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“He was helping me get the boat ready for a tour. When he pulled the ice chest out of the shed, a speargun fell and discharged a spear. It lodged in his leg.”
“Are you serious?” Alyssa pushed her damp hair back from her forehead. “Why was he helping you get a tour ready? We were supposed to be surfing together this morning. He told me he had to work. And who the hell stores a loaded speargun? That’s pure homicidal negligence. What kind of business are you running? No wonder it’s falling apart. You should’ve let those damned boats burn with everything else. That spear could’ve killed Makai—all because of your incompetence at running your business.”
Leilani’s head snapped back as if she’d been struck.
Angel stepped between the two women, anger pushing adrenaline through his system. He didn’t want to make matters worse for Leilani, but he wouldn’t stand by and let Alyssa blame her for what had happened. “Leilani was as much a victim as Makai. She did not store a loaded speargun, and neither did her employees. Someone tampered with it and positioned it where it would fall and trigger the release. Makai was the unlucky one to be on the receiving end.”
Alyssa glared up into Angel’s eyes, red-faced and nostrils flaring. “Makai never should have been there in the first place. He has a ridiculous sense of responsibility toward Leilani, even thoughsheinherited everything, and he got nothing. And yet, she expects him to bail her out when shit happens.” She stepped to the side of Angel and jabbed her finger at Leilani. “I call bullshit. You’re nothing but a drain on Makai. If not for you, he’d have left Maui a long time ago. We could’ve lived on Oahu, had jobs that paid better and been closer to the real waves and surfing community.”
Leilani’s face blanched. “He thinks I’m a drain on him?”
“Of course you are. He knows you’re not capable of running your father’s business. You should’ve sold it when your father died. You should sell it now.”
Leilani’s eyes filled with tears.
Her tears pierced Angel’s heart as sharply as the spear had cleaved her cousin’s leg. His hands clenched into fists. Again, he stepped in front of Alyssa. “Stop.”
“No. She needs to hear this. I’ve kept my mouth shut for too long. She doesn’t care about Makai or the people who work for her. She only cares about herself and what money she can make at others’ expense.”
Rage burned in Angel’s chest. He had to fight for control. Had Alyssa been a man spewing that kind of hatred and lies, Angel would have punched him in the face. The urge to punch Alyssa was so strong he had to focus on dragging in steady breaths to keep from losing his shit. He’d never hit a woman. But, damn, he wanted to hit this one.
When a hand touched his arm, Angel flinched.
“It’s okay,” Leilani said. “She’s upset.”
“She’s wrong,” he said through gritted teeth. “I’ve seen how you are with your employees. You care about them. They’re as much a part of your life as family.”
Alyssa snorted. “Which isn’t saying much since she brought this on her only relative. This is all your fault. You shouldn’t even be here.”
Leilani stepped up beside Angel, her chin up. “However you feel about me right now isn’t important. What’s important is Makai. You might hate me, but I’m not going anywhere until I know my cousin is okay.” Leilani spun on her heel, walked to the farthest corner of the waiting room and dropped into a seat.
Alyssa glared at her the whole way. When she opened her mouth, Angel held up his hand. “You’ve said more than enough.” He didn’t wait for a response. Instead, he crossed the room and sat beside Leilani, wrapped his arm around her and held her.
She looked calm and unaffected, but her body trembled beneath his arm.
Angel wanted to pull her closer, but he suspected she was holding it together by a thread and didn’t want to disturb her concentration.
For the next hour, Alyssa paced. Leilani sat silently, staring at the door. Angel stayed at her side. He couldn’t undo what Alyssa had said or take away the pain it had caused Leilani, but he could be there for her.
Then, a man dressed in surgical scrubs entered the waiting room and looked around. “Family of Mr. Kealoha?”
Alyssa hurried forward. “I’m his fiancée.”
Leilani rose and walked toward the doctor. “I’m Leilani Kealoha, his cousin and only living relative.”
Alyssa’s gaze shot daggers at Leilani.
Angel took up a position between Alyssa and Leilani. “I’m here with Ms. Kealoha.”
The doctor’s gaze went from Alyssa to Leilani and settled on Angel. “I’m Dr. Dutton. I performed the procedure on Mr. Kealoha. The spear pierced Mr. Kealoha’s right thigh. Fortunately, it missed his femoral artery, or he would’ve bled out before they got him to the hospital. He’ll need time for the muscle to heal and physical therapy. He’s doing well and in recovery.”
Leilani slipped her arm around Angel’s back and leaned into him. “Thank God.”
“So, he’ll have a full recovery?” Alyssa asked.
The doctor nodded. “He should.”
“Good,” she said with a smile. “He’s been accepted into the Eddie surfing competition.”
