Accidental Shield

“Yes. This little bakery in Honolulu. It’s the only place she can buy the cookies she likes. She usually sends her maid to get them, but…she’ll know what I’m talking about without even mentioning the name.”

“Perfect. Call her back. Tell her to meet us there in an hour,” I say, while texting my own mother, telling her I need her to come back and take Bryce to her house.

The stakes are too fucking high to risk anyone else getting hurt.

Val dials another number, and once again puts the call on speaker.

“Mother, it’s me,” she says as soon as Lorelei picks up.

“Why—”

“Mom, just listen. We’re going to buy cookies. Big honking chocolate macadamia nut monster cookies, your fave. Meet me there.”

“Cookies?! Oh, Valerie, didn’t you hear what I said about—”

“I heard you, loud and clear. Now, you hear. Cookies, Mother. Meet me there right away!” Val hangs up.

“Beautiful,” I tell her, then go to the back door and holler for Bryce.

He’s not happy to hear he’s going away with my mom again and possibly missing a swim lesson tomorrow, but he agrees when he finds out it’s so I can help Valerie.

My ma arrives shortly, and with a glowing smile, she doesn’t ask questions.

I know what she’s thinking.

We’re still celebrating our engagement and going at it like monkeys—I wish—but now’s not the time to explain how wrong she is. And there’s no sense in tipping her off.

Val thanks me for the quick thinking. She asks if I think Ray’s truly missing, or just with those men again, as we travel back across the island.

I admit that I’m not sure.

All signs point to him working with the Outfit. Hell, a few even hint there was some falling out. I remember what she said about her fateful trip on the yacht, how the goons thought he was double-crossing them.

Only thing certain is we’ve got a fucking mess on our hands. It pisses me off all over again that she’s been put in this place, betrayed by her brother.

“The bakery is over that way.” She points to the right as soon as we’re along one of the main busy arteries of downtown Honolulu. It’s a busy afternoon, plenty of tourists, and for once I’m grateful for the congestion.

“We’ll park near the back,” I say.

Val nods. “Good thinking.”

I park, and before we climb out, she puts on the oversized shades and hat, her usual disguise. The whole street swarms with people, surfers still in their swimsuits and beach bums carrying guitars, plenty of tourists from the mainland and Japan just starting to get their first taste of Aloha.

Val goes on ahead of me into the shop while I scan the area, texting the location to my crew.

Catching up with her later, we buy a few boxes of cookies, and then, handing the girl at the register several extra bills, I describe Lorelei Gerard in detail and ask her to let the woman cut in line when she shows up. I also tell her to make sure Lorelei knows to meet us at ABC Store next door after she’s got her cookies.

I’m pulling no punches, doing everything to throw off anyone we haven’t noticed who’s got one eye on us.

The girl agrees, then Val and I go browse around the touristy trinkets and cheap shirts next door.

It takes another twenty minutes before she spots her mother. Val taps me on the shoulder and we watch as a confused Lorelei makes her way through the door.

“What’s going on here?” she asks as soon as she’s found us.

“Shhh,” Valerie whispers, looking up at me. “Flint?”

“You aren’t safe right now, Mrs. Gerard.” I say, leading them through the back door to the employee lot where I’d parked.

“Safe?” Lorelei asks. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“Listen to him, Mother,” Valerie says. “If it wasn’t for him, I’d be dead.”

“Dead?” Lorelei chokes on the word like it’s rotten meat.

“Dead, Mother. Finished. Or just ‘missing,’ like Ray. But Flint knows what he’s doing. He’s a professional. He’ll get to the bottom of it, you just have to trust him.”

“This man saved your life?” Lorelei asks, frowning.

“Yes,” Valerie says, a rough edge in her voice. “He was a Navy SEAL. He’s kept me safe ever since the accident. We never went to the Big Island. We’ve been on Oahu the entire time. He’s been trying to figure out who tried to kill me.”

“Kill you? Oh my God. You’re telling me this is why Ray disappeared?” She looks frayed, utterly distraught, and who the hell can blame her?

“We’ll figure this out, Mrs. Gerard,” I say, keeping them moving.

The poor woman looks totally bewildered.

For a second, I flash my tattoo, the eagle holding the trident. “Every word Val said is true. I served with the best. I’m here to help. Just need you to answer some questions about Ray.”