her shoulder, “are you coming in?”
“I was just going to wait out here and give you some time to yourself.”
Peeling off her dress, she stepped out of it and tossed it into one of the hampers by the door. From there she could see Efrain waiting in the doorway.
“What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “It can wait.”
“I don’t think it should.” Reaching behind her, she felt for one of the hooks between her shoulder blades. “It’s bothering you, so let’s talk.”
“If you keep taking off your clothes, I’m not going to be able to think.”
She looked back at him in surprise. “Really?”
He shrugged and she could tell he was trying to muster up a smile. “I’m a man, you’re about to take off your bra, and I not only know what’s underneath that lace, I know what it tastes like.”
His words washed over her again and again until she nodded and agreed. “Okay, I get what you’re saying. I’ll get a robe.” Before he could say anything, she picked her robe up off the hook on the wall and pulled it on over her lingerie. From there she sat down on the floor and saw his confusion.
Ku‘uipo gestured at the floor in front of her. “Have a seat, the tiles make this room the coolest one in the house on nights like this.”
Train looked like he’d rather face a firing squad than sit down on the tiled floor, but he did it. They were almost hip to hip when he stretched his legs out and looked at her.
“So, there’s one thing you need to know about me.”
She drew in a slow breath and then let it out. “If you’re married, I’m going to kill you. Just a little F-Y-I.”
That got a little smile.
Good. No hidden wife somewhere. Not that she really thought he’d do that, but it was good to get it out of the way. Nothing else could be that bad. Right?
“You know that I’m scheduled to leave in three days.”
Even though she knew it, had it marked on her calendar, it didn’t make it any easier to have the reminder bring it to the forefront of her mind.
“Yeah?”
“It’s not going to be easy when I go back. Our commander was cool about my change in plans and I think it wasn’t so much that he knew I wanted to stay. He thinks you’re pretty amazing.”
“Okay…” She wanted to give him the time to get his thoughts out, but for once, she really wished he’d just lay it out in a rush. This whole tension building thing was going to give her an ulcer. She was already halfway there thanks to all the stress she’d been going through.
“I don’t know how much you know about the Army but working in the hospitality industry I know you understand crazy schedules. And that’s kind of what we have to work with. Sometimes we’re home for awhile and sometimes we’re out.”
“Like deployment? I’ve seen those videos online when soldiers come back home to their families. That’s tough.”
“It is.” His smile lost some of its light. “But our unit is a little different.”
She let out a breath and started to pick at the hem of her robe. “How different?”
“We go when and where we’re needed. Kind of like what we did here. We were on island for training and then we helped with the search-”
“And then you stayed to help me. That’s what your job is like… quick missions?”
“Some of them are quick and sometimes we’re gone for a while. It depends on the challenges involved.”
“It feels like you’re giving me a whole lot of… generalizations.”
“And that’s all I can give you right now. Even when I leave for a mission, this might be all I can give you. A heads up. A goodbye.”
“Wait!” She shook her head. “So, what are you? Who are you that this ends up being some kind of disappearing act?”
He paused for a moment, his eyes searching hers, but for what, she had no idea. “I’m going to tell you something, Ipo. You’re going to have to promise me that no matter what… after I tell you… you can’t- you can’t tell anyone what you know.”
Her heart was beating a crazy rhythm in her chest like Tahitian drums, starting and stopping. She wanted to say no. She wanted to stop him from talking because she was afraid, but then again, this was Efrain and the trust she’d felt for him had been almost immediate.
What could go wrong?
“Okay.”
“We’re Deltas. Like SEALS are the elite for the Navy. Deltas are a different kind of specialist. We aren’t soldiers. We’re operators. We all have the same training in general areas but we have our specialties. We go in when-”
“When things are really screwed up.” She didn’t wait for him to agree. “No wonder you stuck around here. How much more screwed up can you get than my little corner of the Pacific? Deltas. Delta Force? Like in the movies?” She was laughing but it wasn’t a damn bit funny.
It was crazy and when she wrapped her arms around herself, she couldn’t help but feel like her robe should have been a straight jacket.
“So why now?” She sucked in a breath and let it out almost immediately. “Huh? Why are you dumping this on me right before you go?”
“Ipo-”
“No.” She looked away from him. “This isn’t something you can sweet talk me out of. What was the point? You tell me this and then say that even if we managed to squeeze out a day or two here and there to see each other, you could be called away at any minute?
“That’s like the Army’s special way of saying ‘don’t call me, I’ll call you?’”
“That’s not what I’m trying to say.” He reached for her and she scooted away,
“What’s the point?” She knew she’d said it before, but at that moment, she was trying to understand it herself. “You already told me things were going to change. You can’t just say, ‘Hey, it’s been nice, but that’s it?’ That, I can handle.”
Scrambling to her feet, she turned her back to him and reached for the belt of her robe.
“And why tonight?” She could hear her voice rising in volume and pitch. Frustration wasn’t a good look on her and goodness knows she was a master at the ugly cry. “If you wanted out, Train,” she almost growled out his Delta name, “I gave you the out. You could have waited and then just said goodbye. Now I’m going to worry about you even more! It’s not like fancy cars is it? Those guys that buy the fancy cars, top of the line and then leave them in a warehouse to stare
at them. Take them out for a spin every once in a while? No. When you’re a soldier, operator, whatever, they don’t leave the elites on the shelf and trot you out for parades.
“Oh my god. They don’t even tell people who you are! That’s why you’re telling me now. Because it’s supposed to be a secret! Well, guess what, you don’t need to scare me away, Train. Just leave.”
Her robe hit the floor and she wrenched the dial on the shower. Water sputtered from the shower head like it hadn’t seen action in months.
She huddled up against the wall under the spray. The cool tiles against her arms, cheek and belly were a welcome relief from the hot rush of water over her head and down her back.
What a fool she was! What a fool she’d just made of herself!
It would be so much easier if she didn’t care about him.
If she didn’t love him.
If… if he was just a normal guy. If she wasn’t such a mess. An upside down penny. A crack in the cement. If she didn’t have to worry that some how she would hurt him, or distract him with her problems and then send him out into the world… on a mission… carrying the weight of her problems on his shoulders.
Her luck was holding. Bad luck.
Train flexed his hands over and over trying to get himself under control. He should have just let her have her shower first.
He should have just waited until the opening was done.
Hell, he couldn’t even remember why he’d felt so cocksure that his little FYI had to happen that night.
But what difference would that have made to him?
He’d made the decision and he’d gone ahead and done it.
Maybe he’d gone ahead and earned his name another way that night, except this time, he’d run right over Ku‘uipo’s heart. He wasn’t even sure why she was upset.
She was all over the place with her thoughts, but he hadn’t been all that focused with his either.
He just had to find a way to make it better.
Starting forward, he walked right into the shower. He didn’t have to worry about sliding doors or anything of the kind. It was a modern shower that took up a large portion of the room. There was a curtain that shielded the shower from the window, but the tiled floor of the bathroom had a drain in it and could easily fit both of them and a few small elephants that needed a bath.
