He lit a kerosene lamp, and the weak glow pushed back the stark terror Leia had been feeling. She had to stay strong. She wanted Bane here with a desperation that surprised her. She’d tried to be self-sufficient, but maybe she was fooling herself. Her arms felt tingly, and she couldn’t feel her fingers. She wrestled with the bonds at her wrists, trying not to let her captors see. Flexing her fingers, she tried to think. They couldn’t let her go. She’d seen them. One was probably the man who had killed Jermaine. “What do you want with me?”
“We want the real treasure. If the old lady turns it over, we’ll let you go.” The one she’d injured withdrew a cigarette from his pocket.
“We dug where my grandmother told me. You got all that was there.”
“There has to be more.” The one who carried her sat on an upturned five-gallon bucket and watched her like Ajax watched Hina. He almost had a trace of fear in his face. “Your dad gave it to the old lady. We know that much.”
What were these guys talking about? Her dad didn’t know anything about the Spanish treasure. She shook her head. “Could you loosen these ropes? My feet and hands are asleep.”
He regarded her for a long minute, then stood and leaned over her. His breath smelled of fish. He untied her, then retied her feet but left her hands unbound. He pulled a revolver from his back pocket and checked the chamber. “Don’t try anything, or this is liable to go off. It’s going to be a long night if you don’t cooperate.”
“No guns,” Logan said. “Put it away before someone else gets hurt.”
“This is all your fault, just remember that, Logan. If you hadn’t shot the old man, we could have found the right cave with the treasure. So don’t tell me what to do.”
“It was an accident, Moe,” Logan flared. “I was just trying to scare him.”
Moe snickered. “You’re a lousy shot, Logan. That’s why I’ve got the gun.”
His brief smile made her shudder. She had to get away. And soon. She was fresh out of good plans though. Almost too tired to think, she wanted to pillow her head in her arms and sleep. “Please, you’ve got to believe me. My dad knows nothing about the galleon. He’s never had any interest in that kind of thing.”
Moe sighed. “Don’t try that with us. We don’t care about a few lousy coins and trinkets. We want the cave artifacts, and we mean to get them. We know your dad took them. Your family has them stashed somewhere.”
Cave artifacts? Karshmer Cave? “My father wouldn’t steal a pack of gum, let alone Hawaiian artifacts. You’re wrong.”
Moe stood and brushed the dirt from his hands. “And we know you’ve got them. Our boss doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
Something skated at the edge of her memory, something she could use to fool them. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll take you to them.” She could lead them to Koma’s cabin and give them the old bones she’d found in the monkeypod tree. They wouldn’t have any idea the trunk was just full of a bunch of animal remains. If she was lucky, Bane would have managed to get Detective Ono out to help look for her, and she’d lead these two right into the hands of the police. “You want to go now?”
Moe stared at her, but she must have managed to look contrite enough, because he finally shook his head. “First thing in the morning. It’s too dark to see tonight.” He rose and tossed her a blanket. “Remember, I’ve got the gun,” he warned. “I don’t have anything to lose by shooting you. And don’t try any tricks tomorrow. If you don’t lead us to the artifacts, we can snatch the old lady or your dad.”
“Why grab me in the first place? What made you think I’d know anything?”
“We didn’t,” Moe said. “But the old lady is loony, and your dad would be harder to handle. Besides, if you didn’t know, all we’d have to do is call your dad and threaten to kill you. He’d do anything for you. As it is, we were right, and you know all about it. All the easier for us.”
She had to maintain the deception. “Smart. I admit I’m impressed. No one else has even suspected Makua has the artifacts.”
Moe’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t try to butter me up.” He went to the pile of sleeping bags on the floor and pulled one out. “Logan, tie her to something so we don’t have to stay awake and watch her.”
Logan. Leia stared at the man, finally figuring out why he looked vaguely familiar. He was the redheaded seaman who was so afraid of Hina. He saw her staring and averted his head. She’d only seen Logan standing in the doorway once and hadn’t paid any attention, but it might be the same man.
Logan grabbed a coil of rope from the corner, bound her hands behind her, and anchored the other end of the rope to the table leg. Still not looking her in the eye, he grabbed the other sleeping bag and spread it out. Leia watched him crawl into it before she shuffled around on the blanket and closed her eyes. The terror gnawing at her insides would never let her sleep.
Twenty-two