Epilogue

Epilogue

Emma and Sean sat in silence as they looked out over the ocean. Del had dropped her off an hour earlier, and she had asked to talk to Sean alone. He had consented, as he always did. It was odd to be so comfortable with another human being. At least, it was for her. But, from the moment she and Sean had settled their differences in Thailand, she had been comfortable with him.

"So, you've decided to stay here?" she asked.

He nodded, his expression lighter than she had ever seen it. "Well, sort of. First, I wanted to clear it with you."

"Why?"

"I want to be close to you."

She didn't smile, though she wanted to. It had been so long since another human had worried about her that way. When he had burst into her life six months earlier, she thought she could walk away. She didn't need a half-brother. But, truth was, she did need him.

"Do you think you can earn a living here? I mean, outside of handling my stuff?"

"We can pick up some jobs here and there, but we've been talking about opening our own firm. But to keep us busy, Conner Dillon is always looking for contractors who don't want to work full time."

"That's good. You need a home."

He glanced at her. "There is plenty of space for you. I bought this with you in mind."

She rolled her eyes. "No thanks."

"You don't want to live with your big brother?" he asked, humor lacing his voice. Still, she heard something else, something close to hurt.

With a sigh, she forced herself to look away from the ocean and give him her full attention. Her brother. They didn't look that much alike, but she saw herself in his eyes, and his high cheekbones. It was hard to imagine that she now had someone else in her world, someone who belonged to her.

"Not really. No offense, but living with another person would be a challenge for me."

Sympathy filled his expression, and she shook her head. She hated the look. That's why she rarely told people her entire story. The pity wasn't for her. It was so they could feel better about themselves.

"No, don't do that. Don't pity me."

"I don't pity you. Why would I? A world class mind, definitely can take care of yourself, but I would like to get to know you better."

"Well, I guess I could stay in Hawaii." She glanced back at the house, then looked at him. "I take it you're all together?"

He nodded. It still seemed odd to her, but what did she know. Other than her parents, she had only had one long-term relationship with another human, and that was Sean. Emma didn't even know how to deal with a relationship with one person, let alone two.

"Too many people."

He chuckled. "Passing judgment?"

"No. I just can't imagine putting up with another person in my personal space all the time. Having two, ugh."

He laughed then, a big belly laugh that echoed over the sweet Hawaiian air. "You do make me happy, Emma."

"Are you really happy? Are they treating you right?"

His expression softened. "Yeah, they are. Looking out for me?"

"You're the only brother I have. And I have ways of making people pay."

"Is that a fact?"

She nodded. "I can get into a person's life, and before they know it, they have nothing left. No job, no money, no house."

"You're kind of scary."

She nodded. "I protect what's mine."

He smiled and chucked her under the chin. "Then, I count myself lucky."

They went back to watching the waves roll in. Considering how she lost her parents, she knew most people would think she would want to stay as far away from the ocean as possible. "I was already thinking about staying here though."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Delano talked to me about a job. Not full time, but some kind of contract work. They need a person with my skill set."

"I didn't know you were interested in that kind of work."

She shrugged. "Not sure if I am, but solving crimes is like solving puzzles. I like puzzles."

"So, you would stay here. Are you sure?"

She knew what he was asking, but she had returned to Thailand. It had been hard to do, but she had done it. She could handle Hawaii, especially if her family was here.

"Yeah, I can stay. Anywhere I live is going to have some kind of natural disaster. I would much rather deal with a Tsunami warning than a tornado. Those bastards just drop out of the sky."

He chuckled. Suddenly they heard something crash in the kitchen.

"I said to let me get it for you," Randy said, his voice calm and filled with humor.

"Well, if you two would not put important things on the top shelf, I wouldn't have issues. We are not all bloody giants."

"You do have a lot of stuff on the high shelves," Emma said.

"She lives with two men who are over six feet tall. You would think she would ask one of us."

"Sometimes, a woman has to do for herself."

Something clattered to the floor, and this time it sounded as if glass had shattered.

"It's not normal, but it's home," she said.

His chuckled turned into a full-blown laugh, as she leaned her head on his shoulder. They might not be the average Ohana , but it was nice to have them around. Maybe, she might have just found her home.

I hope you loved Harmless Revenge! If you did, please think about leaving a review at your favorite online retailer or review site.

Want to know more about Del and Emma? Their book starts a new spinoff series: TASK FORCE HAWAII.