But there was more. A lot more. Josh knew his boss, Brad Nohea, was covering up a much bigger disaster. One that he did not want reported back to the home office, the Los Angeles division of the DEA. And one that could cost Nohea his job and take out Josh as collateral damage.
Josh kept those problems to himself. No need to implicate Ted or condemn Kane’s office and the decent officers who worked there. This was a DEA mistake, not a Kauai police mistake. Unfortunately, Dan was the one who paid.
“Officially, I’m on loan to the police, to you, on this one. I answer to you, not Nohea, as part of this operation,” Josh said.
“Since when?”
“Since right this second.”
“So, we’re pretending you’re working on some kind of special drug case?”
“Yep.”
Ted managed to roll his eyes and let out a loud exhale at the same time. “The same case that doesn’t actually exist?”
“Something like that.”
“Sounds like a lot of unnecessary paperwork to me.”
Josh shrugged. “Kane used to do it for me.”
“Shame we can’t wait until Kane gets back and let his butt be the one that gets in trouble.” Ted grabbed a piece of paper from under the counter and wrote down a few notes.
“Is that a no?”
“You see me writing, don’t you?” Ted shook his head while he did. “So, what are you going to do to bring this to a close?”
“Whatever it takes.”
“Getting Cassie and Cal to back off will be tough.”
Josh flashed his cockiest smile. “I’m up to the task.”
“Sounds like I should start looking for another job, because chances are you’re going to get me fired with this stunt.”
“I’d say that’s likely. Yes.”
Chapter Eight
Cal kept trying to pull Cassie back to the car, but she dragged her feet and slowed him down. His dark burglar outfit had helped him blend into the night, but it would soon be a hindrance. In a few hours the warm Hawaii sunshine would roast him like a pork chop.
Cassie smiled at the thought.
Then she focused on Cal’s broad back. His muscular arms moved in a controlled rhythm. Every line in sync, every movement calculated. A silent strength radiated off him in waves. How a man could look this good and be this insufferable at the same time was a mystery.
If she didn’t have such a desperate need for help to clear Dan’s name, she would have run screaming in the opposite direction from this guy. She had been around enough military men to know that Cal Wilson was one of those you stared at, maybe even worked into your nightly fantasies, but then ran from like hell when he started looking back in your direction.
He never came home with Dan for a visit. Dan gave cryptic excuses about Cal not being a home-and-hearth type of guy. About how he didn’t understand or enjoy family time. Something about a newspaper headline–making divorce years ago that put Cal and his sister in the middle of a horrible fight.
The bottom line: when it came to women, Cal was dangerous.
And obnoxious.
“For a military man, you’re not very good at obeying the chain of command,” she said to his back.
Cal scowled at Cassie over his shoulder. “You pulling rank?”
That sounded good, so she decided to try that. “Absolutely.”
He reached out and opened the car door. “Let’s go.”
So much for being in charge. “Do we have an actual destination in mind or is the idea to drive around in circles until I vomit?”
He ignored her and walked around to the driver’s side of the car without answering.
Not so fast. “Ummm, hello?”
Cal stopped, then marched back to her. Judging from the harsh lines etched on his handsome face, he was ticked off.
Well, join the freaking club. She wrestled with her emotions on a nearly hourly basis, rocking back and forth between wanting to cry over Dan and wanting to scream in rage. The horrible events of the past few weeks twisted her nerves, making her less tolerant of his Neanderthal act than she might otherwise have been.
“You don’t scare me.” She said it and actually meant it.
“Oh really?”
“Not even close.”
The tension on his face eased a bit. “The plane is in the hangar.”
Cassie wondered how she had lost the thread of the conversation. And it was happening almost every time she talked with Cal. “When exactly did we decide to visit a plane?”
“Cassie.” The tone was a warning.
“Don’t pull that macho crap. What’s going on?”
He held up his hands. “Oh, I forgot. You’re in charge.”
She wasn’t about to back down now. With her knees locked and her legs braced apart, she stared him down. Unfortunately, she had to look up to do it. “That’s right.”
“Okay, boss lady, what’s your suggestion?” He dropped his hands along with the mocking tone.
“First, lose the attitude.”
A smile flickered at the corner of his hard mouth. “Fair enough. After that?”
She would have kicked him in the shins if he weren’t a wall of pure muscle. There was no reason to injure her foot or scuff a perfectly good pair of sneakers. “You clearly have a plan in mind.”
“Yeah, I do.” That intriguing dimple appeared in the corner of his cheek again.
“Never let it be said that I can’t delegate. Let me hear it.”
He crossed his arms across his broad chest. “You sure? I wouldn’t want to disrespect the chain of command or make you think I’m planning a coup.”
He threw out that suggestion a tad too easily for her liking. “You have ten seconds to talk or I call a taxi.”
“Are you always this difficult?”
“Yes.”
Cal chuckled. “At least you’re honest. Okay, my plan is simple. We visit the crash site and look into whatever investigation has been done and get access to Dan’s offices, files, and records.”
Crash site. The words flipped her heart inside out. The shocking smell of torched trees and burning fuel was seared in her memory. She could still taste the horrible mixture.
“The police took his computer and most of his records. You’re not going to find much at his office,” she said rather than deal with the worst of his suggestion.
“And the plane?”
She shook her head. “The parts, everything that’s left, are here somewhere, with the police or the NTSB.”
“Yeah, well, something tells me that Deputy Ted and Agent Blondie aren’t going to be too helpful on that score.”
Angry tears pushed against the back of her eyes. “Nothing new there.”
Something in Cal’s dark eyes cleared. He stepped forward and rubbed his calloused palm up and down her arm. His movements were awkward and stilted, but Cassie found the gesture oddly comforting.
She leaned into his touch, seeking