Page 21 of Deadly Aloha
“Mahalo,” she said in a low voice. She reached for it, but I got to it first. I’d be damned if she took the shirt directly from another man.
Gathering up the shirt, I walked in front of her. She still wouldn’t look at me. Like she was a child, I placed the neck hole of Aftermath’s shirt over her head, then lifted her arms through the sleeves before pulling it down to cover her body. It felt so wrong, putting clothingonher. I even lifted her hair out of the back of the shirt.
I rested my hands on her cheeks, wiping the evidence of her tears away with my thumbs. Leaning down, I kissed her as gently as I could. “I’ll let you have your space,” I told her softly, “but wewilltalk soon.” I looked over my shoulder. Of our audience, my choices were limited. I couldn’t have Rory take her. From the twisted expression on his face, I knew his feelings for Lu had not vanished. Virgil had arrived by sea. The twins… Well, I wasn’t comfortable having them take her, especially when she wasn’t wearing pants, and she also didn’t know them. They hadn’t been employees of mine when we’d been together. Hiro could not provide any protection if something happened and I needed Tangaloa here. That left: “Kanoa,” I said sternly. “Take her home, and make sure she stays there.”
Kanoa nodded as Lu protested, “Hey! I do not need a babysitter!”
My hand gripped the base of her throat. I didn’t cut off her air supply, but there was enough pressure that it warned her I could. We hadn’t played these games in years, and I needed her to understand I wasn’t playing this time. “You will go with Kanoa and you will stay there,” I growled. “Once I clean up here and figure out just what the fuck is going on, I will come for you, Lu.” I brought my face down to hers. “You’ve been warned. Don’t run from me.” I nipped at her lip. “Or do. You know how much I love a good chase. But the end result will still be the same.”
Her eyes widened as her pupils dilated. “You’re going to help me find Nishi?”
I stared at her intensely. “You only ever had to ask,Hokupa?a.”
I felt her swallow under my grip at my old nickname for her. No matter how bad life got, no matter what I did or said, she was there. My North Star. My homing beacon. Always there…
Until she wasn’t.
“Please.” The desperation in her voice was tangible.
Using my thumb under her chin, I bent her head up to mine. I kissed her hard, letting her feel what I did not say. My tongue dipped into her mouth, tangling with hers. Lifting my head, I licked away her new tears. “Go with Kanoa,” I ordered. She seemed wobbly for a moment before starting forward. I kept my hand on her throat until I was forced to drop it or have to walk with her. I fuckinghatedthat I was not the one taking her home right now, that I was not taking her tomyhome right now.
“Lu!” She stopped, looking back over her shoulder at me. “I’ll come for you soon,” I promised, “and we’ll talk.” Then I reminded her sternly, “WhileI’m inside you.”
Her cheeks flamed and her breath hitched, but she did not otherwise respond. Instead, she started forward again.
“Howzit, Kanoa?” I heard her ask softly. I still didn’t know how long she’d been back. Had she seen Kanoa or any of themrecently? It wasn’t as if I had talked to Virgil, Kanoa, or Rory in years. Would they have even told me if Lu was back on O‘ahu? Rory certainly wouldn’t have.
“Lu,” Kanoa answered with a bow of his head. “It’s good to see you.”
Tangaloa walked over to stand shoulder to shoulder with me as I watched Kanoa and Lu head towards wherever his car or bike was parked. I hadn’t seen him arrive, so I didn’t know what vehicle he had.
“You’re really going to let her walk again?” Tangaloa asked me, amazement lacing his voice.
“Fuck, no,” I snapped. “I’m letting her get her affairs in order. Then I’m bringing her home where she belongs, whether she likes it or not.”
“I’mafraid to ask what just happened,” Aftermath said shortly after my declaration.
I was now wearing my boxer briefs. I would have been perfectly comfortable not putting anything on at all, but I needed Red focused and not trying to avoid looking at me. My jeans were now at the bottom of a trash can the twins were in the process of starting a fire in to help us get rid of evidence of what had happened here.
I looked him dead in the eye as I said, “I just got mywahineback.”
Hiro walked up to me. They were wearing a giant smile on their face. “I forgot how much I enjoy watching the two of you fuck.”
I couldn’t help the snort that escaped my mouth in response. To Aftermath, I said, “We need to figure out where that other truck is going. I won’t have a new batch of heroin flooding my streets.”
The look he gave me did not tell me anything I didn’t already know. If that heroin got out, it would be my fault becauseIhad made the decision to let that truck go to lessen the number of foes between Lu and me. I stood by my decision, Lu would always come first, but that did not make facing the repercussions any easier.
“I need to call Capone,” Aftermath said instead. “Tell him what happened here.”
Fuck, I supposed I should call Jameson too. As Red and Aftermath stepped off to the side to call their President, I turned to Hiro. “We had a tracker on that third truck. Can you find it?”
“Easy,” they said, their chest puffed up in pride. “Give me a hard job.”
“Fine.” I raised an eyebrow. “Find out where those boats were headed.”
Their face fell as they turned to see the half-sunk, still-smoldering boats. “That’s… But that’s…” Their shoulders slumped. “I always go too far.”
As they started to storm off in a huff, I called after them, “Call me when you have something!”
