Emma swore under her breath.

“I should have known those posts were taking too long. I had just hoped they’d finally…” Emma paused, sighed and went back to the pot on the stove. She started to measure the oats, adding them to the pot.

“Emma, do you want me to just stay here with the boys?” Gabriella set down her tea.

“Don’t they have school?” Laurie raised her eyebrows.

“I homeschool them. Besides, when my husband comes back I want to be able to give him a piece of my mind the minute he comes in the door.” Gabriella folded her arms across her chest.

“Do you really think they’ve gone after Kaimi?” Worry settled into her stomach.

“Absolutely.” Emma slammed a cabinet door as she got out the juice glasses.

“I doubt they will even find him before they give up and come home. They’ll be fine.” Gabriella gave Laurie a reassuring smile.

This news did little to comfort Laurie. She nodded her head, but felt heartsick.

“Why didn’t they tell us they wanted to do this?” She looked up at Emma. Emma turned to her from the stove.

“Because they knew we flat out wouldn’t let them do it. A retired general, a retired CIA agent, and a discredited U.S. Marshal traipsing about Hawaii looking for a well-known murderer. They’ll be arrested before they even get near Kaimi. When it happens, I’m not bailing them out. Furthermore, if my son hasn’t lost his job for vanishing with you, than he will when he shows up in Hawaii without you.” Emma turned back to the stove stirring the oatmeal vigorously.

“I’m sorry, Emma. I’m sorry I caused all this.” Laurie crossed her arms over her chest.

“Oh, no, honey. You can’t take any of the credit for this. It’s their fault, Kaimi, my husband, my son, and Bob. They’re responsible for this havoc. I cannot believe they would do it.” Emma slammed the wooden spoon down on the stove.

Laurie nodded, as she peered into her coffee cup for answers. Now what was she supposed to do? She had followed Dante’s lead up until now, but he was gone without a word. She wanted to chase after him. She wanted to board a plane and go back to Hawaii, but Hawaii equaled death for her. He was all that stood between her and Kaimi’s hit men; well, besides herself and her own instincts. No, no. She had made a home here now. As long as Emma would let her stay, she would. She had to stay hidden, she had to stay safe. She was going to testify at Kaimi’s trial even if it was the last thing she did.

“Emma, can you teach me to shoot? To protect myself?” Laurie asked. Emma turned with a quizzical look.

“Why?” Emma’s eyes narrowed. Laurie lowered her voice, so the boys couldn’t hear over the TV.

“So if anything happens, I can fight back. Dante, Albert, and Bob could all shoot, but they’re all gone now. You learned to shoot at the agency, and Gabriella learned in the Air Force. Everyone can defend themselves but me, and I’m the one that needs to defend myself more than any of you.” Laurie gestured to herself.

Emma looked thoughtful for a minute or two, studying Laurie.

“Yes, we can do that. I can show you a lot about self-defense. But you can’t shoot my son when he comes back.” Emma pointed the wooden spoon at her.

Laurie chuckled.

“I promise it will only be for defense. I don’t want to shoot him.” Laurie shook her head.

“Really? I know I’m tempted.” Emma leaned over the oatmeal. Laurie and Gabriella smiled at each other for the first time that morning, as Emma began scooping the oatmeal out into large bowls. Then she brought the bowls over to the table.

Laurie looked at the oatmeal, but her stomach turned sour. She wasn’t hungry, at least not enough to counterbalance the ball of nerves rolling around in her stomach. The boys joined them for breakfast.

As soon as the boys wandered back to the TV, the women began making plans to train Laurie in firearms and self-defense. Then they made plans for schooling the boys while they were staying in Nebraska, and upkeep around the farm for the winter. They didn’t know when the men would be back, but the women were going to make sure they didn’t have time to miss them very much.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Dante

Dante squinted, looking out over the parking lot at Bradshaw. He had hoped the truck might still be there, but it was gone. He sighed. Any pretense of returning to his normal life here vanished. Dante turned to his father.

“Do we have everything? It’s going to be a long hike. We won’t get there until nightfall.” Dante nodded to their packs.

“We’re ready.” Albert adjusted the pack on his shoulders.

Bob nodded. Bob was pale and red-eyed from flying for several hours while Albert and Dante slept.

Dante knew Bob had grown accustomed to long missions without sleep, but he wondered if Bob was a little far from those days.

“All right, we’re headed toward the volcano.” Dante foisted his pack onto his back.

Dante led them down the side of the highway to the access road leading to the Mauna Kea State Park. Then they branched off on a trail that ran along Mauna Road. After a few hours, they stopped for a break. They sank down onto the grass of the embankment. Dante looked at his father and uncle; both of them were panting, sweating from the heat and the physical labor. The sheen of perspiration turned their skin a pasty grey. They seemed frail to him, old, as they struggled to breathe. The sweat enhanced their wrinkles and dampened their grey hairs. It made Dante doubt their mission. He wondered whether it was a mistake to come here. Now that they had come all this way, he doubted their pride would let them turn back without finding something out about Kaimi.

Dante resolved himself to go slower for the rest of the day, to make them rest more than what he would if he was on his own. He let them take an extra-long break, as Bob lay down in the grass beside the trail to take a combat nap. Dante made sure they drank extra water, because the day was muggy—a shock to their systems given where they had just come from.

After their break, they hiked several more hours up the trail, before it broke off to the right. Dante paused there. If he went straight ahead, he would go down to the waterfall he had taken Laurie to the last time he was here. It made the corners of his mouth turn up in a smile to think of her as she was on that day. The thought was so delicious, he suggested they stop there for lunch. They broke out their food then ate in virtual silence, each man keeping his own thoughts.

After they rested, they turned down the trail that led into the Hilo Forest Reserve. They descended downward for a long while, climbing over logs and stones thrown down from the volcano. The humidity deepened. The sweat dripped down their faces like rain. They were able to move faster now, descending downward until they hit a gentle rolling land base. Despite taking frequent breaks, Dante was surprised with how quickly they reached the tree line above the Hilo safe house.

Dante pulled out his binoculars and surveyed the house in the dim twilight. There were no cars he could see, no movement. In fact, he could still see the crime scene tape surrounding the property. He pulled out his uncle’s infrared goggles. There was nothing but greens and blues. No one was there.

He motioned them forward. In slow, lumbering moves, Bob and Albert picked themselves up from the forest floor, following Dante to the patio of the safe house. Dante left them there as he walked around the perimeter. The windows had been replaced; the beaten doors riddled with bullet holes had been put back. Otherwise, the place looked untouched from the attack that occurred months ago. The doors were still sealed with crime scene tape, which gave Dante pause before he split it open. Then he slid his key into the lock, turned the knob, and entered the house from the front.