Page 9 of Maliea's Hero

“Solange, do you still have your ex’s bowling ball?” Tish asked.

Solange grinned. “I do. I told him I couldn’t find it, but then I discovered it under my gym bag.” She rolled her eyes toward the corner of the room. “I don’t know how it got there.” Her grin twisted into a frown. “I think he loved his bowling ball more than me. Anyway, I haven’t told him I found it. Do you want me to put it in one of the bags?”

Tish nodded. “Along with some padding like towels or clothes. I can toss in my twenty-five-pound kettlebell in the bottom of mine, along with a pillow or towels. That way, all three of us will have matching bags, be disguised, and walk out of here at the same time. If someone is stalking Maliea, they won’t know which one of us she is.” She clapped her hands together.

“Sounds complicated,” Maliea worried.

“It’ll work,” Tish said. “Now, I really have to get some sleep, or I’ll lose this job because of the circles beneath my eyes.”

“They wouldn’t dare fire you,” Maliea said. “You’re beautiful no matter how much sleep you get.”

“Thank you,” Tish said with a smile. “I love you, too. Set your alarms for five thirty. We’ll bug out at six. In the morning, I’ll text Reid, letting him know you’re coming early. If anything, you can camp out in his cabin while he’s at his job on the ranch. You’re safer there than here.”

“Especially if your stalker doesn’t know where you are,” Solange added. “Night, ladies.”

Tish grabbed a chair from the small dinette table, shoved it under the apartment doorknob, checked the deadbolt and nodded. “That should slow anyone down.” She glanced at Maliea. “If you’re nervous about sleeping out here on the couch, you can have my room with Nani. Last chance to change your mind.”

Maliea shook her head. “No. You need your beauty sleep. I don’t. Besides, I doubt I’ll sleep at all. Too much has happened. It’s better that I stay out here so I don’t disturb you or Nani.”

“Suit yourself,” Tish said. “See you in the morning.” She entered her bedroom and closed the door halfway, leaving it open enough that Maliea could listen for her daughter should she wake in the night.

Maliea turned off all the lights in the living room. A night light in the kitchenette cast enough of a glow she could get around without bumping into things. Barefooted, she paced the length of the living room several times, trying hard to resist peeking out the window at the parking lot below.

Would the man come back and try to break into her car? If so, what was he after? Maybe he wasn’t interested in her or Nani at all. He could have been looking for anything of value she might have left in the vehicle. Not that she had anything of any value in her car or her apartment—except the diamond necklace that wasn’t worth enough to break into an apartment for.

Unable to resist, Maliea pushed a slat of the blinds up and stared down at the parking lot and her car.

Nothing stirred.

Tish would need to make sure no one was in her car when she got into it the next morning. The guy had unlocked the door once. He could do it again. In fact, he could slip in, wait until whoever was driving it got in behind the wheel and?—

Maliea dropped the slat and stepped away from the window. She’d make sure no one was hiding in her car the next morning before anyone got in it.

Tish was her friend. By pretending to be Maliea, she was taking a big risk.

What choice did Maliea have? The police would do nothing to protect her and Nani. How could they? They were always short-handed. No one had blatantly attacked them yet.

Was she being overly cautious?

Her thoughts went to her beautiful three-year-old daughter. She could never be too cautious where Nani was concerned. Maliea had already lost so much with the deaths of her husband and father. She wouldn’t survive if she lost Nani. That little girl was her world. Tish’s Reid had better be all she painted him to be.

If he wasn’t?

Hell, she didn’t know what else to do.

Well after midnight, Maliea lay on the couch and stared up at the ceiling, her mind still spinning out of control with all the worst-case scenarios.

She wasn’t sure who was behind the attacks, but she couldn’t risk Nani’s life by refusing help.

Maliea closed her eyes. “Please, Mr. Bennett, be all Tish says you are,” she whispered softly.

CHAPTER 3

Reid was already on the set at Kualoa Ranch when he received the text from Tish.

Tish: My friend is in trouble. Needs a place to stay and a protector. Sending my friend your way early this morning. Please help.

With a frown, he texted Tish back.

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