Authors: L. J Charles
Loyria stood and stacked the dishes. “Yes. It’ll give me an advantage, help keep Fred on his toes.”
Taking the dishes from her, Aukele strode to the sink. “We’ll go with you, and then directly to your new home. Makani packed some things for us while you were in the maze.” He turned to face them. “She tells me I’ll lead you through your wedding ceremony tomorrow, and that it will take place in your garden.”
A lump lodged in James’s throat. His almost in-laws were going to spend the night with them? Awkward, considering what he fully intended to do with Loyria.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
FRED ANSWERED ON THE FIRST RING.
“This better be good.”
One thing Loyria had learned during her time at The Farm was how to keep secrets. “I’m good, thanks. And how are you?”
His snarl ground in her ear. “Damn it all to blue bloody hell.” Papers rattled. “Here it is. What the hell kind of a name is Loyria Gray? And what the fuck are you pulling?”
“Just trying to stay alive long enough to serve my country, sir. And I don’t trust the government to watch my back.” She could BS with the best of them when necessary.
A string of curses, some quite inventive, filled her ears.
“James and I are safe here, I have what I need to continue working on an antidote for the toxin, and—”
“I know about Eamon Grady attacking you, that you both ingested the some of the formula. Didn’t kill either of you, so it has to be the antidote. Or maybe you’re onto something else, Gray.”
Loyria’s heart thudded against her ribs. “How did you find out about Eamon?”
Fred’s chuckle bordered on sinister. “Knew what button to push to get Connor’s handler to talk. Grady’s off-grid. Walked out of the hospital and hasn’t been seen since. Connor’s been recalled to England, and the camp shut down. You’re on your own, Gray. Sure you don’t want to come in voluntarily?”
The threat was clear. “More sure now. I’ll check in with you on a regular basis, but don’t waste your time trying to find me, Fred. I don’t have anything for you, and won’t for a good long while.”
“You’re a damn good liar. I like that in an asset. However, don’t try it with me. You
belong
to me, Gray. And will, no matter what name you hide behind or how far you run.”
It took Loyria a minute to toss his words into the dumpster in her head. “The only person I belong to, other than myself, is James. And that’s only because it’s my choice.” She glanced into the store, noted the time. “Got the call traced yet? I’ve given you plenty of time. Bye, Fred.”
Her hand shook when she seated the phone receiver. Why did it screw with her so badly to deal with these assholes? Fred was a long-range threat, yes. But by the time they caught up with her, she’d be ready.
IT TOOK A LITTLE LESS
than an hour over a tangled web of back roads before they reached the turnoff Aukele pointed out as their driveway. Not that it led to the house. The turns were sharp and the road grass-covered. Slippery grass. James kept both hands on the wheel, white-knuckled. Wrecking the car would probably shoot him to the bottom of the favorite son-in-law list. Four almost-obscured turns later, he brought the car to a stop a few feet from what appeared to be a wall of vegetation.
Aukele got out of the car and motioned for them to follow. “This is where your car will be stored.” He pointed to a jumble of heavy vines. “There’s an opening here. Pass your hand through until you reach a wooden surface, and then slide your fingers over the surface until you find a narrow slot. Inside the slot there’s a lever. Lift it, and the door will open.”
Loyria met James’s gaze, a wickedly amused smile in her eyes. As puzzles went, this was shaping up to be quite intriguing. “You first,” she said.
He winked at her, then slid his hand between the vines. The door popped open, revealing a car-sized area that looked like there’d be about a foot of clearance either side of the vehicle once it had been parked in the space. James’s jaw dropped. Abdicating from society was all well and good, but obviously his soon-to-be in-laws weren’t up on the fine points of driving a car. “How are we supposed to open the doors once the car is parked inside?” Oh, damn. He’d said that out loud.
Way to insult a revered Kahuna, James.
Aukele’s cheeks pinked. “Nudge up close to the far wall. That will give you plenty of room to open the door.” He looked James up and down. “It will keep you thin, knowing you won’t fit if you gain weight.”
Makani had gotten out of car and tapped James on the arm. “Give it a try.”
He inched the car into the garage, shut it off, opened the door, and eyeballed the two feet of clearance. He’d be on short rations the rest of his life. Or maybe he’d just build a bigger damn garage. He shimmied free, faced three sets of inquiring eyes, and took a bow.
MAKANI LINKED ARMS WITH
JAMES
and Loyria. “Time to show you your new home.”
Aukele lifted their bag from the rear storage area, handed it to James, and then locked the garage and cornered his new son. “You will treat my daughter well. I see that. But you have much to learn, so we will begin the teachings of Huna tomorrow.”
About a quarter mile along the path, the foliage thickened and soon became impossible to navigate. There was no house, or building of any kind in sight. Tension drained from Loyria’s muscles, leaving her nothing but awe for what her father had created. “This is a maze. And it completely surrounds the house, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, daughter, it does. It would be close to impossible for anyone to locate this property, or the entrance to the labyrinth.” James and Loyria trailed single file behind Aukele, Makani bringing up the rear. The Kahuna lifted a large branch that was heavy with yellow blossoms, ducked under it, and then slipped between two densely leafed plants. Loyria followed, holding firmly to James’s hand. When they stepped onto the narrow pathway, the clouds opened with an early evening shower.
Aukele broke into a smooth jog, twisting and turning through the many pathways that led to the center of the maze. Not wanting to trip, Loyria kept her head down and focused on the various textures of the ground, and ran smack into her father. He caught her, held on until she found her balance, and then turned her to face her new home.
Loyria gasped, and then tears poured down her cheeks.
It was perfect. Rain slanted in the wind, warm, and holding that special gift of love that only happens in the Islands. It helped, of course, that Loyria’s parents had blessed the land, making her home with James a sacred site, albeit a place no one would ever know about. The house was a single story, but spread in all directions, looking very futuristic.
James spun her in a wild hug, their wet clothes clinging together. “It’s perfect,” he whispered in her ear. “Absolutely perfect.”
When he set her down, she turned to her mother. “You designed it. This is what homes will look like in what, twenty-five years? Thirty?
“Yes, daughter. Perhaps we can go inside now, and dry off a bit.”
“Oh, yes. I...oh gosh, are there towels? Blankets? Is the door unlocked?” She broke into a run, cleared the three steps leading to a wrap-around porch, spun in circles, and landed on her butt. “Well, damn, that hurt.”
James offered her a hand up. “Maybe curb the excitement a bit?”
“Yeah, but no. It’s beautiful. Perfect. And this is the kind of excitement that should be experienced to fullest, sore butt and all.”
Aukele nodded to James, and he turned the knob, pushing the heavy wooden door open.
Loyria jumped up to look over his shoulder. “Oh, gosh. It’s huge.” She slipped under his arm and into the great room, and then realized she was dripping all over the floor. “What is this? Not wood. Will the water hurt it?” She quickly stepped back onto the porch.
“Bamboo. Apparently it’s going to be an excellent choice for flooring in the future. And no, water won’t hurt it.” Makani slid her feet out of her Hawaiian style slippahs and wiped them on the doormat. “But we could use some towels. Come, I’ll show you where they are.”
Loyria unlaced her boots and toed them off. She really needed to get an island wardrobe, preferably tomorrow. After the wedding. She skidded to a stop, completely oblivious to the huge skylights in the ceiling where rain was cascading down in graceful waterfalls. “Oh, no. Oh,
no!
Wedding tomorrow.” She looked down at her sodden clothes. “I don’t have anything to wear!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
JAMES DROPPED THE MALIUS’ BAG
inside the door, slid his hand into his front pants pocket, and found the small knot of fabric where he’d pinned his grandmother’s wedding ring. He’d been carrying it, at his mother’s request, since Eamon had stripped his parents’ bank account. It was like a burr that had hung around, transferred from pants pocket to pants pocket, for so many years he didn’t notice he was doing it anymore. But now he understood why fate had saddled him with the responsibility so many years ago. It didn’t matter that neither he nor Loyria had clothes. He didn’t figure they’d need any for a few days at least, but the ring mattered. It had a history of happy marriages, and the purple diamond was as unique and special as his lady. He grinned, rubbing his fingertip over the secret stash. “I only see beauty when I look at you, Loyria. It comes from your soul.”
She gave him a raised eyebrow stare.
Fancy words weren’t gonna cut it here. He backpedaled. “I understand that brides…that it’s special, and that the dress matters, something to do with the X chromosome, but…ah, crap. What can I do to help?”
Makani stepped between them, her eyes flashing laughter. “We have traditional Hawaiian clothing for you both.” The humor faded from her face. “But there will be no feast and no guests. We thought it best to keep you hidden from everyone, even those who worked on your documents don’t know where your home is.”
Aukele, who had apparently slipped out of the room when he hadn’t been paying attention, wandered in with an armful of towels and passed them around. “It’s time for this old man to go to bed.” He took Makani’s hand, hefted their bag, and headed toward a hallway to the left of the great room.
Makani held him back. “The rooms are sparsely furnished, as you can see, but only with necessary items. All had to be delivered, and then hand-carried from the main road to conceal the exact location of your home. The refrigerator, now that was a real challenge.” She patted Loyria’s cheek, and then pointed toward a hall leading off to the right of the great room. “The master suite is down there. Check in your closet for clothing.”
James stood back, giving Loyria room to hug her parents. “Thank you, both of you. There’s no way we can ever repay you for this.”
Aukele gave her a tap on the cheek. “Ah, daughter, I’ve taught you better. Sleep now. Tomorrow you begin your life together.”
James’s gut feelings had been screwed up since he and Loyria arrived in Hawaii. Yeah, he was grateful for everything Loyria’s parents had done to help them, more than. But damn if it didn’t piss off his pride. They’d done all the things
he
wanted to do,
needed
to do to protect and care for
his
family. And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to about it. Aukele and Makani had done
exactly
what had to be done. There wasn’t even a fucking loose end to tie up. And that left him with… he looked up to face three wrinkled-forehead expressions.
It left him with a family to protect. His skills weren’t in building houses or communicating with the Hawaiian underground, although that would come. And now was the perfect time. “Thank you. I’d like to have a day or two for Loyria and I to acclimate. I need to establish a line of communication with the CIA, but then I hope you’ll introduce me to whoever I need to meet on your team who works with cryptography and ciphers. I’m good, and I’d like to contribute what I know. Consider it, not payment for what you’ve done, but to equalize the situation. As I understand it, there’s balance in Huna, correct?”
Aukele nodded, and then headed down the hall, Makani in tow. “In three days’ time I will set up a meeting,” he said over his shoulder.
James turned to Loyria. “How about we get out of these wet clothes and explore…our new home?”
MORNING DAWNED WITH SOFT SUNSHINE
and a light breeze. A perfect wedding day. Loyria relished the soft mattress and queen-size bed where she and James had slept. The first night of their new life. She stretched out the kinks, then turned toward James. Still asleep, he looked innocent, and far too young to be getting married and taking on the responsibility of her unstable DNA. As soon as they were married she’d get back to work on her formulas. Anything could have happened to her after ingesting that untested healing mixture. And she needed to know what it had done to their child.
She ran her fingers through the unruly strands of hair flopping over James’s forehead. He smiled in his sleep. Easing out of bed, she decided to let him rest while she got ready for the wedding ceremony. It would take her longer, anyway.
After wandering through their house the night before, and deciding which room would be James’s office, and which one hers, Loyria had raided the closet to see what sort of clothes Makani had provided for them. She smiled at the selection. They’d live with most of it until they had a chance to shop, but her mother had chosen the perfect wedding dress—a light-weight, white cotton, ankle-length sheath that had been hand painted with purple orchids. It was stunning, and hugged her body perfectly. James had a white shirt and pants in the same fabric, but the hand-painted orchids on his shirt were white and blended into the fabric with a touch of mystery.