Harlan Unleashed (Team KOA Alpha Book 2)

Chapter 1

Harlan Fender couldn’t believe he made it to Hawaii. He couldn’t believe he had survived twenty-plus years in the Navy with only a few scars, but he had, and he was in Waimea, celebrating the best boss he ever worked alongside.

Standing on Hawaiian soil was definitely a bucket list item for him and here he was enjoying an incredible sunset on a ranch at a party full of people he didn’t know except for four of his closest friends—his teammates—his commanding officer and the ranch owners. Okay, he knew a few people, but most of the faces were of strangers.

He scanned the crowd. A built-in habit from a career in special warfare. He wasn’t looking for trouble, though trouble could be found anywhere. He searched for his Navy brothers. Once he had them in sight, then he could relax. Also an old habit and one that wasn’t likely to die anytime soon. He had vowed to have the backs of each of those four men many years ago. They may all be retired now, finding new ways to fill their time, but he would never stop watching out for them. Never.

Raider Torres, his closest friend and teammate, was in deep conversation with some guests. His laugh carried over to Harlan’s quiet, out-of-the-way corner on the evening’s breeze.

Harlan preferred to watch before engaging when the situation suited. Listening was his thing. He let the others do the talking. People always revealed more than they realized when they spoke.

He downed the last of his beer and gave the empty bottle to a waiter passing by. The retirement party for his commanding officer, Glenn Gadsden, was more of a barbeque with buffet tables of food and a band playing in the background, but the owners of the ranch, Jace “Hawk” Hawkins and his wife Kalea had added special touches like servers and large flower arrangements on every table. White lights were strung from above to give the feeling of warmth and welcome as dusk settled and night was ready to take hold.

He had seen a lot of the world. Most of it wasn’t beautiful like Waimea with her lush rainforests and black sandy beaches but filled with death and destruction caused by hatred. He never wanted to see that much carnage again. Civilian life required adjusting, but he hoped retirement would suit him. Once he figured out what the hell it was he wanted to do with all his time.

“What are you doing over here in the corner?” Raider sauntered over with two beers in his hands. He held one out for Harlan. “Wait. Don’t tell me. You’re sizing up the crowd in case you have to save someone from their own demise.” Raider laughed at his own joke.

His teammates often busted him for slipping into the shadows until he was needed. Raider was right, Harlan did like to plan. Impulsive fit him about as well as a Speedo bathing suit.

Harlan held the beer at his side, unsure if he was done drinking for the night. “No ruination at this party. I might have to break up that disagreement at the keg, though.” Two young men, probably in their early twenties, seemed to be having words over the keg’s spray nozzle.

Early twenties. That was a lifetime ago. Testosterone pumped through his veins too back then, had made him feel larger than life and idealistic about his possibilities.

Wisdom and war had stolen that idealism. Every aching muscle when he rolled out of bed in the morning reminded him the possibilities were no longer limitless. Events like this retirement party shined a light on what he was missing and how he had better get to living before it was too late.

He wanted a quiet life now as middle age stared him in the face. Maybe a wife and a place to call home someday. A family of his own, if he hadn’t missed that boat.

Raider glanced over his shoulder at the men. “I could go over and teach them how to show some manners.”

“They might kick your ass.” He lifted his chin in the direction of the keg. The men slapped each other around in what looked like play. If it had appeared serious, he and Raider would march right over. Harlan wasn’t worried about anyone beating up Raider. He was as tough as they came.

“I’d like to see them try.” Raider smirked and raised his beer. “So, seriously, why aren’t you mingling with the guests? I’ve seen some very pretty women here tonight.”

“If I were staying on the island longer, maybe a beach fling would be okay.” He shrugged as if a one-night stand, or in tonight’s case—he had to leave the party soon—a few hours only, was the most natural thing in the world for him. A seat on the red-eye to New Jersey had his name on it. He would not miss that flight for anything. His sister, Meg, needed him.

Raider choked on his beer. “You and a one-nighter? I’d bet my pension that would never happen.”

“Hey, what are you doing to my man, Torres?” Waylen Brown walked over and smacked Raider on the back. Waylen was the best at all the technical stuff their team needed. There was no one else Harlan would rely on for that.

“Fender just said he would have a beach fling, if he wasn’t skipping town tonight.” Raider wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Waylen tilted his head back and let loose a racket of laughter. “Fender, you’re hilarious.”

“What am I missing? Looks like you guys are having fun without me.” Kian Fox sidled up alongside Raider. Kian’s tribal tattoo poked out of the top of his button-down shirt.

Waylen, who still hadn’t controlled his laughter, turned to Kian. “Harlan said he would have a one-night stand with a woman he didn’t know.”

“Our Harlan?” Kian put a hand to his neck and opened his mouth in a wide circle. “By the time he assessed the risk, the girl would be gone.”

All three men burst out laughing.

“I’ll just wait until the three of you are done.” He popped open the beer after all. One more drink wouldn’t hurt. His friends were half-right about his relationships with women. He may assess a risk or two before committing, but he’d had a few one-night stands when he was about the age of those guys messing around by the keg.

“We can’t rattle him, no matter what we try.” Lane Benning said, finally joining the group. His hearing was as precise as his shooting. No one was a better sniper than Lane. “I overheard most of what you guys were saying. Harlan never takes the bait. You should give up.”

“Never.”

“Nope.”

“Uh-uh.”

“Hey, Hawk and his wife are cool,” Lane said with a quick look back in the direction he had come. “And this place is incredible. I could get used to Hawaii.”

“Me too,” Waylen said.

Raider and Kian agreed. Harlan liked it here plenty. What wasn’t to like with perfect temps most of the year and next to no rainfall in June to mess with any outside events like this party.

The one drawback for him would be his sister living so far away. He had considered moving back to Jersey after he retired, but he hadn’t told his teammates that. He had nothing to tell until he decided if and when he’d go. For now, it was just an idea. He’d have more information after Meg’s surgery in two days. If it went well, maybe Jersey could wait. But if it didn’t… he wouldn’t think about that possibility. She had to be fine. Besides her two kids, she was all he had left in the way of blood family—any family except his teammates.

“Did you feel that?” Lane searched all their faces. Confusion squeezed his features together.

“Feel what?” Waylen said.

“The ground just shook. You didn’t feel that?” Lane put his arms out to his sides as if to keep his balance.

Harlan studied the crowd for confirmation of what Lane believed. The band continued to play. A few other guests also looked around as if they too were in search of the answer to the unexplainable shake he had not felt. Even Hawk, Kalea, and Glenn continued to smile and chat.

Harlan couldn’t figure out what was the cause of confusion—until he could.

The ground moved under him as if they were out to sea and not on dry land. He planted his feet and shifted his weight to keep steady. A few glasses fell off tables and shattered. Guests gasped. A roar of a jet engine drowned out the growing chatter of guests, talking over each other.

But there was no jet engine in the sky. The rumbling came from Kilauea, one of the active volcanoes on the big island. Harlan had read about the volcano activity on the island before the trip. Kilauea hissed and spewed giant bubbles of lava into the air as if she were fighting mad.

“Volcano behavior is watched closely in Hawaii. This eruption should have been expected,” Harlan said. He had read about that too, all in the name of being prepared.

“Mother Nature, my friend. She’s like every woman. Has a mind and a schedule all her own,” Raider said.

Lane pointed in the direction of Hawk and a team of men hurrying away from the party and toward the ranch’s headquarters. “We should follow them.”

Harlan agreed. Those men knew something about the volcano’s eruption they couldn’t see from here. If there was trouble, he wanted to help. He still had time before he had to catch that flight. He called out to the group of men making haste.

Hawk turned and sized up the five of them. “The SEAL team. Prove your worth, men. Let’s go.” Hawk led them inside the ranch’s main building.

The space inside was tight with all the men in the room. Hawk rolled out a map of the big island on a table, then barked out orders to each man.

Many people would need help. No one could predict how far the lava would flow and how much damage it would do. But roads would be blocked and the air quality would be bad. Some people would be trapped if they didn’t hurry up and evacuate.

“Fender.” Hawk’s intense gaze held Harlan’s.

“Yes, sir.” He almost snapped to attention out of habit.

“I need you to head over to the police station. They will need assistance evacuating residents inside the Kanawao Estates. The lava flowed right into that area in 2018, wiping out several hundred homes. I heard you’re good with people. You’ll be able to convince the ones who want to stay behind that they need to leave. Everyone needs to leave. Understood?”

“Understood.”

Raider gripped his shoulder. “I’m coming with you.”

And they left.

* * *

Harlan came out of the last house a little worse for wear. The resident, Maude Turner, did not want to leave her home of forty years and made no bones about saying so. She had screeched like a bobcat, waved her arms in the air, and then threw an ashtray at him and Raider.

Raider gave up at that point, leaving Harlan with Ms. Turner and her tirades. Now, Raider leaned against Officer Kalani’s police cruiser, waiting for Harlan’s return.

“She’s packing as we speak.” He wiped a hand over his face and took a deep breath. Not all negotiations were the same and the most difficult people in crisis were the ones he least expected. Like a frail seventy-something-old woman with a gold tooth and mean fast-pitch.

“I don’t know how you do it. I don’t have the patience to keep at it with them. The last two I wanted to throw over my shoulder and dump them in the trunk of the police car. I would have left Mrs. Maude Turner ‘resident for forty-seven and three-quarter years, sonny’ to the volcano.” Raider pushed away from the car.

The air was filled with ash and dust. Kilauea continued to spill lava down her side that rolled in their direction. No one knew how far it would come, but the people of this area needed to find shelter soon.

“That’s why you blow things up instead.” He punched Raider in the shoulder.

“We can’t be good at everything. Listen, Kalani’s at the house next door. Other than grandma in there, these people are leaving. I’m going to help out with directing traffic before someone causes an accident. You don’t need three of us for the last few houses. You cool with that?”

“Yeah. No problem. I’ll catch up to Kalani, and we’ll knock on the remaining doors. Then I’ll head back to the hotel, if we can get out of here. Do you want me to find you?”

“Nah, I’ll be fine. If I’m not needed up at the development’s entrance, I’ll make myself useful somewhere else. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Call if you need me.”

“Will do. You do the same. And hey, I’m sorry you missed your flight. Meg will be fine. You know that, right?”

“I know. Thanks. I’ll see you.” He hoped Meg would be okay. He had sent her a text about his predicament and apologized more than once.

Every time he was ready to leave Officer Kalani with Raider, they would run into another defiant resident. Kalani’s patience had worn thinner with each episode, and he wasn’t having much success convincing people to go. Harlan had stepped in and with a little active listening, he had been able to talk them into packing a bag and staying with a friend.

But in doing that, he closed the window to catch his plane.

He and Raider fist-bumped and Raider disappeared between the slow-moving cars that attempted to carry their passengers to safety.

Noa Kalani met him on the street. The man’s eyelids hung heavy. Weariness etched itself into the creases around his mouth. Harlan wondered how often Office Kalani had to deal with uncooperative residents or crimes beyond some petty shoplifting. They weren’t exactly in a crime ridden area.

“We have two more houses at the end. Let’s start with the vacation rental. Tourists are always difficult to move. They think they can wait it out or they do a quick Google search and find out they can outrun lava. What they don’t understand is the volcanic fog and ash will get them first.” Kalani removed his police cap and scratched the top of his head.

“I’m not surprised that people stay. They’re afraid to leave for one reason or another.” Human behavior was predictable even when negotiating or interviewing a subject. These were average people who only wanted to hold on to what they had worked hard for, what they loved, and the safety that a home could bring. Who didn’t want to go home when they were frightened or tired? Leaving that security worked against the human brain.

“They’re foolish and become a danger.” Kalani headed for the vacation rental.

“That’s why we’re here.” Convincing the people of this town to leave their homes paled in comparison to negotiating with a terrorist to release a hostage. He could do this all day. “Have you ever served?”

“Me?” Kalani stopped and turned to look at him. “No. The police force is enough. But thank you for your service.”

“How do you know I’m military?”

“Your eyes and your walk give you away. Some kind of special ops guy, right?”

“Retired Navy.”

“And let’s leave it at that, right?” Kalani smirked.

Officer Kalani didn’t know how lucky he was to face this simple challenge of evacuating residents instead of the ones Harlan had witnessed and orchestrated.

He stole a glance at the volcano. Kilauea spit more lava into the sky. She wasn’t letting him go anywhere tonight.