The SP stepped in front of her with his hand on his gun. Jesse waved him away. “She’s fine. I don’t think she’s dangerous.” He lifted a brow. “Though I could be wrong.”
A lot he knew. The way she felt right now, she could toss him from the top of Mount Kilauea as a tasty treat for Pele, the goddess of fire.
He held up his hands as she drew near. “Truce. We’re going to be working together for the next few weeks. Let’s not start out squabbling.”
“Squabbling? I have every right to be upset. You knew I didn’t want to work with you, but you went around my back to my boss. That’s low, Commander Matthews.”
“I was looking out for the good of the country. And call me Jesse.”
From the coaxing expression in his eyes, she knew he expected her to be dazzled by the brilliance of his smile. She wasn’t. “My responsibility is to look out for my dolphins. I’m warning you right now that Nani had better not be in danger.” Kaia blinked rapidly. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
A frown replaced his smile. “If I thought you or your dolphin would be hurt, I wouldn’t have asked for your help. It’s a simple assignment, Kaia. Patrolling offshore, that’s all I ask. The navy hasn’t lost a dolphin in combat yet.”
“Maybe not in combat, but their callous handling has resulted in several deaths,” she snapped.
He nodded. “Those dolphins weren’t able to withstand the shock of transportation. We’re not taking Nani anywhere.”
He seemed so earnest and sincere. She wished she could believe him. “It seems I have no choice. What do I have to do?” Instead of answering, Jesse turned to the woman standing next to him. Kaia suddenly felt embarrassed by her outburst. “I’d like you to meet someone, Jillian. This is Kaia Oana. She does dolphin research.”
Jillian and Jesse shared the same blond hair and blue eyes, though Jillian was slim and petite, and her eyes were rimmed in red. Something was going on here. Kaia shook Jillian’s hand. “It’s easy to see the two of you are related.”
A small voice piped up from an invisible source. “Dolphins? You have dolphins? I’m an expert on them. What kind do you have—bottle-nosed or spinners?”
Jesse stepped aside and grinned at a little girl, a small but happier replica of Jillian, who was leaning out the car window. “I think Heidi knows more about dolphins than most trainers. This is my niece. She lives, sleeps, and breathes dolphins.”
Kaia’s anger began to cool. “You’ll have to come meet Nani then. She’s bottle-nosed.”
“She’s yours?” Heidi asked, her eyes round.
“Well, not exactly. She and some other dolphins are part of a research project at Seaworthy Labs where I work. We have some captive dolphins and others like Nani, who are free. We treat the wild dolphins more like friends. They can come and go as they please, and we don’t train them with food deprivation. We’re working on interacting with language.”
“Food deprivation?” Heidi stepped out of the car and joined the threesome.
Kaia nodded. “The dolphins perform for food. They only want the food if they’re hungry, so in the beginning at least, most trainers keep the dolphins slightly hungry. We don’t do that.”
“That’s cool! How many wild dolphins do you have?” Heidi dropped her suitcase at her uncle’s feet.
“Three. Nani, Liko, and Mahina. Mahina is still a calf though.”
“When can I see them? I’m going to stay with Uncle Jesse while Mom chases volcanoes.”
“Volcanoes?” Kaia looked at Jillian with a question in her eyes, and the other woman nodded.
“I’m a volcanologist. Vesuvius is about to blow in Italy for the first time this century.”
“Sounds dangerous,” Kaia said, then wondered if she should have mentioned the danger in front of Jillian’s daughter. But the girl seemed too busy twirling the tie on her shirt to notice Kaia’s bad choice of words.
Kaia glanced into Jillian’s eyes and was surprised to find no excitement there in spite of her smile. Maybe it was the prospect of leaving her daughter. Kaia guessed her to be in her mid to late thirties. Her listless air detracted from her porcelain-doll good looks.
“Maybe Kaia will take you out with her and Nani sometime on the boat,” Jesse said.
The gleam in his eye irritated Kaia. The best way to foil him would be not to let him rile her, but it was easier said than done. She managed a sweet smile. “I’m sure I could arrange that.”
Heidi squealed and hopped around. “Thanks for bringing me, Mom!” She hugged her mother then ran back to the car for more of her things to add to the pile at Jesse’s feet.
A smile finally lifted the corners of Jillian’s lips. “I guess I can leave with a clear conscience.” She looked up at her brother. “You call me if anything—and I mean anything—goes wrong. I’ll quit and come home if I need to.”
“We’ll be fine. Don’t worry. Me and the monkey will have a grand time.”
“Do you have any idea who can help you?” Jillian still seemed loathe to leave.