Page 88 of Deadly Aloha
“I will kick your ass later if I have to, but for now, just shut up and listen. We found another woman in those rooms in the basement. Reaper’s club is going to take care of her, make sure she gets the medical attention she needs and then is returned to her family. But according to her, Caroline has been with Jones longer than she was, which was close to five years. Nishi was the new addition.”
My stomach churned at her name. “Do we know why Jones flayed her alive? Clearly, he likes to keep his women,” my eyes flew to the two girls on the couch, “and girls for long periods of time.”
The expression on Tangaloa’s face said I was not going to like this answer. “She tried to escape. Again. According to Caroline, he warned her the last time that if she tried again, he would beat her to death.” Tangaloa’s tone was just above a growl as he added, “He kept his promise.”
I closed my eyes, shaking my head. We were so fucking close to finding her. And right when wefinallyhad a lead… I didn’t know who I was more pissed at, myself or Weatherby Dalton-Jones IV. A part of me wanted to be pissed at Nishi, if she’d just waited a few more days, but how could I fault her the desire to escape? I would have done the same. Of anyone in this entirefucking universe, Nishi was the one person I couldn’t place blame on.
My eyes fell on the suitcase in the front of the plane the twins were using as a footrest. That spark deep in my gut was slowing starting to build into a flame the longer I stared at that fucking case. It was going to be so tempting to just push it from the plane at forty thousand feet. But then I wouldn’t be able to hear him scream.
I closed my eyes, needing to break my line of sight. My head was starting to pound. “Um, why are the girls coming with us to Hawai‘i?”
“Because they have nowhere else to go, and Caroline’s never seen the ocean.”
I blinked at that. There was a softness in Tangaloa’s voice when he spoke Caroline’s name. I looked at him to find he had his head turned over his shoulder and was watching the girls. “Where’s her family?”
My question seemed to snap him out of his thoughts. He turned back towards me. “She panicked when I mentioned taking her back to them. She didn’t come out and say it, but I have a feeling one or both of her parentssoldher to Jones when she was only a kid.”
Fuck. There went my stomach again. I needed to be home. I needed to be on my land, to smell the salt air, and to feel Lu’s arms around me.
Maybe that was the part that was bothering me the most. I had no idea if I would ever feel her arms around me again. Could I blame her if she hated me for this? No. Would I let her walk out of my life again? Also no.
I was not so gallant as to let her hate me from afar. She could hate me all she wanted, from our home and our bed. My ring would not be leaving her finger this time. My son would know his father, even if his mother hated him.
“We will still need to know who she is—who both of them are,” I added. “But they’re welcome to come with us until then.”
Tangaloa’s back straightened. “I’m not sending her back to a family who sold her. I don’t give a damn what the law says.”
“We’ll figure it out,” I said as the pilot came on board and told us to take our seats. “But they’re under our protection.”
Tangaloa went to join Caroline and Samantha on the couch. The two worked together to buckle Samantha in between them. I didn’t know what was going through my ex-brother-in-law’s mind, and frankly, I was too exhausted to think about it.
I basically collapsed into my seat. I had an eleven hour flight to figure out just what the fuck I was going to say to Lu when we arrived home.
When we landed,a line of motorcycles was waiting for us. As was a hearse and a minivan. I had no idea whose minivan it was, but I had a feeling there would be a car seat inside the proper size for a four year old.
I wanted to sleep. Ishouldhave slept. But it didn’t happen. I was tired enough that I questioned even being able to drive my bike home. I didn’t know how Bacon had gotten the extra bikes to the airport, but they were there, waiting.
So was Lu. I saw her before I’d even noticed anything else. She looked fucking good. She had a blue bikini top on and a long sarong, showing off her flat belly.
Why was this plane taking so fucking long to park? I needed to send Capone a message to fire his useless pilot. At some point during the flight, I’d kicked off my fucking boots and removed my shirt. My cut was still with Nishi. I was going to need a newone of those. Out of deference to the children on the plane, I left my pants on.
I can only blame my sluggish brain on the fact that I was going on nearly twenty-four hours of no sleep. I turned to Tangaloa. “Why is Lu here?”
I had her best friend in an airplane fridge and a hearse waiting to take her body, and Lu washere? What the fuck?
Tangaloa, who had stayed by Caroline and Samantha the entire trip, stood up. We were taxiing and both of us were ignoring the flight attendant calling back to us to remain seated until the plane came to a complete stop. “I told her to come.”
My hand balled into fists at my sides. “The fuck did you?—”
Tangaloa cleared his throat loudly and gave a pointed side-eye to the girls behind him.
I growled and reworded my question. “What did you do?”
“Like it or not, she needed to be told and you need her here. I had Bacon and Holly break the news to her?—”
“That was not your place! She is mywahine?—”
“And you’remyPresident! I’m your VP. Do you remember? What did you say to me when you signed on with Jameson? ‘I need you with me. To keep me in line, to make me see when I’m being a—’” He stopped talking and clamped his mouth shut. “Anick,” he amended awkwardly. “And you were! Not just to her but to yourself. It’s my responsibility to take care of you so you can take care of this club, and that’s what I’m doing.”
