Read Online Walking in Fire: Hawaiian Heroes, Book 1 by Cathryn Cade - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Cathryn Cade
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get da jitters.”
Melia filled her bowl and nibbled on succulent pineapple, mango, banana and papaya. It might as well have been cardboard. She watched Leilani working and struggled to keep her own thoughts here in the bright kitchen instead of on dark imaginings.
Dane and the twins came back first, sweaty and grimy.
“We found nothing,” Dane said shortly. “Just like I figured. You got any more of that coffee?”
He waited only for Leilani to fill his mug, and then stalked out onto the lanai. The twins paused to fill bowls with fruit salad. Leilani offered them malasadas from a tray she set beside the salad. Melia noticed she didn’t offer to take one to Dane. They took their food outside onto the lanai.
Just when dawn was beginning to turn the sea outside the windows to silver, Frank appeared in the doorway. He looked tired and grim, his face wet with sweat.
“I found the girl,” he said.
At the look on his face, Melia dropped her spoon into the bowl of fruit she’d been eating, her stomach clenching in a knot. “Is she…?”
He shook his head. “She’s alive, but she needs a doctor.”
Leilani let out a low sound of distress. “What happen to her? She fall?”
“No. Pepehi —beat up, real bad,” Frank said. He grabbed a kitchen towel off the counter and wiped his face.
Melia put her hand over her mouth, swallowing hard as the coffee and fruit tried to come back up.
“You found her?” It was Jacquie in the kitchen doorway, still in her sexy nightie, her eyes red from crying.
Frank nodded. “You get hold of Keone?” he asked Leilani. “I need some help carrying her out. My back won’t hold up.”
She shook her head, and he shrugged resignedly. “Where are the guys?”
“Just got back. They’re out on the lanai, drinking coffee.”
“I’m coming too,” Jacquie said. “Wait for me to get dressed.”
“You don’t need to come,” Frank said soothingly. “Why don’t you stay here, be ready to help when we get her back?”
She nodded dolefully, and then disappeared.
Melia looked at Frank. “Malu?”
Frank shook his head, scowling as he took a cup of coffee from Leilani. “No sign of him.”
“I’ll go get the guys,” Leilani said and hurried out.
Frank stood, gulping his coffee, then walked over and grabbed a sweet roll and took a huge bite.
Dane erupted into the kitchen, followed by the other men. “You found Cherie but not Malu? My God, he must have attacked her and then taken off.”
Melia pressed her hand tightly to her mouth. Frank knew Malu; surely he wouldn’t believe Dane’s accusation.
Frank shook his head, his mouth full. As Leilani came back in, he held out his cup, and she brought the coffee pot to fill it again. He took a drink of coffee and gave Dane a hard look. “Malu had no part in this thing.”
Melia made a sound of relief. Dane looked over at her, and she looked away, knowing raw hope was probably written all over her face. Along with fear—because if Malu hadn’t done it, who had ? Could it have been one of these three men? Her mind shied away from that—surely it was some stranger lurking in the forest.
“Would you like me to come up with you?” she asked Frank.
He shook his head, wiping his fingers on his shirt and setting down his cup. “No. You stay here with Leilani and the other wahine, call 911. We need to let them know we got a pu’e kolohe , attacker on da loose. If they can’t send a boat right away, we’ll take her in mine.”
Melia and Leilani watched from the back lanai as the men set out to get Cherie. Frank had a folding stretcher, unearthed from first-aid supplies in a storage shed, that they could carry between them.
Dane stalked alongside Frank, gesturing angrily. “It had to be Malu. There’s no one else around for miles. I mean, how well do you really know the guy?”
Frank shook his head and said something Melia couldn’t hear. She hoped he was defending Malu. Could Clay or Jimmer have slipped away
Melia filled her bowl and nibbled on succulent pineapple, mango, banana and papaya. It might as well have been cardboard. She watched Leilani working and struggled to keep her own thoughts here in the bright kitchen instead of on dark imaginings.
Dane and the twins came back first, sweaty and grimy.
“We found nothing,” Dane said shortly. “Just like I figured. You got any more of that coffee?”
He waited only for Leilani to fill his mug, and then stalked out onto the lanai. The twins paused to fill bowls with fruit salad. Leilani offered them malasadas from a tray she set beside the salad. Melia noticed she didn’t offer to take one to Dane. They took their food outside onto the lanai.
Just when dawn was beginning to turn the sea outside the windows to silver, Frank appeared in the doorway. He looked tired and grim, his face wet with sweat.
“I found the girl,” he said.
At the look on his face, Melia dropped her spoon into the bowl of fruit she’d been eating, her stomach clenching in a knot. “Is she…?”
He shook his head. “She’s alive, but she needs a doctor.”
Leilani let out a low sound of distress. “What happen to her? She fall?”
“No. Pepehi —beat up, real bad,” Frank said. He grabbed a kitchen towel off the counter and wiped his face.
Melia put her hand over her mouth, swallowing hard as the coffee and fruit tried to come back up.
“You found her?” It was Jacquie in the kitchen doorway, still in her sexy nightie, her eyes red from crying.
Frank nodded. “You get hold of Keone?” he asked Leilani. “I need some help carrying her out. My back won’t hold up.”
She shook her head, and he shrugged resignedly. “Where are the guys?”
“Just got back. They’re out on the lanai, drinking coffee.”
“I’m coming too,” Jacquie said. “Wait for me to get dressed.”
“You don’t need to come,” Frank said soothingly. “Why don’t you stay here, be ready to help when we get her back?”
She nodded dolefully, and then disappeared.
Melia looked at Frank. “Malu?”
Frank shook his head, scowling as he took a cup of coffee from Leilani. “No sign of him.”
“I’ll go get the guys,” Leilani said and hurried out.
Frank stood, gulping his coffee, then walked over and grabbed a sweet roll and took a huge bite.
Dane erupted into the kitchen, followed by the other men. “You found Cherie but not Malu? My God, he must have attacked her and then taken off.”
Melia pressed her hand tightly to her mouth. Frank knew Malu; surely he wouldn’t believe Dane’s accusation.
Frank shook his head, his mouth full. As Leilani came back in, he held out his cup, and she brought the coffee pot to fill it again. He took a drink of coffee and gave Dane a hard look. “Malu had no part in this thing.”
Melia made a sound of relief. Dane looked over at her, and she looked away, knowing raw hope was probably written all over her face. Along with fear—because if Malu hadn’t done it, who had ? Could it have been one of these three men? Her mind shied away from that—surely it was some stranger lurking in the forest.
“Would you like me to come up with you?” she asked Frank.
He shook his head, wiping his fingers on his shirt and setting down his cup. “No. You stay here with Leilani and the other wahine, call 911. We need to let them know we got a pu’e kolohe , attacker on da loose. If they can’t send a boat right away, we’ll take her in mine.”
Melia and Leilani watched from the back lanai as the men set out to get Cherie. Frank had a folding stretcher, unearthed from first-aid supplies in a storage shed, that they could carry between them.
Dane stalked alongside Frank, gesturing angrily. “It had to be Malu. There’s no one else around for miles. I mean, how well do you really know the guy?”
Frank shook his head and said something Melia couldn’t hear. She hoped he was defending Malu. Could Clay or Jimmer have slipped away
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