Chapter 12
Storm hadn’t said a single word to him since they left the resort. Maybe suggesting her father was a plausible suspect was too much, but Harlan had to consider all the possibilities and plan for them. That’s how he saved lives. That’s how his men always came home. And that was how he would help Storm get to the bottom of her problem. He wanted a chance to get to know her and that couldn’t happen in the midst of this chaos.
He made right and left turns without much thought to where he was going. They would have to find another hotel for the night. There were plenty along the beach. One had to have a room for them. But would they be followed again, if they were followed at all?
“Why don’t we go pick up your assistant?” He stole a glance at Storm. Her lips were pressed into a thin white line. She rubbed her hands along her thighs.
He turned the car in the direction of evacuated residences. Having a destination gave him something to focus on instead of his confused feelings for Storm.
“I shouldn’t have brought Robin into this.” Color had drained from Storm’s face, accenting the purple bruise-like shape under her tired eyes.
“It’s too late to worry about that now. Let’s get her and find another place to stay until the flights are back on schedule. Then you and she can fly home.” He wanted to fix this for her somehow in ways he had not wanted to for another person. This woman had captured his attention, but if getting her out of here was the best choice, then she would have to go. His desires didn’t factor into the scenario.
“I’m not going home.” She sat up straighter.
“Were you planning on staying here indefinitely?”
“I don’t have a plan, Harlan. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve never been on the run for my life before.”
He reached over and grabbed her hand. Her skin was cool to his touch. If he wasn’t driving, he would pull her against him and warm her, if she would allow that. She didn’t pull away from him and he would take that as a good sign.
“You don’t know that someone tried to actually kill you. Maybe someone spilled something into your food by accident. You panicked. I don’t blame you. You ran. You should go home and get back to your regular life. You can’t do anything here on the island except stay in hotels and hide. How long will that work?”
“Go home and do what? Wait for this person to try again? They followed me here. They’ll follow me back.”
“We don’t know that.” Her hand was small against his, like all of her. When they slept together last night, it was all he could do not to pull her to him and wrap his arms around her. Waking up with her pressed against him confirmed that she was a perfect fit, even if those feelings had scared him.
“Someone sent up food we didn’t order. I think that’s too much of a coincidence, don’t you?” She pulled her hand away. With reluctance, he returned his to the steering wheel.
He didn’t believe in coincidences. Human behavior was often predictable. That was why he could negotiate with a hostage taker. Eventually, they all caved under the right amount of questioning and belief their demands would be met.
“I’ll admit it’s peculiar. But you’re suggesting the person followed you here. That means they know you got on a plane. Who knew that you left the state besides your assistant?” He turned at the stop sign. The traffic in this part of the county picked up.
“Well, now my father. And you seem to think my own father wants me dead. I could punch you for that.” She gave him a sideways glance. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
He should really keep his eyes on the road, but his gaze sought her out over and over.
“I’m sorry to point that out as a possibility. I don’t want to believe it, but whether you like it or not, when murder is involved, it’s almost always someone the victim knows. I’m trying to keep you safe.”
“The vice president of advancement knew too.” She ran her hand through her thick hair. “Excuse me?” He hit the brakes. They both bucked forward and back.
“My VP of advancement, Dennis. He might have known that I left town as well. He was there when I was retching in the bathroom. He heard me and came in to check.”
Someone behind him honked their horn. He continued toward the district that the volcano reclaimed with her black lava. They would arrive soon and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to see it. The landscape transformed with each mile. Menacing sludge trudged over the land, taunting everyone with its slow pursuit.
“You didn’t mention that your vice president was with you before now. Why not?” He stole another glance at her. Had he missed her cues earlier that she was either lying or leaving information out? He had tried to gather a baseline for her. His gut had said to trust her, but this new piece of information was important to her story. Something she should have mentioned.
“I forgot.”
“You forgot? How do you forget something like that? That’s an important detail.” He forced his voice to stay calm, but he wasn’t sure he had succeeded. If he tipped her off that he was frustrated, she would clam up and he needed her to keep talking.
“Well, I’m sorry, Harlan.” She waved her hand in the air. “I didn’t realize you were interrogating me like I’m the criminal. Pull over.”
“I’m not pulling over.”
“Pull the car over. I need air. Right now.” She reached for the door handle.
“Wait. You’ll hurt yourself.” He checked the mirrors and signaled that he would be pulling onto the shoulder.
Before the car was in park, she had jumped from her seat and ran onto the beach, then doubled over with her hands on her knees.
He ran after her. His feet sunk into the sand, slowing him down. The ocean roared with each wave it crashed onto the surf. Mist from the salt water dotted his skin.
“Are you okay?” He put a hand on her shoulder but gave her some space so she wouldn’t feel as if he crowded her and she panicked further.
She shook her head.
“Can you take a deep breath?”
She nodded and sucked in a loud gulp of air. He gave her a minute. She stood and wiped her hair from her face. “I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. I’ve seen men panic over a lot less than attempted murder.”
She rewarded him with a smile that reached into his chest and tapped on his heart. He was in trouble here. He believed her story, and he would do whatever she wanted or needed from him.
He didn’t believe in love at first sight or soul mates in some cosmic way. Love was supposed to be learned over time when trust was built. He loved his teammates because he could trust them with his life and had. He loved his sister. He had even been in love with a woman once. They had been young and he was in SEAL training. She had been a lifeline for him to cling to when the training pushed him to the brink over and over. The training had tested his mind and body in ways he hadn’t known possible. LeAnn had been his anchor.
But when the training was all over and they could spend time together, he realized she wasn’t the one for him. She had been in love with the idea of a life married to a Navy SEAL and not in love with him.
Having strong feelings for Storm made no sense to his logical brain. But his instincts… his instincts reached out for her, wanting her against him. Maybe it was just sexual. Chemistry. Pheromones.
“What could be scarier than knowing someone wants to kill you?” she said.
“BUD/S training,” he said, hoping to make her laugh.
“What is buds training?”
“It’s an intense program to become a SEAL.” He didn’t tell many people he had been a SEAL. He couldn’t talk about his missions, didn’t want to either, and he didn’t need to sound like he was bragging. Being a SEAL was who he was. That was it. He wasn’t special.
“You’re a Navy SEAL?”
“Retired.”
“Who cares. Wow. That explains a lot.”
“Like?”
“That calm demeanor and intense stare you have, just to name two.” She gave him another of her fantastic smiles.
Her compliment shouldn’t mean so much, but it did. He wanted to impress her. He also wanted to get off the beach and out of the open. People milled around closer to the water. Some walked up and down the beach. Cars drove by on the street.
“Are you ready to go?” he said.
“Not yet.” She stepped into him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
It took a second for his dumbfounded brain to catch up before he relaxed his arms and held her close. She melted into him, fitting against him as if she were meant to be there, like he had imagined. He tucked her head under his chin and had a whiff of her strawberry shampoo.
“Thank you for this. I needed a hug.” Her breath was warm against his shirt.
“My pleasure.”
She tilted her chin to look up at him. “Are you married?”
He choked out a laugh. “No.”
“Serious girlfriend?”
“No, ma’am. Why do you ask?”
“Because I want you to kiss me.”
“You do?”
“I’m a woman who knows what she wants and goes for it. Kiss me, Harlan Fender.” Her hands slid up his back.
“Storm, I would very much like to kiss you. But I want us to get out of the open. If you’ll do me the honor of taking care of your wish at a later time, I would greatly appreciate it.”
“But that’s not a no.”
“It’s a definite yes when we are in a safer location. I don’t have my teammate, Lane, with me. He’s pretty good with a long gun. I’d prefer to have our backs covered if I’m going to take my eyes off my surroundings.”
“The things you Navy guys think about.” She eased back.
“Ingrained in me. If you still want me to kiss you later, think about that.”
“Sounds serious.”
“I don’t do one-night stands. If we do anything more than kiss, I’ll be coming back for more.”
“Duly noted.” She turned and headed for the car.
He helped her into the passenger seat and ran around the front of the car to continue their journey to the shelter. She wanted him to kiss her, but he meant what he had said. He wasn’t interested in a one-night stand and how could this be anything but? They were from different worlds thrown together by the strangest of circumstances. Their lives didn’t fit.
He closed the driver’s door and shut out the world and any further thoughts about kissing Storm. He might like it, but he would regret it later.
“You asked me before I panicked if I had said anything to Dennis about coming to Hawaii. I don’t remember if I said anything about my intentions to leave. I grabbed my purse, of all things. He wanted to stop me and call for an ambulance, but I wouldn’t allow it. I needed to report it.” She adjusted her seat belt.
“The paramedics would have reported it.”
“I wasn’t thinking straight. I was beside myself. Maybe I should have waited for an ambulance. This is all so awful.”
“We’ll get to the bottom of it.”
“Dennis was waiting for me outside the police station that night when I came out.”
“Was he trying to help you?” Harlan would like a chance to talk to this Dennis, but accomplishing that would be difficult at best. He would like a chance to interview all the people closest to Storm. He would have a better read on the whole situation.
“Perhaps. Perhaps not. He hates me too.” She glanced at him. “I know. I know how that sounds.”
“You don’t make friends easily.”
“Most people are intimidated by a woman in a position of power.”
“Not me.” He had no problem with a woman in charge. In fact, it was a turn-on because he needed a confident, secure woman to be by his side, someone who could understand him and his military ways and not always second-guess his intentions if he didn’t use the right words to express his feelings.
Storm put a hand on his knee. “I can tell. Dennis wanted to be the president. And when I was given the job, he caused a scene at a fundraising dinner. It was a complete embarrassment. Campus police had to come and escort him out of the building. I wanted him fired, but the board asked me to give him another chance. They said he was going through a hard time because he was getting a divorce. I think they just didn’t want there to be a total scandal for the school.”
“Do you think he would speak with me?” This Dennis character needed to be contacted.
Traffic returning to Kanawao Estates was heavy. They waited in a line of cars stopped by police officers, speaking with the driver of every vehicle. Officer Kalani was up ahead.
Kalani looked as if he hadn’t slept in days. The front of his uniform was stained. The bags under his eyes could carry a month’s worth of clothes. Harlan lowered the window.
“How’s it going, Officer Kalani?”
“We’re only allowing residents back in who need to get essentials. Why are you here?” Kalani bent to look inside the car.
Storm leaned across him. “Hello again. It’s a pleasure to see a familiar face. My assistant, Robin McNamara, is waiting for me at one of the shelters inside this zone. She had tried to get to the actual rental, not realizing I was already gone. We’re picking her up.”
“Oh, yes. I remember her. Feisty one, that one was. Turn right up here. Go three blocks. You’ll see it. Then come back out the same way. The lava is blocking many of the roads. Kilauea is taking back her land for sure this time.”
“Thank you. We won’t be long,” Storm said.
“Best of luck.” Harlan rolled up the window and made the right. “Besides Dennis, who else was up for the promotion?”
“I don’t know who any of the other candidates were. I didn’t pay attention. If it wasn’t going to be me, then I’d find out who my new boss was when it was time. Or I’d leave the school altogether. That might have been what my father had wanted all along.”
“Let me get this straight. Your ex-husband is jealous of you because you’re more successful. Your vice president wanted your job. Your father hates you because you are successful and more so than your brothers. Do your brothers hate you too?”
“Probably. You can ask them.” Storm sank against the seat.
He just might.
The shelter came into view. Even though it was early in the day, the sky was still covered with volcanic fog, tossing the late morning into dusk. The air quality couldn’t be good for all the people milling about. Some walked like zombies, displaced from the comforts of home, everything they held dear taken from them.
Volunteers still stood behind tables handing out water and food, some clothing. Harlan had seen relief centers before. They were always decorated with lost hope. He found a place to park the car down the road.
They walked back to the shelter. Storm slid her hand into his. He didn’t pull away, but he didn’t read much into the gesture. She was scared and alone. He was the life raft in sight. He better not sleep with her. He could fall for this woman and she would leave him adrift at sea without a look back.
“There she is.” Storm pointed in the direction of a small group of people. A woman with blond hair was in an animated conversation with two men who stood several inches above her. An older man, late sixties, early seventies with slicked-back gray hair, straight posture, and a serious look across his face listened intently to whatever Robin said. The other man was closer to Harlan’s age. Forties. Balding. Paunchy. Glasses. Dress shirt with a white t-shirt sticking out from underneath. Wrinkled beige trousers and shiny loafers. Harlan had seen this kind of guy before. This man was the serious type, studious, spent his days behind a desk. Not SEAL material.
“Who is she with?” he said.
Storm stopped walking. “The man on the right is my father. And the other one is my ex-husband, Randal.”