Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
Maliea stared at the sleek black Porsche and frowned. “Are you sure you want us to get into that? Aren’t you afraid we might damage something?”
He shook his head. “The leather seats are pretty tough. It’ll be all right.”
Maliea touched Nani’s shoulder. “It will be easier if I get in first, baby,” she said. “Then you can climb up onto my lap.”
Maliea slipped into the leather passenger seat of the Porsche, afraid to touch anything. She’d never been in a car this fancy.
Once she was in, Nani scrambled into her lap.
Reid closed the door and rounded the front of the car to the driver’s side.
As he bent to get into the driver’s side, he glanced over at Maliea and Nani.
The little girl stared out the front windshield, and a smile spread across her little face. “Is this a race car?” she asked as Reid folded his long legs and body into the driver’s seat and closed the door.
“I’m sorry to say it is not a race car,” Reid said and started the engine. It roared to life and then settled into a rumbling purr like a lion's.
Reid eased onto the beach highway and maintained a slow pace all the way to a small, shack-like building with the words Burger Bar written in bold black letters over the door.
“It doesn’t look like much, but the food is good,” Reid said as he parked the Porsche next to a dilapidated older model compact car with a dent in the door and its back bumper missing entirely.
If the Porshe were hers, Maliea would have reconsidered driving it to Burger Bar and walked instead. Sweet Jesus, it was a beautiful car that must have cost this man a fortune.
When Nani reached out to touch one of the buttons, Maliea snatched her hand back. “Don’t touch.”
Reid chuckled. “Relax. I got the car used. I could never have afforded a new one.”
“Still, it’s too...too...” She shook her head, looking for the right word and failing miserably. “I’d be afraid to take it anywhere like it would be a magnet for trouble.”
“That’s what insurance is for.” Reid got out of the car and came around to help Nani out of Maliea’s lap. He set her on her feet beside him. “Stay close,” he warned. “Some cars drive fast down this road.”
Nani’s eyes widened. “Like a race car?”
Reid nodded. “Like a race car.”
“I bet your car is faster,” Nani said in her little voice, which sounded too grown up for a child so small.
Reid extended a hand to Maliea.
She ignored it, braced her hand on the doorframe and pulled herself halfway out of the car. Her hand slipped. She would have fallen back into her seat had Reid not darted forward as fast as he did.
He looped his arm around her waist and helped her the rest of the way out of the sports car and into his arms.
For a long moment, Maliea’s hands rested against Reid’s chest. She couldn’t help but notice that the man was as solid and muscular as he looked in his black polo shirt, stretched tautly over bulging biceps.
Once Maliea had her feet firmly beneath her, she moved back, shocked at her immediate and visceral response to having this man’s arms wrapped around her.
She blamed her rapid pulse on having nearly fallen backward, not on being held by a man who could melt a girl’s panties with one look or one flex of those bulging biceps.
Had she just thought of bulging biceps twice already? Now, make that three times in as many seconds.
Heat filled her cheeks. She ducked her head, not wanting Reid to see how affected she was by having his hands and arms on her body.
He’d only saved her from falling backward. The embrace was nothing sexual or sensual. Just a way of helping her regain her balance. It didn’t mean anything.
Hell, they didn’t even know each other. She didn’t know him. And she was a new widow, having just lost her husband not too long ago.
A husband who’d been growing increasingly distant over the past year, the devil on her shoulder reminded her.
Still, he’d been her husband.
For all she knew, Reid was married.
The thought made her cheeks burn even hotter.
She could be having lusty thoughts over a married man.
“So, Reid,” she said, “how long have you and your wife been on Oahu?” She clapped her hand over her mouth as soon as the words left her lips. “You don’t have to answer that. It’s none of my business.”
“I’ve been on Oahu for several weeks. No wife.”
“Widower?” she asked, unable to stop herself.
“Divorced,” he said flatly and held the door for her to enter the restaurant and bar.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly as she brushed past him, her arm touching his chest and sending a spark of electricity zinging through her.
“Me, too,” he said.
A cute blond woman smiled from behind the counter. “Hi, Reid. Have an early day at the ranch? Where’s the rest of your gang?”
Reid nodded toward the young woman. “Hi, Jenny. Logan and Rex are still working. I’m playing hooky.”
“Awesome,” Jenny said with a grin. “Sit where you like. I’ll bring menus.”
Reid led Maliea and Nani to the outdoor patio where bistro tables sported umbrellas to shade the customers. Just off the south side of the patio was a playset with a swing and a play fort with ladders, rope bridges and a slide.
Nani’s eyes grew wide, and she bounced up and down. “Can I play? Can I, please?”
Maliea laughed. “Of course, you can. Go on. But you’ll have to come back to eat your lunch.”
“I will,” Nani said as she ran for the fort, climbing up the ladder to the top.
Maliea smiled at her daughter’s happiness. “If only life were that simple and joyous.”
Jenny appeared with the menus. “What can I get you to drink while you’re looking over the menu?”
“I’ll have water,” Maliea said, mentally counting the little bit of money in her purse.
“Tap or bottled?” Jenny asked .
“Tap,” Maliea responded.
“I’ll have the same,” Reid said.
As soon as Jenny left to get their drinks, Reid leaned closer. “Now that little ears are occupied, are you going to tell me what happened that made Tish send you to me for help?”
She told him about the break-in and destruction of her apartment and the man in the ski mask breaking into her car. While she talked, Maliea continued to watch Nani playing. Even without looking at the man, Maliea was no less aware of his presence.
As she finished her story, Jenny appeared with their drinks and took their orders. Maliea ordered a grilled cheese sandwich, sure it was all her budget could afford. She’d share it with Nani as her daughter would only ever eat half anyway.
“Aren’t you ordering anything for you?” Reid asked.
“I’ll share with Nani,” she answered, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks all over again. She didn’t like that she had to count every penny. Now that her apartment was trashed, she’d have to squeeze even more out of every dime. Replacing furniture was nowhere in the realm of her current finances. A blow-up mattress would have to do for both of them until things started looking up.
Reid ordered two hamburgers and two orders of fries .
Maliea raised her eyebrows. “Hungry?”
He nodded. “I am. We were up too early for breakfast.”
Reid’s gaze followed Nani as she climbed the ladder to the top of the fort and slid down the slide for the third time. “How much is Nani aware of what’s happened?”
Maliea’s heart pinched in her chest. “I haven’t taken her home to the apartment. I don’t want her to see it the way it is. It was traumatizing to me; I can’t imagine how it would affect her.”
Reid’s lips pressed together. “Other than the guy grabbing your ankle in the parking lot, have there been any other physical attacks on you or Nani?”
Maliea sighed. “No. That’s why I was hesitant to come to you. Tish thinks I’m the target. It’s been my home and my car, but not so much me or Nani.”
“It’s as if whoever ransacked your apartment and then tried to break into your car might be looking for something. Something only you might have.”
Maliea met Reid’s gaze. “Other than my daughter, I have nothing of value except the diamond necklace my mother left me. But he didn’t take it. What else would he be looking for?”
Reid’s eyes narrowed. “Where was your husband when the apartment was tossed?”
Maliea’s lips twisted. “Not in the picture.”
“As in divorced? ”
“As in dead,” she stated flatly, surprised again at how emotionless she felt about Taylor’s passing.
“I’m sorry,” Reid said softly. “How is Nani dealing with the loss?”
“My husband wasn’t around much over the past year. He spent more and more time at work and less at home. When I told her he wasn’t coming home, she said it was sad and then asked me if I was going away.” Maliea shook her head. “I told her I would be around for a very long time. She seemed okay.” Maliea shrugged. “I guess time will tell. I think she misses her grandfather more. He spent more time with her than my husband.” A lump lodged in Maliea’s throat. “We lost my father in the same plane crash that took my husband.”
“Wow,” Reid said, “that’s rough.”
“It’s been difficult, but we were managing until this. Now, I can’t take her home. I don’t want to stay with Tish and Solange, especially if someone is actually targeting me. I’m at a loss. I have a couple days off work to tackle clearing my husband and father’s offices where they worked at the University, but I’m afraid that whoever is behind the break-ins might come after me or worse...Nani.”
“Can you let the staff at the university go through your husband and father’s offices for you?”
“I could, but they might not know what belonged to my father and husband and what belongs to the university. I’d like to at least look through what they’ve already done.”
“You planned to do that today?” Reid asked.
“Or tomorrow,” Maliea said. “I can’t be off work for long. We didn’t have much in savings, and my husband didn’t have a life insurance policy.” She gave a short mirthless laugh. “I still have to pay the rent for an apartment I can’t live in. Not in its current state.”
“You and Nani can’t move back in until you figure out what the intruder was after.”
“I told you. I don’t own anything of value. There’s nothing to steal.” Maliea pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t understand.”
“What about your husband? Did he have something someone would want?”
“Not that I know of. Definitely not in our apartment.”
“What did he do at the university?” Reid asked.
“He was an associate professor who taught World, US and Hawaiian history. My father was the head of the department.” She shook her head. “They were on a plane to the small island of Niihau, the Forbidden Island.”
Reid nodded. “I’m familiar with the island. We did Navy SEAL training there. Isn’t it difficult for just anyone to get permission to visit Niihau?”
Maliea nodded. “Yes. My father campaigned for months to attain permission to go to the island with his assistant.”
“Your husband?” Reid prompted.
“Yes. They’ve been researching a pirate legend that supposedly happened in 1884. It was reported in a California newspaper, but there was very little documentation here in Hawaii. My father researched the legend for a number of years, making very little progress, mostly listening to tales passed down through families whose ancestors lived through the supposed attack on Honolulu by a red-bearded pirate. The story tells of how he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in gold and silver from the palace and safes of local businessmen.”
“Interesting.” Reid tapped a finger on the table, his eyes narrowing. “Was there a treasure map involved?”
Maliea sighed. “I don’t know about a map, but my father made notes from the interviews with each descendant’s family. They all talked about the pirate ship sailing away toward Kauai. A year or so back, my father visited families in Kauai, asking about stories their elders passed down to them. Some swore they saw the ship pass their island about the time a storm blew in. The ship was swept toward Niihau on massive swells amid torrential rains.”
“Did they find a shipwreck?”
“No,” Maliea said. “Some think the ship wrecked on the coast of Niihau. The legend goes further to tell of the pirates transferring their booty to shore before another storm followed the first and swept the ship’s remains out to sea. The ship was never seen again. Nor were the pirates. Or so they say.”
“Maybe the inhabitants of Niihau ganged up on the pirates and either forced them to assimilate or be killed.”
Maliea’s lips pulled back in a tight smile. “As territorial as the inhabitants of Niihau are, I wouldn’t put it past them. They fought hard against joining the United States as part of Hawaii, the fiftieth state. They like their solitude and intend to keep it that way.”
Reid nodded. “I saw that. They were never happy to have us training on their island.”
“Even before my father and then my husband became obsessed with the lost treasure of Red Beard, others tried to follow the path of the ship and the tales of its cargo being offloaded onto one of the islands.”
“If there’s no map, did your father keep a journal of his interviews and discoveries?”
“I need to go to his apartment and his office to sort through his papers and online files.” Maliea pushed the hat back on her forehead and adjusted the sunglasses. “If he was chasing the treasure, he might have made notes from the information obtained from descendants.” She met Reid’s gaze. “Do you think the person who trashed my apartment and tried to get into my car was looking for my father’s work?”
Reid shrugged. “It’s possible. Treasure hunters can resort to some crazy stunts and murder to get their hands on a treasure.”
“From what I know and my conversations with my father, he hadn’t found it.”
“Yet?”
She nodded. “Yet. He was certain he was getting closer to the clue he needed to finally locate the treasure. Thus, the trip to Niihau.” Maliea looked away. “What my father and my husband didn’t understand was that all the treasure they needed was right here on Oahu all along.”
“You and Nani,” Reid concluded. He reached across the table and took her hands in his. “Family is everything. Money doesn’t warm your heart like watching your little girl grow up, learning new and exciting things every day.” Reid’s jaw hardened, and his lips pressed into a tight line.
“You sound like you speak from experience,” Maliea said softly.
He nodded. “I do, but that’s not what’s important. I’d bet my right arm that whoever broke into your apartment and car is looking for your father’s notes. Basically, the treasure map.”
Maliea tilted her head to the side. “It makes more sense when I think of it that way.”
“If he’s still looking for it...” Reid grinned .
“He hasn’t found it.” Maliea’s eyes widened. “I need to get to my father’s office and sort through his journals and online files.”
“And since your husband was working with your father to find the treasure, you’ll want to go through his office as well.”
Maliea gave a brief dip of her head. “I’ll call and make an appointment with the department chair to clean out my father’s and Taylor’s offices as soon as possible.”
She might not have a home to go to anytime soon, but at least she could help find the treasure. And if she found it, would they let her keep some of it? It would help solve her financial difficulties and maybe even fund her return to college, where she could earn a degree in a career field people were eager to hire, like nursing.
Maliea pulled her cell phone from her pocket and selected the number for the university operator when a woman’s voice answered, “University of Hawaii. How can I direct your call?”
“I’d like to speak to the head of the history department, please,” Maliea said. How many times had she used those same words, calling her father over the years?
The same lump formed in her throat that came about every time she thought of her father and the realization she’d never hear his voice again .
“This is Andrea Peterson, executive secretary of the Department of History. How may I help you?”
“Oh, Andrea, it’s Maliea.” Maliea’s voice cracked. She had to swallow hard past the lump in her throat.
“Maliea, honey, I’m so glad you called. I’ve been worried about you. How are you and Nani holding up?”
“I’m doing okay,” she lied. “Nani’s fine. I need to come to the department and pick up my father’s and Taylor’s things.”
“Of course,” Andrea said in her sweetest motherly voice.
Maliea had known Andrea for over fifteen years. She’d been the woman she’d leaned on after her mother had passed. Her father had done the best he could, but his heart was more into history and research and less into fashion and things that might interest a teenage daughter. He’d sent her to Andrea when she’d had female questions. Andrea had been more than willing to help Maliea, having raised three daughters of her own.
“I’m sorry I haven’t dealt with this sooner. It’s just...” Maliea fought for the right word and settled on, “hard.”
“I know. I miss them, too. Your father was always so good to me and fair with all his staff. He left a hole in our lives that will be hard to fill. And Professor Kaleiopu brought an energy and passion to the faculty that is noticeably missing.” The older woman sighed. “How soon do you want to come?”
“The sooner, the better,” Maliea said. “I might as well get it over with.”
“How’s this afternoon? If that’s too soon, tomorrow morning would work as well. I’m taking off tomorrow afternoon for some appointments I can’t reschedule.”
“This afternoon would be good. Is an hour and a half from now too soon?” She’d need at least some of that time to get back to the other side of the island. “And I might have Nani with me. Will it be okay to bring her?”
“Yes, that would be wonderful,” Andrea said. “I still have a drawer full of coloring books and crayons I keep just for her visits. We can load her up with those to take home with her.”
“That would be lovely,” Maliea said. “She talks about her Granny Annie all the time and asks when she can visit.”
“That little sweetheart can visit any time. She gives the best hugs.”
“Then I’ll see you in an hour and a half,” Maliea said.
“Yes, ma’am,” Andrea said. “See you then.”
Maliea ended the call and looked up to find Reid studying her.
“We’re going to the university?” he asked.
She gave a little shrug. “Nani and I are,” she said. “ You don’t have to. I’m sure we’ll be all right. Like you said, the attacks have been on the apartment and my car more so than on me or Nani.”
“And if you find anything in your father’s or husband’s office, the attacks might shift to you.” Reid’s brow furrowed. “Even if you don’t find anything, the attacks might shift to you and Nani. Whoever was behind the previous incidents might think you found something and go after you either way.”
Her gaze on her daughter happily swinging on the playset, Maliea chewed on her bottom lip. “I can’t leave Nani with Tish or Solange. It would set them up as targets as well. Besides, I hate to let Nani out of my sight. What if he kidnaps her and uses her as a bargaining chip to extort whatever he thinks I have—which I don’t—in exchange for my daughter?” She threw her arms in the air, overwhelmed by all the horrible scenarios running rampant in her head. “Hell, if I had what he’s looking for, I’d give it to him just to get him off my back and keep Nani safe.”
Reid reached for Maliea’s hand and held it firmly in his. “It’s okay. Either one of my team members or I will go with you two and keep you safe. Maybe once you find whatever it is he’s looking for, it will help us figure out who’s bothering you, and you can put it all behind you.”
“Sooner than later, I hope,” Maliea muttered. “I’ve had enough drama in the past few weeks to last a lifetime.” Her heartbeat fluttered as if it couldn’t quite find its normal rhythm while Reid Bennett held her hand. What was wrong with her? She was newly widowed and yet lusting after a stranger. Had she no shame? No sense of grief for the man she’d promised to love, honor and cherish?
Guilt gnawed at her gut.
Maliea pulled her hand free of Reid’s and laid it safely in her lap. It was too soon after losing Taylor.
Never mind they hadn’t had sex in months. Maliea blamed it on their opposing schedules, but it was more than that. He hadn’t bothered to touch her, hold her or even kiss her, coming and going.
If she was completely honest with herself, she’d lost Taylor even before he’d died in that plane crash.
Still, it was too soon after losing her husband. Now was not the time to have feelings for someone else. To desire another man’s touch.