Page 61 of Deadly Aloha
Lu snorted. “You are many things, Aloiki.Innocentis not one of them.”
I gave her a wicked smile. “Need any help getting out of those shorts?”
“Getting me out of my pants is how we gotintothis predicament,” she remarked, stepping back. I followed her into the room and closed the door.
“If I recall, you werealreadyout of your pants when I found you,” I growled. I was still royally pissed at the memory of her being carried by that fucking Bloody Scorpion over his shoulder in just her bra and panties.
“We have no way of knowing that’s when I got pregnant,” she reminded me.
I reached for her shorts. “I’d like to think it is.”
After she got naked from the waist down, I lifted her up onto the examination table. I tipped my head towards the ultrasound machine in the corner of the room as I stepped between her spread legs. “Do you know how to work one of those? I want a sonogram of my dick inside your pussy for our bedroom.”
Lu laughed at my question like I was joking. I wasn’t.
There wasaFordEscape parked in front of my house when Lu and I pulled into the farm. I could tell when Lu saw it too because she stiffened at my back. I didn’t own a car, or a cage. If I couldn’t take my bike or Koa someplace, chances were, I wasn’t going there. I had enough friends with boats that I’d never felt the need to get one either. All my surf boards were kept at my shop.
The Escape wasn’t in good condition. The vehicle wasn’t that old, but it wasn’t well maintained. I knew enough about mechanics to be dangerous, but not enough to fix an engine blindfolded. But even I knew better than to take the oil changing indicator as only a suggestion.
Kalea wasn’t in the car when I pulled up next to it. Lu got off my bike first, removing her helmet. I didn’t use a brain bucket, but to her annoyance, I forced one on Lu’s head every time we rode.
We could see the front door was open with the screen door closed.
I didn’t know where Tangaloa was, but his bike wasn’t in the drive. There was a chance he was at the barn overseeing the construction or down at Bacon’s. As Lu and I approached the house, I sent off a message to tell him to stay away from home for a while.
Pualani squealed from her place on the kitchen floor when she saw me. My niece made her way to her feet before waddling her way up to me with her arms outstretched.
I picked her up, because I wasn’t entirely heartless. It still baffled me that she got excited upon seeing me. It wasn’t likeI was around her that much. I was a bit surprised she even remembered me.
Lu greeted Pua over my shoulder, making my niece giggle and squirm in my arms.
Whatever joy I felt for seeing my baby niece evaporated when I saw my sister sitting at my kitchen table. I passed Pua off to Lu. There was paperwork in front of Kalea that I recognized, and none of it looked signed.
“Can you take her outside for a bit?” I asked Lu. “Keep clear of the barn.” I hadn’t heard back from Tangaloa, so I didn’t know where he was to keep Pua away from him. I didn’t want Pua by the construction anyway.
Lu nodded and walked back outside with Pua in her arms.
My sister didn’t even question my decision to have Lu take her daughter out of the house.
I headed over to the fridge. “Those papers don’t look signed.”
“Because they’re not,” my sister responded. She slid them across the old table towards me. “It’s not enough, Aloiki. I need to think of Pua’s future. If I’m not getting income from the farm monthly, then I need enough to hold me over.”
The farm hadn’t been gettingthatmuch income. We weren’t rolling in green. It was a small chunk of change each month. Not enough to live off of but enough to maybe help make ends meet.
“You should be lucky you get anything. I could have taken labor and upkeep out of your cut, but I didn’t. Don’t forget your horses live here too.” I sat down across from her, beer in hand. “Want to try again?”
Kalea made a face. “I don’t want to sell. The farm is my last connection to our parents.”
“And I would believe that if you spent any time here at all. You haven’t ridden your horse in years.” I wasn’t a detective, but clearly there was something more going on here.
“Look,” she snapped. “It’s my right not to sell. You can’t make me.”
I nodded. “You’re right, I can’t. But I can start charging you board and feed.”
“You can’t do that!”
“Sure I can.” I sat back, taking a sip of my beer. “I just haven’t. I pay board, you know. You’re the only one who doesn’t.”
