Page 2 of Justified Fear (TFH Team Bravo #2)

Hours later, the sun had set, and everyone was stuffed with food.

It had been a fun and slightly amusing night.

Watching Kap avoid his ex, or rather, not his ex, was entertaining.

Two bets were going on at the moment. One dealt with people’s thoughts on what their backstory was.

There had to be some kind of backstory that went beyond work.

He did know that Kap was a former NCIS agent who had spent time in the Middle East. It was also where he knew Eden had lived for a while.

He wasn’t sure how many people had put those facts together, but he had heard both of those stories at different times.

When you were naturally quiet, you learned a lot from the people around you.

The second wager had to do with how long it would be before Kap gave in. Or, he guessed, either of them gave him. While Kap was pretending Eden didn’t exist, Eden kept checking Kap out.

“So, what’s your story?” Charity asked Ryan, breaking into his thoughts.

There were other times—when you were that quiet one—that people thought you were hiding something. He glanced at her. Her FBI Agent husband, TJ, was sitting next to her.

“What do you mean?”

She smiled at him. She really was a stunning woman. She tended to capture most everyone’s attention not only for her looks, but also for her brain.

“I mean that you are the only member of Team Bravo that hasn’t had a wager put on him.”

“Wait, there have been wagers put on me?” Nikki demanded.

“No comment,” Charity said.

Oh, yeah. Two team members were constantly bickering. Rami and Nikki were always at it. He initially thought it had to do with the fact that she was raised by her father and four brothers. But then, he started to realize that she didn’t fight with him or Kap.

Rami…well, he didn’t know what he wanted when it came to women.

Or maybe he just wanted them all. The one woman he never flirted with was Nikki.

Now, if they weren’t always fighting, Ryan would appreciate the not flirting.

Women didn’t need to deal with men coming on to them at work.

But there were times he was sure the two of them were a second away from shooting each other.

With that much heat, there was a good chance that something else was going on.

“But you…you’re hot.”

“Hey,” TJ said.

“Just stating a fact. Morrison looks like he plays beach volleyball every day.”

One thing that most people at TFH didn’t know was that he got through college thanks to an academic scholarship and a few grants. He sucked at volleyball, but he never corrected anyone.

Also, he wasn’t in the mood to fight. He was feeling slightly buzzed thanks to the amount of food he’d eaten, along with the dessert.

Okay, he had two of the desserts. It would mean an extra mile in the morning, but he hadn’t been able to resist both Nikki’s haupia pie and Adam’s contribution of Liliha Bakery’s cocoa puffs.

“I hear Team Charlie is rolling out soon,” Kap said. He tossed his teammate a look of gratitude.

Adam nodded. “Yeah. We’re going to split the team up and have them work with your groups. Then switch it up.”

Team Bravo had done the same thing, but with only one team in place, they had all trained with Alpha before they went active.

In Del’s mind, they all had to be trained to take over.

Yes, they all had specialties, and those were not skills they could all perform.

But if Alpha needed help to cover a situation, then they would be able to call on Bravo.

“Is it true that a woman is being considered to head up Delta?”

Adam nodded. “And she’s my pick, although they are both amazing.”

Each team would be assigned an island. Theirs was Maui, and it came in handy that Nikki had connections through her family on the island. They’d been called in during the fire in Lahaina, and her father and brothers had been amazing in helping them acquire supplies.

“Got any plans tomorrow?” Rami asked him. He glanced over at his teammate.

“Nope. I will not be your wingman tonight.”

“Naw. I wanted to run tomorrow.”

“Dude, you need to learn to sleep in,” Nikki said.

“My partner doesn’t believe in lazy mornings,” he said.

There was a huff from beside him. People thought he was crazy, but he knew she understood most of what he said. Either way, he just hoped for a quiet weekend, but when you were in search and rescue, there was a high chance a call would come in.

Keely Templeton unbuttoned the top button on her chef jacket, knowing it would not alleviate any of the heat.

“Keely, the big man wants to see you.”

Yazmin’s voice was filled with amusement as she entered the kitchen. She had only met Yazmin a few hours earlier, but Keely liked the woman. Yazmin didn’t goof off and did her job with ease.

Inwardly, Keely sighed. She wanted to finish the kitchen cleaning and slip out of the house for a break.

Three hours of prep and cooking had done a number on her back.

Add in the fact that just like a lot of houses in Hawai’i, Jason Kelly’s house didn’t have AC.

Unlike many other homes on Oahu, he kept his windows and doors shut tight.

She was sure she had lost about ten pounds in sweat.

“Gotcha,” she said, grabbing a tea towel to wipe her face off. She was Texas-born and bred, but she was accustomed to AC or at least opened windows. It was weird that Mr Kelly did this when she knew from the look of the house that he could afford a ductless AC unit.

She knew this was part of the job. A lot of hosts liked to impress their dinner guests with the private chef they’d hired for the evening. Still, with sweat stains on the jacket Mr. Kelly insisted she wear, she really didn’t want to deal with this tonight.

But she knew it was part of the job. Grabbing a clean towel, she stepped into the bathroom, situated right off the kitchen, and cleaned her face.

Once she felt presentable, she made her way to one of the dining areas.

Yep. The guy had two dining rooms. And not a breakfast nook and a dining room.

He had a morning room, a breakfast nook, and two dining areas.

A lavish house like this costs a lot of money, but then, so did the meal he just paid for.

She entered the dining room. The dinner had been for six.

Mr. Kelly and his wife, both in their late sixties, were joined by three business associates.

Not that she knew what kind of business Mr. Kelly was in.

And she didn’t want to know. It was best to keep everything a little impersonal.

She’d learned that lesson the hard way with her last venture.

Nope. No thinking about the two-year debacle of her relationship with Chad.

Mr. Kelly sat at the head of the table with his wife to his right.

Beside her, a Mr. Pak sat, still eating.

From what she understood, he had asked for seconds even before he started eating his plated mahi mahi.

On the opposite side sat another two men, both Caucasian, but she hadn’t caught their names.

Then, at the end of the table sat Mr. Sato.

He definitely had some Asian blood in him.

He was broody, and from what she understood from Yasmin, kind of an asshole.

He also had what she called shark eyes. Dead eyes. The type that chilled her blood.

All the men were dressed in what she thought of as Hawaiian dinner party attire. Nice slacks and Hawaiian shirts that didn’t come off the rack. Mrs. Kelly wore an exquisite Hawaiian print dress.

“Keely, I wanted to thank you for such a wonderful meal,” Mrs. Kelly said. The small Asian woman reminded her of her Tutu, who lived in Texas with her parents now.

She nodded. “I’m thrilled you enjoyed it, but make sure to leave some room for the strawberry cake.”

Mr. Kelly’s eyes danced. “The Japanese strawberry cake?”

“Yes. Mrs. Kelly said it was your favorite, and I felt it would go well with the meal.”

“It goes with any meal, in my opinion.”

She chuckled. “Yazmin will bring it out as soon as you are ready.”

After a few more comments and praise, she thanked the couple and headed back to the kitchen. When she stepped into the massive room, she found Ray, the bartender. He had been the worst part of this. Not only was he bad at his job, but he had come on to her at least three times.

He was probably a year or two older than she was, with black hair with threads of golden highlights added.

It was a familiar look in Hawai’i, mostly with Asian people.

Ray wasn’t Asian. Oh, she got that he was trying to come off as that—or Hawaiian at least. But she knew he wasn’t.

After living in South Texas for much of her life, she recognized someone with Hispanic heritage in their blood.

Perhaps he thought that pretending to be Hawaiian would attract more bookings. She didn’t know, and she didn’t care. Actually, she hoped to never have to deal with him again after this dinner party. He gave her creep vibes.

“They will need their champagne with the cake.”

“Sure, then you and I can have a little drink together.”

From the bright smile, he must have thought she really wanted to spend time with him. The guy really didn’t take subtle hints.

“I don’t drink while on the job, and you shouldn’t either.”

His smile dimmed, then he stomped out of the kitchen. God save her from guys who thought they were a gift to women.

“Aw, you hurt his feelings,” Yasmin said, tossing a smile over her shoulder. She was already platting up the cake. She was the regular housekeeper for the Kellys and was good at her job.

“It’s not really him. No, sorry, it’s mainly him. Part of it is that I’m focusing on building my business here in Hawai’i. I don’t have time for a man.”

“Bad breakup?” The older woman asked.

“Yeah.”

“Been there. Why don’t you go out back and get some air? I know it’s hot in here, especially for the person in front of the stove.”

“Is there a reason they keep their doors and windows shut?”

She shook her head. “No, that’s new. Not sure why, but Mr. Kelly insisted. Now go before Ray comes back.”

“Thanks, Yasmin.”

Keely slipped out the back door and leaned against the house.

The fragrant night air slipped over her skin, cooling her off.

Looking around the back yard, she once again thought it odd that they didn’t dine out here.

There was an area set up, but apparently, Mr. Kelly had insisted on indoor seating.

The lights from the massive pool danced, and there were even tiki torches lit out here. Talk about waste. The estate backed up to the Round Top Forest Reserve, so there was no one behind them or even near the house. It was quite peaceful in this area.

Pushing away from the house, she walked around the lanai and pool area.

Another building looked like a guest house.

Knowing that no one else was on the estate, she decided to walk around the area, unbuttoning her chef jacket as she went.

Oy, there was a good chance she smelled like skunk after all the sweating she’d done.

It had been six months since she’d moved to Oahu.

It had been tough leaving her family in Texas again, but the new start had brought the joy of cooking back.

Of course, she had always loved cooking.

Both of her grandmothers had taught her how to bake and cook, and her grandfathers had taught her how to handle a grill.

She was a mix of Texan and Hawaiian, and it showed in her cooking.

She knew the Kellys had some security, but she thought it odd that no one was out back. Thanks to her father’s previous career, she and her brothers had security at times. It seemed that the Kellys thought they were safe inside with the doors and windows shut and locked.

Keely had reached the guest house when she heard the shouting back in the house. Frowning, she turned towards the other building and was about to take a step when she heard the first gunfire. She’d spent the majority of her life in Texas, so she knew gunfire when she heard it.

Moving on instinct, Keely slammed to the ground, then crawled to the guest house.

When she tried the door, she found it locked.

Dammit . These people would have probably been better off hiring more security rather than just locking their doors.

Moving as fast as she could on her hands and knees, she crawled to the side of the guest house that faced the forest, which provided her some cover.

With shaking hands, she dialed 911 as more shouting ensued behind her. Oh, God, she hoped no one was hurt.

“911, what’s your emergency?” a woman asked over the phone.

“I’m at a house and there’s gunfire inside.” She whispered the words even as a scream clogged her throat.

“I can’t hear you. Can you speak louder? Is it safe?”

Drawing in a deep breath, she repeated her last comment. “I’m at a house and there’s gunfire.”

“Ma’am, is it your house?”

“No.” She gave them the address just as she heard more gunfire and glass shattering.

“Are you inside the house?”

“No. I’m outside in the back hiding.”

“That’s good,” she said, her voice calm and reassuring. Keely’s eyes burned, and she blinked, surprised when she felt a tear slip down her cheek. Terror was screaming through her body, urging her to run, but she couldn’t move. “Are you safe?”

“I-I think so.”

“And your name?”

“Keely Templeton. I was hired to cook for a dinner party tonight.”

“Okay, Keely, I dispatched HPD, and they should be there soon. Are you still safe?”

Before she could answer, shouts reached her. “The chef is missing. Find her.”

The icy fear that had held her immobile dissolved into the need to survive.

All the training she’d gotten when she was younger had her pushing away from the guest house and running toward the forest. She knew she could evade them better there than on the estate.

Keely just prayed she survived in time for HPD to arrive.