Chapter 29
Storm flipped through the channels on the television in the suite’s living room. Every channel ran footage of the volcano. Kilauea continued to erupt. Lava flowed onto roads, blocking the way in and out of neighborhoods. Parks were destroyed. Vacation locales swallowed up in the black tar. Even lakes that once provided places to swim and boat were now gone. The volcano had changed the landscape of the island. Storm wished she had the power to change her life with that much certainty.
Storm turned off the television. The destruction and devastation were too hard to watch. Maybe she was being selfish, but with her own problems, she couldn’t handle the things going on around her.
She was also tired of being cooped up in the hotel suite. Putting her toes in the sand and breathing in the sea air would recharge her battery. With a little vitamin D, she would feel less sorry for herself. She couldn’t hide for eternity anyway. Even if this person was never caught, she needed to get back to the real world at some point. She hated the idea that whoever wanted her dead would go unpunished and have more opportunities to hurt her, but it wasn’t like her to sit back and watch her life go by.
Harlan had been gone for a while now, and she didn’t know when he would return. Kian was a great guy, very polite, funny, but she wasn’t in the mood for small talk. He had moved to the hallway to give her some space.
The door opened, and she jumped, hoping Harlan had returned. Kian barreled through the door and her heart sank to her feet. He was alone and standing by the door with that sheepish grin on his face. She wondered if he was involved with anyone. He truly seemed like a good guy and was very loyal to Harlan.
“Hey. Sorry to bother you. I’m just going to take a bathroom break, if that’s okay.”
“Feel free. We have two.” She waved her arm in the general direction of the half-bath. He could use the full bath in the bedroom for all she cared. She wasn’t embarrassed by her things on the counter mixed in with Harlan’s. Kian had to guess they were sleeping together. Harlan had kissed her goodbye right in front of Kian before he left this morning.
Kian closed the door with a click. An idea came to her as quickly. She would have to act fast. He might be a minute or she might have thirty, depending on nature’s call and whether or not this man was like so many others.
She shoved her feet into a pair of sandals, grabbed her purse, and went out into the hallway, closing the door on a whisper. Taking the stairs was the smart idea, but she wouldn’t walk all the way down. She hurried down to the seventh floor and poked her head out of the stairwell there.
No one was around. The elevator was to her right. She pushed the down button and held her breath. The doors opened. Inside was a family of four dressed in flowery garb, straw hats, and zinc-covered noses. The two children’s arms stuck out from their sides because of the pink and blue floaties wrapped above their skinny elbows.
The mother smiled and adjusted her hat. Storm smiled back and found a spot to stand in the corner away from the blow-up tubes and one bright-yellow inflatable duck. The elevator smelled of suntan lotion and sweat. But she was safe for the rest of the way down. No one else would dare push their way in with all the happy plastic moving about.
When the doors opened again, she stayed back and allowed the family to go first. They hustled out into the lobby, swimming with guests of all shapes and sizes. There were too many places for her to look and see if Kian had followed her—or worse, the killer. Anyone could hide anywhere, and she would not be the wiser.
Her throat began to close, and her head spun. She could not afford to panic now. Kian would be down soon, if he wasn’t already. He would suspect she came this way. She needed to keep one foot in front of the other until she was out by the pool. Maybe there she could find a lounge chair out of the way and sit for a little. Just until she was calm again and the sense of dread had passed.
Her sandals smacked against the tile floor. She worked her way through the back of the lobby where people sat on green benches lining the walls. The glass doors that sported a spectacular view to the pool and beyond opened under her power.
Fresh air hurled into her. She sucked it down until her lungs could hold nothing else. The sun blinded her. She should have brought a hat, but she remembered her glasses in her purse. She plopped them on her face and searched for a place to sit.
Being outside wasn’t scary, not the way Harlan made it seem it would be. No one knew her. She was a stranger here. She needed to avoid those people who knew her best. That was what Harlan had said. It broke her to think one of the people she cared about might be the one to hurt her in ways she couldn’t imagine. Why hate her so much? What had she done that was so awful? Was she that unlovable?
Yet, Harlan seemed to care for her deeply. Was he crazy too? He hadn’t seemed so when they spoke about their relationship last night. He had made love to her again, this time with such tenderness she had cried when they finished. He had gathered her in his arms and held her. She had never cried after sex before. All the emotions of the past week had caught up to her. That was all. She had explained it away with logic. But maybe it was more than that. Too much more.
She found a chaise lounge in the corner under a palm tree. From this spot she could see the ocean and the pool. Even most of the doors that led out to this area. Her sunglasses were a weak disguise, but they were better than nothing.
“Storm, is that you?” Robin weaved around a row of chairs toward her. She wore a green bathing suit with a crocheted cover-up and a faded baseball hat. Her face was relaxed and her smile wide, as if the argument they had yesterday never happened.
How convenient for Robin to come out to Hawaii to be by her side, but then try to pit Harlan against her. And here Robin was, sashaying across the patio as if she were on vacation. She shouldn’t deny Robin her chance to relax a little in a place as beautiful as this resort—heck, she was doing it herself—but Robin seemed too at ease, considering the point of this whole trip. This woman should be helping her get to the bottom of what was going on, not dressed for a brochure on the top ten best islands to visit.
“I thought I saw you when I came out.” Robin took a seat at the end of the lounge chair. “I’m glad you’re alone. Did you get rid of Harlan?”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because I told you he’s not who he says he is. Did you ask him about the incident with the soldier who died under his care?” Robin leaned forward and lowered her voice.
She hadn’t. She hadn’t wanted to give any credence to Robin’s words. Robin’s behavior seemed more petty than genuine. Harlan was not a murderer. A man couldn’t show her such vulnerability while loving her who could also kill.
But Harlan also suspected Randal. If she had loved two people who could commit murder, she would check herself into a clinic.
“Are you still upset with me?” She needed to understand what was making Robin tick, where this unusual meanness originated.
“Because of what I said yesterday? The helping you dress and taking care of you comments?”
“Yes, those.”
“I shouldn’t have said all those things.” Robin dropped her gaze.
“So, you’re saying they weren’t true?” Her mind tried to catch up. Robin’s confession seemed real and now her demeanor appeared to be genuine as well. The truth was somewhere in between. Storm didn’t know how to set it free.
“I said them in anger. Harlan had me all riled up. Normally, I don’t mind being your assistant. In fact, I love it.” A smile pushed up Robin’s lips, but the warmth did not reach her blue eyes.
“Then why say what you did? Were you trying to hurt me?” If she had met Harlan in any other circumstance, she would have told Robin over lunch or a late-night meeting about this new man. To think that Robin would have sat there, judging her, turned up the heat in her cheeks.
“Have you ever taken stock of your life and thought, is this all there will ever be?”
“Well, sure but?—”
“I’ve done that over and over. I want more than my mundane life as an assistant. There isn’t anything wrong with wanting more, is there?” Robin’s words grew louder.
A few nearby people turned to look at them. “You might want to lower your voice.” Storm stole another glance at the couple beside them and smiled. The man scrunched up his nose and returned to the paperback he held.
“You certainly want more all the time. Didn’t becoming president of the college equal more? You don’t stop until you get what you want. Why should anyone else?”
Storm tried to slide back in the lounge chair and away from Robin’s catcall. “Lower your voice.”
The doors that led to the lobby slid open. Kian and Harlan ran out. They searched the pool area. Harlan spotted her first. He hit Kian on the arm, then pointed right at her. His face was screwed up in a grimace.
She waved, but he only nodded with stone-cold eyes. Robin turned in the direction Storm looked.
“Oh, boy. Here comes the bodyguard now. And he has a friend.”
This afternoon was turning out badly. She had only wanted a few minutes to herself. Now she would have none of that and still had to explain her actions to both men.
“You can go, Robin.” She didn’t want Robin present when Storm swallowed her pride and took in Harlan’s disappointment.
“I don’t think so. We’re not at work. You can’t dismiss me.” Robin stood and fisted her hands on her hips.
Storm unfolded from the lounge chair, a sad attempt to minimize the size difference between her and Harlan. She still had to look up to meet his thunderous gaze. Her hands wanted to touch him, but she had to keep them at her sides.
“What are you doing out here?” He stopped inches from her. He smelled of warm leather and summer sun, safe and secure.
“I needed to take a walk.”
“Not by yourself. You should have waited for Kian. What if someone came up to you without your knowledge? I’m trying to keep you safe.”
“I can’t be a prisoner any longer. If we can’t figure this out, then I am leaving.” She hadn’t said that out loud before and the words surprised her, but they were the truth. She couldn’t stay any longer. She needed to go home and start over.
“You’re not a prisoner. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” He brushed her hair off her shoulder.
She didn’t care who saw or what conclusions anyone drew. His simple touch spilled over her in radiant waves, and she reached for him.
Robin grabbed her hand and yanked Storm so she stumbled away from Harlan. “She doesn’t trust you. You allowed an innocent boy to die under your watch.”
“I beg your pardon?” Harlan’s brows narrowed.
“Hey, now. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kian took a step forward. That softer side of him disappeared. His eyes bore an ice-cold stare. He was all business.
“It’s okay,” Harlan said to Kian.
“Don’t play dumb with me. I know all about you. I searched you on the internet.” Robin poked a finger at Harlan.
He didn’t budge. Kian bounced on his toes. Storm glanced between the two men and Robin. Their faces could ignite the ground to shake.
“That explains it.” Harlan laughed.
“This is funny to you?” she said, confused by his response.
Harlan turned to her. “The only thing that’s amusing is that your assistant believes everything she sees.”
“Storm, Harlan didn’t hurt anyone. You have my word,” Kian said.
“Man, thank you for having my back, but I’ve got this,” Harlan said.
“Sorry.” Kian held up his hands in surrender. “I’m going to head out, unless you need me.”
“There’s a bonfire tonight on the beach. Why don’t you join me and Storm,” Harlan said.
“Sounds cool. I’ll see you guys later.” That sweet smile reappeared on Kian’s face. He was a man with two distinct sides.
“Hello, I’m still standing here.” Robin waved her arms in the air.
“You can come too, if it’s okay with Storm,” Harlan said.
She didn’t know if she wanted Robin invading what might turn out to be a nice night and very likely her last one here. She would discuss it later with Harlan, but the more Storm thought about it, the more she realized it was time to go. She could hire another bodyguard when she returned to California. Then this thing with Harlan could play out and they would either stay together or he would forget her.
“You really want to go to a bonfire? It’s going to be so public,” she said.
“I know. I don’t love it, but we can set up a spot off to the side by ourselves. I want you to have a good night. These past few days have been tough, and we’re not any closer to figuring out who tried to poison you. What do you say? Do you want to go on a date with me?”
“Storm, you can’t be seriously falling for this act, can you?” Robin asked.
Storm held Harlan’s gaze. “I believe I am. If you want to join us, that’s fine. But if you find something else to do, that would be okay with me too.”
She moved her gaze away from Harlan’s intense stare and hoped she gave Robin a glare of her own.