Page 13 of Duty and Desire

I laughed. “Nothing gets past you, does it? Yeah, I’ve been working on a few ideas. I had a little inspiration, thanks to Kai.”

Her thinning eyebrows shot up. “You writing about Kai?” She snorted. “Then I guess there’ll be a lot of sex in this book.”

I tried not to smirk. “Whatever can you mean by that?”

She grinned again. “Kai has an eye for a pretty face, whether it belongs to a boy or a girl.”

“You’re okay with that?” My research had been correct: Bora-Bora was LGBTQ+ friendly. But sometimes the older generation weren’t of the same mindset.

My nonna was proof of that.

Aulani waved her hand. “It’s all love, isn’t it?” There was that lip twitch again. “Well, maybe not in Kai’s case. That boy’s more interested in lust than love. He’s always got a different girl in tow.”

“He can keep the girls. Now, I might give him some competition for the boys,” I added.

Aulani’s cheeks pinked. “Ah. Okay.” Then she frowned. “So if you’re not writing about Kai…”

“He pointed someone out to me. Nick. He didn’t give me a last name. He does all kinds of jobs across the island.”

Her face lit up. “I know Nick. Have you met him?”

“Well, seeing as he took me on a boat trip around the island… Which was amazing, even though I left a whole load of groceries in the boat—in the heat—while I went off enjoying myself.” I gave a rueful smile. “And before you give me a lecture on how not to give myself food poisoning, I bought a second lot of groceries. So how do you know Nick?”

She shrugged. “I see him around a lot. He’s an interesting one. The kind of person who makes you wonder about him.” Her brows knitted. “And worry.”

“What do you mean? Why should you worry about him?” I hadn’t sensed anything similar.

“Nick is a sweet guy, and maybe people take advantage of that.”

I smiled. “I think he can take care of himself.” That was just my instincts talking. “He seems pretty switched-on.”

Her frown deepened. “‘Switched on’?”

“He appears to know what’s going on around him,” I explained.

Aulani let out another snort. “Then he doesn’t know enough. That boy has got himself a stalker.”

I froze. “What makes you say that?”

She gaped at me. “I have eyes, that’s why. There’s this guy who’salways near him. Now, Nick never pays him any attention. Maybe that’s because he truly doesn’t see him, or because he doesn’twantto see him.” She brought her hand to her chest. “Maybe he made a play for Nick and got rejected, but he can’t take a hint.”

I gazed at her, my mind firing up. “Is that you being imaginative, or is Nick into guys? Or is he straight and that’s why he told this guy where to go?”

She coughed. “Not my place to say.”

I cackled. “It’s a little late for that, Aulani. You just let the cat out of the bag.” Maybe not all the way out, but there was definitely a paw visible.

She cleared her throat. “I’ve seen him maybe twice with a boy. Thereisa girl who visits the island a lot, but I can’t decide if she’s a friend or more than that.”

“What’s this stalker like?”

She snickered. “He’s big. Not too tall, but well-built. Looks as if he could take care of himself in a fight.” Her eyes gleamed. “Next time you see Nick? You keep an eye out for this guy. You see if I’m right.” She pointed to the table on the veranda. “Now you go back to your work and let me tidy this place without you under my feet.”

I chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.” I retook my seat and opened the laptop.

Her suggestion of a stalker provided another avenue. Perhaps my darker plot ideas were closer to the mark than I’d imagined. This guy could have tracked Nick down despite witness protection. Or else he was the cop chasing Nick, determined to drag him back to his home country.

Wherever that was. My money was someplace in Europe.

---