“Probably twenty years. I saw the potential when it was still arid and deserted.”
“It’s still pretty arid. The volcanic rock is hard on the vegetation.”
“But it’s coming back.”
“How much do you want for it?” Mano shocked himself by asking. Maybe he’d buy this after all. He had to settle somewhere eventually, though he wondered what he could do here. The navy was his life.
He could almost see the dollar signs in Chun’s eyes. Chun nodded. “There’s a full half acre here. You have right of way for a driveway.”
“How much?” Mano asked again.
“Three hundred thousand.”
He’d been expecting something in the neighborhood of fifteen thousand. “Are you nuts? You probably paid fifteen hundred for it, didn’t you?”
Evan shrugged. “It will be worth six hundred thousand in another year.”
Mano began to walk back to the car. “Get real. You’ll never get that for it. Not out here.”
“You’ll see I know what I’m talking about when news of the casino and new subdivision breaks.”
The mention of the casino was the opportunity Mano had been waiting on. “I’ve heard something about that. Who’s behind it?”
“A company from Vegas called Banos LLC. They’re known for their innovative structures. It’s going to be a great boon for the island.”
Mano had never heard of them. “When do they plan to start building?”
“They’ve already bought the land for the casino, and the ground breaking should be in about three months. They’re still working on the peripheral designs for housing and a theme park. I’m buying up land for them as quickly as I can.”
“Have you tried to buy the Tagama land or Gina’s land yet?”
“I don’t think that’s any of your business.” He nodded toward the view. “So what do you think?”
“I’ll give you ten,” Mano said.
Chun laughed. “I don’t think so. If that’s all you’re willing to pay, we might as well go back now.”
It was way out of Mano’s price range. “Fine by me.” He walked toward the car, but before he got in, he saw a man standing in the shade of a stand of trees. Noah. “Go on without me,” he told Chun. He didn’t wait for a reply and jogged toward Noah. Noah turned and ran. “Noah, wait!” Mano put on a burst of speed.
He was out of breath when he reached the tree where Noah had been standing. He paused and looked around. Where had he gone? He listened. A mynah squawked from the tree over his head. Then he heard the sound of running feet. He took off and followed the sound.
Noah was twenty feet ahead of him. “It’s me, Mano,” Mano called out.
Noah glanced back. His action caused him to stumble. He fell headlong onto the ground and banged his head against the trunk of a coconut palm tree. Mano reached him as Noah struggled to his knees. Noah’s head was bleeding.
“You okay?” Mano knelt beside him.
“Fine.” Noah muttered. He dabbed at the trickle of blood running down the side of his face. “I didn’t want the other guy to see me.”
“I was hoping to find you.” Mano helped him to his feet.
Noah swiped his face with the back of his arm and left a red smear across his cheek. “I was wanting to talk to you anyway. You first.”
“I was worried about you. Someone shot at us, remember?”
Noah wouldn’t meet his gaze. “Kids playing around.”
“What did you need to see me about?”
Noah looked away. “I’m going to have to go away again. I want you to watch out for Jillian and Heidi.”
“Look, you need to be a man and face the mess you’ve made. Quit running away. Tell me more about this casino. Who was your contact? Anyone whose name begins with A?”
Noah’s eyes widened. “How’d you know that?”
“I found a ring. Whose is it?”
Beads of perspiration dotted Noah’s forehead. “I can’t tell you anything. Just leave me alone.” He tried to shake off Mano’s hand that was clamped on his forearm, but Mano hung on. “Look, I can’t talk about it. They’ve made that clear. I don’t want anything to happen to Jillian.”
“Let’s talk to the police. They can protect Jillian.”
Noah gave a bitter laugh. “You don’t know much, Mano.” He jerked his arm away.
No matter how much Mano pleaded, Noah refused to say another word. Mano finally gave up and walked back to his car. Sam needed to know about this.
Thirteen
Gina had obviously made an effort to make her living room comfortable, though it was more cluttered with knickknacks than Annie liked. Figurines and Greek artifacts crowded nearly every flat surface in the room. Annie sat in an overstuffed armchair. She was in no hurry to get going.
“We need to get in to work,” Gina said. “You want to let your dad know we’re leaving?”