Page 94 of Forgotten Promise

“Grand Master, I can handle the inventory alone.” Preston waved his fingers above his head, vaguely gesturing to where the waihona was.

Selene shook her head. “I saw the picture you took, that’s at least a two-person job. And besides, it takes all three of us, and all three keys, to open it.”

Kailani nodded, leaning in. “I know, I know, and I’ve thought of that. I’ll give my key to Makani. If I were hit by a bus, he’d probably be the person who’d get it anyway.”

“And Makani is going to take over your job helping with inventory?”

“Sure,” Kailani said. She’d lie if that was what it took to get out of here.

Lachlan shook his head. “He’s busy for the next few days reporting the crimes we ‘discovered’ Mark committing.”

It took Kailani a minute to remember who Mark was—the cousin of one of the construction crew, the man who’d stolen the gold and tried to break in. They must be planning to frame him for an equivalent crime since they couldn’t tell Honolulu PD the truth. Between dealing with that, and keeping an eye on the hotel in general, Makani was already stretched thin.

“He can do it,” Kailani insisted, promising she’d make it up to him somehow.

Lachlan shook his head, Preston looked pained, and Rose had one brow raised.

Kailani fought the urge to just run—run out of this room and straight to the airport and damn the consequences. “Please,” she said instead. “Please, they’re my trinity.”

Selene started to speak, but Kailani cut her off. “I know technically they’re not. I know I screwed up when I didn’t say something last night. But they’re mine, and if I don’t go find them, don’t fix this, now, I’ll lose them forever.”

“I was going to say,” Selene said slowly, “that I sympathize. I know what it’s like to find your trinity. To love them, even if you don’t have any of the formal society approvals.”

Kailani’s heart jumped. “Will you call us to the altar? Put us back in a formal trinity?”

Selene leaned back. “Oh, no way.”

Damn it. “Selene, please.”

“We are at war.” She gestured to Lachlan. “I dissolved it as a favor to you. To be honest, I don’t even know what goes into calling a trinity to the altar. And, frankly, it’s not a priority right now.”

“Then you have to let me go to them. I can’t—” Kailani bowed her head, panic and rage churning through her. Plus fear. Fear that it was too late, that she’d lost them forever.

“Isn’t your cousin here?” Preston asked.

Kailani looked up to find that he was staring at Selene.

“Yes, Roman’s here, but he just came because he’s married to Tate.”

“Is he related to you on the keyholder side?”

“Yes, why?”

“The actual keyholders have to be one person from each of our families, right?” Preston pulled his key from his pocket.

“I’m with you so far,” Selene said.

“But as far as access to the waihona, from what I understand, it’s members of keyholder families.” Preston looked at Kailani. “I’m assuming you were in there, at least the outer room, with the previous keyholder.”

“Yes, to learn the maintenance things and where the letters went.”

“So anyone from a keyholder family is allowed inside the waihona.” Preston smiled. “If Kailani gives her key to Makani, he can come with us to unlock the door.” Preston gestured from himself to Selene. “But for the inventory, Selene’s cousin Roman, who is here and not currently busy, could join me.”

“That’s splitting hairs,” Rose said. “I like it.”

Kailani checked the urge to throw her arms around Preston in a desperate hug.

“And everyone keeps insisting I’m a scary Grand Master. With that kind of thinking, you’d be great.” Selene shook her head, but she was smiling, looking almost relieved.

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