Chapter 6
Rex stopped at the pharmacy and went inside with Kimo to collect the antibiotics the doctor had ordered. He paid for the medicine and brushed aside her assurances that she would pay him back.
While they were there, they picked up waterproof dressings in case their only choice was to go after the camera.
He wasn’t convinced Kimo was up to diving so soon. Her cheeks had been flushed and her breathing a little erratic when he’d helped her into the truck. Still, she was a trooper, hanging in there for her friend.
She wouldn’t stop until they found her friend.
She reminded him of a bulldog—a pretty, petite Hawaiian bulldog with skin the color of mocha and eyes as dark as midnight.
She’d taken time to tame her long black hair into a thick braid that hung halfway down her back, making her appear even younger and more vulnerable than the wild-eyed, crazy-haired female that had launched herself out of the back of an ambulance a few hours ago.
She sat in the seat beside him, her back straight, her eyes on the road ahead as they crossed to the opposite side of the island from the hospital and her home.
He didn’t know much about her, other than she was an underwater photographer and she lived alone, based on what he’d observed in her house.
There had been no signs of anyone but her living there.
As pretty as she was, she had to have a boyfriend.
Her ring finger was bare. Rex assumed that meant she was single. Yeah, he didn’t know much about her.
“Is there anyone you need to call? Your folks, a boyfriend, fiancé, friends who might be worried about you?” He nodded toward his cell phone, where it lay in the cupholder. “You can use my phone.”
Her brow furrowed. “My folks are dead. I already called Kalea after I called 911; she’ll notify our friends. I don’t have a boyfriend or fiancé.”
“No?” He shot a glance her way.
“I know, right?” Her lips twisted into a wry grin. “What guy would pass up the opportunity to go out with a woman who’d rather be diving than drinking beer and watching football?”
“Not all men want a woman who drinks beer and watches football with them.”
She shrugged. “I know. But I’ve been focused on building my business into something more than a hobby. I haven’t met many guys willing to take the second stage to my work.”
“And they shouldn’t begrudge you that passion,” Rex agreed.
“Through my work, I’ve established connections with local authorities and earned the permits needed to photograph in underwater nature preserves.
It allows me to provide images to corporations keen to market the wonders of Hawaii.
They don’t hand out permits to just any photographer who wants to sell photographs commercially.
I’m good at what I do. I wouldn’t have been able to buy the equipment I use or qualify for a mortgage on my house if I weren’t. ”
Rex gave her a nod. “Impressive.”
“What about you?” Kimo asked. “While you’re protecting me, is someone at home waiting for you?”
“I’m not married, if that’s what you mean,” he said.
She cocked an eyebrow toward him and gave him what he’d give her with a saucy, “No?”
He grinned, liking her sass and humor. “What woman could resist a man who preferred life in the military and being shot at to sitting behind a desk, day in and day out?”
“But you’re not in the military anymore.”
“When I was on active duty, it was easy to put serious relationships on hold when there were wars to fight. When I wasn’t deployed, I trained. I never seemed to have the time...or the desire to commit to anyone.”
“And now?”
Rex shrugged. “I have more time.”
“But not the desire?” she finished for him.
“I gave my life to the Army. I never planned to marry and put a woman through the hassle and heartbreak.”
“Again, you’re not in the military anymore,” Kimo persisted.
“I guess I haven’t shifted my way of thinking after all those years abstaining from wedded bliss.
” Since coming home to Hawaii, he’d watched his teammates find love and embrace it with their whole hearts.
The women they’d found weren’t weak or defenseless, either.
They could stand on their own and give as good as they got.
His buddies were happier than he’d ever known them.
However, since his friends had found their women, they had less time to spend with him.
He didn’t begrudge them the time they spent with their lovers, but it did leave him on his own more, to the point he was tired of his own company.
“Do you ever get lonely?” Kimo asked.
Damned if she hadn’t hit the nail on the head with that question. Before he could think too hard on an answer, he admitted, “Sometimes.”
As quickly as he’d answered, he continued, “With my job, I meet new people, and I’ve been thinking of taking up a hobby.”
“Oh, yeah? What?”
He hadn’t really been thinking of taking up a hobby, but admitting to being lonely made him sound like a pathetic loser. “I don’t know. Maybe driftwood carving, surfing, pickleball… I haven’t decided.”
“Pickleball?” Her eyebrows rose.
He frowned. “They have tournaments, you know. I’ve heard they might make it an Olympic event.”
Kimo grinned. “I can’t picture you playing pickleball. Now, surfing?” She gave him a considering glance. “Maybe. Driftwood carving? Can you sit still that long?”
His lips quirked. “No.”
“What about diving?” she asked. “Have you?”
He nodded. “As a Delta Force Operator, we trained in diving and used those skills on a number of missions.”
“Interesting.” She tapped a finger to her chin. “So, you can be my dive partner when we go after that camera.”
He nodded. “If we determine it’s the only way to help us find your friend.”
“Good to know. Though I’m an expert diver, I don’t dive alone.”
“Smart,” he said. “You never know when you’ll get into trouble.”
Her lips firmed. “Like having someone purposely run you over with a boat or use you as target practice?”
“Yes,” he said. “Or if you’re attacked by a shark or get the bends.”
“Turn left at the next road,” Kimo said.
Rex made the turn.
While they’d been talking, they’d arrived at the other side of the island and were now driving along the road that led to the marina.
Kimo pointed at a shop across the street from the boat slips. A sign hung over the door proclaiming the store as Jako’s Diving Adventures.
Rex parked in front of the shop and got out. He rounded the truck to help Kimo down, his hands resting around her waist a little longer than they probably should have. He blamed it on concern for her wounded leg.
“Steady?” he asked to cover for his lingering hold on her.
She looked up at him with those darker than dark eyes and nodded. “Steady as I can be. I have to break it to Jako that I lost his boat. He’s not going to be happy.”
“You didn’t lose his boat. It was stolen,” Rex reminded him. “Along with your friend.”
“Yeah,” she glanced toward the shop, her face grim. “But his boats are his livelihood.”
Reluctantly, Rex released his hold on her waist and gripped one elbow. Just in case.
Kimo was completely capable of walking on her own, but she didn’t shake loose of his grip until they entered the dive shop.
A young man with shoulder-length hair, wearing a Surf Hawaii T-shirt, stood in front of a row of scuba tanks, filling them one by one. When he spotted them, he straightened and brushed his hands across his swim trunks. “Hey, Kimo. What can I do to help you?”
“Hi, Sammie. I need to speak with Jako. Is he around?”
Sammie tipped his head toward the door they’d just come through. “He’s across at the marina, servicing one of the dive boats.”
“Thanks,” Kimo said. “How’s your mother getting around since her surgery?”
He grinned. “Better than she expected. She wishes she’d gotten her new hip sooner.”
“Glad to hear that. She was in a lot of pain. Tell her I said hello and that I still want her recipe for jerk chicken.”
“I will. Good to see you.” Sammie went back to work, filling the tanks.
Kimo led the way through the door and across the street to the marina.
Rex followed, watching for any sign of trouble.
She stepped out on the dock, turned left and walked past several boats where deckhands were cleaning after morning cruises, preparing for their next passengers to arrive.
Kimo stopped in front of a boat with a similar sign to the one over the dive shop: Jako’s Diving Adventures. A man worked inside, positioning scuba tanks, BCDs, regulators, masks, snorkels and fins.
“Captain, permission to come aboard,” Kimo called out.
The man set down the tank he held a little harder than was necessary. The shadow inside made his face impossible to read. “That you, Kimo?” he asked.
“It is,” she responded, shading her eyes to peer into the darker interior of the dive boat.
Jako stiffened. “Get in here,” he commanded in a rough tone.
Rex bristled and whispered to Kimo. “Maybe he should come out here.”
“It’s okay,” she assured him and started toward the gangway.
Rex got there first and crossed onto the boat. He turned and held out a hand to Kimo.
She laid her hand in his palm and let him steady her as she crossed the same gangway.
Sure, she could do it on her own, but Rex wasn’t taking any chances.
Once she was on the deck, he moved with her into the covered area.
“Jako, this is Rex Johnson, my...friend. He’s been a big help to me after what happened last night.”
“Jesus, Kimo, you’re the last person I expected to see here.” Jako took a step toward her.
Rex moved, positioning his own body between Jako and Kimo.