Burn

And yet, she wasn’t afraid of him; hadn’t been for days. She was wary, as any right-minded person would be in these circumstances, but she wasn’t afraid. Did that make her a good judge of character, or a fool who was letting her hoo-ha do her thinking for her?

But she was thinking. She was thinking that, no matter how she provoked him – and God knew she’d done her best to really tie him in knots – he hadn’t hurt her, and had in fact responded with sharp humor that slipped under her guard. The "slimy" comment about Larkin, coupled with the "treason" she’d overheard, made her think Cael was one of the good guys. His hat might not be white, but it definitely wasn’t black. Gray, maybe. She could handle gray.

When she realized that Cael was waking up, she crept out from under his arm and turned her back to him, as best she could considering her restraints. She had to pull on his arm, which completely woke him up, and in a matter of minutes he was unlocking the cuffs, and their day was under way.

Less than an hour later she was standing at the railing on the private balcony, sipping coffee on a gorgeous morning, as they neared Hilo. She could allow herself a moment to relish the illusion of being alone, even though Bridget was on the other side of the door, keeping an eye on her while Cael showered. Jenner was tired of telling them that she had no intention of causing them any trouble. Well, no serious trouble. When she knew that Syd was safe, she’d do her best to cause them all kinds of grief.

No matter what their intentions, no matter what Larkin might’ve done, they’d kidnapped her and Syd, and she couldn’t just let that go. It wasn’t in her nature to take a beating, figuratively or literally, and slink away. She wouldn’t go to the authorities, but she’d do something. She just had to figure out what.

For now, though, she enjoyed the moment. If she was in another situation, she’d get lost in the magnificent view before her: the water, the lush green of the island, the crisp blue sky and puffy white clouds. She made a point of taking it all in, because once she got off the Silver Mist she was finished with sea travel. If she ever returned to Hawaii, she’d be admiring the view on approach from the window seat of an airplane.

Her illusion of privacy was interrupted when the door behind her opened. She turned as Cael stepped out to join her. She almost smiled. He wore khaki pants and a traditional Hawaiian shirt, loose fitting and brightly colored. The outfit was a far cry from his usual silk shirts and exquisitely tailored pants, but he looked perfectly comfortable, and of course the whole point was for him to look like every other tourist. To her he didn’t look anything of the sort, but then she knew him.

She wondered if she’d even be considering that he was more than he claimed to be if he didn’t look this way. If he was short and scrawny and ugly, would it even cross her mind that he might be one of the good guys? That there might be a reason for his behavior? She didn’t want to be so shallow that her hormones affected her judgment, but what red-blooded woman wouldn’t look at Cael Traylor and fantasize just a little bit.

"Get a quick shower and get dressed," he said bluntly. "You have thirty minutes. We’re going ashore."

"Why you silver-tongued devil," she said. "What an invitation."

"It isn’t an invitation, it’s an order. You’re a part of the costume."

Oh, yeah? She was on the same level with his atrocious flowered shirt?

As she went past him he caught her hand, forcing her to stop and look up at him.

His expression was deadly serious when he added, "And today you will be on your best behavior."

THEY FOLLOWED LARKIN IN SHIFTS, he and Jenner, Faith and Ryan, and Matt – who’d sneaked off the boat wearing a pair of baggy shorts and a T-shirt, a dark wig, and sunglasses, as well as a large well-worn backpack – trailing for a while then breaking off when another team had him in sight. All they knew was that Larkin had a meeting set for Hilo, their first stop in the islands. They didn’t know where or when, but as Larkin had been one of the first passengers to disembark, maybe they’d get lucky and the meeting would take place soon.

The man they were following might not think twice about catching a glimpse of a few of his fellow passengers while he was out and about, but if that went on for too long and he continued to see the same people again and again he’d get suspicious, and might even call off the meeting. If that happened they were back to square one, so they were careful to stay out of sight as much as possible, even though they were swapping out the lead in following him.

Tiffany, who’d spent so much time near Larkin in the past few days that he probably would think twice if he caught sight of her in his orbit on the island, was staying aboard the ship. Bridget would keep an eye on the suite, as usual. Sanchez remained on board, as well, but Cael didn’t trust the hired man the way he trusted his own people. The rest of the team followed Larkin, communicating through a state-of-the-art system that was all but invisible, the components were so small.

Larkin usually had a bodyguard with him wherever he went, but this morning, when his rented car dropped him off on a street corner, he’d continued on alone, walking briskly, taking quick, frequent glances over his shoulder. Cael and Jenner, who’d been in a cab close behind Larkin, notified Matt – the least recognizable of the group in his disguise – of the subject’s whereabouts, and had watched from a distance until Matt informed them that he had Larkin in his sights. For two hours this had continued, the three teams leapfrogging, keeping Larkin in view, until Cael found himself, with Jenner on his arm, at the colorful and crowded farmer’s market.

Larkin weaved in and out of the crowd, stopping now and then to admire flowers, exotic fruits, and even exchange a word or two with the locals who had set up shop to sell their wares. He even stopped at a table of homemade preserves and nuts, spent several minutes admiring the offerings, and eventually made a purchase. Cael carefully watched the exchange, wondering if this was it, but he saw no exchange other than cash for what looked to be a jar of jelly.