Rex tipped up her chin and stared down into her dark eyes. They reflected the starlight, making them even more beautiful and mysterious. “I came back as soon as I could.”
“It wasn’t soon enough,” she whispered.
He bent and pressed a brief kiss to her lips and then looked up at Angel and Leilani.
“Devlin called and let us know they didn’t let the tail pass until well after they turned onto Kuihelani Highway.”
“Good.” Rex slipped an arm around Kimo’s waist and walked with her up the stairs. “Are they on their way?”
“They are, after they make sure they’re not being followed.” Angel held open the door.
“Did you learn anything about where they’re keeping Alana?” Kimo asked.
“As soon as Dev and Teller get here, I’ll tell you what I know.” He pushed into the cottage. “Right now, I could use the whiskey I didn’t drink on board Lucien Vaughan’s yacht.”
Chapter 12
Kimo’s heart still ached long after Rex debriefed his team. They’d included Hawk, Swede and Hank Patterson in the conversation.
Swede would gather more information, tapping into the dark web to learn about Lucien Vaughan and his dealings with billionaires and Saudi Princes. He’d also tap into any government agencies that might also be keeping tabs on the international playboy.
They agreed she and Rex would be all right to stay in the cottage that night, and they would all meet at Leilani’s boat the following morning.
Angel and Leilani planned to camp out on the boat to make sure no one tried to sabotage it overnight.
After making a run into Kahului for pizza and some breakfast groceries, Devlin volunteered to sleep in his SUV at the entrance to the dirt road leading down to the cottage.
Angel and Leilani dropped Teller at his apartment on their way back to the Lahaina marina. Teller and Devlin would join the team the following morning to provide cover for the divers searching for the camera.
Alone with Rex, Kimo cleaned up after their late-night binge on pizza and stored the leftovers in the new seafoam-green refrigerator that looked like one out of the nineteen fifties but ran like a champ with a freezer sporting an ice machine.
The cottage had a nautical theme, with smooth, weathered wood flooring, a kitchen table made from a surfboard and benches on either side, made from surfboards, too. Netting and shells decorated the walls alongside prints and paintings of Hawaiian seashores and sunsets.
Everything was clean, neat and welcoming.
Kimo dragged her finger along the highly polished surface of the surfboard dining table. “Leilani says you did the renovations on this cottage.”
Rex nodded, following behind her. “It’s a work in progress.”
“I like it. And I like the bedroom, where you’ve created bunks that look like fish netting but have real mattresses. It’s a vacation home, ready for the next family to enjoy.
He smiled. “I like the master bedroom better.”
“The sea captain’s bed is impressive. Weren’t beds on old sailing ships much smaller?” She turned to find him standing directly behind her—so close she could feel the heat from his body.
Or was that hers burning for him?
He caught up with her in the living room when she checked the lock on the door for the second time. She’d just reached for the lock when his hand closed over hers.
“It’s locked,” he said, his lips so close to her ear that his breath stirred tendrils of her hair.
Kimo closed her eyes and inhaled the cologne he’d worn for the evening.
She moved to the window where she could see outside as well as a reflection of herself and him when he came to step in behind her.
Rex had shed his jacket and tie but still wore the slacks and white shirt, unbuttoned now, but crisp and sexy against his tanned skin.
Though he stood behind her, she could see the hairs on his chest displayed in the open V of his shirt.
