Chapter 4 #2
“Two and a half years,” she said, turning slowly, taking in the destruction.
“I was so happy to move into my own home.” She shrugged.
“Well, my name’s on it, even though the bank owns more of it than I do.
” She faced him. “What about you? You say you live in an apartment. Have you ever owned a house?”
He nodded. “I own a few.”
Her brow furrowed. “Do you own your apartment?”
Rex shook his head. “I rent it.”
“Why do you rent if you own a few homes?”
He shrugged. “They’re part of my investment portfolio. I rent them out. It’s supposed to be passive income. Though I spend time doing the maintenance on them.”
“Investments, passive income... Why do you work with the Brotherhood Protectors? Sounds like you don’t need to.”
“I like to keep busy and to use the skills I learned in the Army. Can’t always do that, managing property.”
“Did you learn about investments and purchasing property in college?”
He shook his head. “Not so much in college; I learned at home. My father drilled it into me. He tried to teach me all there was to know about business and finances from the moment I learned to read.”
“Did he want you to grow up able to take care of your family?”
“No,” Rex said, his lips thinning. “He wanted me to take over the family business after he retired.”
“Was that a bad thing?” she asked.
He snorted. “While other fathers taught their sons how to throw a football, mine taught me how to invest in stock markets and how to leverage mortgages to build a portfolio of assets.”
“I take it you would rather have been out throwing a football.”
“Actually, I drank it in, hoping that by showing interest in what he did, he would take an interest in me.”
“Did he?”
He shrugged. “Only as far as what I could add to his company. When I went to college, he chose my degree. When I told him I’d switched my degree field to history and political science, he cut my funding, saying he wouldn’t pay for a useless degree.
When I was ready to be serious about my studies, we could talk. ”
“What did you do?”
His lips curved upward. “I joined the Army, worked hard and earned my way into Delta Force.”
“Was your father proud of you then?”
He laughed. “No. He cut all ties with me when I joined the Army.”
Kimo’s heart pinched hard in her chest. “What about your mother?”
“She died when I was at the end of my sophomore year of college. My mother was the only person in my father’s house who made living there tolerable. She made me promise to live my life the way I wanted, not to let anyone take my choices away.”
“Thus, the change in your course of studies,” Kimo said softly.
Rex nodded.
“Any regrets about your decision to join the Army?” Kimo asked.
“None,” Rex said. “My father disowned me. My only family, my mother, was gone. In the Army, I found myself and my brothers in arms. I learned that love and loyalty weren’t determined by the blood in your veins, but by the blood you were willing to spill for people you care about.
” He glanced out the front window. “Looks like the Maui PD is here.” A frown brought his brow low. “Great, it’s Detective Sykes.”
Kimo shook her head. “Did it have to be him?”
The detective left his vehicle and climbed the steps to Kimo’s cottage.
“I’ll get the door,” Rex said.
“Thanks,” Kimo said and remained in the middle of the living room. The further away from the odious detective, the better.
Rex opened the door before the man could knock. “Can I help you?”
“I’m here to speak to Ms. Kekoa.” The detective glanced past Rex to where Kimo stood. “She called in a disturbance?”
“I called in about a break-in at her home. Are you here to dust for prints?”
The detective’s brow descended. “I’m here to help. Perhaps I could speak with Ms. Kekoa, as this is her home.”
Rex remained fully blocking the doorway, his arms crossing over his chest. “Are they sending someone who could actually help document the crime without interrogating the victim?”
“It’s okay, Rex,” Kimo said. “I’ll talk to the detective.”
For another long moment, Rex remained in the doorway. Finally, he took a step back, leaving barely enough space for the man to squeeze by.
His frown affixed to his face, Detective Sykes eased past Rex and studied the room. “Was your home in this condition when you left it...was it yesterday?”
Kimo fought the urge to roll her eyes but didn’t fight the sarcasm shooting past her vocal cords. “Of course. I’m in the process of redecorating. I’m going for a post-ransacked feel.” She shook her head. “No, this is not how it looked when I left yesterday afternoon.”
“Are there any items missing?” he asked.
“My cameras and computer,” she said.
“Were there images or data on any of your equipment that could possibly inspire someone to steal the items?”
“Shouldn’t you be asking if the equipment was expensive?
The items were expensive when I first purchased them.
As used electronics, they don’t hold much value to anyone but me.
They’re my livelihood. Without them, I can’t operate my photography business.
Replacing the items will take time and a lot more money. ”
“You said you could tap into the cloud for the images you downloaded from your dive last night. Were you able to do that?”
“Considering I just got home from the hospital only to find my home a shambles and my computer and cameras missing...tapping into the cloud would be a no.”
The detective frowned. “I have a laptop in my cruiser. Perhaps you could use it to tap into your data.”
Kimo’s brow twisted. “I suppose I could.” She wasn’t fond of the detective or his interviewing techniques.
“I’ll be right back. And, yes, there’s a unit on its way to process this crime scene.”
After Sykes left the house, Rex met and held Kimo’s gaze. “You okay?”
She nodded. “Still a little weak, but I’m holding my own.”
Rex’s gaze swept over her face. “You say the word when you’ve had enough, and I’ll escort the detective out.”
It was nice to have someone worry about her for once. It had been a long time since her parents died. Not that she thought of Rex as a substitute for her parents—not with his rugged good looks, broad shoulders and the strength to carry her around like she was as light as a feather.
Talk about sweeping a girl off her feet… Her pulse skittered through her veins, her body heating all over again, especially at her core.
Moments later, Detective Sykes was back with a laptop sporting a hardened case. He flipped it open and turned it toward her.
Kimo didn’t like logging into a strange computer with her username and passwords, but that’s what it would be like if she went to a library. Surely, it would be more secure on a police detective’s device.