Kaia stopped and listened. She thought she’d heard something. Her straining ears caught nothing but her own ragged breath. Though she wanted to call out for Jesse again, some sense warned her to keep quiet. Something about the house deterred her from marching to the front door and knocking. She’d never realized a place this grand was here, and she had to wonder who would have had the money or inclination to build something this fabulous so far off the beaten path.
Nahele Aki’s face flashed through her mind, and she wondered if this could be his place. It looked secure enough to be a compound of some sort. A small structure stood guard at the driveway up to the house, and a heavy iron gate barred the way. She went back toward the Jeep. Maybe Jesse had left his keys in there. If not, she could honk the horn and alert them.
The house was dark and silent. “I’ll go first.” Jesse crawled under the fence. Bane and Mano followed him. They approached the back of the house where no light shone from the windows.
“I’m not sure anyone is here,” Bane whispered.
“Where else would they have taken her?” Jesse asked.
“It could be a trap,” Mano said. “Pele Hawai′i never does what you expect.”
“I’m going to look in the window.” Jesse stepped into the yard, and instantly a flood of light illuminated the backyard from a motion-sensor security light.
He ducked to the ground. Kaia’s brothers lunged for the shadows. No alarm seemed to be raised, so after a few minutes Jesse raised his head and got to his hands and knees.
“We’re wasting time. I don’t think anyone is here. Let’s look for Kaia and get out of here.” He couldn’t let himself think about what she might be going through or fear would paralyze him.
He led the way toward the house. The soft grass underfoot was soft and springy. A twig snapped, and he froze. “Did you hear that?”
“It was me,” Bane said.
Jesse nodded and went forward again. He peered in the window but saw no one. The house had that empty feel. He was sure Kaia wasn’t there. “Let’s go,” he said.
He was nearly halfway to the front yard when he heard a low growl. He stopped. “Was that you too, Bane?”
Before the men could react, three dobermans came running toward them.
“Run!” Jesse turned and shoved Bane ahead of him. They raced back the way they’d come, toward the house. Bane leaped for the low overhang of the porch and heaved himself up. Mano did the same, swinging easily onto the roof. Jesse wasn’t sure he was going to make it. One dog was snapping at his heels as he reached up and caught Bane’s hand.
The dog’s teeth fastened on the cuff of Jesse’s jeans, and he nearly fell, but Bane and Mano jerked him to safety. He scrabbled back from the ledge and looked down on the three dogs. They were barking and practically foaming at the mouth.
“Now what?” Mano asked.
“We’ve got to get out of here.”
“How? Those dogs will stand guard all night if necessary.”
“Why did they just now come out?” Jesse asked. It seemed suspicious to him. He stared into the darkness in the direction the dogs had come. “I have to wonder if someone is out there laughing at us.”
“The door is open on the shed,” Bane said. “It was closed earlier.”
Jesse balanced on the steep roof and walked to the side of the house. He thought about shouting at whoever was out there but decided not to give the man any more thrills. If only he could get to his Jeep. The cat food Kaia had purchased for Hiwa was in the back. Maybe they could distract the dogs with the food long enough to get out of here.
“I’m going to go over the roof to the front yard,” he told the other men. “Keep these guys occupied.”
Moving carefully, he climbed the tall house to the peak then half slid, half walked down the other side. He could hear Bane and Mano jeering and talking to the dogs, but one had followed him around the house in spite of the men’s attempts. It stood near the front porch with teeth bared and growling as if it would like to eat him.
As he reached the porch, he heard his Jeep horn begin to blare. It gave three short blasts then a long one. A slight figure came from behind the rocks where the Jeep was hidden. He recognized Kaia when he saw the flowing black hair. Relief swept through him. She was all right.
He stood and waved. “Kaia!”
She heard him and her head came up. She started toward him.
“Get the cat food from the Jeep,” he shouted.
She hesitated then went back to the SUV. She rummaged in the Jeep then came toward him carrying some cans.
“You need to distract the dog,” he called. “But be careful, he’s mean.” He heard the sound of the top popping on the can.
“Oh, there’s my sweet boy,” she crooned to the dog. She began to chant a soothing Hawaiian mele. It must have been pleasant to the dog, because it quit growling and went to stand by the fence.
Kaia walked along the outside of the fence to the far corner. The dog followed, whining now. “What a good boy you are,” she said softly, a placating tone to her voice.