“Look, here, there are some upcoming dates and a name. Do you know what it is?” I asked, pointing at a couple of lines in the middle of the notebook.
“That’s the harbor, a commercial port,” Cade replied, taking out his phone and snapping a quick picture.
“What do you think the map’s for?” I asked, looking at the large wall hanging that had red lines drawn across it.
“I don’t know, but I have a few ideas. I’m gonna make a few calls to some guys I used to know, and a couple of brothers from a local chapter, see if there’s any talk.”
“Okay,” I replied, then added, “But don’t try and cut me out of the loop. We’re in this together, right?”
“Yeah, darlin’,” Cade promised, at least I took it as a promise, then closed the book and said, “Let’s get out of here.”
We put everything back, shut the windows behind us, and made a hasty exit out of the building. When we were safely back on the ground floor, I put my hand in his and started swinging our arms back and forth. That lasted a minute, before Cade gave me a look and stilled our arms, keeping my hand securely at his side.
“Don’t forget, Big Man,” I said, steering him toward the bakery. “You owe me some cupcakes.”
I was sitting on the bed shoving a maple bacon cupcake in my mouth, when my iPad started ringing.
My stomach dipped with excitement as I picked it up and pressed the green button. I smudged some icing on my nose, hoping to make whoever was calling laugh, and grinned as I waited for the screen to come alive.
“Hey!”
“Hi.”
“Yo, sexy mama!”
My friends screamed out excitedly when their faces filled the screen.
“You guys are at Tapas without me?” I whined when I saw our favorite restaurant in the background.
Amy May, Carmen, and Bea were practically sitting on top of each other to try and be seen in the tiny screen.
“You can’t be mad at us, you’re in paradise for crying out loud,” Amy said in reply.
“Nice frosting,” Bea added.
I extended my tongue and licked the frosting off, then giggled at their chorus of cheers.
“What are you guys up to?” I asked, lying flat on my back and stretching out my arms.
“We’re having margaritas, apps, and a Come to Jesus talk with Carmen,” Amy May supplied.
“Have you had enough margaritas yet?” I asked Carmen.
“Yeah, I think so,” she said with a wobbly nod.
“So,” I prompted, “You’re ready to say yes to Bran?”
“I think so,” Carmen said with a cute half shrug. “He’s just so…”
“So are you!” Amy May and Bea cried, and I knew they’d been trying to drill that fact into Carmen’s head.
“They think I’m the shit,” Carmen said with a goofy smile.
“That’s because you are,” I assured her. “Now, text Bran and tell him you’d love to go out with him.”
“What if I’m too late?” Carmen asked.
“You’re not,” Amy May replied.
Then Bea added, “And if you are, then you’ll find someone else worthy of all your awesome.”
“Thanks, guys,” Carmen said, her eyes filling.
“Okay, I think it’s time to lay off the margaritas,” I said with a chuckle.
“Don’t worry, we’ve got her,” Bea replied.
“We miss you,” Amy May said as Carmen punched stuff into her phone.
“Done,” Carmen said, looking up and into the camera with a smile, then her face fell. “Oh God, what did I just do?”
“Carmen,” I called with a gently smile. “You like him. He likes you. You’ll be fine, just give it a shot.”
“I know, you’re right. And I’m usually not so nervous … I’m a pretty confident person. But Bran, I just feel like, he matters. You know?”
“Absolutely,” I said with a nod, thinking of Cade.
“Okay, babe, we’re gonna sign off, pay our bill, and cab it home. Give Cade and the twins hugs from us, and we’ll see you soon,” Amy May said, waving her hand at who I presumed was their waiter.
“Love you guys,” I replied.
“We love you too,” they shouted, way too loudly for a public place, which meant when I signed off, I did it laughing.
I grabbed my cupcake wrapper and wandered out of Cade’s room. Following the sounds of laughter, I rounded the corner to see Cade, his parents, the twins, and Alani sitting at the table, laughing as they played Pictionary.
I walked up behind Cade and placed my hands on his shoulders, kneading the muscles there as I looked down at the board.
“Who’s green?” I asked.
“Me and Alani,” Lena replied happily. “She’s a super good drawer.”
“And yellow?” I asked, looking at the piece that was still at the beginning of the board.
“Me and Ma,” Cade answered, turning his head to look up at me. “We suck.”
“Swear jar,” Elin said with a laugh. “They really do, Mom. Like, bad. Even Pops and I can draw better than Cade.”
We all laughed, but Cade didn’t get mad, annoyed, or pissed, like a lot of macho men would do when losing a board game he probably had no interest in playing. Instead, he looked around the table filled with people he loved, and looked utterly content.
I felt my throat burn at the thought, then the burn hit my eyes when he asked, “You talk to your girls?”
“Yeah, they’re good,” I replied, then, because I had to, I leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips. “Thanks.”
I don’t know if I was thanking him for understanding my need to connect with my friends, for his natural ease with my kids, or his obvious love for his family, but I could tell when his lips turned up, and his eyes crinkled, that he got what I was saying.
I was so excited; I was practically bouncing in my seat.
Sure, we were meeting up with some of Cade’s buddies to talk about Yusuf, the stuff I’d heard, and the logs we’d found about the docks. But, still, it was a night out. Just the two of us. And as much fun as I was having getting to know Cade’s family, and sharing Hawaii with the kids, once he said we were hitting a bar that night, I realized just how much I missed me and Cade time.
Time to be an adult. To kick back, have a couple drinks, and enjoy being on the arm of my man.
Elin and Elena were happy to get one-on-one time with Cade’s parents, who they’d definitely already adopted as their grandparents, so I didn’t feel guilty about bailing on them. And, Alani had some stuff to do at school for graduation, then she was hanging at a friend’s house.
I couldn’t help but worry that something would happen with Hannah, or Yusuf, but Cade had a heart to heart with her, told her we were looking into it, and asked her to stay away from the guy until we found out more about him.
She’d agreed.
I just hoped she was different than every other teenaged girl out there who was about to graduate and thought they knew everything and didn’t actually listen.
Cade seemed to think she was, and trusted her. And I trusted him, so, I was determined to enjoy the night and not worry too much.
“So, who will we be meeting tonight?” I asked, scooting as close to him as my seatbelt would allow and placing my hand on his thigh.
He looked hella good tonight.
Gone was his Hawaiian uniform of board shorts, tank tops, and slippers. Instead, I had mainland Cade with me.
Hair pulled back in a bun, beard just a touch wild. With dark jeans and a black vest over a cream-colored Henley … God. The only thing hotter than that vest, were those damn motorcycle boots.
As soon as I’d walked out of the bathroom with my hair sexily tousled, smoky eyes, and jeans tight enough to cause a car accident, and saw Cade lookin’ the way he did, my body’d revved up and I’d been ready to go.
“Ripper, Jun, and Chris,” Cade answered, placing his hand over mine, leaving one hand on the wheel.
“Tell me,” I prompted.
“Ripper and me played football together. He stayed here and went to school, then got married and had a couple kids. He’s working at the Toyota dealership now. Jun and I’ve known each other since we were little, but he always leaned to the bad. Boosting cars when I was playing ball. He did a few years in jail, then sorted his shit out and found a good woman.”
When he said good woman, his hand tightened over mine, causing my heart to squeeze.
“Chris was always like a brother to me. He lived two doors down from us, his parents still do, and we lived at each other’s places. Our parents always knew they’d find us at one house or the other, and we’d be together. He started working in high school, and kept on working. Now he owns the bar we’re going to.”
“Is Chris married too?”
“Divorced, but happy. He’s got two good kids, loves his bar, and gets along better with his ex now than they did when they were together.”
“When was the last time you saw them?”
“We get together every time I’m home.”
“Very cool,” I said, my stomach dipping as we pulled into the parking lot and Cade turned off the car.
My excitement fled and anxiety took over.
This was just like when I met Cade’s brothers, except these were lifelong friends. Guys who knew him when he was a boy, and in high school. Guys who he’d gotten in trouble with, shared dreams with, talked about girls with.
I hoped I measured up to whatever expectation they had of the woman who finally landed their friend. After all, I was the first “girlfriend” he’d ever had, and, he’d brought me and my kids home to meet his family.
I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, causing Cade to chuckle next to me.
“Darlin’, it’s going to be fine,” Cade said knowingly. “The guys are gonna take one look at your fine ass and wish they’d found you first.”
Anxiety gone, I turned my head to give Cade the stank eye.
“You have issues,” I retorted, even though I was happy he thought my ass was fine.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Cade replied with a grin, then squeezed my hand once more and said, “Let’s go.”
I nodded and scooted across the seat to let myself out. Once I was on my feet, I looked around to get a feel for the place.
Motorcycles out front, bright signs advertising various brands of beer, and a gorgeous view of the ocean.
“Wow, this place is great,” I said as Cade rounded the 4Runner.
“Wait ‘til you see the view from the back patio,” Cade replied, then placed his hand on the small of my back and led me inside to meet his buddies.
“I’ll never forget the look on his face when we won that game. We’d worked so hard, and Cade just knew he was going to get the scholarship after that win.”
We sat on the back patio, the men drinking beer, and I was sipping a dirty martini while they entertained me with stories about Cade growing up.
Ripper was a good-looking man with kind eyes and a ready smile. Jun fell more into the intimidating category. With tattoos everywhere, at least everywhere that I could see, and his head shaved bald, he was the kind of man that you’d be afraid of if you walked up on him in a dark alley. But, once you got to know him, he was one of the sweetest guys ever. While Chris was very easy-going, funny, and almost as hot as Cade.
Listening to them talk, I could see why they’d been friends forever. There was an easiness to their relationship, and a loyalty that had only deepened over the years.
“Did you really take a picture of your husband eating out another chick and post that shit around town?” This was asked by Jun, who was looking at me with respect.
“Yup, I sure did,” I replied, my smile a little goofy due to the two martinis I’d already consumed.
The guys all started laughing, and I jumped when Ripper slapped his hand on the table.
“When Cade told us that shit, I thought he had to be exaggerating.”
I shook my head, surprised to find that talking about finding Eric cheating in the parking lot of Starbucks no longer filled me with anger, or even sorrow. Now, it was just a funny story to share over drinks.
Huh, I guess I’m officially over it.
“That shit was nasty,” Cade said, his lip curling up at the thought. That’s when I remembered that he’d told me he’d seen those pictures posted around.
“Cade said it looked like an angry hedgehog,” I added, then busted out laughing.
“What, her bush?” Ripper asked.
“Sure as fuck did,” Cade confirmed.
Once our laughter died down, Cade leaned forward on his forearms, and I felt the mood of the table shift. I lifted my eyes to search Cade’s face, and knew by his expression that he was ready to broach the subject that had brought us here.
“What you got on this Yusuf guy?” Cade asked quietly.
I put my drink down and pushed it to the side. I wanted to have my wits about me for this convo and downing another martini would not help me with that.
Jun shook his head. “It’s not good, brother.”
“Not a common name around the island, and as far as I’ve heard, there’s only one Yusuf who’s tied to the docks in any way, and he’s a bad hombre,” Chris added.
Ripper looked around, and when he was sure no one was close enough to hear, he said, “Dude’s connected, and he’s the point man on a very profitable business.”
“What business?” I asked, unable to stand the suspense.
“Selling young girls,” Jun stated, causing me to sit back with a gasp.
Cade’s face hardened and he bit out, “Prostitution?”
Jun shook his head.
“Not only. He hosts these parties for the rich and sick in the head. Some buy the girls for the night, others, on a more permanent basis. If the girls aren’t bought, they’re shipped out and sold on the black market.”
“What?” I asked, shocked and appalled by what these guys were saying. “You can’t be serious.”
“Deadly fuckin’ serious, Red,” Jun stated harshly, his scary back in full effect.
“Yusuf and his guys find girls, pretend to be into them, then fill their head with dreams and promises. Girls don’t know what hit ‘em. They think they’re running off with the man of their dreams, and the next thing they know, they’re waking up in cuffs on the block for sale. Yusuf keeps them doped up, then sells ‘em off. They probably don’t realize what the fuck happened until it’s way too late.”
My eyes flew to Cade as I choked out, “Hannah.”
“Who’s Hannah?” Chris asked.
“Alani’s friend. Ni Ni says she met Yusuf a while back, and now she’s different. She’s been trying to warn Hannah off the guy, and Lila saw Ni Ni confronting Yusuf,” Cade replied.
“Keep Alani way the fuck away from this guy,” Chris said, his tone conveying his concern.
“She’s worried about her friend,” I supplied, then snapped my mouth shut when Jun’s eyes flashed scarily.
“If her friends already in so deep she won’t listen to Alani, then there’s nothing Cade’s sister’s gonna be able to do, and she needs to stay far away from this Hannah, and Yusuf. She needs to get off this animal’s radar.”
Cade nodded, obviously agreeing that he wanted to keep his sister safe and away from Yusuf.
“We can’t just let him take Hannah,” I argued. “We have to help her.”
“We’ve got ears to the ground,” Jun replied. “Once we find out where and when his next party is going down, we’ll let Cade know.”
“Shouldn’t we tell the police?” I asked. “Maybe if they know what’s going on, they can stop Yusuf before he’s able to have another party.”
“It was someone on the PD that gave me the intel on Yusuf,” Chris replied, dashing my dreams of an easy fix. “They know what’s going on. Problem is, the Commissioner is one of Yusuf’s best customers.”
“Son of a bitch,” Cade growled, and I cou
ld tell by the look on his face that he was ready to blow.
“Maybe the dates and port stuff we found in those notebooks will lead us to the next party,” I suggested. “We could go back…”
“No, you need to stay out of it,” Jun ordered, and I suddenly wasn’t feeling so friendly toward him anymore. “We’ve got people in place looking.”
“He’s right, Lila, it’s too dangerous,” Cade agreed, and my back stiffened in my seat. “I took a picture of that page of the journal with my phone. I’ll share the intel with the guys from the local MC, and get them on it too.”
“This is what I do, Cade,” I began to argue, thinking there might be something at the office that we overlooked, but the look he gave me had my mouth slamming shut.
“Not here, not this time,” he bit out, and any excitement or cheer I’d felt that night flew out the window and into the sea below.
I folded my hands in my lap, turned my head to the ocean, and kept my mouth shut for the rest of our time there.
If Cade thinks I’m stepping back and standing down, he really doesn’t know me at all.
“Darlin’.”
I shifted, still mostly asleep.
The hard wall of Cade’s chest impeded my ability to turn fully toward him, so I halted my attempt, snuggling back toward him instead.
His arm came around me and I sighed, happily enveloped in his heat and scent.
As I started coming more fully awake, I realized a few things. One, his cock was rock hard and pressing into my ass. Two, his large hand was currently under my tank top, caressing my bare breast. And, third, I was turned on to the point of spontaneous combustion.
My dreams had been full of Cade, anticipation, and sex, so I’d probably already been primed. Add real-live Cade, hard and rearing to go in bed with me, and you had the makings of fantastic wake-up sex.
Arching my back, I rubbed the swell of my ass against his cock, moaning softly when he pinched my tender nipple between his thumb and finger. Reaching back, my hand hit his naked, heated skin, and I moved it lower until I could wrap it around his dick.