Kai

 

As Isla sat down across from me, her eyes wide and cheeks pale, I tried to think of something cheerier to say. But my last words seemed to have cut across the veil of the sunny morning and hinted at the shadows behind. Perhaps, I’d revealed too much.

Piper had given me specific instructions as to what I could and couldn’t tell Isla DeLuca. However, a perverse part of me wanted to go against my big sister and keep hacking away, exposing all that ugliness in one fell swoop.

But Isla still had traces of the Q-Cocktail in her system. I could see it in the slight cast in her eyes and the uncertainness of her movements. It was a potent drug, one that left you disconcerted for days and messed with your memories.

I would know, I’d been subjected to once upon a time.

For a moment, I considered calling Piper and telling her to come today. Insisting it was off. Isla couldn’t stay here – I couldn’t keep this up for another six days. It was already awkward and uncomfortable as all hell, dredging up memories from all those years ago.

Memories I’d thought were long gone.

Wasn’t Piper a genius? She could figure something else out, I thought resentfully.

Then, taking a breath, I got a hold of myself. My sister Piper was a genius and a director within the order of the Shifters of Anubis. Hadn’t she kept me safe seven years ago? Hell, even to this day, I know she did. I could resent her and the circumstances or I could try to keep Isla calm and safe. Maybe even a little happy. I mean, this was Maui and I was Kai Weslark. I could do this.

I’d start right now. “What can I do?” I asked abruptly into the silence.

Isla jumped and swallowed. Her right hand drifted to her neck where she nervously plucked at a medallion necklace. “Pardon?” She got out.

Part of me wanted to smile. Isla had a shy, instinctive politeness that seemed to dictate she even show manners and grace to a supposed kidnapper, no matter how uncouth.

“What can I do to make this easier on you? To make you comfortable, you know?” I clarified.

“Oh,” Isla made a face. I was sure she was thinking, well, you could bring me home, jackass. “N-nothing, I guess.” Then her shoulders straightened and she lifted her chin. “No. Keep your distance. I’m not going to trust you unless you do that and prove to me everything you say is true.”

I nodded. “That’s fair. I’ll do that. You wanna shake or pinky promise…?” Isla glared at me and I winced. “Ah, um, okay. No pinky promises or handshakes. Got it.”

She rolled her eyes and a sense of relief went through me. I’d rather have her annoyed at me than afraid. Earlier, that bewildered and terrified look on Isla’s face had been pure agony to witness.

No one had ever looked at me like that.

Feeling like I had to say something, I glanced around and said, “Oh, Isla. Your bag is in your room. In the closet. I didn’t know if you’d seen it. If you wanted to change or something...”

Why was everything coming out in stilted moron-talk with Isla? I was a born people-person. I could talk to anyone. From the aunties at the ABC store, sassing me about using tanning accelerant – to lost tourists needing directions and not understanding them – to making the nervous kids in my surfing program laugh. People were my thing.

“You have my bag?” Isla’s eyes flashed. “You broke into my car?”

“Oh,” I said, realizing I should have phrased that better. “Well, no, I didn’t. But um…” Piper’s people did. Piper did all of this to keep you alive and safe, Isla. You don’t know it, but you’re in terrible danger. That’s why you’re stuck with an ex-SoA agent in Maui until this blows over.

If it blows over.

“Well?” Isla asked. “You could at least be honest with me.”

I was at a loss for words. Piper thought it best that we keep Isla in the dark, lest she goes running to the police and got herself into worse trouble.

Also, Piper didn’t trust me to explain the situation. Which was why she would be back in six days, or what was starting to feel like sixty years, to handle the Isla DeLuca debrief.

Getting to her feet in a regal movement, Isla tossed her head and marched back to the house. I watched as she went up the stairs and inside, my heart sinking with every step she took.

Well, she hated me. This was going great.

I poked at my breakfast, no longer hungry and at a loss for what to do. Leave it to my big sister to put me in this boat. She was an executive thinker – only focused on the problem at hand – and never what came after. I doubted it occurred to Piper that Isla might be a tad upset that she wound up here with me. On a strange island she'd never been to. Struggling to remember the last few days. Oh, and I couldn’t tell her anything she might actually want to know.

Or offer proof to what I’d told her earlier.

I’d tried to do a few things to help her through it. For instance, leaving Lulu, the nicest and fluffiest of the cats who lived here, in her room. And I’d kept Bonsi with me, figuring a big, tall stranger would be less scary with a kitten on his shoulder.

As I went to stand up, my leg hit the table and the bruise on my thigh throbbed. For a moment, I was back in LA and that hectic morning of last-minute plans by Piper. A sense of the surreal as the smog and buildings hemmed me in. Balt’s steadying hand on my shoulder.

Then the smells, heat, cement, and garbage. Underneath it, the sterility and the stains. Bleach covering up old blood. Chemicals mixing in the air. And rancid fear feeding madness.

Dr. Crane’s scent.

All I’d wanted was to go back to Maui. I’d craved the clean island air, the familiar and kind locals, and the lazy days.

But I was in the cesspool again, helping Piper snatch someone from the jaws of a nightmare.

I need your help, Kai. We have to get Isla out of the city and somewhere remote.

Then, sneaking down the halls of the new TLO office. It was a different building, yet it somehow felt the same. Still. Oppressive. Too many secrets.

Secrets screaming to be told from behind those dark doors.

Balt and I watching as Hale grabbed Isla and jabbed a needle in her arm. A moment of pure, animalistic panic when we thought we were too late as he dragged her back into a room.

Then Piper had come out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground, landing a hit on his jaw.

While Balt ran to help Piper subdue Hale – who was even bigger and nastier than I remembered – I went to Isla. She was small and warm in my arms.

My fingers had been shaking as I tried to find a pulse. The heady sense of relief as I realized it was only the Q-Cocktail. Sedative mixed with a tranquilizer. It was meant to knock out the patient and numb the memories. Even though she was unconscious, Isla was still alive.

Isla probably would never remember how I picked her up and ran, Balt and Piper rushing after me. How the SoA was waiting outside with a black SUV and screeched away with us.

And even when we were sure we hadn’t been followed, my heart wouldn’t slow down.

She wouldn’t remember the brief hour at SoA HQ, where Piper was only ever called Director and barked orders like a drill sergeant. People running around, confirming this and that. Someone had brought Isla’s luggage and car – the car to be stuffed in a garage somewhere and her luggage brought to the plane.

Another person was working to send a series of misdirecting leads to throw off Crane and Hunter. Meanwhile, Piper herself had Isla’s phone and was preparing to travel with Balt in the opposite direction of us.

I’d noticed the SoA team working this one was smaller than usual, but before I could ask about it, Piper had vanished on me for a while.

Nor would Isla briefly remember waking up, holding her arm and crying, trying to fight us before passing out again. We’d removed her tracker, a small and clear circle on her the back of her hand, leaving behind a small ring that would scar.

I had a matching one.

After Isla had passed out again, Piper and another woman took her away, changing her into pajamas for the plane ride. And taking her other clothes to be analyzed and decontaminated.

At least Piper had come to see us settled on the plane and gave me a brief hug.

And I was out of LA within a day, as promised.

I wondered if my sister had been worried about me being there too long – if someone might get a whiff of me – and start asking questions. Again, I wondered why I’d been brought in. I was a retired SoA agent. It couldn’t be that the Order was that desperate.

No, something bigger was going on and Piper was going to be spilling the beans whether she wanted to do that or not. She’d twisted my arm into agreeing, playing on family loyalty and my other weaknesses. But more than that, she’d looked uneasy. Shaken.

Nothing ever shook Piper and I found myself glancing over my shoulder the whole way from the airport to the southwestern side of Maui. We hadn’t been followed, but I couldn’t shake the unease. And I’d found myself checking on the perimeter more than usual.

Yesterday had been a quiet day, though. Peeking in on Isla and wondering when she’d wake up. Being filled with both relief and dread when she’d remained asleep. During that time, I’d also removed evidence of Piper and the Weslark family from the bungalow. And set up the art supplies Piper had bought her. It was oddly thoughtful of my sister and a little strange.

Not that I personally thought Isla would be in any mood to create. Maybe castrate.

Again, I saw Isla’s look of stark terror and confusion when her eyes landed on me for the first time. Then, the defiance that had leaped into her eyes as she straightened up and glared at me.

Isla was a petite thing, but in that moment, she’d looked like a long-lost goddess of the ocean, pineapple pajamas and all, here to smite me.

And in that moment, I was willing to be struck down, I was so captivated.

Standing only a few inches over five feet, Isla had a narrow waist accented with curvy hips and a full chest. Her dark waves were thick, falling past her shoulders and made her light blue-green eyes scintillate. With her high cheekbones and a pretty nose, she had a princess-like air, but the teal, gold and purple peek-a-boo highlights in her hair gave her away as an urban artist.

Of course, I'd started making dumb jokes. Piper would be happy, I thought. I’d ruined my chances with Isla before I’d even given myself a chance.

Nah, it was for the best. Isla couldn’t know about SoA or me. What I really was.

She couldn’t know the secret world Dr. Crane wanted to initiate her into. Piper was right – ignorance would keep Isla safe. And, more importantly, alive.