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anybody’s back pocket.
    “I believe every word you’ve said,” Mal answered carefully.  It wasn’t like she wanted to be brutally murdered, and with a guy like this, you had to be very, very cautious and very, very lucky if you wanted to keep breathing.
    “I believe you’re as smart as you look.  Here’s the Cliff notes.  I know everything about you.  I know your background, that you’re from Hawaii, that your mother died when you were fifteen, your dad’s a retired detective squeaking through on a detective’s meager retirement pay on the Big Island.  I know you’re crazy about your partner, Luka.”  He paused and stared at the floor for a moment, then back into her eyes.  She returned his gaze unflinchingly.
    “Here’s what you need to know.  I’ll take it all away.  Pop won’t get to boogie board and fish until his final days. Luka won’t have the special opportunity of fucking random girls until he dies too early of liver disease.  And then there’s you.”  He paused again and slid off the desk.  “I will take you again, chain you up somewhere no one will ever find you, and I’ll let these guys fuck you raw anytime they want to.  That clear things up?”
    Mal’s eyes, hard on his, expressionless, stayed right on his face as he walked closer and squatted down, then ran a finger from her throat to her neckline.
    “Crystal,” She finally said.
    He stood and backed up.
    “Good. These negotiations should be straightforward.  We both get what we want.  One last thing.  Right now you’re wondering how you’re gonna get me. You can’t.  I have tentacles where you can’t imagine.  You’ll never see me coming.  One day, your partner will just be dead. I don’t believe we need to have any further conversation.”  He looked behind her.
    “ Jinx, get her out of here.  Safely.  Don’t fuck with her.  She and I, we have an understanding now.”  He dropped his gaze back to hers.  “We’re friends now, right, Mahalo?”
    After only a brief hesitation, Mal smiled.  “Sure, bosom buddies.”
    “Yeah.  Like I said, you’re a smart girl.  Let’s hope we don’t see each other again too soon.”
    He walked past her, out of her sight, and when she heard the elevator door close, she knew he was gone.
    Jinx came from behind her.
    “Don’t think about talking to nobody about this conversation.  The only way you and your friends get through this, is you forget we exist, you forget this happened.  You get that, right?”
    “Like the man said, I ain’t stupid.”
    “Yeah, I know that.  But you’re a dog with a bone, every time. I’ve seen it. You don’t mess with this, okay?  There’s already one casualty in this, don’t need to be more.”’
    Mal sat up and wiggled her bound hands.  “What?  Who?”
    The other man behind Mal yanked her out of the chair and began to pull her towards the elevator.
    “Who?” She yelled back.
    He shoved a needle into her arm and pushed her onto the floor.  Her vision fuzzed out and moments later, she was unconscious.

     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 4
     
     
    She woke up easily, yawned, and rolled over.  Her face was warm, and she opened her eyes to slam them shut.  The sun pierced her lids, even with them closed.
    Rolling up, she stood, and slowly looked around.  Mal startled, scanning the landscape quickly now, as memory returned.
    It was morning, and they’d dumped her on the beach.  A gentle tide swished nearby as she paused to appreciate the fact that at least she was still alive.
    But that didn’t solve the massive problem.  With a terrible threat hanging over her head, and the fear that he’d already killed someone she cared about, the future looked bleak. 
    The man was right, Mal was smart, so she trusted her instincts that this man would absolutely act on the threat. If she and Luka didn’t back down, her father and Luka wouldn’t live very long.
    F irst, she had to get home, back to the station, and make sure