Chapter 17
Eli swallowed back the bile and attempted to keep his nerves in check. From the frenzied packing to their hop back over the island, he had been in constant contact with Jerry. He knew what had happened, but he was now worried about what was right around the corner.
They sped toward the ranch in the SUV. He still didn’t know how bad it was. All Jerry could tell him was that cows had been mutilated.
“I hope everyone’s okay,” Crysta said. He almost didn’t hear her. Eli was accustomed to her enthusiastic tone, not the barely audible tenor she struck now.
Since the call, she hadn’t said much. He had told her what he knew, and she had taken care of her own things, then calmly went into his room and took care of his. It was odd because he’d never had a woman pack his clothes for him. Because she had been so steady, he hadn’t realized until now that she was worried. He glanced at her. It was still dark so he couldn’t make out her features, and he knew she wasn’t crying. Still, he heard the worry in her voice.
“No one was hurt except a few cows, from what Jerry said.”
She nodded. He didn’t know what more to say. They just weren’t accustomed to this kind of crime. They had issues with rustlers from time to time, but it was hard to rustle cattle on an island and people not find out about it. So often the culprits were caught. This was different. This was another level of attack he hadn’t expected.
They turned onto the path that led the way to the ranch. Before he could punch in the code, the gate opened for him. As they drove closer to the house, it was easy to see it. Lights blazed and there were men running around. He saw Mitch Smith’s SUV when he drove up. Jerry said he had the cops out on the scene.
He parked the truck but before he could open the door, Jerry was coming out the front door.
Mitch was right behind him.
“That didn’t take very long,” Mitch said as he looked over at Crysta.
“Mitch, this is Crysta Miller, who owns the ranch with me now.”
He nodded in her direction. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Miller. Your uncle really had nice things to say about you.”
She nodded but said nothing else. Her anxiety was easy to feel. He didn’t blame her. It was horrendous to him, but for someone like her, in an unfamiliar place, it had to be terrifying.
“Why don’t we go inside,” Jerry said, his grim expression, along with his bleak pallor told Eli it was probably worse than he could imagine. “We’ve got coffee going. It’s going to be a long fucking night.”
Jerry glanced in Crysta’s direction. “Sorry.”
She gave the foreman a tired smile. “Don’t worry. You’re right. It’s going to be a long fucking night.”
* * *
The recitationof the events left Crysta sick. The fact that someone would mutilate a living animal for enjoyment was beyond anything she had dealt with before.
“So, there’s no footage?” Crysta asked. She had to keep her mind on the investigation rather than the horrible details.
Eli shook his head. “We don’t have cameras around the ranch. There’s no way to do that. It would be a logistical nightmare.”
“And they made sure they picked an area that wasn’t well travelled,” Jerry said.
“That doesn’t matter. If you know anything about ranch life, you can figure out when and where we are working. The Kaheakus know that well enough,” Eli said.
“I have my doubts that Sam could do this. Or Junior,” Mitch said.
She shook her head. “I saw the hate in that man’s eyes. He could do this.”
“What I meant is that this isn’t their kind of thing. Plus, they would hire someone to do it, if they had the money. They don’t.”
“Sean does,” Eli said quietly.
“But he was on Oahu. We saw him,” Crysta said.
“But he has money. From somewhere,” Eli said.
“Oh, good lord, he didn’t do this. I think it’s still connected with Sam.”
“Your uncle is an amazing prick, but I don’t think he would do something like this. This takes planning,” Eli said. “He isn’t that smart.”
Mitch shook his head. “We’ll know more as soon as we start looking around. It’s too late for anything now. But I do want to go over some other things with you.”
He glanced toward her, and she could see Eli was going to protest. The truth was, she needed time alone.
“I need to take a shower.” She needed to wash the filth of the conversation off her. She excused herself and walked upstairs. For a long time, she sat on her bed, thinking. She knew this had something to do with the ranch, but did the Kaheakus think she would run away because of this? If they did it, what kind of sickness was in her family that they would do this to punish someone of the same blood?
She glanced toward her phone and noticed a message was blinking. It was past one in Hawaii, which meant it was after seven on the east coast. Her father might not be active duty anymore, but that didn’t mean he slept in. She looked at the screen.
Good morning, sweetie.
She sighed. All through her problems with Ashton, she had stayed stoic. She hadn’t called her father when she first found out. She had dealt with it on her own, then told her father later. That’s how military brats rolled.
Now, though, with everything that had happened, she needed him. She needed to hear his voice.
She clicked on his number.
“Hey, baby, what are you doing up so late?”
“Oh, Daddy, it’s so good to hear your voice.”
* * *
Hours later,Eli was alone in the study sipping on three fingers of whisky. He didn’t think anything would ever help him forget the sight of those cows. The person who had done that had been a sadistic fuck. He didn’t think much of Sam or his son, but Eli was sure neither of them could have done that.
“Do you have a glass for me?” Crysta asked softly from behind him. The room was dark, but when he turned, the light from the hallway gave him a view of her face. She was worried—beyond worried. He didn’t blame her. He was worried.
“Yeah.” He went to the desk and grabbed a glass and splashed some whisky in it. She accepted it with a nervous smile. Without hesitation, she downed the drink.
“Damn, I needed that.” She held it out again. “Hit me again, St. John.”
He did as ordered, once again amazed by her composure. “You didn’t freak out tonight.”
She sipped this glass. “Yeah. Well, comes with the territory.”
“How’s that?”
She settled in the chair in front of the desk. “Dad always said life in the military was better if you hoped for the best, but planned for the worst. This is certainly the worst. Or, I hope to God it is.”
He nodded. “So, you’re not leaving?”
For a second she didn’t answer. He had been worried that she would freak the hell out and head back to the mainland. He didn’t blame her. There was a moment there, as he stood staring down at the mutilated cows, that he had been ready to bolt.
“Of course not.” She took another sip. “It makes me sad that those cows suffered, and you have to be a sick person to do that.”
“They were dead before they were mutilated.”
He didn’t know that for sure, but for some reason he didn’t want her worrying about it. There was something in him that wanted to shield her from this. He didn’t want her to know about things like this.
She nodded, but she didn’t look like she believed him. Of course, he was assuming they were. The autopsies would tell them later.
“What I can’t understand is why? I mean, rustling, I kind of understand.” She took another sip of her drink. “This is sick.”
He sighed. “I know and neither of us is thinking straight. No sleep, worrying…that can’t make for good critical thinking skills. Why don’t you go to bed?”
She nodded and drank down the rest of her whisky. “I think you’re right. Are you going to bed?”
“In a bit.”
She nodded again and left him alone. Again, in the dark, with his thoughts. Now, though, he was thinking about the woman he was desperately trying not to fall in love with…and how he was going to handle being with her almost night and day for the next few months. Now that he knew how she tasted, Eli wasn’t sure he would be able to resist getting another. And that spelled all kinds of problems for him…and for her.
Joe had probably known Eli would be attracted to Crysta. She was just his type, and…Joe just wanted Eli to settle down. He’d been all about hearth and home, and he worried that Eli would die alone without family. So, he’d brought Crysta here on a dual purpose. It was true Joe had felt Crysta needed to know her roots, but Eli didn’t doubt Joe was trying to entice him. If Eli hadn’t loved the man so much, he would want to kick Joe’s ass.
And now he wanted her. He wanted her in his bed, under his Domination, and he just wanted her in his life. And that was dangerous for a man like Eli. He just didn’t know how to handle it. He’d spent years making sure to keep his relationships short. Now, he was tangled up with a woman who was too good for him. Even knowing that didn’t matter. He knew without a doubt he had to have her again.
“Damn, Joe, you really know how to leave me in a mess.”