Chief Distraction (22 page)

Her expression sobered. Filled with an
unshakable fear for her safely, she clutched the binoculars with a death-grip,
willing him to escape someway, somehow. “Run, Mak, run!” she hollered with all
her might. “Oh God, run.”
 

As if refusing to give her away, Mak changed
course and headed along the water. He skirted the shoreline, racing quickly to
avoid the two men who were now in hot pursuit. Blythe clenched her teeth, her
breath practically hyperventilating as she watched the unfair footrace. Mak
hurtled some boulders before disappearing behind a crest near the water’s edge
with both men on his heels.

Blythe scrambled to the other side of the
lookout, desperate to see him come out the other side of the crest and up the
inclining path. She held her breath as she searched the scene below, the
binoculars darting left and right but seeing no one. And then she heard a
gunshot. Catatonic in her fear, she slumped against the boulder, her blood
running cold in the knowledge that Mak had been gunned down. She sobbed, the
binoculars tumbling from her limp hand. She cradled her face in her hands and
drew her knees up, letting it all out. Her sorrow soon gave way to gripping
fear.
 
She was alone. The men would
find her. She was next. Fear morphed into paranoia as she grappled with her
prospects. She reached for the gun, clutching it between her shaking hands with
her finger on the trigger, tears streaming down her face. She wouldn’t go down
without a fight – she’d do it for Mak. For Mak and for Lou.

Mak. She’d finally found the man of her dreams
and he’d been senselessly taken from her. The thought made her shake and cry uncontrollably
until a shout snapped her back to attention. She flipped onto her knees and
cautiously peered over the top of the boulder to the distant crest. She spotted
the Asian man first, walking slowly out from behind the crest followed closely
by the older balding man. Blythe grabbed the binoculars to get a better look.
The men walked casually, as if they hadn’t a care in the world. They’d
obviously finished Mak off and left him there, dead, beneath the crest
overlooking the ocean. Even from this distance, she could tell they were
emotionless over what they’d just done. Their lack of conscience turned her
fear and sorrow into outright rage. There was no way she was following Mak’s
fate.

Grabbing hold of the gun in one hand, she
brought it up, her eyes trained on the men through the binoculars. The distance
was great, but she trusted in the gun’s power. She fiddled with the safety,
realizing Mak had already prepared the gun for her as if he knew she would be
using it. Aiming with as much precision as her shaking hand allowed, she fired.
The gun’s small kick jolted her arm back, the noise piercing her ears as it
reverberated into an echoing ring. She physically felt the noise the gun
produced in her chest.

Scrambling up for another look, the Asian man
was now writhing on the ground holding his thigh. The other man looked up in
her direction. She’d given herself away. He pulled his gun from his waistband
and aimed it up in her location. With nothing to lose, Blythe pointed the gun
again and fired, but all she heard was a vacant click. Out of ammunition.
Panicked, she stood up and raced for the back of the lookout as the sound of a
gunshot echoed in the air. A corner of the boulder she’d recently leaned on
shattered; a close call averted. She followed the path that led to the other
side of the island, running in blind fury and adrenaline. She ran like she’d
never run before, the blisters and gashes on her feet insignificant, her
throbbing arm an afterthought. She would run until her legs were bloody stumps
if she had to.

Running downhill, she spotted a fork in the
trail ahead and knew one trail would lead her straight to the military
encampment. ‘
And
then what?’
she thought. ‘
Hide?’
No. He’d find her. Dread filled her to the brim at the
possibilities of what he might do to her if he caught her. Now it was just the
two of them. He could do anything he wanted and absolutely no one would ever
know.

She had to get off this damn island once and for
all.

In a split-second decision, she hung a sharp
right, avoiding any suspicious lumps in the ground as she ran off the beaten
path. She wove her way down the descending slope of the lookout, doubling back
around to where the smuggler’s boat lay docked. If the one remaining man was
after her, she may have a chance to escape in the powerboat. It was worth a
try.

Full momentum forward, Blythe ran like these
were her last moments on earth – because it very well might be. She saw
movement to her right and her heart stopped. With her chest heaving and legs
numb, she charged ahead, veering away from the movement. It was the thug
without question and he’d caught her already.

“Stop,” came a cry from where she’d seen the
movement.

Blythe raced on, not stopping for anything.

“Blythe, stop!” came another shout, sounding
eerily familiar. Blythe slowed, confused. She stopped and pivoted toward the
voice.

“It’s me!”

It took her a second to register that Mak stood
in front of her, smiling from ear to ear. It was all so overwhelming. Seeing
Mak alive instantly made her feel invigorated and energized. She ran toward him
and kissed him, pouring her fears and relief into the kiss, giving him every
emotion.

Her bottom lip quivered as her hands slipped
around his waist. Mak brought her into an even tighter embrace as she sobbed in
disbelief against his broad shoulder, letting her anxiety release. “I thought
you were dead.”

“I got away. They fired at me but…” Mak pulled
her away and smiled a boyish grin, “I was too fast.”

Relief flooded her for a brief moment until
panic found her face. “He’s after me. We have to run for their boat.”

Mak took her wrist and pulled her into a fast
sprint. “That’s your plan? It’s brilliant. Lets hope it works.”

Looking back, Blythe spotted the thin balding
man come over the ridge of the lookout with his gun raised. “Here he comes!”
She didn’t think her legs could move any faster, but she surprised herself. His
semi-automatic fired rapidly. Blythe waited for the pain of a bullet, certain
it would come. She practically levitated onto the dock in her forward momentum.
Mak untied the massive powerboat as Blythe jumped in and began frantically
searching for the keys. “I don’t see keys, Mak!” she screamed. Her mouth went
dry. This was it. They were trapped.

“Keep looking!”

She flipped down the visors, got down on her hands
and knees and searched the floor. Nothing. Looking around desperately, she
yanked open the ashtray and found them. They fumbled around her trembling
fingers before hitting their mark in the ignition. “We’re good to go. Hurry
Mak!”

Without a moment to spare, Mak launched his body
over the edge effortlessly and took the wheel. He turned the key as the thug
gained ground, his random shots forcing Blythe to hunker down out of sight.

“Grab that gun over there,” Mak pointed to the
AK47 perched against the passenger seat. “Fire at him as I back this thing out
of here!”

Blythe took the gun, flipped down the trigger
and aimed. She fired, the bullets cascading toward the dock in rapid succession
and catching her completely off guard. The man was forced to stop and go low,
ducking behind a boulder as the bullets ricocheted in all directions biding
them more time. Mak forced the accelerator down, flooring the boat backward
with a grinding whine. He cut the backward momentum once they cleared the dock,
turned the wheel and threw the powerful boat into full forward throttle which
tossed Blythe back onto the floor.

“Hold on!” he shouted. “And stay down.”

Making a wide circle toward the docked fire
station rescue boat, he slowed the throttle right down. “Pass me the gun.”

She did and he raised it, aiming at the gas
tank. He fired and the rescue boat exploded on impact, forming a magnificent
fireball in the sky as pieces of debris shot up and around in all directions.
He pushed the accelerator all the way down and they shot out of the mess in a
blast of furious speed.

Blythe looked back, the wind whipping her hair
around her face. The man was now at the end of the dock firing randomly in a
last ditch attempt. It was no use. They were free.

Mak let out a long ‘Woo hoo!’ as he fist-pumped
the air in triumph. The freedom of the moment surged through Blythe as the
exhaustion of their ordeal knocked her back against the white leather
banquette. She held on as he turned wide around the second dock and sped away
from the island – away from certain death. Holding on for dear life, they
looked at each other with a knowing relief.

The sound of approaching sirens caught their
attention as the familiar Coast Guard boat drew closer and finally reached
them. Two more Coast Guard vessels were speeding up close behind. Mak slowed
the boat to a stop, allowing an officer to board. Mak then explained
everything.

The Coast Guard radioed for more back-up and the
coroner as Mak and Blythe were transferred to the second Coast Guard vessel and
treated with proper first aid. Pono stood on the deck, relief etched on his
face. “Chief, got a few calls from the public saying they saw an explosion out
on Kahoolawe last night. When I saw that the rescue boat hadn’t returned this
morning, I made a few calls for backup. Happy I did!”

Mak slapped Pono on the back. “You and me both,
my friend. Thank you.”

“We were already on our way when your mayday
came in this morning. Good thing by the look of it, although you two seemed to pull
off a rescue without us. You work well together.” Pono winked at Mak as the
boat turned back for Maui.

Chapter
Twenty

The boat ride back to Maui was grueling. The
paramedic patched them up, the cuts and bruises taking on deep blues and
purples after their seventeen-hour ordeal. Thinking back, the experience felt
like mere minutes while Mak lived it, but a lifetime ago since it all began. So
much had happened between he and Blythe in such a short span. Meaningful
things.

The boat bounced as it cut through the choppy
waves. The rough waters soon gave way to clear aqua glass once they rounded the
east side of the island – a place Mak swore never to visit again –
and headed for shore. Looking over at her from across the back of the Coast
Guard rescue boat, he was impressed and proud. She was bundled up in a navy
blanket, her shock wearing off in the aftermath. He thought of how she’d
reacted during his absence, when she though he’d been shot and left for dead.
She hadn’t cowered away in the lookout, waiting out an inevitable attack. She’d
taken matters into her own hands and was prepared to die fighting rather than
huddle into a defenseless shell of herself. She’d become a real fighter. He
admired how strong and capable she was – how loving and sexy too. But
above all else, she was a survivor. A survivor he’d fallen in love with.

“Some story, huh?” he called across the drone of
the motor.

Blythe smiled and shook her head. “Not mine.
Someone else can write this one. Too close for comfort.”

Mak winked.

                 
<><><>

Leaning
over the sink at the precinct, Blythe cupped the lukewarm water in her hands
and splashed her face, the act refreshing and long overdue. If only the water
would wash her sadness down the drain. She’d have to tell him. One way or
another, he had to know. They’d come too far to just walk away. Blythe knew
this was so much more than simply being thrown together in a life or death
scenario. She’d felt something before they’d even left for that damn island of
landmines, wild fires, and dangerous criminals. Their own little fire had been
stoked, however small and hidden. It smoldered, and now her feelings for Mak
ramped to a fever pitch. It was a burning inferno within her and only he could
douse the licking flames.

It was Mak or nothing.

The Coast Guard had brought them directly to the
police station, needing to gather as much information as possible in order to
convict the remaining gun smuggler’s who were now detained and en route to the
station. She wondered if Mak had already been questioned and was now on his way
to the fire station or if he was still in the building. She wanted to touch
base with him somehow – or say goodbye. Any kind of contact would do.
After all they’d been through, being yanked apart left her feeling disjointed
and vulnerable.

Blythe left the washroom and was greeted by a
tall brunette woman. “Miss Davenport, I’m Detective Aliha. We have a few
questions to ask before letting you go. If you wouldn’t mind following me.”

The detective led the way down a long hall
toward an open door. The woman was fit and attractive, a real Hawaiian beauty
and Blythe admired her stylish outfit.

“Is Chief Kalani here too?” Blythe asked.

Without a word, Detective Aliha smiled and kept
walking. Blythe soon had her answer as the stunning woman led her through the
open door into a spacious room.

“Just over here, Miss Davenport, have a seat.”
Detective Aliha indicated a chair beside Mak. Mak got up and pulled it out for
her. Blythe smiled, smitten with the act. The female detective noticed too.