Page 52 of Riptide

“We need to find Evan.” Determination shone in Kaimana’s eyes.

As Kaimana’s fingers reached under the table and wrapped around his, Seth’s heart melted. “We will find Evan. And the auction. One way or another.”

* * *

The sky lit up in hues of red and pink as the sun dipped into the horizon. For most of the two-hour trip, they’d opted for silence, both lost in their thoughts. The wheels hugged the road as Seth zipped up the Malibu hills and his mind churned with anticipation. Seth always had an uncanny way of sensing danger before it came. Each time he danced with death, he’d gauge the ocean’s mood. Would she give him the ride of a lifetime or his final ride? A nagging deep inside his gut warned him that tonight she’d do the latter.

“The sky looks like cotton candy,” Kaimana commented, her gaze set on the ocean.

“Yeah, it’s beautiful up here. LA was never really for me but if I were to live here, it’d be Malibu.”

“I’ll never get over the ocean. God, it’s beautiful.”

“It’s beautiful in Hawaiʻi too.”

“Yes. Yes, it is,” she agreed, her voice laced with sadness. “I didn’t always live in Hawaiʻi, you know.”

“You’d mentioned you were military.” Seth reminded himself she was a fighter at heart.

“Navy. Started out like everyone else. Boot camp. Great Lakes Naval Training Center north of Chicago, Illinois.”

“Far cry from Hawaiʻi. Great pizza though.”

“It’s fucking cold, is what it is.” She shook her head with a small laugh. “But yeah, amazing food.”

“I’m not much for the cold myself. Unless I’m snowboarding. I’m down for that, but yeah, I’d rather be in shorts and flip-flops.”

“Lived in Houston, TX too. Became a medic. Spent most of my time at the Naval Air Station in Sigonella. Italy. It was hard but I got my degree. Took most of my courses online.”

“But you returned home.”

“Yeah, I mean, my grandma. Someone tried to con her out of her land and thankfully I got home before the deal closed. We all have to look out for each other.”

“Like Evan did for you?”

“Yeah, like that.” Kaimana stared ahead as they ascended into the exclusive neighborhood. “You think we can trust this Marcus?”

“I don’t trust anyone at this point. But if Garrett trusts him, then I’ll give it a go. If we’re lucky we’ll get a better idea of Evan’s location. Maybe we’ll even get info on the auction. But we need the authorities to catch these guys and lock them up. And Evan could be anywhere.” An image of Evan’s crumpled body flashed into Seth’s head, and he struggled to shake off the doubt.

“He’s in Hawaiʻi. I know it. I don’t know how they got him from California to Hawaiʻi, but I know he’s there. Whatever is happening here is a distraction.”

“Or it’s all tied together.” Seth pulled up to the gate and typed in the code Garrett had texted him. The large iron fence creaked open, its metal hinges rusted from exposure to the salty ocean air.

“You sure this is it?” Kaimana removed her sunglasses and squinted as she craned her neck to get a look at the house.

“It’s the right number all right.” As the car rolled into the circular driveway, the expansive white mid-century home came into view. A backhoe sat quietly off to the left, piles of dirt rose out of the dried sand. Several stacked pallets of ceramic roofing tiles blocked the view of the back yard.

“It looks like they’re doing renovations. Does the FBI usually do work on the houses they’re in?”

“By the looks of the windows, it needs it.” Seth blew out a breath, confused. He parked his convertible next to a government standard SUV. “I think we’re at the right place.”

“I hope we can trust this guy.”

“It’s going to be okay.” Let’s hope. He wasn’t convinced himself.

“Is that him?” she asked as a hooded man with sunglasses exited the door and approached.

“Time to vet this dude.” Seth shoved open the door and rounded the car.