Blooming in the Wild Page 0,60
if you know what I mean.”
Avoiding her gaze, Joel placed a filter pack of Kona coffee in the pot and lit the stove to heat the water.
“At least we got our photos,” he said.
“I hope so.” Bella handed him a glass of juice.
He took it. “Thanks. What do you mean, you hope so?”
She shrugged uneasily. “Camille mentioned that her cameras might be susceptible to water.”
Joel’s gut tightened. On top of Frank’s boat being damaged, loss of two days of hard work would make the trip “a bust”, as Tanah had so succinctly put it.
Then he shook his head. “Nah, cameras aren’t that fragile, not new ones like hers. She uses one of the top brands.” Relaxing with a conscious effort, he took a drink and then drained the cup, the sweet tartness of orange and some tropical fruit exploding on his tongue.
Bella held up the carton, and he shook his head reluctantly. “Better ration it,” he murmured. “In case we’re here for a few days.”
Her eyes darkened with worry, but then she shook her head, her expression clearing. “We’re supposed to be stopping by Nawea Bay this afternoon. The Ho’omalus will come looking for us by this evening, at the latest.”
“Why should anyone come looking for us?” Camille asked behind them. “What’s happened?”
Bella and Joel turned in unison to see her standing in the cleared area in the center of the cave. Her hair was pulled back smoothly from her narrow face, and she wore a sleek gray knit yoga outfit. Her gaze was sharp.
Wondering how much to say, Joel looked at Frank, who was crouched near the mouth of the cave, slowly rolling up his sleeping bag and then his mattress. Frank nodded slightly.
“Can you call Li in here?” Joel asked. He looked around at Tanah, Cassie and Matt, all three watching from near their sleeping bags. “We’ve got a problem.”
As if called, Li appeared in the opening to the other cave. He wore a dark singlet and baggy pants, his feet bare. He ignored Joel, walking over to stand near Camille. He had a bruise on one cheek, Joel saw with distaste.
Joel moved, widening his stance, using his body language to focus everyone’s attention on him. “Last night, unknown intruders sabotaged Frank’s catamaran,” he told them.
Behind Camille and Li, Frank slipped soundlessly out of the cave.
“Until we can call for help, we’re stuck here,” Joel added. Jesus, he sounded self-important. Hamming it up for the cause.
Right on cue, Cassie gasped, and Tanah groaned with disgust. “Oh my God. This just keeps getting worse.”
“What happened to the boat?” Matt asked, patting Cassie on the shoulder.
Camille listened silently, her arms crossed, Li hovering behind her.
“Someone shot holes in the hull,” Joel said. “Used a silencer, probably, so we wouldn’t hear them.”
“Who would do that?” Tanah demanded, her face screwed up in a bewildered scowl. “I mean, we’re just taking pictures, for crap’s sake.”
Li moved backward, and Joel tensed protectively as Bella stepped away from the food table, right into his path. “We think it might be drug runners,” she said. “But I don’t want anyone to worry. My family is expecting Frank and me at Nawea this afternoon. When we don’t show up, they’ll come after us.”
“Well,” Camille drawled. “Isn’t that reassuring.” She looked at Bella, her face taut. Then she turned to Joel, raising her brows. “Since it seems our Ms. Ho’omalu’s company can’t help us here, how do you suggest we remain safe while we wait for help?”
Behind her and Li, Frank appeared in the opening to the other cave. He nodded to Joel, his face hard—the veteran cop coming to the fore. “Dis got nothing to do with Bella or her company.”
The others whirled to look at him. Li crouched like a wild animal, ready to spring, as Frank held up a dull black pistol with a long silencer fastened to the muzzle. He stared at Li. “Found this in your bag. You little po’ino, you shot my boat.”
At that moment, the sun streamed in through a break in the clouds, illuminating Li, his hair a platinum glow against his golden skin. And the trees outside the cave shivered, their branches creaking as if in a rising breeze.
Camille moved sharply, turning on her assistant and lover. “You did this?” she demanded. Her arm swung, her palm striking his face with a sharp crack. His head rocked to the side, and then he straightened, his onyx gaze fastened on her face. Slowly, even as his face reddened from