Chapter 20

Austin flipped the pancakes in the skillet the following morning, the coffee brewing on the counter beside him. He’d been fine with using his single-serve coffee maker for years, but Alexa had convinced him the Kona coffee grown in Hawaii tasted best freshly ground and brewed. Smiling, he shook his head. If anyone had told him a year ago that he’d be making breakfast for his girlfriend, preparing her coffee just so, he’d find it hard to believe. It’s not that he hadn’t wanted a relationship, but he’d been happy and content doing his own thing. Life with Alexa was like a light had been turned on. He still did many of the same things he’s always enjoyed, but his life was brighter with her in it. More colorful and vibrant and just plain better.

He glanced at his phone on the counter. Oh-eight-hundred. It was too early to call her father and grill him for more information, but as soon as it was a more reasonable hour, he wanted to have Alexa do exactly that. Of course, as a retired Navy man, the admiral had most likely already been up for hours.

Austin plated the food, then poured Alexa a cup of hot coffee. He turned off the stove and then moved down the hall to his bedroom. “Lex, are you awake yet?”

He heard water running as he poked his head in the door, and then Alexa was walking out of the en suite bathroom. “Hey beautiful,” he said with a wink.

“Hi yourself, hot stuff,” she teased. Alexa did a little twirl in her camisole and sleep shorts, giggling. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be overly sexy, but he still thought she looked hot as hell. Her tousled hair flowing down her back made him think of how she’d looked spread out on his bed last night.

“I made us breakfast,” he said, his lips quirking.

She crossed the room and rose to her tiptoes, giving him a kiss. “It smells delicious,” she said. “And I kind of love how you cook for me because you wake up so early.”

“Hazard of being in the Navy,” he quipped. “And I don’t mind cooking breakfast for you. I love when you stay over.”

“Me too,” she said as they walked together out of his room. “Aaron looked rather ticked off when we left Wyatt’s place last night,” she commented, grabbing his hand as they walked into the kitchen together.

“Yeah. I take it the news about his sister came out of left field,” Austin said. “Here she’s in sunny, gorgeous Honolulu for a nursing conference and then innocently drops a bombshell that she might be moving to a third-world country.”

“I just met the woman, and I’m worried. It sounds like a dangerous career choice.”

Austin nodded. “Yeah. I know Aaron worried when she volunteered, but she’d go on a ten-day trip and then return home. This will be completely different if she ends up taking that job.”

Alexa picked up her cup of coffee, taking a sip and moaning. Austin waggled his eyebrows playfully at her. “Oh stop,” she teased. “That was not a sex sound.”

“I don’t mind in the least,” he said, pouring himself a cup as well. “How are you feeling?” he asked, nodding toward her abdomen.

“Good. I mean, I won’t be doing any crazy yoga poses or suddenly take up parasailing, but I’m okay.”

“I got a little over excited tossing your legs up over my shoulders last night,” he said, feeling a slight twinge of regret at the eager way he’d eaten her out when they were alone in his bed after the fun night with friends.

Alexa flashed him a flirty look. “When you went down on me? I was screaming in pleasure, not pain,” she sassed.

“I know.” The smug smile on his lips was well earned. Alexa had practically been begging him for more. They’d spent several hours at the party, but when they’d finally gotten home, they’d wasted no time stripping each other bare.

“I’ve been walking more each day, which my doctor said was okay. The incision is healing nicely, according to her. And I’ve been able to mostly keep my photography schedule intact. I was so worried clients would be upset, but most people were understanding when I mentioned the emergency surgery.”

“It’s not a bad thing to take it easy, Lex,” he reminded her. Austin watched as she grabbed her plate of food and carried it to the table. “Do you have any more photoshoots coming up soon?”

She nodded. “A couple of family sessions this week and the wedding I told you about next weekend. Oh! I didn’t even tell you about the engagement session I was asked to do in Kauai.” Austin cocked his head in confusion, listening as Alexa launched into the story of her newest client as they sat down.

“Wow. And they’ll really fly you out there?”

“Yep,” she said, taking a bite of her pancake. “Callie’s planning to come with me. We’ll make a girls’ trip out of it. I’ll do the photography session, and then Callie and I can explore Kauai together, stay a couple of nights. Can you believe she’s never been there?”

“Honestly? No,” he said with a chuckle. “She’s quite well-traveled.”

“That she is. Callie just hadn’t made it there yet, ironically enough.”

They ate breakfast quietly together for a few minutes, each content to bask in the morning sunshine and share their early morning with one another. When they finished eating, Austin cleared his throat. “I’d like to call your father today. I think we need to press him for more details about the threats.”

“Yeah, we probably should,” Alexa agreed. “Given that my mom was texting me yesterday in concern, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to find out more. I was hoping it would blow over, but….”

He reached across the table, briefly squeezing her hand. “Believe me, I was, too. The best-case scenario would’ve been if Duke stayed in California and never flew back.” Austin grabbed his phone, swiping the screen. “I found some additional pictures of him, too. I know you mentioned the military headshot made him look like a million other sailors, so I did some additional digging.”

“He did look like everyone else in his dress whites,” Alexa insisted.

Austin turned his phone around, showing her the photo. He was happy to see Alexa leaning closer as she studied it. He glanced at the photo again himself, mentally reviewing the guy’s features. Duke was green-eyed, with a wide nose, broad forehead, and dark hair that was slightly longer than the standard military buzzcut. “He’s around five eleven, two hundred pounds,” Austin told her. “I’ll try to see what other photographs I can get, but this is a pretty clear shot of him.”

“Too bad he’s not one of those guys that posts a million pictures on social media.” Alexa continued to study the photograph carefully. “He doesn’t look like anyone I’ve seen around.”

“Good. Let’s hope he keeps it that way and stays the hell away from you.”

***

An hour later, they were sitting once again at his kitchen table, Alexa’s laptop flipped open. She clicked a link, and her parents’ faces appeared on the screen. Her dad’s jaw was clenched, his expression tight. Alexa’s mom sat at his side, simply looking worried, her lips pressed together in a thin line.

“Hi Mom and Dad,” Alexa said, brushing back a strand of dark hair. She’d showered and changed into a tee shirt and shorts after breakfast, and her damp hair hung around her shoulders. Her father’s eyes moved between the two of them, and Austin knew he hadn’t missed a single detail.

“Alexa,” her father said, completely ignoring Austin. “Your mother said that she sent several texts about the situation to you yesterday against my wishes.”

Her mother looked at him, the fear evident on her face. “She needs to know what’s going on. I will not have our daughter’s safety put at risk because you’re stubbornly refusing to share relevant information with them simply because you’re worried it will frighten her.”

“Damn it,” her father muttered.

“Mom. Dad. We’d like to know more about the threats from Duke. Saying that he’s angry with you isn’t enough. What is he threatening to do? We need specifics.”

Austin saw the pulse jump in Alexa’s neck as she spoke. She might be speaking firmly to her parents at the moment, but she was scared. Given that her father had refused to discuss the matter before, Austin wondered what specifically had changed. He reached over and took her hand, weaving her delicate fingers between his own.

Admiral Rhinehart let out a frustrated sigh. “Your mother wants me to fill you in, so I will. The most recent anonymous letters I received have been turned over to the authorities. They were more troublesome than the previous letters, which is the cause for your mother’s increased worry and concern for your safety.”

Alexa’s mom shuddered, and Austin tensed, noticing her father did nothing to comfort her. “Why weren’t we made aware of the severity of these threats sooner?” he asked, anger winding through him. “It’s damn hard to protect your daughter when you refuse to share any details. If we hadn’t arranged this call today, we still wouldn’t know a damn thing.”

“Alexa knows to be mindful of her surroundings at all times,” her father snapped. “I flew to Oahu myself to tell Alexa about the threats from Duke. I advised her to be careful.”

“Dad, I realize that, but it sounds like the situation has changed. What is he planning to do?”

The admiral exchanged another glance with her mother. “Alexa, you’re my little girl. I didn’t want to give you further cause for concern. I showed you Duke’s photo several weeks ago. If you see anyone resembling him, you’re to call 911 immediately.”

“I know that. Austin knows that. We know who to look out for. But what of the most recent letters? Why was Mom texting me yesterday and asking me to be careful? You need to tell us what’s going on.”

Admiral Rhinehart bristled but then cleared his throat. “While the previous letters from Duke said he wanted to ruin my life and family for denying him a promotion, these are very specific. Violent. I didn’t want your mother to let you know because I didn’t want you to be frightened. The police are handling it. You already know to watch out for Duke Murphy.”

“Shit,” Austin muttered, clenching his fist.

Alexa had gone still at his side, and he could tell she was absorbing the newest information. “My address is unlisted, Dad. It wouldn’t be as easy for Duke to find me as you seem to think.”

“I know your address is unlisted, and for that, I’m grateful. You still need to remain cautious. People are easier to track down than you can imagine, and Duke has connections. While I believe the anonymous threats are from him and that he’s working alone, an arrest won’t be made until the authorities can prove it.”

Austin ground his teeth. “That’s bullshit. They should realize the threats are from the same person.”

“For once, we agree,” her father said. “But it’s out of my hands. Alexa needs to remain cautious. We had a brief reprieve while Duke was CONUS, but that’s come to an end. He’s back in Oahu, and your mother wanted to warn you of the risk.”

“We could go to the police here in Honolulu,” Austin said. “If the threats specifically mention Alexa, we could get a restraining order against this guy.”

“We both know that won’t stop him. It’s already an active investigation, but in the meantime, I need you and Alexa to both be careful.

“I will, Dad.”

Austin’s eyes grew hard. “I want to know if anything else happens. Any and every minor detail. Keeping us in the dark is not the way to handle this. I don’t want to scare your daughter either, but how can I protect her if I don’t have specifics regarding what I’m up against?”

A beat passed. “I’ll fill you in momentarily, however, I will not share the content of the letters with my daughter. Alexa, give me a moment to speak with Austin alone.”

Alexa huffed out a sigh but stood, saying goodbye to both her parents. Austin watched as she reluctantly left the room, and then he spoke one-on-one with Alexa’s father. “What do you need to tell me, sir?” Austin asked, leaning closer to the laptop screen. He was tense, his entire body on edge. Was Alexa’s dad just an overprotective father or was something truly sinister going on?

“I learned some disturbing news yesterday. Duke had additional charges brought forth against him while serving in the Navy that were eventually dropped from supposed lack of evidence.”

“What were the charges for?” Austin asked, already feeling his stomach dropping.

“Sexual assault. In the recent anonymous letters I received, the writer threatened to repeatedly rape and then kill my daughter.”