Chapter Eleven

  “But it does mean something,” Dex said with more than a little assurance, his voice unwavering and his arms holding Katrina up against his body. He had just engaged in mind-blowing sex with arguably the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Or, at the very least, had the pleasure of getting to know in the biblical sense. To suggest it meant nothing would indicate that the last hour of all-consuming intimacy was merely a flash in the pan. A simple sexual release void of any emotional attachment. He wasn’t wired that way. Not in the slightest. Not with her. And the incredibly seductive sounds she made and her sensual body movements during their lovemaking told him that it was much more than just casual sex for her too. Dex suspected that her statement was more of a defense mechanism than anything, to avoid getting hurt. This was something he would never do to her willfully. Especially not after their succumbing to a mutual attraction, leaving him wanting so much more.

  “And just what is that something?” Katrina challenged him, with a silky-smooth leg draped invitingly over his. “Or do you even know?”

  Dex touched her flushed cheek. “I know that what we just did was amazing,” he spoke sincerely. More than he could ever have imagined when handed this assignment. “We’re good together, Katrina. There’s no denying that.”

  “I’m not denying it,” she promised him. “But that’s the problem, isn’t it? I’m a widow, operating a lodge on Kauai. You have an entirely different life going on. With the demands of your profession as a DEA agent, I’m not sure I’m cut out for a ‘whenever we can get together but are otherwise apart’ type relationship.”

  “Neither am I,” he confessed, never expecting to meet someone who could be the woman of his dreams. But he had and he didn’t want to see her slip away. How could he prevent it and maintain the unpredictable life on the go that he had become accustomed to in combatting drug-related criminality in the United States and beyond? “I care for you,” Dex told her, locking eyes with Katrina so she knew how serious he was.

  “I care for you too, Dex.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “But is that enough for either of us?”

  It was certainly a good place to start, Dex believed. That was enough to give him hope of a future with Katrina. “We’ll figure it out,” he promised.

  She nodded, seemingly content in that thought. But for how long? Dex knew it was on him to make it work and he fully intended to. He lifted her chin and kissed Katrina on the mouth. The kiss lingered for a while, with both of them into it, before he reluctantly pulled back. “Hate to kiss and run, but I need to check on Barnabas.”

  “Of course.” She licked her lips. “He’s probably wondering where you’ve been.”

  Dex chuckled. “Yeah, he does tend to get a bit antsy when we’re apart too long.”

  “I can only imagine,” she uttered teasingly.

  “Me too.” He hadn’t even left and Dex was already starting to miss her company. The thought of them being apart too long was excruciating. But duty called. He kissed Katrina’s soft shoulder and rolled off the bed, enjoying the view of her lying there naked tantalizingly. “Stay there,” he said. “I can see myself out.”

  Dex quickly dressed and pushed aside his hesitancy to leave, knowing he had no choice. “Catch you later,” he told Katrina and gave her a goodbye kiss, as she remained in bed, covered up but smiling to let him know the door was open. All he had to do was be willing to meet her halfway. It seemed more than reasonable to him, once he got past the current investigation that included keeping her safe.

  * * *

  THE MOMENT HE stepped inside the cottage, Dex knew something was wrong. The place had been ransacked as if it had been hit by a tornado. His first thought was Barnabas. Was he hurt? Was the intruder, or intruders, still there? Immediately, Dex removed his DEA-issued and loaded 40 caliber Glock 27 pistol from a concealed carry holster. He had taken the liberty of arming himself routinely, after leaving the firearm locked in his glove compartment while visiting Katrina. Moving cautiously through the cottage, he checked each room, nook and cranny, and saw no sign of anyone. What the hell were they looking for? He considered that this was where Roxanne was staying. Did the break-in have anything to do with her undercover assignment, which he had inherited?

  Dex kept the gun in a ready-to-use position as he went to the back door. His heart was racing in fear of what he might find in the backyard, where he had left Barnabas for some exercise. The thought that someone had harmed—or perhaps killed—his canine best friend nearly broke Dex. He opened the door, expecting either the worst or to come face-to-face with an armed assailant, instead there was only Barnabas standing there on all four feet with seemingly not a care in the world, while showing no signs of being injured. Dex nearly jumped for joy and, after determining that there was no one hiding amongst the fruit trees, embraced the K-9 dog. “Good to see you’re safe and sound, boy!” Barnabas demonstrated mutual affection by licking his hands and face. “You wait out here and I’ll get you something to eat and finish checking out the place.”

  The K-9 cop seemed reluctant to remain in the backyard, but obeyed, as Dex wanted to get a forensic team in there to see what they could come up with, if anything. The fact that someone was willing to boldly encroach on his space told him that they must be closing in on the drug traffickers and others with a stake in the game. And they were willing to do whatever they needed to get what they wanted. No matter who got in their way. Well, as far as Dex was concerned, this was hardly going to deter the Task Force from going after those who were committing offenses on Kauai soil, including murder. He left Barnabas to himself, while Dex went back inside and got on the cell phone, first calling Lynda and Ishikawa, then Clayton Pietz and some other members of the Task Force, to inform them of the break-in.

  Thirty minutes later, Dex was being interviewed by Detective Sergeant Vera Tolentino of the Kauai PD’s Property Crimes Unit. In her early thirties, she was of medium height and build, with brunette hair in an A-line cut, and light brown eyes. “Is there anything missing that you know of, Agent Adair?”

  Dex considered the mess left behind, but couldn’t actually say anything of note was missing. “Doesn’t look like they took anything of value,” he admitted, while knowing that as a precautionary measure—given the disappearance of key items from Roxanne’s belongings upon her death—he had taken the liberty of keeping his cell phone, laptop and two firearms on his person or locked inside the car whenever away from the cottage.

  “Lucky you,” Vera remarked, as they stood in the main room. “Lately, there’s been a number of burglaries in the Koloa area. Mostly teenagers looking to grab anything they can steal to pay for drugs or just to pass the time out of plain boredom. Apparently, from what you’re telling me, they came away from here empty-handed.”

  “Not sure this was a simple case of burglary.” Dex almost hated to tell her, even if she made a good argument on that front.

  She flashed him a suspicious stare. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  Sticking to the need-to-know basis for information, he responded evasively, “Let’s just say that with a major drug-trafficking operation underway on the island, there are more than burglars who may have wanted to hit the place in a bad way.”

  “I see.” She made a note of this. “Well, our crime scene investigators will be here shortly to collect any evidence they can find. We’ll be sure to coordinate our efforts with the vice section and you guys and go from there.”

  “Sounds good.” Dex smiled at her and watched briefly as she got on her cell phone. Ten minutes later, he was conferring with Lynda, Ishikawa and Clayton Pietz on the mysteries of the break-in. None of them were quite certain what—or who—was behind it. They all seemed to rule out the burglary angle on the whole.

  Detective Pietz drew his brows together. “Your cottage being ransacked so soon after we nailed Kenneth Monaghan does appear to be more than coincidence.”

  “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.” Dex concurred in connecting the dots between their investigation and his role in the scheme of things. Including working with Katrina to weed out potential perpetrators and unsubs. Could her firing Monaghan just before he cut the brake lines of Roxanne’s car be a factor in her onetime cottage being burglarized? Was that something that could still put Katrina in jeopardy?

  “So, you think this is something akin to a warning shot to say we’re on to you and the probe into drug trafficking?” Ishikawa questioned.

  “It’s possible,” Dex conceded, thinking about Katrina’s still unidentified stalker, whose motivation and insinuations remained a mystery. “It’s just as likely that whoever killed Roxanne had figured out our connection and were still looking for something she left behind. Or at least they believed that to be the case.”

  “I think that’s a bit of a stretch,” Lynda chimed in, standing flat-footed. “If they didn’t find it after she was killed, there’s no reason to believe she would have passed the torch to you, so to speak, and you would be dumb enough to leave it hanging around for them to find.”

  “Good point as well,” Dex said, thoughtful. “But here’s the thing. My cover has been blown...and likely my trusty and thankfully unharmed K-9 companion’s as well. At least in the eyes of someone. And I’m staying at the same place where Agent Yamamoto had ample time to collect and hide evidence. Maybe it’s still here somewhere and can bring down the entire illicit drug operation, if found. We need to keep all options on the table as we try to get to the root of it.”

  “I agree,” Pietz said. “The people we’re dealing with mean business. They’ll stop at nothing to keep their profitable trafficking of drugs going. That includes sending a message to any of us involved in the criminal investigation, whether it’s a warning shot, as Ishikawa put it, or an all-out war. We need to be ready for whatever comes next and come back twice as hard.”

  “We’re with you, Pietz,” Lynda declared, and Dex didn’t argue against it. They did need to remain united as a Task Force in fighting a common enemy. One that he feared still potentially placed Katrina and her lodge in the line of fire.

  * * *

  KATRINA WAS STILL riding high on the explosive sex with Dex, if not the uncertainty of where this might carry them for the future. We’ll figure it out, she replayed in her head what he’d said in that respect. Would they? Or were they really just fooling themselves that it could work? Yes, they were great in bed and had hit it off. But could they truly bridge the gap between a mainlander who worked on dangerous missions for the Drug Enforcement Administration and a widowed owner of a lodge on a relatively peaceful Hawaiian island?

  I can’t allow myself to get too carried away after one night in bed, incredible as it was, Katrina thought, having put her clothes back on and made herself a cup of coconut coffee. What would be, would be. She needed to keep a proper perspective and refrain from putting too much pressure on Dex or herself in wanting to make this work between them. Perhaps once he had put his current investigation into drug trafficking in the case closed category, they could sit down and talk about what they envisioned in a real relationship and see if the two measured up. In the meantime, as a single, healthy woman with needs like everyone else, there was no harm in enjoying Dex’s company for as long as they both saw eye to eye regarding spending time together, and go from there.

  Her ruminations were halted as Katrina became aware of the knock on her door. Though she was technically off duty, the dictates of operating a lodge successfully required her to be on call at all times for anything that came up. What was it this time? A leaking sink? Overflowing tub? A belligerent or inebriated guest? Katrina prepared herself for any possibility as she padded in her bare feet across the floor to the door and opened it. To her joyous surprise, standing there was Dex. Along with Barnabas.

  “Hey,” she said demurely, eyeing the DEA agent curiously. “Didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

  “Barnabas and I need a place to crash for the night,” Dex said tonelessly, adding, “he’s perfectly housetrained.”

  “Of course, you’re welcome to stay for as long as you like.” Katrina smiled and welcomed them inside. She didn’t feel at all as though her offer was being too generous, because she had plenty of room. She doubted Dex would ever take her up on it, so long as they hadn’t made a firm commitment to each other. Only then did she gaze at him and ask nervously, “What happened?”

  Dex grimaced. “My cottage was vandalized,” he voiced angrily.

  “What?” Her eyes popped wide. “By who?”

  “We’re still trying to determine that. The police department seems to think it was just some locals looking for money to buy drugs. Or to wreck the place just for the hell of it.”

  “But you don’t believe that,” she deduced.

  He gazed down at his dark loafers and back up. “If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say someone broke in looking for something connected to the drug-trafficking case.”

  She glanced at Barnabas, who had moved quietly into a corner and seemed totally disinterested in the conversation. “That would mean whoever was behind it had to know you’re a DEA agent.”

  “Or that Roxanne was and had stayed there before me. Either way, it’s definitely suspicious in nature.”

  Katrina’s heart dropped. “Are we talking about maybe the stalker who warned me about not trusting you?” she asked with dread.

  Dex’s jaw tensed. “Not necessarily,” he said. “He would certainly be a suspect. But the people trafficking drugs in and around the island have more than one way to come at you. Whoever got Kenneth Monaghan to do their dirty work in killing Agent Roxanne Yamamoto could’ve easily figured out that she might have a replacement and made it their business to determine who it was.”

  Katrina knew he was also trying to tell her it had nothing to do with their involvement, per se. Or even her own association with both Roxanne and, of course, Joseph, as his widow. Yet Katrina still got a chill in believing that the danger was all around them and the perpetrators would not stop as long as whoever was calling the shots felt confidently above the law.

  Before she knew it, Dex had wrapped his arms around her. “It’ll be all right.” He spoke with a mixture of softness and sureness. “For both of us. I promise.”

  “You think?” She lifted her chin at him.

  “Yeah, I do.” He took a breath and held her a little tighter.

  Katrina leaned against his hard body, taking in his words and what she took as a dual meaning that they would both get past the current dangerous environment and also be okay in their own future. She embraced both concepts, while still being concerned about what it all meant.

  Chapter Twelve

  Katrina was restless as she slept through the rainy night, despite being held snugly for much of it by Dex. She had a frightening dream about coming face-to-face with her stalker, only to have him lunge at her with a long-bladed supersharp knife. The type one could imagine Jack the Ripper used to carve up his victims. Just as she screamed, Katrina snapped open her eyes and heard only a low hum coming from her mouth. It was only a nightmare. The first she could remember that involved the mystery man who had left her notes and followed her around at least once.

  As she regained her bearings, Katrina turned around, expecting to find Dex sound asleep. Instead, his side of the bed was empty. Feeling slightly disappointed, she dragged herself up, wondering if he had made breakfast or at least coffee. Slipping into a short kimono robe, she left the room and went into the kitchen. No Dex. Or even Barnabas. Did she drive them away? After not finding a note, Katrina checked her cell phone for messages. There was a text from Dex that told her he had gotten up early to give Barnabas some exercise and then both would need to get back to work. He asked that she keep him informed if she ran into any problems. That was code to Katrina for possibly whoever ransacked his cottage. Or perhaps if she spotted the man who had stalked her.

  Dex ended the text message with the words, Miss you. Katrina missed him too. Maybe more than she was willing to admit to him, if not herself. Wherever this was going, she still needed to remain grounded and remember that the lodge needed to be her first priority at the moment. Just as Dex had an ongoing investigation that he had to focus on if they were ever to get past it. Asking him to push that aside, or to the back burner and instead explore their budding romance, wouldn’t be fair to either of them. Especially not when drug-related criminals were still within their midst and apparently as dangerous as ever.

  Twenty minutes later, Katrina was in her office, working. In fact, business had been brisk of late, with bookings going through the roof for this time of year and few empty rooms for the foreseeable future. It looked as though they were finally beginning to turn the corner in becoming profitable, in spite of Joseph’s mismanagement before he died. I certainly can’t take anything for granted, she told herself, knowing that you got what you put into it. Beyond that, to keep the lodge running smoothly, it needed to continue to be a go-to resort location in the ever-competitive town of Poipu on the island’s south shore. Katrina understood that for her long-term survival in the hospitality business, the Maoli Lodge had to get past the drug-trafficking probe once and for all.

  “Hey, I’ve been looking for you,” Alyson said, stepping inside the room and snapping Katrina from her musings.

  “You found me.” She smiled at the assistant manager. “What’s up?”

  “Just a scheduling conflict with a housekeeper. Apparently, Sophie had a little too much to drink last night and overslept.”

  “Oh dear.” Katrina made a face. Sophie Fernandez was one of their recent hires. What she lacked in experience, she more than made up for with hard work. Till now.

  “Fear not, I took care of it,” Alyson stated proudly. “Did a little rearranging of schedules so she could come in later without a single room needing to be delayed for cleaning.”