Page 3 of Justified Fear
“No comment,” Charity said.
Oh, yeah.Two team members were constantly bickering.Rami and Nikki were always at it.He initially thought it had to do with the fact that she was raised by her father and four brothers.But then, he started to realize that she didn’t fight with him or Kap.
Rami…well, he didn’t know what he wanted when it came to women.Or maybe he just wanted them all.The one woman he never flirted with was Nikki.Now, if they weren’t always fighting, Ryan would appreciate the not flirting.Women didn’t need to deal with men coming on to them at work.But there were times he was sure the two of them were a second away from shooting each other.With that much heat, there was a good chance that something else was going on.
“But you…you’re hot.”
“Hey,” TJ said.
“Just stating a fact.Morrison looks like he plays beach volleyball every day.”
One thing that most people at TFH didn’t know was that he got through college thanks to an academic scholarship and a few grants.He sucked at volleyball, but he never corrected anyone.
Also, he wasn’t in the mood to fight.He was feeling slightly buzzed thanks to the amount of food he’d eaten, along with the dessert.Okay, he had two of the desserts.It would mean an extra mile in the morning, but he hadn’t been able to resist both Nikki’s haupia pie and Adam’s contribution of Liliha Bakery’s cocoa puffs.
“I hear Team Charlie is rolling out soon,” Kap said.He tossed his teammate a look of gratitude.
Adam nodded.“Yeah.We’re going to split the team up and have them work with your groups.Then switch it up.”
Team Bravo had done the same thing, but with only one team in place, they had all trained with Alpha before they went active.In Del’s mind, they all had to be trained to take over.Yes, they all had specialties, and those were not skills they could all perform.But if Alpha needed help to cover a situation, then they would be able to call on Bravo.
“Is it true that a woman is being considered to head up Delta?”
Adam nodded.“And she’s my pick, although they are both amazing.”
Each team would be assigned an island.Theirs was Maui, and it came in handy that Nikki had connections through her family on the island.They’d been called in during the fire in Lahaina, and her father and brothers had been amazing in helping them acquire supplies.
“Got any plans tomorrow?”Rami asked him.He glanced over at his teammate.
“Nope.I will not be your wingman tonight.”
“Naw.I wanted to run tomorrow.”
“Dude, you need to learn to sleep in,” Nikki said.
“My partner doesn’t believe in lazy mornings,” he said.
There was a huff from beside him.People thought he was crazy, but he knew she understood most of what he said.Either way, he just hoped for a quiet weekend, but when you were in search and rescue, there was a high chance a call would come in.
Keely Templeton unbuttonedthe top button on her chef jacket, knowing it would not alleviate any of the heat.
“Keely, the big man wants to see you.”
Yazmin’s voice was filled with amusement as she entered the kitchen.She had only met Yazmin a few hours earlier, but Keely liked the woman.Yazmin didn’t goof off and did her job with ease.
Inwardly, Keely sighed.She wanted to finish the kitchen cleaning and slip out of the house for a break.Three hours of prep and cooking had done a number on her back.Add in the fact that just like a lot of houses in Hawai’i, Jason Kelly’s house didn’t have AC.Unlike many other homes on Oahu, he kept his windows and doors shut tight.She was sure she had lost about ten pounds in sweat.
“Gotcha,” she said, grabbing a tea towel to wipe her face off.She was Texas-born and bred, but she was accustomed to AC or at least opened windows.It was weird that Mr Kelly did this when she knew from the look of the house that he could afford a ductless AC unit.
She knew this was part of the job.A lot of hosts liked to impress their dinner guests with the private chef they’d hired for the evening.Still, with sweat stains on the jacket Mr.Kelly insisted she wear, she really didn’t want to deal with this tonight.
But she knew it was part of the job.Grabbing a clean towel, she stepped into the bathroom, situated right off the kitchen, and cleaned her face.Once she felt presentable, she made her way to one of the dining areas.Yep.The guy had two dining rooms.And not a breakfast nook and a dining room.He had a morning room, a breakfast nook, and two dining areas.A lavish house like this costs a lot of money, but then, so did the meal he just paid for.
She entered the dining room.The dinner had been for six.Mr.Kelly and his wife, both in their late sixties, were joined by three business associates.Not that she knew what kind of business Mr.Kelly was in.And she didn’t want to know.It was best to keep everything a little impersonal.She’d learned that lesson the hard way with her last venture.
Nope.No thinking about the two-year debacle of her relationship with Chad.
Mr.Kelly sat at the head of the table with his wife to his right.Beside her, a Mr.Pak sat, still eating.From what she understood, he had asked for seconds even before he started eating his plated mahi mahi.On the opposite side sat another two men, both Caucasian, but she hadn’t caught their names.Then, at the end of the table sat Mr.Sato.He definitely had some Asian blood in him.He was broody, and from what she understood from Yasmin, kind of an asshole.He also had what she called shark eyes.Dead eyes.The type that chilled her blood.
