Page 25 of Trust

Silence greeted his question, and he had his answer.

“I was worried.”

“That she wouldn’t die soon enough?”

That was the problem with his partner, who always rushed to grab the money.

“She doesn’t have to die. She just needs to go away.”

How his partner’s voice trembled over the words told him what he needed to know now. Lani dying was the ultimate goal.

“Stop fucking up.” then a dial tone.

He wondered when he got into the business of killing women but had a bad feeling that is precisely what he was doing.

Six

Lani groaned when her phone buzzed on her bedside table at six in the morning. She’d hardly slept, thanks to the late-night meeting with the Australians. Worse, every time she fell asleep, she had that simple kiss in her mind.

She knew that Jakob meant nothing by it. The man did love scenes in front of cameras. It was nothing new for him. For Lani, that kiss sent sparks of electricity coursing through her body. Still, just thinking about it had her nipples hardening.

Lifting her hand, she touched her lips. She could still feel his mouth against hers. She couldn’t remember the last time a kiss left her that dizzy or had her mooning over it. It was a little embarrassing.

Her phone buzzed again. That woman would just not give up. It was bad enough that Royal was forcing Lani to the dress fitting. And who in their right mind had a dress fitting the day before the wedding? A woman who changed her mind four times about what dress she wanted.

With a sigh, she picked it up. Royal’s face was on the screen, and she couldn’t handle it. Instead of answering, she set the phone face down on her chest and ignored it. There were onlyforty-eight hours of insanity left for her. Once the wedding was over, she would try her best to avoid Royal and her brother.

Her heart hurt at that thought. At one time, she and Ben had been close. Their age difference hadn’t made a bit of difference. And when their parents died in a car accident, the two of them clung to each other. She had only been eighteen then and felt as if her whole world was coming apart. But Ben had stood stoically by, urging her to go to school. Jakob had agreed. He had lost his father a few years before their parents died, so she’d assumed he knew what he was talking about.

The phone buzzed again, and she rolled her eyes. Expecting to see Royal’s face, she was surprised when she lifted her phone and saw Jakob’s face.

Her nerves skittered, and her body heated. All her other worries faded into the background, and memories of their kiss came flooding back. Good God, this weekend might be the death of her.

She answered the call.

“Isn’t it a little early for a movie star to be awake?”

He chuckled, a rich sound that she felt down to the soles of her feet. She curled her toes against the sheets.

“Remember, I just arrived yesterday. I’ll be up before dawn for a couple weeks. Besides, if I’m filming, I’m in the chair for hair and makeup early in the morning.”

She knew that, but her usual response was to antagonize him. “Did you need something?”

“Yes, but I have a feeling that’s not on the menu at the moment.”

She frowned at his flirtatious tone. It made her heart turn over and she got a weird feeling in her stomach.

“What are you going to be up to today?”

With a sigh, she grabbed the remote control for her shades. She settled against her pillows and watched as the view ofHonolulu Harbor appeared. She missed the windward side of the island. She had lived in a little bungalow on the Kingston estate for the last few years. It was so close to the water that she could hear the waves when she slept.

“Lani?” he asked, his voice filled with worry.

“Sorry, didn’t have a good night’s sleep. I had that meeting and couldn’t get to sleep.”

“That doesn’t sound good. You should have told Ben to handle his own damned wedding.”

He sounded angry on her behalf. And yes, her brother should have, but she just couldn’t let that woman handle the wedding. It was already ridiculously expensive and kind of tacky. Royal thought the richer you were, the more gold you needed in your wedding.

---