Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
H e liked watching Hollis putter in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. Today she was wearing denim shorts, with a white button-down shirt, and her red hair in a messy bun. He really liked seeing her like this.
Sawyer didn’t see an actress. He saw a beautiful, smart, warm woman.
“My world-famous scrambled eggs.” Holding the frypan, she served the eggs onto plates on the island.
He sipped his juice. “World-famous, huh?”
She grinned. “Yes. Everything I make is world-famous.”
He pulled her close and kissed her. She instantly melted into him and kissed him back.
He kept it gentle. The sex this morning had been amazing, but it had also been fast and rough. Now he just wanted to savor her.
They sat at the table, and he tried a forkful of eggs. “These are great.”
“It’s my secret ingredient. I’ll never tell, even to you, Deputy Lane.”
“I could get it out of you.”
She shot him a look. “You probably could, but it would take time, and you have to get to work.”
He cleared his throat. “No, I don’t.”
She paused with her fork in the air. “I thought you did.”
“I called my boss while you were in the shower and asked for a few days off.”
She stared at him. “To stay with me?”
He nodded. He sure as hell wasn’t leaving her alone and defenseless.
“Sawyer…” She blew out a breath. “I’ll pay you.”
His jaw tightened. “I don’t want your money, Hollis. I want to keep you safe.”
She eyed him. “Because that’s what you do.”
“It is, and I’m good at it.” He grabbed her hand. “But also because I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Things worked through her eyes. “All right. Thank you.”
He leaned over and kissed her on the nose. “Good.”
“When do you think you’ll hear from your friend? About Reuben.”
“Today. Vander doesn’t fuck around.”
“Wait?” She set her fork down. “Vander? Vander Norcross?”
Sawyer raised a brow. “You know him?”
“I’ve heard of him. I know several celebrities who’ve thrown lots of money at him to come and do bodyguard work for them. Which he refuses to do. One of his guys, Rome Nash, did protection for a friend of mine.” Hollis cocked her head. “How do you know Vander?”
“We worked together in the military.”
Her gaze narrowed. “You were a SEAL. In the Navy. Vander was Army. I heard that he was in Delta Force, then some shadowy, top-secret team.”
Sawyer made a noncommittal sound.
“Wow. You were on that team, as well. I knew you were a badass, but…”
He tugged on her hair. “Eat your eggs.”
They were almost finished when there was the sound of a car out front. Hollis tensed.
“It’s okay,” Sawyer said. “I called out our fingerprint tech to print the back door. We might get lucky and get a hit.”
“You have a fingerprint technician on Maui?”
“Well, Leilani is sort of a Jill-of-all-trades.”
There was a knock at the front door.
Sawyer crossed the room and opened it. “Leilani.”
“Big guy.” The small woman pushed inside. “I love this place.”
Today, her shirt was bright blue, and her trousers were multi-colored with splotches of orange, red, blue, and white.
Leilani stopped suddenly, staring at Hollis. “Oh my God.”
Sawyer took a step forward. “Leilani?—”
She whirled and pointed at him. “You got laid. Finally .”
He looked at the ceiling. Jesus .
“Hi, I’m Leilani Sola.” She held a hand out to Hollis and they shook.
“Hi, I’m?—”
“Hollis Stanton,” Leilani finished with a no-nonsense tone. “I’m more of an action-movie fan, myself. So, if you could star in one of those, I’ll watch more of your movies.” She looked around. “This place is so awesome.”
“Thanks for coming, Leilani,” Sawyer said.
“No problem. Where do you need me, big guy?”
“Sliding door at the back. To the pool. We had an intruder last night.”
“On it.” Leilani glanced at the kitchen. “Any chance I can get some of those eggs? They smell great, and I missed breakfast.”
Hollis blinked. “Sure. I’ll cook some up for you.”
Sawyer shook his head. Only Leilani would have no hesitation in asking Hollywood’s most in demand actress to cook her breakfast. He watched her open her bag, then dust and take prints from the door. Then, she set up her laptop and portable scanner on the island. Her fingers flew as she tapped away.
“You get any decent prints?”
“I did. I’ll rule out yours and Hollis’s but there was a nice, juicy one I feel good about.”
“You’re pretty comfortable with computers.” Hollis pushed a plate of eggs across to the young woman.
“Yeah. I do crime scene collection, IT work, some admin. Whatever we need done around the office.”
Sawyer crossed his arms. “Leilani is good at everything. She keeps the office ticking over.”
“And the big guy here gets to crack heads and snap handcuffs on bad guys.”
“I don’t crack heads… Often.”
“True. One look at you and the misbehaving male tourists shake in their flip-flops and awful Hawaiian shirts.” Leilani grinned. “The female ones drool and want to climb him.”
Sawyer made an annoyed sound.
“Isn’t he cute when he gets embarrassed?” Leilani teased.
Hollis smiled. “He is.”
“Don’t encourage her,” he warned.
Leilani’s computer pinged. “Ooh, we’ve got something.” She frowned. “That’s weird.”
“What?” Sawyer asked, looking over her shoulder.
“There’s a hit, but no name. Looks like it’s linked to a couple of Interpol cases.”
Interpol? What the hell did that mean?
“Want me to request access?” Leilani asked.
He knew that that would take too long. “No. Can you email me the print?”
“Sure thing.”
Vander’s team would be quicker.
“You going to ask Vander?” Leilani said.
“No comment. Thanks for coming, Leilani.”
“You bet.” She packed up her stuff. “Thanks for the eggs, Hollywood.”
Hollis’s lips twitched. “You’re welcome, Hawaii.”
Leilani grinned. “I like her. Enjoy your days off, big guy. Keep your girl safe. Nice to meet you, Hollis.”
“Nice to meet you, too.
Leilani nodded. “And you keep him safe back.” She waved as she sailed out the door. “Bye.”
Hollis followed Sawyer into Island Brew. The scent of coffee hit her and she instantly felt better.
Koa looked at them, eyes widening. “Oh, you two are?—”
“Getting a coffee.” Kiana elbowed her brother. “I’ll make you both something special.”
“Thanks,” Hollis replied.
Sawyer pressed his hand to her lower back, and she felt tingles spread over her skin. She’d never felt like this before. She was so aware of him. It wasn’t just his looks and body, it was him taking care of her.
No one did that. Her mom hadn’t. Hollis had been taking care of herself for a long time.
Her cellphone rang and she saw Tave’s name. She pressed it to her ear. “Hey, you don’t have to check up on me all the time.” She mouthed “it’s my agent” to Sawyer.
“Hollis.”
Tave rarely called her by her full name. Her stomach tightened. “What’s wrong?”
Sawyer leaned closer, shoulders tensing.
“It’s all over the news that you’re on Hawaii, specifically Maui. The vultures will be gunning for pics of you. Preferably in a bikini with some cellulite, or locking lips with a toy boy fling.”
She closed her eyes. “Okay.” Her voice was dull.
“Just wanted to give you a heads up.”
“All right.”
“You okay?”
She dragged in a breath. “Someone attacked me on the beach yesterday.” She didn’t share the gory details. She didn’t want Tave to worry, and the man could be a champion worrier.
“ What? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Sawyer saved me.”
“Is Deputy Hottie with you right now?” Tave’s voice held an edge.
She met Sawyer’s green-gold eyes. “He is.”
“Put him on.”
“What?”
“Put him on the phone, Red.”
She huffed out a breath and held the phone out to Sawyer. “My overprotective, bossy agent wants to talk with you.”
Sawyer took the phone and turned away. “Sawyer Lane.” He was quiet for a moment. “Yeah. Did you?” Another pause. “She’s all right, and I’ll be making sure she stays that way.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I don’t want payment. I’m not on her fucking payroll. Yeah, all right, Hall. I’ll keep you updated.”
Hollis crossed her arms. “Are the big, strong men finished taking care of the silly, little woman?”
“He was worried. Just wanted to make sure you aren’t alone.”
Her shoulders sagged.
“Here you go.” Kiana handed a coffee over. “Looks like you need it. A pistachio latte for our lovely tourist. And for our deputy, a dark chocolate mocha.”
Sawyer gave the twins a chin lift.
“Hey, you two,” Hollis said. “You’ll hear about this soon anyway, and probably have people in here asking, but my name isn’t really Holli.”
Kiana waved a hand “It’s Hollis Stanton.”
Hollis’s mouth dropped open.
Koa nodded. “We knew the first day you came in here. The Princess Affair is my favorite movie. I knew who you were straight away.”
He named the teen hit that had given her the big break in her career.
“I liked The Princess Affair 2 better,” Kiana said. “That guy who played the prince was hot.”
“You knew.” They hadn’t let on. Hadn’t treated her differently.
Kiana shrugged. “We guessed you were trying to keep it quiet that you were here. We understood.”
Throat tight, she nodded. “Thanks.”
“Dad made walnut brownies today.” Koa gestured to the plate of baked treats on the counter. “He was in a nutty mood. I think we all need one.”
“Hmm.” Hollis took a bite. “Delicious.”
Koa leaned forward, resting his elbows on the counter. “So, do you two have plans?”
“Just coffee and shopping,” Hollis said.
“You should come to Mama’s tonight. Both of you. We have family over from the Big Island and we’re having dinner. More the merrier.”
“Mama’s?” Hollis asked.
“Paia’s best restaurant,” Sawyer said.
“ Maui’s best restaurant,” Koa countered.
“Mama’s Fish House is an institution,” Kiana said. “Amazing seafood using Hawaiian and Polynesian cooking techniques.”
“And a great location,” Koa added.
“That sounds wonderful.” Hollis gripped her drink tighter. “But I’m guessing there will be lots of people there, and now the secret’s out that I’m here, there might be paparazzi and people trying to take photos.”
Koa made a scoffing sound. “We’ll warn our family, they won’t mind. And Mama’s always has a table for us away from the main area.”
She glanced at Sawyer.
“Would be a tragedy to miss the food at Mama’s.” He slid an arm around her. “I’ll make sure no one bothers you.”
Her heart tightened. She nodded at the twins. “We’ll be there.”
They waved their goodbyes and headed back onto the sidewalk.
“Is it safe to go to dinner?” she asked. “The guy from the beach?—”
“We’ll be in a crowd, in a public place.” He touched her cheek. “And I’ll be with you.”
Now her chest loosened, warmth welling inside her.
“Come on, I need to pick something up.” He headed down the street, tugging on her hand.
Hollis found herself looking around anxiously, wondering if her would-be killer was watching her, or some photographer was going to shove a lens in her face.
“Here.” Sawyer opened the door to a store. The sign just said Ken’s . The shelves were laden with appliances, computers, and gadgets, and the walls were covered with signs advertising just about everything. The air-conditioning was cranked up high, and chilled her skin.
“Sawyer, my man.” The short, lean shopkeeper had Japanese heritage and beamed at Sawyer. “I’ve got what you wanted.”
The man disappeared into the back, then returned, carrying a large box.
“What is it?” Hollis asked.
“A surprise.” Sawyer pulled out a credit card and paid. “Thanks, Ken.”
After that, they wandered back to Sawyer’s SUV.
“It’s nice to feel…normal,” she told him. “No fans wanting selfies or autographs.”
“It must get crazy.”
“Yes, it does. People can be really weird sometimes.” She looked around. “This is really nice.”
“There she is!” a man yelled.
Sawyer’s head whipped around, and Hollis looked over her shoulder. She spotted the man with the camera and huge lens instantly.
“Hollis, over here.”
Another man with a camera stood across the street.
“Who’s the guy?” the first man yelled.
“Come on.” Sawyer urged her in front of him. “Get to my SUV.”
Hollis picked up speed, frustration chewing at her. Nothing good ever lasted.
A crowd of tourists stood ahead on the sidewalk, phones up and aimed her way. Ugh, she hated people sometimes.
Sawyer scowled at them. Hollis just focused on getting to the vehicle. When she saw the SUV, relief punched through her.
Yanking the back door open, Sawyer quickly shoved the box on the back seat. “Get in. Keep your head down.”
Hollis didn’t argue. She slid into the passenger seat. She just wanted to get out of there.
A moment later, Sawyer drove out onto the street and gunned the engine.
She leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. “I knew it was coming. I guess I just hoped I had a few more days.”
“I’ll call Jesse. Get him to keep an eye on the photogs.” His voice was a low growl. “If they step out of line, it’ll be my pleasure to boot them off the island.”
She clenched her hands together. “It won’t take them long to find out I’m staying at Archer’s house.”
“I’m taking the long way home. I’ll make sure no one is following us.” He reached over and squeezed her knee. “I’m not letting anyone near you. Photographers, or attackers.”
There he went, making her heart go crazy again. Hollis’s cellphone rang. She pulled it out and groaned.
“Problem?” he asked.
“My mother.” She dragged in a deep breath. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hollis.” Kate Charles always had a strident note to her voice, and was always in a rush. “You haven’t called in almost two weeks.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Playacting. I’m sure you could’ve found some time.”
Hollis sighed. “I’ve actually taken some time off.”
“Really? You don’t really have set hours. Do you need a vacation? I worked two jobs when you were little, and I didn’t get any time off.”
She felt a headache spring to life. “My job often requires long hours, Mom.” She rubbed the groove forming between her eyes. She knew explaining things wasn’t worth the effort. “Anyway, how are you?” It was always best to turn the conversation onto her mother.
“I’m dating a lovely man.” Her mom’s voice warmed. “He’s a doctor. A skin specialist. He works so hard.”
Her mother rattled on about her new man, and only needed a few murmurs of agreement from Hollis.
“That’s great, Mom. I’m glad you’re happy.”
“Hollis…” Her mom paused. “I hate to ask, but my allowance ran dry early this month. I needed some new clothes.”
Hollis provided a condo and monthly allowance for her mother. Thankfully, she didn’t often overspend. She might not like Hollis being an actress, but she certainly liked the benefits. That said, her mother always hated asking for money.
“I’ll transfer some more money into your account.”
“Thank you,” her mom said quietly.
“Look, I need to go. I’ll call you again soon.”
“Yes, all right. I need to get to an appointment. Goodbye, Hollis.”
“Bye, Mom.” She ended the call and stifled a sigh.
“You didn’t tell your mom about what’s happening?” Sawyer asked.
She glanced over at him. “No. I don’t want to involve her. She’ll blame me for choosing such a frivolous profession. Mom didn’t think I needed a vacation from my ‘playacting.’” Old bitterness welled.
“She should be proud of you. Of everything you’ve achieved. And she definitely should be worried about you.”
“She…doesn’t have it in her.” Hollis lifted her chin. “Besides, I’m proud of myself, and worried about myself, too.”
He reached over and took her hand. “You’re not alone.”
Her heart skipped a beat.
They arrived at her house and Sawyer carried the box inside.
The curiosity was killing her. “What is it?”
“It’s a gift for you.”
“Really?” Delight filled her. She often got trinkets and gift bags when she attended functions, but they were never personalized gifts. Tave always got her a gift card for her favorite day spa for her birthday and Christmas.
She opened the box and looked inside. It was a new coffee machine.
“Oh.” She grinned as she pulled it out.
“So you can get your caffeine hit a bit sooner. Well, I guess this gift is actually for Archer, but I got it for you.”
She was so touched. “Thank you.” She rose up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
His arm circled her waist and squeezed. “You’ve got time to make a cup before we need to get ready to go to Mama’s.”
She nipped at his lips. “I can think of a better way to fill the time.”
His arm tightened. “I like the way you think, Ms. Stanton.”