Page 11 of Maliea's Hero

“Yeah. It would be nice to know what’s next,” Logan seconded.

“I’ll let you know,” Reid promised. “Rex, you have the out brief if the director calls it done this afternoon. See you back at the cabins later.”

“Out here,” Logan said.

“Out here,” Rex echoed.

After checking that the crew was still setting up for the scene, Reid hopped onto the four-wheeler the Kualoa Ranch had assigned to him for the day. If he hurried, he could clear the area before the noise of his ATV interfered with the production.

Reid followed the trail leading back to the ranch’s main building. After checking in the four-wheeler, he hurried out to his pride and joy, a Porsche 718 Boxster he’d bought used not long after arriving on Oahu. He ran his hand along the side of the sleek black sports car, still amazed he’d gotten it at such a good price. Yes, it was used, but barely. The old man he’d purchased it from was moving back to the mainland to live with his daughter in LA and didn’t want to drive it in the city.

The other guys told him it was a mistake to buy a two-seater. What if he decided to settle down, get married and have kids?

Reid slipped into the driver’s seat and pulled out of the parking lot.

He hadn’t bothered to tell them he had no plans now or in the future of marrying and having kids.

Been there. Done that. Then, his wife left him for another man and took their baby daughter with her. He’d been deployed so much that the judge who had signed the divorce decree had given his ex-wife full custody, and because Reid didn’t live close to her, he had such limited visitation he rarely got to see his daughter. She called his ex-wife’s new husband Daddy and her biological father Reid because that was what her mother called him.

No. He’d never marry again, nor would he have any more children. He was careful to be sure of that with any woman he slept with, taking all the precautions to the point of pulling out before ejaculating, even with a condom.

Before he realized it, he was going eighty in a forty-mile-an-hour zone.

Reid lifted his foot off the accelerator, allowing the car to slow on its own. The little cabins he and his teammates rented were on the beach not far from the Kualoa Ranch. The cute blonde at the Burger Bar had told them about the vacancies when they’d stopped in for dinner after their first day on the movie set.

Reid hoped the friend Tish had sent had been able to find the key and let himself inside. It might be dumb to let a perfect stranger make himself at home in his cabin, but Reid figured that if Tish didn’t trust him, she wouldn’t tell him about the key under the mat. The guy would have to stay out on the porch until Reid got there.

And it wasn’t like he kept anything of value in the cabin. It was a vacation rental, not a real home with a safe and security system. He hadn’t had a real home since his wife had left him. Putting down roots, marriage and having kids set a guy up for a lot of pain when things didn’t pan out.

He traveled light. The car was the biggest commitment he’d made since his divorce. He didn’t look at it as a total commitment. It was an asset he would sell in a heartbeat. Maybe even make a little money on it, too.

As he pulled up next to the rental cabin, he studied the building. No one waited on the porch, which meant either the guy had found the key under the mat and let himself inside, or he’d spooked and split, not willing or able to wait for Reid to get there. Only one way to know. Check inside.

Reid parked the Porsche, got out and climbed the stairs of the front porch. When he tried the doorknob, it was locked. He checked under the mat for the spare key. It was gone.

The house was eerily silent. No sound of television, music or voices came from inside. He used his key to unlock the door and pushed it open, muscles tensed, ready to react to whatever or whoever he found on the other side.

Reid pushed the door open just enough to peer into the one-room cabin. The living room, bedroom and kitchen were all together. The only separate room was the bathroom with its walk-in shower, sink and toilet.

The only light in the room was from the open door, spilling across the floor in a wedge, leaving the corners in the shadows.

A figure moved near the small dinette table with its two vinyl-covered chairs.

Reid pushed the door open wider, allowing the light to reach the figure at the table.

A small woman with long dark hair stood beside the table, her chin held high and her fists clenched. She didn’t say anything; she just stood there, her body tense, as if ready for a fight or flight. She was beautiful like the native Hawaiian women Reid had seen in photographs for sale in the souvenir shops.

“Are you Tish’s friend?” Reid asked.

She nodded. “I am.”

“I’m Reid Bennett.”

He’d hoped by introducing himself, he could put this young woman at ease.

She remained where she was, with no visible release of the tension in her body.

“She texted me earlier saying a friend of hers was headed my way, in need of protection.” He lifted his chin toward her. “You want to tell me what’s happened?”