A Hero For Ku'uipo (Delta Force Hawaii Book 2) Read online

  A Hero For Kuuipo

  Delta Force Hawaii

  Reina Torres

  Contents

  Delta Force Hawaii - Book 1

  A Hero for Ku’uipo

  About Delta Force Hawai’i

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Glossary

  About the Author

  Also by Reina Torres

  Delta Force Hawaii - Book 1

  Rescuing Hi’ilani (Delta Force Hawaii Book 1)

  Jackson “Ajax” Guard made a mistake giving up the woman he loved when he joined the Delta Force – Now he has a second chance to love her, but he needs to keep her alive first.

  A Hero for Ku’uipo

  Her dreams kept her in Hawai‘i when most of her friends moved to the West Coast to follow theirs. He was on the island of Kaua’i training with the other Deltas in his unit until he fell head over heels for the woman of his dreams.

  Ku‘uipo Ornellas has been working most of her life. Starting as a professional hula dancer when she was a child, she just resigned from her job as hospitality coordinator for a large chain hotel to revive a hotel from Hawai‘i’s silver screen past. Hoping to give young residents a practical place to learn their hospitality skills. But someone doesn’t want the hotel to reopen and they’re willing to take out their frustration on the young woman so dedicated to its success.

  Efrain ‘Train’ Figueroa is a man who loves his movies, but within hours of meeting the young woman with a sweetheart of a name, he finds himself drawn into her single-minded goal of getting the hotel up and running. Especially because one of his acting idols filmed on the grounds. When the seamier side of Hawai‘i tries to take her dreams away, he’s quick to jump in and help. He just can’t seem to walk away from the beautiful young woman who calls to a part of his soul that has nothing to do with the ephemeral quality of movies and everything to do with the heart that beats hard and fast in his chest.

  There’s no script that tells the tale of their love, but who can resist a beautiful heroine, a handsome hero, action, adventure, and love…when ‘Train’ becomes a Hero for Ku‘uipo.

  About Delta Force Hawai’i

  Born and raised in Hawai‘i, I have had the immense pleasure of discovering life on a tropical island. Far more than a vacation destination, it’s been home to generations of my family. I hope to share some of the beautiful parts of Hawai‘i with you, and yes, some of the darker side of paradise, using concerns of the kamaʻāina in my Delta Force Hawai‘i series.

  I’m making my best effort to be accurate in all things, but like all artistic media, there are times when things need to be fictionalized to make a point. In those moments, please forgive me for smudging the lines and bringing you what I feel is the best story for these characters.

  And please know that while some of my plot points are connected to historical happenings in Hawai‘i, I’m taking them in my own fictional direction. That’s the great thing about writing novels… it is all a part of the fantasy in my head.

  I’m a huge fan of Elvis and he has such a connection to Hawai‘i and when I was thinking of a woman who would match Train (my movie fanatic) I instantly thought of putting him with a true ‘sweetheart.’ In the film Blue Hawai‘i, Elvis sings a song with the title Ku‘uipo. The name/word Ku‘uipo and the diminutive Ipo mean sweetheart. Perfect.

  And if I was going to connect the book to Blue Hawai‘i, I was going to take the series to the island of Kaua‘i. The centerpiece of the film was the Coco Palms Hotel with the iconic lagoon in the center of the property. In 1992, the property was closed due to damage from Hurricane Iniki which ravaged the property. The property as we see it in ‘A Hero for Ku‘uipo’ takes its own path from the 1992 closing of the hotel.

  Welcome to my fictional Hawai‘i!

  One

  Coming around a bend in the Kalalau Trail, with the lush green of the mountains at his left and the expansive blue of the Pacific Ocean spilling out beneath them, Efrain Figueroa edged out along the side of the trail and felt a rush of air push him back. Or maybe it was the leader of his Delta Team, Ajax, who now held a handful of his shirt.

  “You need a keeper.”

  “I’ve got you, Ajax.”

  He stepped back until he leaned against the blanket of ferns and rich green grasses.

  “Just look at it.” He sighed and felt the wind wick at the sheen of sweat covering his skin. “More than a hundred and eighty degrees of amazing.” He swept his arm out to make his point and connected with Baron’s middle.

  The burst of cuss words from the other man’s mouth was barely wince-worthy given his extensive vocabulary in a handful of languages.

  “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?” Baron’s narrow glare narrowed on him.

  Efrain couldn’t help but laugh at his friend. “There are so many ways I could kill you, but I’m not about to add that to my list of memories of this hike.”

  Baron flopped down beside him and brushed a fern away from his cheek. “You planning a scrapbook or something?”

  Commander Chastain came around the bend with Cullen on his heels. The blond Delta had always had a bit of hero worship for their commander and naturally ended up at his heels when they were on runs or hoofing it up or down a trail.

  “What did we miss?”

  Efrain shook his head. “Nothing much. Baron thinks I’m trying to kill him.”

  The commander shrugged his shoulders and lifted a curious brow. “He finally caught on? You ought to give him some points for that.”

  Baron could only stare at their commander. “Seriously? You’re on his side?”

  Commander Chastain held up his hands in surrender. “I’m on no one’s side. I just don’t want to know about the body until Ajax turns in the paperwork.”

  Leaning toward Efrain, he pointed a finger at him. “Just make sure you find us a decent replacement first.”

  The words fell in the middle of the group and they all just looked at each other. Efrain figured it was up to him to break the lull. Nodding, he made a vague gesture with his hands. “I can do that.”

  He ducked just in time to avoid Baron’s fist. If it wasn’t for Ajax’s quick hands, he might have ended up on the edge of the trail a second time. “Hey!” He gestured at the torn clump of ferns that lay at the base of the mountainside. “Watch the scenery!”

  “Scenery?” Baron’s brow pinched tightly above his nose. “It’s a bunch of plants.”

  “This,” Efrain gestured at the world around them, “is cinematic history!”

  Baron’s head hung down. “If I let him kill me can we skip the whole movie thing?”

  “Skip it?” Cullen’s laughter was almost swept away in the wind. “Have you met our friend Train?”

  Turning his glare on the youngest member of the group, Baron answered back. “Friend?”

  The commander’s laughter was punctuated with heavy boot fall heading in their direction. “Boys, behave.”

  Ajax waved over the last two of their group. Mace and Shado were barely winded. “You guys found it?”

  Shado reached into the neck of his t-shirt and pulled out his necklace. The brushed silver surface was etched with a butterfly image. “I thought I’d dropped it in the water, but I found it at the campsite.” He dropped it
back down into his t-shirt and looked around the group. “What did we miss?”

  Efrain opened his mouth to speak, but Baron cut him off.

  “Let’s not go back to this.”

  “I was going to tell them about the movies.”

  Cullen jumped in likely to avoid another conflict. Baron was nothing if not predictable. “Go ahead. Tell us.”

  Efrain smiled. Cullen may be young, but he was smart and they could all see the dread that hit Baron square in the chest.

  It was good to have friends.

  Even better to have his team.

  “This,” he took a deep inhale of the ocean air, “is the Na Pali coast.”

  Baron made a sound like he was crying and laughing at the same time. “Why, God?”

  “Shut it, old man.” Mace shoved Baron into the exposed red dirt that he’d dug up a few moments before, leaving Baron grumbling, almost silently.

  “This is Jurassic Park… King Kong! All of those amazing panoramic views rolled into one. There’s a reason why they call Hawai‘i paradise and this amazing view is just part of it.” He gestured back toward the beach they’d spent days on. “That beach was in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. If it’s got a panoramic view of an untouched Eden, then it’s been filmed here.”

  “Blah, blah, blah.”

  Train continued on. “Raiders of the Lost Arc?” He looked at Baron, hoping for a reaction. “Even George Clooney has filmed here on the island.”

  That got his attention, or at least he stopped glaring at Train. “Clooney, huh?”

  Barreling on like his namesake, Efrain continued on with his recitation. “The Descendants.”

  Baron looked confused. “Which one was that?

  “I guess we’ll need a movie night when we get back to Oʻahu.”

  Baron hung his head and Cullen gave him a sympathetic pat on his shoulder.

  “You walked right into that one, B.”

  Shaking his head in disbelief, Baron met the eyes of their commander. “Is it too late to let him throw me over the edge?”

  Commander Chastain sighed. “If Ajax says it’s okay, sure.” He gestured on along the path. “Let’s get back on the trail.”

  Efrain gave the commander a salute. “Yes, sir. Mahalo, Sir.”

  He started down the trail with Ajax only a few steps behind him.

  He was ready to get back. They had a good ten miles more to the trailhead. The shuttle service promised to have their van there at noon, and he still had plans for the afternoon. A nice long tour on what he considered hallowed ground.

  The same ground that Elvis tread upon in the movie Blue Hawai‘i. It was going to be amazing… even if Baron came along with the rest of them. He could deal with the man if it meant checking another film location off of his bucket list for his time in Hawai‘i.

  Ajax called to him from his place a couple steps behind since it wasn’t safe to take the trail side by side.

  “As soon as we get back, I’ll call Hi‘ilani and see where they are with filming. If she can get away from the set, she’ll join us for the tour.”

  Train heard Ajax’s eager tone and felt a little twinge of jealousy. A few months back, Ajax reconnected with his former girlfriend, Hi‘ilani Ahfong. The original breakup had been Jackson’s idea when he’d been picked to be a Delta. Their commander had warned them about how relationships would be a distraction from their work, making it clear that he preferred that they all keep their focus where it should belong. But Ajax’s change of heart had also been the work of their commander who had asked the Delta team leader to play host to two Deltas from Texas who were in Hawai‘i with their wives. Seeing the depth of love in their relationships and hearing about the joy they had found with their women, convinced Ajax to try and reconnect.

  Now Jackson was happily in love with Hi‘ilani and they were planning a wedding in the next few months.

  He admired Ajax’s determination to make things right with the woman he’d loved. Train hoped to be just as lucky in the future, but until then he’d have to satisfy himself with his love of movies and even a few television shows that caught his interest.

  That’s why he’d scheduled a tour at the old Coco Palms hotel. If Hi‘ilani could join them, that would make it even better. She certainly had a way with the Deltas, even Baron. He didn’t growl as much when she was around.

  All that stood between him and Hollywood History was the return trip to the trailhead.

  Train was determined to make quick work of it. He had plans, and he wanted to enjoy every minute.

  Ku‘uipo Ornellas was a woman on a mission. Looking down at the checklist on her clipboard she tried not to grimace at the half a dozen things that still needed to be done before the wedding that was scheduled for the next morning, not to mention the rehearsal that afternoon.

  And in between all of that, she’d managed to agree to do a tour as a favor for one of her oldest and dearest friends.

  Sure.

  No need to panic.

  Freak out?

  Absolutely!

  But there was no need to panic. Panic wasn’t on her list.

  She felt her phone vibrate in the back pocket of her denim shorts, and fished it out.

  LINENS ARRIVED. IRONING NOW.

  “Linens,” she murmured to herself, “check.”

  Smiling, she blew out a breath.

  Okay, so, half a check, but Uluwehi said he was ironing, so that’s almost done.

  Before she could manage to get the phone back into her pocket, it buzzed again.

  Fixing a smile on her face she looked down at the screen.

  LOOKING FOR GROOM

  The smile froze on her face, even in the humidity of a warm Hawai‘i afternoon.

  Clicking on the name of the sender, Miles Kirkendahl, she initiated a call.

  It took three rings before he picked up.

  “Yeah?”

  “Hello, Miles,” she used her best customer service voice, “thank you for answering. Would you care to explain where you lost the groom?”

  The edge in his tone sent painful little shocks through her clenched jaw.

  “If I knew where I lost him, then he wouldn’t be lost.”

  She blew out a breath and struggled to keep the smile on her face. “Meet me in the lobby, now.”

  Shutting off the call and her phone, Ku‘uipo started a brisk walk to the front lobby. It wouldn’t take her longer than a minute at her current stride and she was already working over contingency plans in her head.

  A missing groom was only the start of the problem.

  A missing groom meant a worried bride.

  And a worried bride meant two pairs of upset parents.

  Given that this was a destination wedding and an event she was coordinating in hopes of some stellar shots to use in their advertising, any sort of hiccup could be disastrous.

  By the time she pushed open the heavy glass doors leading into the main lobby she was feeling every stride up through her spine.

  It didn’t help that she ended up standing alone in the lobby.

  Well, as alone as one could get with two construction workers and a sign painter in the background.

  She didn’t start tapping her foot for a minute or two, and even then, she waited a precious minute before dialing her phone again. While it rang she turned a full circle around the room, mentally checking off the jobs that the men were completing.

  “Hey, I’m here!” The front doors swung open and Miles jogged into the room. “I was on the other side of the property.”

  She nodded. “That’s fine.” Ku‘uipo meant it too. She could deal with a bit of a wait. It was the information she needed. “So what happened? Are we looking at cold feet here?”

  He shrugged.

  And it wasn’t the ‘I don’t know’ shrug. It was the ‘whatever’ shrug.

  That got under her skin.

  She didn’t mind it when someone didn’t know an answer. What he meant was that he didn’t ca
re.

  And that wasn’t something that worked in hospitality. People that worked with visitors, people responsible for their care, needed to care. Simple. To the point.

  Flipping the page on her clipboard she looked at the itinerary for the bridal party the night before. Great.

  “Bachelor party?” She could almost taste the stale beer on the back of her tongue. “Is it just the bachelor missing? Or do we have more of his party M.I.A.?”

  He didn’t have an answer and she nailed him with a look. “Don’t you dare shrug at me. I need an actual answer. What do you know?”

  There was a moment, a muscle twitching in his cheek. She knew the basic story about why he was in the program, a family full of hotel C.E.O.s. Answering to her couldn’t be easy. She was little more than a jack of all trades in the hospitality world, but it was the breadth of her knowledge that put her in that position.

  “It’s just the groom,” the muscle in his jaw ticked, “and the best man. They’re both missing.”

  Just.

  The sheer volume of things that she wanted to say to him would take the rest of the day, but the arrival of the rest of the groomsmen cut down her to-do list by one. The men were all good-looking late twenty-somethings. All of them looked hung over and their clothes looked like they’d slept in them.

  And rolled in dirt.

  As they stumbled closer she got an unwelcome whiff of their combined scent.

  It seemed like they’d rolled in something else besides just the iron-rich dirt prevalent on the island. There was something else in the mix. Something she didn’t want to name.