“Let’s go get some lunch,” he told her.
“I’ll change. What about Heidi?”
Jesse hesitated. He didn’t dare leave his niece. “We’ll take her with us.”
She took Heidi’s hand, and they went to the house to change. Jesse stood outside and watched Bane digging the pit for Friday night’s lu’au. He saw a glint from the basalt rock cliff behind Kaia’s brother. Squinting, Jesse tried to make out what it was but couldn’t. He had some binoculars in the Jeep. He rummaged in the glove box and found them. The hillside leaped into focus as he brought them to his eyes, and he saw a man with a rifle. The gun was pointed toward Bane as the man sighted down the scope.
“Get down!” Jesse dropped the binoculars and tackled Bane. A bullet plowed in the sand. It would have struck Bane if not for Jesse’s quick actions. Another bullet struck the piece of driftwood to Jesse’s left. Crouching to make themselves as small a target as possible, Jesse and Bane ran for the Jeep and knelt behind it.
Jesse flung open the car door and reached under the seat for his gun. Bane grabbed up the binoculars lying on the ground. He squinted as he stared through them. Jesse waited to see where the shots were coming from.
“He’s leaving,” Bane said. “In a blue car. I can’t tell what kind from here.”
“Let me see.” Jesse took the binoculars, but the car was kicking up too much dust to make out a license number.
He put down the binoculars and looked at Bane. “I’m not sure it’s safe for you to go to the meeting after all.”
Bane shrugged. “I’m not afraid.”
“I’ll go.” Kaia stood on the porch. Dressed in white shorts and a red top, she looked too fragile to take on a sniper, but her dark eyes were cool and determined as she stared at Jesse. “I heard the shots. I’ve been to one meeting already. A woman can blend in better anyway. There are more women there than you might imagine.”
“Not someone who looks like you,” Jesse said. “You’d stand out in any crowd. I’ll go.”
“Oh sure. A haole like you will blend right in,” she scoffed.
She didn’t say the word haole like a slur, so Jesse knew she meant only that he was fair skinned and blond. “And a woman will blend? Not likely.”
“There were other women there. No one will notice me,” she insisted.
“Nahele will recognize you.”
“I’ll stay to the back of the crowd. There are lots of shadows in the mill.”
Jesse didn’t see how that was possible, but he could tell by the look on her face that she wasn’t going to listen to reason. “I want you to be wired if you go,” he said. “I’ll get the equipment from Steve.”
“I’m not wearing a wire. Where would I hide it?” She shook her head. “I won’t stay long. If I’m not back to the boat by eight, you can come looking for me.”
“I don’t like it,” Jesse said.
“Me neither.” Bane scowled and shook his head.
“Neither of you will change my mind. Nahele won’t see me.”
“What if Mano sees you?”
“Mano would die before he let anyone harm me.”
Jesse could only hope and pray she was right.
Twenty-three
Kaia pleated her mu´umu´u with nervous fingers. The soft flowers had seemed a good choice when she first put it on, as everyone else would likely be dressed in alohawear as well, but driving toward the meeting place, she wished she’d chosen something black. The dress seemed to scream, “Look at me,” and she didn’t want to call attention to herself.
The old rice mill parking lot was packed with cars. That was a good sign. The crowd should be large enough to hide in. She parked beside her brother’s truck. If she had to run from someone, she wanted him close enough to help her. In spite of all they suspected, she knew Mano would never let someone harm her.
She fell into step behind a group of five people heading to the mill. The two women in the group had clothing similar to Kaia’s, so she hoped to blend in and be thought to be part of them.
“They’re predicting a storm tonight,” a man in the group said.
“All I’d heard was the usual passing windward and mauka showers,” one of the women said.
Kaia hadn’t checked the weather, but she turned to look over the water. Truly inclement weather could come from Kona winds. A faint dusting of clouds darkened the horizon, but that was no comfort. A storm could blow in quickly.
She realized the group had left her behind while she was woolgathering, so she hurried to rejoin them as they stepped into the mill. There were about seventy-five people inside, she guessed. The group she was trying to be part of stopped by a massive support beam, and she stood behind it. There wasn’t much lighting in this corner, which would help conceal her.
Nahele looked like he was about to begin to speak, but tonight she wasn’t interested in his inflammatory words. Her one goal was to find the man with the birthmark on his nose and discover his name. Then she was out of here.
Something about the tension in the room was getting to her. A strange vibration of danger put her nerves on edge.
Nahele climbed the machinery that served as a platform and began his harangue, but Kaia’s attention was riveted on the man who was revealed when Nahele moved. The big Hawaiian, nearly as huge as the machinery, was impossible to miss. The dim lighting revealed the birthmark on the side of his nose.
She spoke to the woman in front of her. “Excuse me,” she whispered. “Who is the big guy behind Nahele?”
“Shh,” the woman said in an annoyed whisper.
No help there. Kaia moved through the crowd, closer to where the man stood. She saw Mano in a group of four other men. He hadn’t seen her yet, and she wanted to make sure it stayed that way. She retreated into the shadows. Glancing around, her gaze connected with that of her coworker Jenny. Jenny’s eyes widened when she saw Kaia, and she gave an uncertain smile.
So Jenny was involved in this organization just as Kaia had suspected. Maybe she could get some information out of her. Kaia moved quickly to her side before she said anything. “Hi, Jenny,” she whispered.
“What are you doing here?” Jenny too withdrew to the shadows when several people gave them an annoyed look.
“I was about to ask you the same thing. I didn’t know you were interested in Pele Hawai´i. Mano never mentioned it.”
The tension between them seemed to lessen. Jenny smiled. “Oh, I suppose Mano talked you into coming. I’d forgotten he was a member.”
There were several shushes from people standing around.
“Let’s go outside,” Kaia whispered.
Jenny nodded reluctantly then followed her out the door. “I really wanted to listen to Nahele. I heard the organization is going in a new direction.”
“Oh?”
“I don’t know the details,” Jenny said.
Maybe she would know the guy’s name. “That big guy who hangs around Nahele, the one with the birthmark on his nose. Who is he?”
Jenny pressed her lips together. “Kim Aki. He’s Nahele’s son,” she said with obvious reluctance.
He was an Aki? Kaia hadn’t been expecting that. He looked like some kind of henchman. “He doesn’t look much like his dad.”
Jenny shrugged. “I think he’s adopted.”
“Are you involved with him?”
Jenny sighed. “We’re friends,” she admitted. “I’ve seen him a few times.”
“Why didn’t you tell me the first time I asked?”
Jenny shrugged. “That was our first date. I wasn’t sure if it would lead anywhere.”
“He looks scary,” Kaia said.
“He’s a sweet guy. He makes sure things run smoothly,” Jenny said. “Listen, I really want to hear this. Let’s go back inside.”
“You go ahead. I need to go to the bathroom.” Kaia nodded toward the porta-potty parked in the lot.
“Okay. I’ll be back where you first saw me if you want to join me.”
&nb
sp; “Great.” Kaia waited until Jenny disappeared inside the rice mill then jogged back to her car. She nearly screamed when a dark figure moved out from behind her brother’s truck. She relaxed when she recognized Mano.
“You just robbed me of a year of my life,” she scolded.
“What are you doing here, Kaia?” His face was stern in spite of her teasing tone.
“I was about to leave.”
“You’re poking around in things that don’t concern you. I don’t want you to come back here.”
“I don’t want you to come here at all,” she retorted.
“I have to. It will be over soon.”
She stared into his face. “What’s going on, Mano? Can’t you tell me?”
“Not yet.” He took her arm and opened her car door then thrust her inside. “Get out of here, Kaia. I don’t want Nahele to see you here.”
She sat in the car and pulled her door shut then looked up at him through the window. “What about Kim Aki?”
Mano’s face changed. If she didn’t know her brother feared nothing, she would have sworn she saw fear.
“You stay away from Kim,” he said, leaning down to whisper. “He’s a dangerous man.”
“Then why are you hanging around him?” She wanted to shake her brother. Why wouldn’t he stop talking in riddles?
A hulking shadow moved behind Mano, and Kaia gasped when she recognized Kim Aki.
Mano whirled, his fists clenched.
“What are you doing out here, Oana? You should be inside listening.” Kim’s voice was a low growl that brought the hair on the back of Kaia’s neck to attention.
“Just escorting my sister home.”
“So early?” Kim moved closer. “I want to have a little talk with your sister. Get her and bring her inside.”
“She’s leaving,” Mano insisted. He blocked Kim’s access to Kaia’s door. “Get out of here, Kaia.”
Kaia had her car key in her hand, and she jabbed it into the ignition. The pickup roared to life as Kim leaped toward it. Mano tackled him.
The men wrestled on the gravel. Kaia swung open her door to go to her brother’s aid.
“Get out of here!” Mano screamed at her.
Kim was nearly out of her brother’s grasp. Kaia slammed her door and gunned the engine. The tires spit gravel as she raced away. She glanced in her rearview mirror and saw that Kim had managed to evade Mano and was getting in a blue car. She floored the accelerator and sped toward town and safety. She could only pray her truck was faster than his car.
On the curve where the mill access road met Highway 50, she saw a third road that shot off into a grove of trees. Without thinking, she took it and turned the car into a clearing surrounded by trees. By the time Kim reached the curve, the dust had settled and he sped by, merging onto the highway and heading into town.
Kaia sagged onto the steering wheel. She shuddered to think what would have happened if he’d caught up with her.
Jesse checked his watch and paced the deck of the Porpoise II. Kaia should be here any minute. He’d been praying the whole time she was gone. It felt wrong to let her go into danger that way, but she was one female with a mind of her own. At least Steve had brought the promised security equipment.
The boat swayed with the waves, and he saw storm clouds building to the southwest. A Kona could be bad news. When Kaia arrived, they would have to make a decision about the patrol.
He turned and saw a truck speeding toward the dock. Squinting, he recognized Mano’s truck. The truck stopped, and Mano got out and jogged to the boat.
“Is Kaia back yet?” he asked.
“Not yet.”
Mano frowned. “She left the meeting before I did. Kim Aki was following her. We’ve got to find her.”
Jesse didn’t like the sound of that. “Who’s Kim Aki? Is he related to Nahele?”
“His son. Big guy.”
“Birthmark?”
Mano nodded. “I think she’s in trouble.” He chewed his lip.
“Let’s go.” He’d have to take Heidi. He called her, and the three of them piled into Jesse’s Jeep.
“Any ideas where we can look?” Jesse asked.
“Let’s backtrack along the way she would have come,” Mano suggested.
Jesse followed Mano’s directions and drove down Highway 50 through town and out to the mill road. They didn’t see any sign of Kaia’s car.
“Is the meeting over?”
“Yeah. There’s no one left back at the mill.”
Jesse turned down the mill road.
“Hey, what about that turnout?” Mano pointed out a tiny lane into a grove of trees.
“I’ll check it out.” Jesse turned into the lane and drove slowly over the bumps. He parked before he got to the trees. “Wait here. I’ll look around.” He got out of the SUV and jogged into the grove. The trunks parted to reveal a small clearing. Kaia’s Mazda pickup was parked behind a big monkeypod tree, but she wasn’t in it.
This couldn’t be good. Jesse looked around the clearing. “Kaia? Where are you?”
There was no answer but the whine of insects. He opened her truck door and looked inside. Her purse was still on the seat. His stomach clenched. Had Aki found her?
He went back to the Jeep and told Mano what he’d found. Heidi was sleeping in the backseat.
“Do you have any idea where Kim would have taken her if he’d found her?”
Mano hesitated, and Jesse thought he might not answer. Then he sighed. “Yeah, I think I know where that would be, but we’re going to need help. It’s like a fortress in there.”
“I’ve got my gun.”
“They’ve got batteries of guns.” Mano sounded resigned.
“I don’t think we have time to gather more help.”
“I’ll at least call Bane.” Mano dug out his cell phone and called his brother. “He’ll meet us at the turnoff to Waimea Canyon.”
Jesse glanced to his niece. “We can’t take Heidi there.”
“My grandfather will watch her. He’ll make sure no harm comes to her.”
Jesse didn’t like it. Oke was a good man, but he was nearly eighty. All the good intentions in the world couldn’t defeat strong young men. He hesitated. “What about Faye and Curtis?”
Mano frowned then nodded. “At least there would be two, and their house is more secure than Tutu kane’s.”
“Let’s go.” They got in the Jeep and headed to town.
He pulled into the Latchet driveway. Heidi was still sleeping soundly when he opened the back door and lifted her out. She murmured and snuggled against his chest. He carried her to the front door and rang the bell.
Faye answered. Her tear-stained eyes widened when she saw Jesse with Heidi in his arms.
“I think Kaia is in trouble. Can you keep Heidi until I find her?”
“Of course.” She trailed after him as he carried his niece to the spare room. “Where’s my daughter?”
“We’re not sure, but we think Aki’s thugs have her.”
Her hand went to her mouth. “Oh no,” she whispered.
Curtis came to the doorway. “What’s wrong?”
His wife told him. “I’d better go with you,” he said.
“We need you here,” Jesse said. “I don’t want to leave Faye and Heidi unprotected. Do you have a gun?”
Curtis nodded. “It’s just a small pistol, but I’m a good shot.”
“Have it ready. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He dropped a kiss on Heidi’s sleeping forehead and ran for his Jeep.
Driving out to Waimea Canyon, he asked God to keep Kaia safe.
They picked up Bane in Hanapepe and left his car parked at a gas station. The storm Jesse feared had blown in, and the wind lashed rain against the vehicle as Mano directed him up the winding road toward the top of the canyon. With the heavy downpour, the night was even blacker than usual with the lights of Waimea below obscured. There was no other traffic on the road this late.
It seemed they drov
e forever. The storm finally began to abate.
“There,” Mano said, pointing to a nearly overgrown lane.
Jesse slowed the Jeep. “How far is it?”
“A quarter of a mile or so.”
“Maybe we should hide the Jeep and walk back. We don’t want to announce our presence,” Bane said.
Mano nodded. “I know just the spot.”
Once the Jeep was stashed behind an outcropping of rocks, Mano led the way through the mud to an imposing two-story house on top of a hill.
“It’s not as easily approached as it looks,” Mano said. “There are usually at least two guards walking the property.”
“Can you get in by just walking to the door?”
“Probably not now. I challenged Kim.” Mano’s voice was low. “You might as well know, I was investigating them undercover. My cover is blown, so it doesn’t matter now.”
Jesse didn’t know what to say. He’d been sure Mano was involved up to his neck.
“Sorry, kaikunâne. I misjudged you,” Bane said.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Mano said with a cockeyed smile. “I figured if I could fool my own family, Aki’s group would believe me too. Unfortunately, they found out before the meeting anyway. They shot at you to warn me not to betray them. I was told to follow through on my orders or next time they wouldn’t miss.”
“What are they planning?”
“They intend to blow up the munitions caves.”
“That’s why the helicopter was out there,” Jesse said.
Mano nodded. “I think they might be canceling that plan now though. They know they’ll never pull it off.”
“Then why take your sister?” Jesse asked.
“Probably to keep me quiet until they can get away.”
Jesse knew all the suspicion had to have hurt. He pressed Mano’s arm. “You’re a good man,” he said. “Now how are we going to get in there?”
Twenty-four
The car stank of garlic. Kim Aki must have had the mother of all Italian meals, Kaia thought. He oozed the sharp stench. Pipe ashes littered the leather seat, and a cigarette burn marred the armrest near her left arm. Kaia had to figure out a way to escape. She sat tensed in the passenger seat as her mind whirled.