Hostile Desires (7 page)

Graeme. Since the moment she had said it earlier, she knew she would never think of him any other way. That was the reason she had avoided using the name. She stepped closer and realized he was reading...and he was wearing a pair of glasses. He was so focused on what he was reading, he didn’t realize she was looking at him then. She felt free to take her time to study him.

He always seemed like a man from another time, a warrior without a kingdom. Maybe it was the Scots in her blood, but that accent and those piercing eyes called to her. He was the first man since her divorce, and the incident that preceded it, to make her want to be touched. And seeing him like this, intent on whatever he was reading, made her hormones pop to life.

She must have caught his attention, because his gaze rose to hers. Lord, he was sexy before, but now he looked like a warrior nerd. Then, he slowly slipped the glasses off. Okay, her ovaries might have just quivered. Good lord, she was starting to sound like Charity now.

The longer she stood there, the harder it was to take that step forward. After a few moments, she found the ability to step in the direction of his office.

“I wasn’t sure if you would still be here,” she said. “I did not know you wore reading glasses.”

“Not a secret, but I don’t need them that often.”

“I talked to Dr. Myers. He works at Tripler. Seems Katsu was crashing when he came in.”

“Yeah?”

“According to the admitting doctor, if he had been able to buy his next fix, it could have very well been his last. He had track marks in his arms. So very many of them. But he seemed to be okay when they got him stable.”

“I sense a
but
here.”

Elle nodded. “Three hours ago, he plummeted. They have no reason for it, and they have no idea why he went down the way he did.”

“There was a guard at the door,” Graeme said.

“Yes, but there might have been a few minutes that he was distracted. I don’t have all the details on that, but Myers said he would find out. Seems like there was a fight that conveniently broke out just outside of the ICU.”

“Any chance of recovery?”

She sighed. “Probably not. He’s pretty much brain dead at this point. They really don’t expect any kind of recovery.”

“Which means, we won’t be able to question him or find out where he got the gun.”

She nodded.

“Bugger me.”

“Exactly.”

L
ess than fifteen minutes later
, Elle walked beside Graeme. Nights in Hawaii were always gorgeous. Even if the trades were light during the day, the nights were bearable. The humidity from the day had burned off and nothing was left but the sweetness from the tropical flowers and the salty scent of the ocean. Still, after living in Oahu for five years, she would never get used to it.

She was wired. Too much caffeine was part of the reason. She loved her Kona coffee, but she rarely had the gallon or so she had consumed today. But part of the reason was the man beside her.

She glanced at her companion. They had parked next to each other, so for most people it would make sense. Still, this was the first time for the two of them to walk out together. Their antagonistic relationship had made it easy to avoid each other, but she knew even then he would have escorted her. When she said she had to get her things, he had waited for her. Being raised in a house of sisters had taught him well.

It had been years since she had garnered so much attention from a man. Granted, it was because of work for the most part, but it didn’t mean that it wasn’t for other reasons as well. Like…to steal another kiss.

Her heart fluttered. She couldn’t get that thought out of her mind. More than once tonight, her mind had drifted back to the memory of his mouth brushed against hers. She had lost her train of thought while on the phone with Tripler. Bloody hell, she was thinking like a school girl. Infatuations were not for women who were within spitting distance of forty. She had given up on fairy tales a long time ago. She knew all the experts and their advice, but she lived in reality. She might have been able to build her marriage back up, but now, she wasn’t sure if she could trust a man—even for a little romance.

“So, are they convinced he had help with his crash?” McGregor asked.

He didn’t seem to be preoccupied by the kiss. It was probably a very normal thing for him. He probably kissed women he knew every day. Lord knew there would be enough women who would gladly line up and pay for his attention.

She nodded. “Dr. Myers was very cagey about it, but he alluded to the fact he thought something happened. Fights don’t happen every day at Tripler. They have civilians there, but the majority of the people are military or retirees and their dependents. It is suspicious that it happened like that. He doesn’t know if it was on purpose, but either way, he should have pulled through. Of course, things always go wrong now and then. Katsu was pretty strung out. There were reports of drug abuse as early as twelve.”

“Jesus.”

“With a history like that, a bad case of the flu could send him to the hospital. His heart has been abused for years.”

She clicked the button to unlock her doors as they stopped by the driver’s side of her car.

“He probably wouldn’t have lasted long in prison,” Graeme said, as he held the door open for her.

“You think someone would have gone after him?”

“Yes. Any number of gangs could have gone after him, but top of the list would have been the USO.”

She glanced at him. “USO?”

“United Samoan Organization Family. Most powerful gang in Halawa.”

Which meant they were definitely the most violent. “I’m assuming they have some connection to the police.”

“Some. You know how gangs go. There are always some gang members who have familial connections to cops, or they’re from the same neighborhood. I’ll assume it’s even harder to break free in Honolulu. Small island, no place to go. You might walk the straight and narrow, but your buddy doesn’t.”

“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”

He nodded. “Although I grew up in a middleclass kind of neighborhood, there were always one or two wankers who went the wrong way. Scotland is a big place, though, and easier to move and start a new life. I would assume here some people feel trapped.”

“Do you think the USO could have gotten someone into Tripler?”

He glanced at her. “Why?”

“Katsu’s connection to the Kalani case only just made news. I don’t think someone from that crime had anything to do with what happened at the hospital. They would not have had time to make it to Tripler, right? Even setting something like that up would be hard to do in that short a time.”

“But a gang would. There’s always someone ready to take revenge. Bloody hell, that could be any of them too. Joe was seen as an uncle to most of the gang members.”

Because of their close connections, Hawaiians often used familial names for individuals. Being called uncle or auntie by the younger generation was a sign of respect.

“So it could be any gang?” she asked.

He nodded. “I would say the USO might have put out the hit, but there’s a good chance it was left open to any of the gangs. And then you have to add in just normal folks. Joe did a lot of good in the community and someone might see it as a way to pay him back.”

This time of night in Honolulu was always so peaceful. Trade winds wound through the palm trees. She always enjoyed listening to the palms shift against one another. It was something that could be rarely heard during the busy days. But at night, she could sit on her lanai and listen to them.

“I talked to Del. He wants to keep this under wraps. He’s already talked to the commander at Tripler. We’re keeping this from everyone but Carino.”

“I can’t officially say that. It would be lying.”

He smiled. “Good to know you’re so honest, but don’t worry about it. You talked to the doctor, but you did not officially reveal anything. You are in the clear. Del said to go with the
no comment
and refer them to HPD and Tripler. You know Del would never put your career in jeopardy.”

She sighed and tried to fight the feelings flowing through her at the moment. Del wouldn’t turn on her like her husband had. He had reassured her of that when he hired her. She had come to trust the former Special Forces commander. He had always made sure to back up anything she said, and in that, she could trust him.

“He already talked to Carino about it. The press found out about the cold case, but that doesn’t mean we have to answer any questions about the current case. Del wants people to think it’s just a coincidence. He also talked to the mayor and governor.”

She rolled her eyes as she pulled her keys from her purse. “Sure, that will keep it under wraps. You don’t think it’s connected to the present case?”

“Not sure. Because so many people are genuinely pissed off about Joe Alana’s death, it could be revenge, but it could be keeping someone quiet. Either way, it’s going to make it difficult to work. There are people who are still not happy about TFH being an organization outside of the HPD jurisdiction.”

“I would think that after eighteen months, they would get over it.”

“You were married to a cop. You should know better. Although there are some people who were happy to hand over dealing with the feds to Del.”

“And yet, they blame him for taking over cases.”

Graeme shrugged. “Del doesn’t seem to be that bothered by it.”

She unlocked her car.

“I have to talk to the Kalanis tomorrow.”

She stopped and looked at him. No matter who the cop was, talking to the loved ones of the victim was always painful—even thirty years later.

“I can go with you.”

He shook his head. “Adam has already offered, and Del wants you to take tomorrow off.”

She blinked. “What?”

“He wants you off work tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“You’ve worked almost twenty-four hours straight. But he said if there was an emergency, then come in. He wants to make sure you don’t wear yourself out. Quit looking for a punch in the gut, Eleanora.”

“Elle.”

“I don’t know. I like Eleanora. Like a princess.”

She shook her head. “I think you’re the one who needs the day off. Lack of sleep might just be going to your head.”

He cocked his head to look at her. “Why do you do that?”

“What?”

“You try to pretend you’re just normal, just like everyone else. You’re not.”

“What the bloody hell do you mean by that?”

He leaned closer, and she thought he was going to kiss her again. Her pulse accelerated in anticipation, as her mouth went dry. “You are not an ordinary woman, Eleanora.”

Everything seemed to stop as he continued to stare at her. All the sounds of the night faded away, and all she could hear was the sound of her own heart pounding inside her chest.

He smiled, then stepped back. “Rest well.”

Elle blinked. It took a second for her brain to start working again, but when it did, she nodded. He waited for her to get into her car, then followed her out of the parking lot, and onto the H-1. She saw him behind her until they reached the exit for H-3. He blinked his lights right before he peeled off to make his way back to Laie where he lived.

With a sigh, she continued on her way. Right now she couldn’t think about him or the little kiss earlier that evening. She glanced at the time on her dashboard. Actually, that was yesterday.

Graeme had definitely been right. She had been up almost twenty-four hours. She needed a day off. She just hoped she could get sleep tonight.

G
raeme bolted awake
, his ears ringing from an explosion. Cordite still hung heavy in the air, as he gulped in huge breaths of air. He looked around the room and realized it was the phone that had woken him out of a nightmare he would rather forget. His ears were still buzzing from the explosion. He scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to erase the memories of the dream.

Then he realized his phone was still ringing. He glanced at the clock and saw it was just after five in the morning. Before he could reach for his mobile, Dumfries jumped onto the bed and started to lick his face. The scent of his dog’s breath wafted over him. Oh, fucking hell, something had crawled into his dog’s mouth and died. Graeme pushed him out of his face. His mobile continued ringing, so he grabbed it. It was his mother’s ring.

“Something wrong?”

“Does there have to be something wrong for me to call my baby boy?”

He’d trained and fought for his country, killed men, and now hunted down criminals. No matter what, Francie McGregor would still see him as her baby boy.

“No. It’s just early.”

“Oh, bother.” She paused, and he knew she was calculating the time between Scotland and Hawaii.

“No worries, as they say here, Ma. What’s up?”

“Nothing. Just the normal thing. Oh, Sandra is pregnant again.”

He smiled. “Another niece or nephew to add to my list for Christmas this year, smashing.”

“Yes, yes, it’s all brilliant. Still, you should be shopping for your own children, Graeme. Are you seeing anyone?”

The one thing that could be said about his mother was that she was never subtle. Not with him or his father. She said being subtle with a McGregor man never worked out. And she wanted him married. For his mother, he was wasting away in a morass of loneliness because he wasn’t serious about anyone in particular. The moment he thought that, the image he had of Elle as a child appeared in his mind. He blinked it away. Things were complicated enough without thinking about things like that.

“I’m not even thirty.”

His mother sighed. “Your father had two children by the time he was thirty.”

“And seeing the way Abigail and Sinead turned out, do you think that was such a good idea?”

She snorted. “Stop that. You adore your sisters.”

“I’m still suffering from Stockholm Syndrome.”

“You were not a hostage.”

“It felt like it, being outnumbered by females in that household.”

She chuckled, and he could picture her. She was probably sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of tea in front of her, and the crossword puzzle sitting next to the cup on the table.

“When am I going to see your beautiful face?” she asked.

She tried to sound nonchalant about it, but he knew better. She wanted him married, but she would rather he be living in Scotland away from danger. She just didn’t understand his love of Hawaii, or his need to do the work he loved. There was no doubt about her support though. His mother was always there to lend an ear or cheer her children on. She just wished he would find his happiness closer to home.

“I’m thinking maybe sometime this summer.”

“That would be smashing.” He heard the smile in her voice, and it made him feel better.

“Are you keeping busy?”

“Of course I am. Working a cold case right now.”

“They give you an old case? Are you not important enough for new cases?”

The righteous indignation he heard from his mother made him smile. “No. This is important. Someone killed a thirteen-year-old girl almost thirty years ago. Left her by the side of the road. We picked up a new lead.”

“Oh, that is important. Poor girl.”

“I have to talk to her parents this morning.”

“I cannot even begin to think about the kind of pain they are going to go through again.”

“Yes. They’ve never forgotten. They put an ad in the paper on the anniversary of her death every year.”

“I would do the same for any of my babies. Of course, once I knew who it was, I would hunt down the bastard and kill him.”

He chuckled. “Now I know where I get my bloodthirsty nature from. How’s Da?”

“He’s fine. You know him. Always busy at the restaurant.”

His father ran one of the busiest pubs in Edinburgh. Graeme owed all of his cooking talent to his father. The women in their family were not good cooks, starting with his mother and ending with the youngest of his sisters. Boiling water was a stretch for any of them.

“I can almost taste his haggis.”

“He will make you some when you visit.”

He smiled. “I bet he will. I’ll talk to my boss about setting a date for a two-week vacation and plan a trip this summer. When I clear it with him, I’ll give you dates.”

“That’s my good boy. Give Dumfries a special treat from his grandmother, since he’s the only grandchild you have given me.”

“I will.”

“You be careful, Graeme.”

“I’ll be careful. Love you.”