Fire Prayer by Deborah Turrell Atkinson

Author:Deborah Turrell Atkinson [Atkinson, Deborah Turrell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FICTION / Mystery & Detective / General
ISBN: 9781615950041
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Published: 2010-03-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-five

Storm surveyed the Lodge’s parking lot. She needed wheels and had no intention of asking Dusty to borrow his truck again. When she saw Delia working on one of the Ranch’s big vans, she had an idea.

Delia saw her coming and waved in her direction. The bat wings fringing her eyes may have been factory-made, but the bosom swelling from her cropped fluorescent pink and silver sequined tank top was definitely the real thing.

“How you doin’? I heard your boyfriend fell off a horse.”

Hamlin would hate this. Storm was glad he wasn’t around to hear the scuttlebutt. “I’m okay, but he went back to O‘ahu to see a doctor.” She was going to hear it anyway.

“Too bad. You want to go out with me and my friends tonight?”

Storm bet it wouldn’t be a dull evening. “I’m supposed to meet my aunt and uncle for dinner, but thanks. Any chance you’re going into town this morning?”

“You bet. A container ship came in with the air conditioning compressor for the kitchen. I’m leaving in a few minutes. Wanna ride?”

“I could help you load it. After, could you drop me at the airport?”

“The guys at the dock will help me load it, but maybe you should come along.” Delia winked at her. “No problem, the airport is on the way. You leaving tomorrow?” She sounded wistful.

“I thought I’d rent a car. The only rental places are at the airport.”

“You’re telling me.” Delia arched a penciled brow. “Dusty using his truck?”

“I don’t want to impose.”

“Right.” Delia threw some packages in the back seat. “Sure, I’ll drop you.”

Five minutes later, they were winding their way from Maunaloa town to Kaunakakai. Delia gunned the whining engine around a curve in the road. “That Dusty can be a moody SOB, can’t he?”

Storm grimaced. “I asked him about Tia and the fire.”

“Oof, bad combination.”

“No joke.” Storm squinted over at her. “How well do you know him?”

Delia put her dark glasses on and snapped her gum. “I know him.”

Storm recognized the tough act. “I had the hots for him once, too.”

“Once?”

“I didn’t get to see him very often.” She grimaced. “And he’s a friend of my uncle’s.”

“Your uncle would have had a fit, right?”

Storm laughed. “Totally. What happened with you?”

Delia kept her eyes on the road. “We went out for a few months a couple of years ago, but we’re not a good match.”

“When I knew him, he was kind of a playboy.”

A long moment passed and when Delia spoke, there was acquiescence in her voice. “Yeah, he’s not the type to settle down.”

“Did you know Tia?”

Delia nodded. “I met her when I first moved here. She was a hellion, you know. Marched to the beat of her own drum, so to speak. Drove Dusty crazy.”

“Weren’t you about the same age?”

“I’m two years older.” Delia looked over at Storm. “Aren’t you my age? I’m thirty-one.”

“Me, too,” Storm said. “So Tia and Dusty fought?”

“Big time.” Delia let a few moments pass. “For a long time, I thought she went away.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.