Midnight Sea (Aloha Reef Series)

  Lani spared a glance over the side. She thought she saw something moving down there, but she didn’t dare take her eyes off her adversaries to make sure. Fisher growled. When she refocused on Kato, she found he’d moved three feet closer. “Back away,” she said, shaking the doll. He scowled but backed up. Lani stared at Jerry and wondered how she could have missed his obsession.

  “The pearl is for Aunt Rina too, isn’t it?”

  “Of course. I found it in the coral cave a month ago. I’m going to have it made into a ring for her.”

  “You’re going to ask her to marry you.”

  “I think she’ll say yes when I tell her all that I’ve done for her.”

  Lani thought back to Jerry’s hostility toward Ben’s mother. “You hate Nancy, don’t you? Is that why you tried to kill Ben?”

  Jerry stood and folded his arms across his chest. “Thirty years hooked away from me! Peekaboo knew Blossom was innocent and let her rot in jail for thirty years. Rina and Nancy were together, and Nancy refused to provide an alibi.”

  “And Ben looks like Ash.” Lani tried to remember all she’d heard of that time. “Rina was in love with Ash, and so was Nancy, right? That’s what the fight was all about.”

  “Blossom was Ash’s next victim. I couldn’t let that happen.” Jerry’s lip curled. “Ash came back to taunt me. He’s always whispering to me. He has to die.”

  “You already killed him,” Lani whispered.

  Jerry shrugged. “He deserved it.”

  “You said you couldn’t find Peekaboo. Ethan’s death was a godsend for you, wasn’t it?” Lani’s eyes widened as the truth penetrated.

  “You killed Ethan to get to her, didn’t you?”

  “It was the only way to draw her out. She’s dead, you know. I doubt anyone will find her body.” Jerry’s smile was calm and confident.

  “But your plans went awry. Ethan stole your pearl.”

  “He had no right to even touch it! We left him alone to check on a problem with the shipment.” Jerry sent a dark glance toward Kato. “It was all his fault.”

  “Let us go, Jerry,” Lani said quietly. “For Aunt Rina’s sake. She won’t be happy if you hurt me. Just walk away. I’ll give you the pearl if you’ll just walk away.”

  Jerry smiled and held out his hand. “That’s all I want. Give me the pearl, and I’ll let you all live.”

  Looking into the dark secrets lurking in Jerry’s eyes, Lani finally remembered. His eyes were the ones that haunted her sleep, the ones that had promised death. “Why did you kill Pam?” she asked.

  “You remember now, do you?” Jerry shrugged. “She was black-mailing me. She wanted marriage and finally figured out I was using her. She had to go.”

  Once Jerry got his hands on the pearl, she, Ben, and Meg were all dead. Jerry came toward her. “Stay back,” Lani shouted. “I’ll drop it. They’ll find it at the bottom before you can get your sorry self down there.” He thought the pearl was still in the doll’s dress.

  Jerry swore. “My patience is gone, Lani. I want the pearl, but I want my freedom more. The longer we wait here, the more likely your cousin will return with reinforcements.” He nodded to Kato. “Take her.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The rope zipped through Ben’s hands as he rappelled down the rock face. He moved faster than he liked, but he feared the rope would find their combined weight too much. The knot tied the two strands together a hundred feet above his head, so he couldn’t tell if it held strong. He could only pray it did.

  Meg’s fists curled in his hair, and Simi sagged against him. The poor kid hadn’t stirred. Once he got some medical attention, he’d be fine. Ben’s hands burned, but he didn’t slow. The foam-covered black rocks below grew closer, and he tasted salty spray. He could make out Annie’s face as she walked along the shore. No one else wandered the craggy landscape, and Ben wondered where Yoshi had gone.

  The rope stopped with a jerk, and Ben dangled six feet above the ground with the children. His wounded shoulder felt as hot as his hands. The line extended only another foot or so. He didn’t want to jump the rest of the way, but he had no choice.

  The tide threw sea foam over the rocks, then eddied back, leaving the stones slick and treacherous. Landing on his feet might prove to be impossible with his burden. Ben examined the possible landing spots. One rock looked flatter and drier than the others.

  Even while he was trying to decide how to get down, the rope sagged, and he caught his breath and looked up. Then they were falling, hitting the rocks in an instant.

  He let his knees give to absorb the impact. The soles of his slippers slithered on the wet surface, and he began to teeter on the edge with the water rolling over his feet.

  The sliding stopped, and he stood firm on the rock. He breathed a prayer of thanks. Nearly groaning under the pressure on his shoulder, he inched over the slippery rocks to safety. Annie rushed to meet him. He dropped to his knees and drew in giant heaves of oxygen. Spots darkened his vision, and he dimly heard Meg crying but couldn’t summon the strength to comfort her.

  Annie reached him. “You found her!”

  Lani. Ben unfastened Simi, then shrugged out of Meg’s carrier and lifted her from it. He handed her to Annie. “Take care of her. Find Yoshi and tell him the killer is Jerry, and he has Lani at the top of the cliff. Simi’s got a scorpion sting and needs a doctor.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” Annie cradled his niece. “Get going.”

  Ben staggered to his feet and ran back toward the trail to the top.

  Kato sprang toward Lani as if he had been waiting for the signal. She wheeled away and ran toward the trail. Tucking the doll into her shirt as she sprinted for safety, she shot up a bullet prayer for help. Kato’s feet pounded behind her, and she could almost feel his hot breath on her neck. Fisher barked ferociously as he ran by her side.

  She reached the trail and began to descend. Kato’s feet dislodged pebbles, and they rained down on her. Small stones rolled away from her slippers as well, and one flew off. The sharp rocks bit into her bare foot, but she couldn’t stop to retrieve her sandal. Then the trail turned sharply, and she couldn’t slow in time to navigate the curve. Her other shoe came off. She went down on one knee, then slid off the trail into the tall vegetation. Brambles whipped her in the face and scratched her bare arms and legs. She hit a boulder, and the jar made her bite down on her tongue. She tasted blood.

  There was no time to be winded. She staggered to her feet and plunged down the slope through the bushes. But her fall had slowed her enough that Kato snagged her by the hair and jerked her to a stop. Tears sprang to her eyes from the pain, and she fell backward against him.

  Fisher lunged at him, and Kato kicked him. The dog yelped and went down.

  “Leave my dog alone!” Lani struggled. He wound one meaty arm around her waist and half dragged, half carried her back up to the trail.

  Fisher got up and shook himself, then sprang toward them. “Call off the dog or I’ll kill it,” Kato snarled.

  “Fisher, stay!” Lani stumbled after Kato. Fisher fell back but did not stay.

  Jerry stood waiting for them with the gun in his hand. “I’m an expert shot,” he warned. “Bring her to the boat. Let’s book.”

  Kato’s grip hurt Lani’s forearm as he propelled her down toward the bay. She could only pray Yoshi was down there somewhere. She glanced back toward the top of the cliff.

  “Forget about your boyfriend. I cut the rope. He and the kids fell to the rocks.” Jerry smiled and jabbed her with the gun. “Hand over the doll.”

  Lani’s knees sagged. She shuddered at the thought of Ben and the children lying broken on the rocks. She slowly pulled the doll from her blouse and gave it to him. Fisher pressed close to her leg. “You won’t get away with this. God sees, you know. Even if you escape the law, you can’t escape his judgment.”

  Jerry’s eyes darkened. “My god can take on yours any day. Kanaloa has guided and protected me for over thirty years
. You can keep your ominous warnings to yourself.” He prodded her with the gun. “Bug out.”

  The cuts Lani had gotten from the brush began to sting and burn. She stumbled along the narrow trail with her head growing lighter and her vision blurring. Had she damaged her sight again? She blinked her eyes, and they cleared. Maybe it was just fatigue and stress.

  A few feet from the bottom of the trail, she saw a broad-shouldered figure leap onto the path and start up. Her pulse leapt. Ben was alive! A glad cry sprang to her throat, but she choked it back, not wanting to give away that she’d seen him.

  Kato’s hold on her arm slackened, and he started toward Ben.

  “Hold it, Chrome Dome, we’ve got control,” Jerry said. “I’ve got the gun.” He put it to Lani’s head. “Hold it, Ben. I don’t know how you managed to survive the fall, but no matter. Move, both of you.”

  His grip on Lani’s arm was nearly as painful as Kato’s had been. Kato grabbed Ben’s arm and propelled him down the last few feet. They reached the bottom. Lani heard the sound of teenagers laughing out in the water by the monument. Instead of going that direction, Kato and Jerry marched them away toward a deserted canoe landing. A small motorboat floated in the shallow water.

  “We’ll take this one,” Jerry said. “Get in.”

  His hard hand guided Lani into the boat. Fisher leaped in after her. Kato thrust Ben forward, and he stumbled in as well. Jerry stepped aboard with the gun still trained on Lani. Kato shoved them off, then clambered aboard too. He started the engine, and the little boat navigated the swells out to sea.

  Lani sat beside Ben. He took her hand, and she locked her gaze with his. “Is Meg okay? And Simi?” she whispered. Fisher pressed against her leg and whined.

  He nodded. “I left them with Annie. She was going to find Yoshi.”

  “Shut up, both of you,” Jerry snapped. He stared intently out over the bow of the boat.

  The small craft shuddered at the impact of the waves. Spray flew over the sides and struck Lani in the face. The salt stung her cracked lips, and she licked them and watched Jerry. Maybe they could jump him while his attention was averted. Glancing at Ben, she read the same thought on his face. He dropped her hand, and she saw him tense and lean forward slightly.

  Jerry’s glance swung back to them, and he brought the gun up. “Easy, meat. Don’t make me shoot her.”

  Ben settled back. “Where are we going?”

  “You’re about to meet my god,” Jerry said, smiling.

  Kanaloa was the sea god. Lani’s stomach roiled. Sharks often frequented the reef here. Her gaze scanned the waves, but no ominous fin disturbed the rolling whitecaps. Land was only a distant blur, and no other boats plied the waters other than the tiny dots of kayaks in the distance.

  “Cut the engine,” Jerry ordered. “You have a knife, Kato?” He nodded and pulled out a switchblade. Jerry took it, touched the button, and the blade sprang into view. His fingers caressed the blade. “Nice,” he said, handing it back to Kato. “Cut them. I don’t care where.”

  Lani shrank back against the seat as Kato approached with the knife. Ben leaped to his feet and blocked Kato’s access to Lani. “You’re not touching her,” he said. He coiled to spring onto the other man, but Kato reacted with a fast slash at Ben’s stomach.

  Lani screamed. Ben looked down. A line of red leaked through his shirt. He touched the sticky blood and realized the cut wasn’t deep. Kato gave him a shove, and Ben stumbled back over Lani’s legs. Teetering on the edge of the boat, he grabbed at Kato’s shirt. Kato flung out his arms, and the knife clattered to the deck. As Ben fell into the water, he took Kato with him.

  The warm water closed over his head. Ben kicked away from Kato and swam under the boat to the other side. The salt water stung his cut, and he saw trails of red drifting out from his body. The blood would bring the sharks for sure. A hand grabbed his ankle in a hard grip. Ben surfaced, grabbed another lungful of air, then dove down to battle Kato.

  Kato caught him in a bear hug that caused air to bubble out through Ben’s mouth and nose. He thrashed in the water to escape Kato’s grip, but the big man held on. Ben jabbed his fingers in Kato’s eyes, and Kato let go. Ben kicked away from him and surfaced again. He grabbed the side of the boat and hauled himself in, where he lay gasping on the deck.

  Jerry stood over him. He pointed the gun at Ben’s head. “Get up,” he said.

  Ben staggered to his feet. Jerry raised the gun to his head, and Ben read in his eyes that he intended to pull the trigger. He coiled to jump Jerry, but before he could move, Lani sprang to the deck and grabbed the knife. She jabbed it into Jerry’s calf as the gun went off.

  Jerry screamed and grabbed at his leg. The bullet whined past Ben’s ear. Jerry regained his balance and brought the gun up again. Before he could fire, a snarling bundle of red-gold fur launched into the air. Fisher’s teeth clamped down on Jerry’s arm. He dropped the gun and staggered back.

  The boat rocked, and Ben turned his head to see Kato’s fingers latch onto the side. The vessel tipped as Kato began to clamber aboard. The tilt threw Jerry toward the side. He teetered for a moment, then toppled over Kato’s head and into the water. Kato lost his grip on the side and disappeared under a wave.

  Ben sprang to the side of the boat. “I can’t see them.”

  “Sharks!” Lani pointed at the fins cutting through the water. She leaned over the side. “Where are they? We’ve got to get them out of the water.”

  Shark fins circled the boat. Kato came up and began to thrash toward the boat.

  “Here!” Ben shouted, holding out his hand.

  Kato splashed faster, but he was still several feet from the boat when he was jerked under the water.

  A hand slapped the side of the boat, and Jerry’s face appeared above the waves. “Help me,” he gasped.

  Ben grabbed for his hand to haul him aboard, but Jerry’s eyes widened. He gave one last gasp, then was pulled under. The water boiled with blood and bubbles. Lani cried out, and Ben put his arm around her.

  She buried her face in his chest. “It was so horrible,” she sobbed.

  He smoothed her hair and held her close. “It’s over now. We’re safe. Meg and Simi are okay too.”

  She turned to face him fully. Both arms wound around his waist, and she burrowed closer to him. Her shoulders heaved. He rubbed her back. “Shh, it’s okay.”

  Lani lifted her head and gazed up into his eyes. Her lips trembled, and her eyes were luminous with tears. His arms tightened around her. “I almost lost you,” he whispered. He bent his head and kissed her. Her lips were cool, but they warmed quickly beneath his. Her fingers clung to his wet shirt, and she kissed him back with a tenderness that grew in passion.

  When he broke the kiss and lifted his head, her eyes were still closed. She touched her lips with the fingers of her right hand. He gathered her against his chest and listened to the roar of the approaching Coast Guard boat.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  There hadn’t been time to talk. The Coast Guard boat arrived and took them aboard while seamen cruised in small crafts for the remains of Jerry and Kato. Nothing surfaced, just as Lani expected. The “god” Jerry had served had turned on him in the end.

  Lani realized she was touching her lips again. They still tingled from the passion in Ben’s kiss. Loving him was useless, though. He knew her past. A man like him would never want someone like her, and he would come to his senses once the stress of this day was over. She was soiled goods. He took her hand in the back of Yoshi’s squad car, but she pulled away and sat looking at the passing landscape. She would never be good enough for Ben, so it was useless to allow him to dig more deeply under her skin.

  Yoshi stopped the car in front of her aunt’s house. “I need to know everything,” he said. “Are you up to talking about it?”

  “Sure,” Ben said.

  “I guess,” Lani said. They got out of the car, and Meg came running from the house.

  “Up,” she dema
nded, clinging to Ben’s leg.

  He lifted her in his arms, and she stuck her fingers in his mouth. “Gum?”

  “No gum,” he mumbled.

  Lani’s vision blurred with tears at the sight of the toddler. “Meggie, you okay?”

  “’Kay,” Meg said. She reached for Lani.

  Lani took her in her arms and snuggled her close. Meg’s breath eased over the skin of Lani’s neck. Her curls were damp, and she smelled like baby shampoo and soap. “Thank God you’re okay, Meggie.”

  “Eat?” Meg suggested.

  Rina came out the door. “I just fed you, you little scamp. You can’t be hungry.”

  “Hungry,” Meg agreed. She wiggled to be let down. She ran to Rina, who lifted her and carried her back to the house.

  Ben and Lani followed with Yoshi. Yoshi pointed to the sofa. “Sit and spill it,” he said.

  “I think I should be in on this discussion,” Rina said, standing in the doorway with Meg in her arms. “Let me put her down for a nap.”

  Rina took Meg down the hall to her bedroom. They sat in silence until she returned. Lani was too tired to think. She hadn’t gotten any sleep last night—none of them had—and the day’s traumatic events had drained her even more. She supposed Ben and Yoshi were just as exhausted. Ben had a tired droop to his mouth. She found her gaze lingering there. He caught her looking, and her cheeks grew hot.

  Rina rejoined them. She sank into the rocker by the window. Her eyes were shadowed with fatigue, and she looked pale.

  “Where’s Simi?” Lani asked.

  “In the hospital,” Ben said. “He was suffering from a reaction to a scorpion bite, and his dehydration made it worse. He’s undernourished as well, and that didn’t help. Meg handled the whole ordeal better.”

  “What will happen to him?” Lani asked.