Chief Distraction (17 page)

“I know I’m in good hands, Mak.”

Blythe had underestimated his strength. Looking
sideways at his profile in the moonlight, she thought back to the earlier fight
with the thug, how Mak had fought to protect them. Not once had he giving in.
She’d watched the fight in awe, completely transfixed by his abilities. Now,
she felt safe with him, secure. She thanked her lucky stars she wasn’t out here
solo. Her skin produced goosebumps and shuddered at the thought of being alone
and vulnerable, something she loathed and fought hard to avoid.

“At this altitude, we can’t chance our voices
carrying down below on the wind and giving us away,” Mak said in a hushed tone.
“We’ll have to keep it quiet.”

“Okay,” Blythe whispered back, her breath rising
up into the now chilly night air. Looking up, the stars seemed so close she
could reach up and grab them. The rush and retreat of the crashing waves in the
distance encircled the base of Lua Makika, the grassy slope leading up a sharp
incline to where they now stood.

“What are you doing?” she asked, watching him
roll a boulder from the center area toward the others at the edge. She admired
his strong muscles bunching under his tee shirt as he strained to reposition
them in a way that formed a natural looking wall. The sight of his rippled arm
muscles gave her an unexpected tingle.

“Don’t want the rocks too uniform or it will
draw attention. We have to take every precaution.” Blythe crept closer to the
line of large rocks that faced the side of a steep drop off. Looking over, she
realized how far they’d come. They’d traversed the length of the entire island
– twice – only to end up practically where they began. The distant
docked boats and their proximity to the smugglers made everything feel far too
real. Was hovering above the smugglers encampment wise?

“This place is perfect,” Mak said, as if
answering her thoughts. “We can hide at this height and distance yet still see
what happens below. We’ve got a bird’s eye view.”

                 
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Mak
sat beneath the rock-face for a moment and took a few deep, calming breaths. He
thought this might help, but it didn’t. Being forced to sit idly was the
ultimate test in his patience and the tension began to mount. He
found
sitting still for too long difficult, especially in times of stress. His body
always responded to tension by moving, staying physically active to diffuse the
situation. Running, windsurfing, and doing physical labor around the station
with his colleagues kept him sane and comfortable. He sprung to his feet,
pacing. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed in frustration, letting all
the air out.

Likewise, Blythe’s shoulders tensed. Her eyes
burned with a fiery impatience Mak was sure she’d never experienced before. But
he had, first hand. He’d witnessed it many times too, by people trapped but
forced to sit still until help arrived. They displayed panic mixed with
resolve; like being in a stressful limbo-land where the outcome is beyond
anyone’s guess. Those involved hope and pray for the best, but not everything
goes according to plan in each situation. This wasn’t a movie – it was
real life, right now.

Blythe leaned her back against a boulder and
looked up.
“I can’t get over the amount of stars out here.
It’s breathtaking.”

Her comment forced
Mak’s attention upward. He thought about all the ancestors that had been on
this very island, before it was treated so disrespectfully. He wondered how
many had died here. Would dying on Kahoolawe be his same fate? “There are some
ancient chants that reveal a spot on Kahoolawe called Mao’ulaiki where
Polynesian ocean navigators used the stars to guide them over the Pacific.
Seeing all these stars, it’s easy to imagine why they would use celestial
navigation.”

“Is that the actual
name for it?” Blythe asked.

“Yep. Stick with
me, I’ll teach you the island ways.”

“Where’s this
Mao…sorry, I can’t remember the name.”

“Mao’ulaiki.”

“It sounds way
better when you say it.”

Mak laughed
lightly, happy to impress her. “It’s on another peak, about 400m above sea
level.”

“That would have
been an even nastier climb.”

Mak shot her a
look. “Blythe, we’re about 450m above sea level right now. Lua Makika is the
highest peak on this island.”

“Wow. No wonder my
legs are aching. You had me doing exercise outside of a gym. I’m officially an
island girl now.”

Mak laughed.

“Why didn’t the
ancient Hawaiians use this peak for celestial navigation then, if it’s the
highest?”

“Don’t know. I
guess the other one had a better view. My Kapuna told me all the ancient
stories. Said not only could you see all the stars in the sky at Mao’ulaiki,
you could also see the currents in the ocean. There’s a stone shrine at the
summit. Had the pleasure of climbing up there and seeing it last year. Again, I
was on Kahoolawe for horrible reasons.”

Blythe looked up
into his face. “Right. The wildfire.”

“It seems this
island is constantly calling me, but it’s never a pleasant visit.”

“The wildfire had a
happy ending thanks to you. Maybe this visit will too.”

“I sure as hell
hope so.” Mak stood and walked toward her.
“Can I borrow those?”

Blythe lifted the strap from her neck and passed
him the binoculars. He knelt beside her and shuffled up to the edge. Resting
the binoculars on a low boulder, he brought his eyes to them and adjusted the
focus.

“Hmm,” he said.

“What do you see?”

“In this darkness it’s hard to see much. There’s
smoke near the boat. They’ve got a fire going.”

“Near our boat?”

“No, near theirs. Our boat’s about a hundred
yards away.”

“How many men?”
 
“Two. One by the fire and the other
pacing around. They both have guns, though.”

Mak swiveled the binoculars over toward their
boat and then down in search of Lou’s body on the path. It had been moved.
Scanning the area, he couldn’t see Lou anywhere.

“Here, want to see?” Mak passed her the
binoculars and got to his feet.

“They look ready to spend the night. Are they
waiting us out?”

“My guess is they’re still waiting for the
shipment. The reason they’re here in the first place.” Mak walked around the
area and collected a dozen or so smaller rocks to build a rudimentary ring.

“Wait,” Blythe brought the binoculars down,
“what are you doing?”

“Making a fire pit. It’s getting colder now,
we’ll have to keep warm.”

Blythe’s panic rose visibly. “But they’ll see a
fire, won’t they? They’ll at least smell it.”

“They have their own fire going. They won’t know
a thing.”

“Is this a good idea?” she asked.

Mak didn’t answer. His mind was on other things
as he looked around the ground. He walked away from the area, disappearing into
the darkness. Blythe hugged herself, rubbing her arms for warmth yet careful of
her throbbing wound. Out of the darkness, he came back carrying an armload of
small branches and dried brush. “Kindling,” he said, laying it down beside the
small rock-ring. Piling and manipulating the kindling into his desired
‘tee-pee’ formation, he then pulled out a pack o waterproof matches from his
pocket. “Lifted these from the CB shack. Good thing.”

The small fire crackled and popped as the
branches finally caught, creating a tiny inferno. Sitting back on his haunches,
Mak admired his handy-work before leaning in and fanning the flame to with a
hand to sustain it.

Blythe inched closer and sat beside him, holding
up her cold hands. “What if they see sparks?” She inhaled the smoky char. “Or
smell it.”

“Don’t worry, we’re upwind. They won’t see or
smell a thing.” Mak placed a few more branches on top like a Boy Scout –
or an experienced Fire Chief.

“But what if the fire spreads by accident?” she
asked innocently enough.

Mak paused, staring her down. “I think I know
what I’m doing. You want to be warm, don’t you?” He looked at her arm, noticing
its condition in the firelight. He pointed, “Gonna have to fix that.”

Blythe looked at the bandage.

“Here, I have another strip of material from my
shirt.” Mak pulled a long rectangle from a cargo pocket. “I want to redress
your wound. With all the walking we’ve done, it looks loose and the blood’s
coming through. The last thing we want is an infection to set in. Come here,
let’s treat it tighter this time.”

She nodded and inched even closer, creating a
cozy proximity that Mak appreciated.
 
Unweaving the material, he threw the bloody used fabric into the fire
and it ignited with a tiny woosh. She sucked in hard as he brought her arm out.

“Still bad?”

“Pain all the way to my fingertips.”

Hesitating – his fingers hovered over her
creamy skin as the days heat radiated off her. He ripped his gaze away from her
protruding breast at bicep level. She was quite the distraction.

“This is going to hurt as much as before. Hold
still.” Mak applied more antiseptic cream to the now clotted wound. Blythe
winced, but kept her arm as still as possible while he rewrapped it firmly.
“That should do it.”

She rose from her knees and brought her arms
around her in a self-hug. Sauntering away from the fire, she paced along the
boulders before coming back again as Mak boldly stared. Blythe put her hands
out over the flames. She rubbed them together, generating warmth.

“Better?”

“Much.”

Her hair was now wild and unruly since the clip
fell out during her fall over the gully. The humidity gave it volume too, like
after sex hair, though far from deliberate. Mak moistened his lips as he
devoured her figure with his eyes. How was he going to hold himself together?
It was asking the impossible.

                 
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Glancing
around, Blythe was struck by the beauty of the view – despite their
hair-raising circumstances. Bringing her eyes dead center, she stared at Mak
over the fire. He leaned back against the rockface with his arms crossed under his
head. Since his eyes were closed, she ventured a longer look, holding it,
admiring him from a safe distance. They’d shared a kiss. Was it more than just
an adrenaline-packed mistake or had he really meant it? With each passing
moment they spent together, admitting who she was and what she’d done became
impossible.

Because of that cold, hard fact, her anonymity
gave her the freedom to imagine the possibilities with him. Her loins ached at
the thought of his touch, but she suppressed her urge to pounce. Didn’t want to
give him the wrong impression. She would have to wait him out.

Mak suddenly opened his eyes, catching her
stare. Then again, he was staring at her too. His face held a sadness that
worried Blythe, as if his positivity was waning. He was evasive, distant,
staying far away from the fire – far away from her.

“You’re still in pain over losing your
girlfriend so long ago, aren’t you?” It was almost a whisper, but she instantly
had his full attention.

“Why do you ask?”

“You’re distant. A woman can tell when a man’s
hurting.”

“It’s complicated.”

“How so?”

Mak sat up, half slumping against the rock face.
He closed his eyes in thought before reconnecting with her gaze. “I was never
really allowed to grieve for her publically without people blaming me for her
death. How can you grieve someone when you’re the one who took their life
away?”

“When Lou told me what happened, my heart went
out to you. You’re not to blame for her death, Mak.”

“Yes, I am,” he said shamefully. “It was a long
time ago now, but it still feels like yesterday. Probably always will. It was
the darkest, lowest moment of my life.”

“That’s awful. I’m so sorry you had to go
through that, Mak. It’s in your past and we all make mistakes. I think you’ve
paid dearly for yours. I think you’ve punished yourself more than anyone else
has punished you. Can’t you talk to the elder? Apologize? I’m sure you’ve paid
your dues in her eyes by now. You lost someone you loved too. That’s too much
for anyone to live with. Your sorrow is like an anchor, but I can tell you put
on a brave face. You shouldn’t have to anymore.”

Mak shook his head, inspecting his calloused
hands. “Not that easy. I’ve had a hard time seeing the elder. She doesn’t
acknowledge me.”

“Maybe it’s time you tried again. Maybe you have
something to fight for now.”

Mak held her stare. “Yeah, what’s that?”

“Love.”

There
was an unmistakable sensual pull going on between them, a genuine tug-of-war of
the heart. And as with any game, someone had to win. Mak’s heart slammed into
his ribcage whenever he looked at her. It was an overpowering magnetism he
couldn’t quite explain, but deep down he sensed this was all part of the master
plan. To hook up with Blythe and either soar to great heights or go down in a
blaze of terrifying glory. Bottom line, it would be together…and it would be
fun. Something had changed inside him. He knew it, couldn’t deny it. Life was
too short to live in regret and not have what you wanted. And right now, all he
wanted was the hot mainland reporter.