Kissing a Billionaire

By Marie Higgins

In Honolulu, Detective Kurt Hamill seeks solace in a quieter precinct, aiming to bury the ghosts of his past. However, a plea from an old friend thrusts him back into the fray. Tasked with preventing her daughter's ill-fated marriage, Kurt finds himself entangled in a perilous game of pursuit.

 

Riley Peterson, heiress shielded from life's complexities by her billionaire father, is thrust into chaos when Kurt, a striking detective, enters her world. Rather than walking down the aisle with a near stranger, Riley finds herself evading danger alongside Kurt. As bullets fly and trust hangs in the balance, Riley grapples with the idea that Kurt may be her only shield in a storm of uncertainty.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marie Higgins
• Release date: Apr 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9798223504757

Marie Higgins

Marie Higgins is a multi-published author of romance; from refined bad-boy heroes who makes your heart melt to the feisty heroines who somehow manage to love them regardless of their faults. Visit her website / blog to discover more about her – http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com Since Marie Higgins was a little girl playing Barbies with her sister, Stacey, she has loved the adventure of making up romantic stories. Marie was only eighteen years old when she wrote her first skit, which won an award for Funniest Skit. A little later in life, after she’d married and had children, Marie wrote Church roadshows that were judged as Funniest and Best Written. From there, she branched out to write full-length novels based on her dreams. (Yes, she says, her dreams really are that silly) Marie has been married for twenty-six years to a wonderful man. Together, they have three loving daughters and several beautiful grandchildren. Marie works full time for the state of Utah, where she has lived her entire life. Marie plans to keep writing, because the characters in her head won’t shut up. But her husband smiles and pretends this is normal.

Book preview

Chapter One

T hat’s a fancy Alpha Dorado knife you have there, Officer Kurt Hamill said as his hand hovered over the gun stuck in the waist of his jeans. He kept his stare on the drunken woman in front of him wielding a knife.

Ya know yer weapons, ossifer. Her toothless speech turned her s’s into a whistle.

He nodded. I have a knife like that in my hunting collection. But I also know how dangerous they are even to the owners, especially when they aren’t used properly.

The sixty-year-old woman had been drinking heavily. Again. That wasn’t anything new. But this time, she had a knife, and that placed the three of them in harm’s way, even though her blubbering husband was nearly passed out on the couch.

Put the weapon down, and slowly step away. Kurt kept his voice calm.

Mrs. Stevenson had never been physically strong, but when she was drunk out of her mind, the five-foot, two-inch framed woman had more strength than most people expected. He doubted she would be able to hurt him, but he didn’t want her hurting herself... or her weak husband. Kurt didn’t really want to use his gun, but if he had to, he would aim it toward the knife and shoot just to get it out of the crazed woman’s hand.

I’m not gonna hurt anyone, she said as she leaned against the resort suite’s liquor bar and hugged it as if she was going to fall over.

Then you need to put the knife down, Kurt explained.

I will as soon as he gibs me back my teef!

Kurt nodded. I’m sure your husband will give you back your teeth as soon as you put down the weapon. He glanced quickly at the sixty-five-year-old man wearing his boxer shorts and nothing else. The old man’s saggy chest should have been covered, in Kurt’s opinion, because that was a sight he never wanted to see again. Mr. Stevenson? Where did you put your wife’s teeth?

The frail old man flipped his hand. "In the toilet!

Augh! Mrs. Stevenson charged toward her husband with the knife held high.

Kurt jumped at her from behind and brought her to the floor. In one swift move, he swiped the weapon from her boney fingers. She screamed and kicked, but thankfully, having her face down on the floor slowly subdued the woman.

She turned her head on the floor and looked toward her husband. After a few, very descriptive swear words exited her mouth, she sobbed. I hate you!

Tears streamed down her husband’s face. If you wouldn’t bite me all the time, I wouldn’t have taken your teeth.

Kurt ignored the insults being flung back and forth between the two, only because he went through this process once a month when the Stevensons came to Kauai Garden Resort for some scuba diving and kayaking down the Wailua River. If only the older couple would lay off the booze, they might actually get along, instead of spending time in jail during their retreat.

He cuffed Mrs. Stevenson and pulled her to her feet. Holding her up was necessary, because the intoxicated woman could hardly walk. As he escorted her down the hall, several people peeked out of their rooms to see what all the commotion was about.

Kurt had been in Kauai, Hawaii, for nearly a year, and already he knew most of the island’s habits, and especially those habits of the frequent patrons like the Stevensons. He’d lock up the wife for a few hours, but then her husband would always come bail her out. They’d be semi-sober at this point, and they’d hug each other, apologizing all the way out to the car promising one another how they’d never do this again. Apparently, neither of them knew what the word never meant.

Kurt and Mrs. Stevenson reached the lobby and met more curious people who probably wondered why a Task Force Officer was here. Again. The fancy glass entrance doors of the resort were across the lobby, appearing almost too far away right now, because he was anxious to get this drunken woman in his squad car. They passed the brown wicker furniture and the many displays for colorful flowers in this section of the lobby. On the other side of the lobby was a large glass wall, giving their guests a breathtaking view of the ocean. The long registration desk situated on the far side of the lobby took up most of the side wall. A flowery scent drifted through the air, adding to the theme of the lodge.

Ron and Mary Feakes, the couple who managed the resort, came out from around the large desk and stood as Kurt pulled Mrs. Stevenson toward the front doors. Disgust displayed on both of their expressions, but they, too, were used to the problems brought on by these people. Mary had once mentioned that the Stevenson’s tipped very well, and they always paid for things that were broken during their domestic disturbances. If the couple wasn’t so free with their money, Ron and Mary would have banned them by now.

Thank you, Officer Hamill, Ron said.

Kurt nodded as he walked past. It was hard to look at Ron Feakes and not think of the man’s older brother, Kurt’s old boss, Sergeant James Feakes. In fact, the sergeant was the one who suggested Kurt come to Kauai when he’d asked to be transferred from Honolulu. He’d loved being a Task Force Detective, until...

Mentally shaking away the bad memories he’d had that had ultimately caused him to transfer, he continued taking Mrs. Stevenson out to the squad car and helped her into the backseat. She wasn’t screaming at him this time, but he figured it was because she was about ready to enter her drunken coma any minute now. He’d managed to teach himself to drown out her noise so he couldn’t hear her screams, anyway. The drive from the resort to the police station wouldn’t be fast enough, unfortunately.

It was hard to believe that almost a year ago, Kurt had dealt with criminal cases on a daily basis – rapes, murders, drug trafficking – and anything else that could happen in Honolulu. But now the highlight in his day was arresting people like Mrs. Stevenson. In fact, the most excitement he’d received all month long was when the Stevensons came to the resort and caused a domestic dispute.

Sometimes boredom settled in, but when that happened, Kurt would remember the stress and heartache he’d received while working as a detective. He’d let a beautiful woman distract him which put his partner in harm’s way, and that memory jerked him back to reality. Now he loved his lazy life and he wouldn’t give it up for all the money in the world.

When he arrived at the police station, he locked Mrs. Stevenson in her holding cell. Once she hit the cot, she was out cold, snoring as spit leaked from the corner of her mouth and dripped on the cot. He chuckled softly. At least she wasn’t worried about her teeth at the moment.

He walked to his desk and sat in his chair, kicking his feet up on the edge of the desk. He took off his sunglasses and set them in front of him. A lot had changed since he arrived in Kauai, that’s for sure. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he’d be wearing a sun visor, shades, and air-circulated running shoes.

His cell phone played out the strange ringtone he’d chosen just the other day, startling him from his daydreams. He pulled out his cell and answered it. Officer Hamill.

Kurt? Is that you?

The female voice sounded slightly familiar, but for the moment, he couldn’t wrap his mind around who it could be. Yes, speaking.

Oh, thank goodness I found you.

He creased his brow. The voice sounded like... Judge Peterson? Is that you?

It is. I’m so happy I finally got in touch with you.

He chuckled. He hadn’t dealt with the nice-looking, middle-aged woman since he was in Honolulu. So how are you doing?

Kurt, I’d love to chat and catch up, but right now I’m desperate, and I need your help.

There was a certain plea in the judge’s voice that worried Kurt. Usually she spoke in a stern tone, but never with this kind of panicked emotion. What’s going on?

Oh, Kurt. Her voice broke softly. You are only one hour away from where my daughter lives, and I need you to help her.

Kurt didn’t like to get involved in family squabbles. Hadn’t he been through enough with his own father and stepfamily? As he tried to think of an excuse of why he couldn’t help, the judged sniffed.

My daughter is in danger, but she won’t believe me. Somehow, in the past month, she has hooked up with a shark, and he’s reeled her in quickly. If we don’t do something fast, she’ll drown.

Kurt rolled his eyes. Relatives always thought the worst in the family’s friends. He wanted to remind the judge that her daughter was an adult and could make her own decisions, but he didn’t know how to say it nicely.

Do you remember when the Reynolds brothers were arrested for drug trafficking? she continued. I was the judge in the case.

Yes, I think I remember. He paused and then asked, Is your daughter dating one of the brothers who are in jail?

No, she’s been dating the youngest brother for the past month. He’d been attending college during the drug bust, but I suspected he was involved in some way. I couldn’t find proof of it, though.

So you don’t know for sure? he wondered. I hope you’re not jumping to conclusions without seeing all the evidence.

It’s not like that, and let me tell you why.

The judge was always one who overly-explained herself.

Not long after I sent those scum-bags to prison, I started receiving hate mail. Some might even say they were threatening letters. Of course, I chose to ignore them.

Kurt rubbed his groomed goatee. They came from the Reynolds family?

The letters weren’t signed, but the postage was printed with a Kauai stamp.

Makes sense.

Anyway, the letters always mentioned that I’d better watch my back and protect my family, because nobody knows when an accident will happen.

Kurt moved his feet off the corner of the desk and sat up straight. The letters said that?

Yes.

And the police weren’t looking into it?

They were looking into it, but they came up empty. The letters had no fingerprints or DNA or anything.

Kurt blew out a heavy breath. So what does this have to do with your daughter?

Around this time, Riley met Mark Reynolds, the youngest brother. In less than a month, he swept her off her feet. They are planning a quick wedding today. The judged sniffed again. Kurt, I need you to stop it – or do something to convince Riley she’s making a big mistake.

Kurt picked up a pen and tapped it quickly against the desk. What am I supposed to say to her? I don’t even know her.

Oh, Kurt. Judge Peterson cried. I don’t know what else to do. If only I lived closer. I’m helpless on how to stop what could be a very dangerous situation. And since I’m still in Honolulu, and you’re close by... She sighed. Can you please go stop her? Mark Reynolds is only marrying her for her inheritance, I just know it.

Kurt stopped the tapping of the pen. What inheritance?

My ex-husband, Riley’s father, is a self-made billionaire. Riley will receive stocks in his companies and a colossal amount of money when she gets married.

Is she... a billionaire?

Not at the moment, but once she marries, she’d be really close to having that title.

Taking a quick gasp, Kurt sprang to his feet. Why couldn’t he have had a father like that instead of one who left his wife and little boy without a penny? He swore and shook his head. I’m assuming Riley knows about her inheritance.

Of course.

And I’m sure Mark Reynolds knows about it now, as well.

Of course, he does. The judged sniffed. This is the Reynolds brothers’ way of paying me back for sending them to prison. They will take my daughter – and her money – and torture her.

Kurt’s chest clenched. Torture? Aren’t you being a little over-dramatic, Your Honor?

No, I’m not, and I’ll tell you why.

He chuckled quietly. Here we go again...

Right after the Reynolds brothers were arrested, their cousins and friends rallied together and tried to fight my sentence. The task force had proof of the drug trafficking, but the Reynolds’ followers were determined to fight it all the way. Within the next two weeks, our tires were slashed, and the windows on our cars were shattered. The cops who’d arrested the brothers all had pet dogs, and within these two weeks, the dogs were found tortured! I have photos to show you if you want to see. These men who support the Reynolds’ brothers are serious. She took a deep breath and released it slowly. That’s why I know Riley will be tortured, as well. She’s a naïve girl. Her father has kept her protected all this time. She doesn’t know a scum-bag when she meets one, and so she fell easily for the first man to charm her.

Have you shown her the threatening letters and the photos?

No, I’ve just told her about them.

Kurt paced around the desk, not believing he was seriously considering doing this for the judge. Was he really that bored with his job? Apparently so...

What is she doing in Kauai, he wondered aloud.

She wanted to go to college, the judge answered.

But there’s a bigger one in Honolulu—

Yes, I know, but she wants to be treated like a normal girl. She doesn’t want anyone to know who her parents are.

He grumbled and shook his head. The more he learned, the harder this case would be, he was sure of it. Judge Peterson, if I can stop the wedding, are you going to come here and show your daughter the proof that her boyfriend is part of the Reynolds’ gang?

Yes. I have court in an hour, and I can leave right after that.

Closing his eyes, he rubbed his forehead. I don’t know. He frowned. I just don’t do things like this, and you know it.

I’ll pay you for your time. How does five-hundred grand sound?

Kurt choked again. He couldn’t have heard correctly. Are you kidding me? A half-million dollars?

"Fine, I’ll pay you more if you want. But you have to take her away from Mark Reynolds so he won’t be able to get to her... before the wedding."

He must have lost his mind. Obviously, she’d lost her mind offering to pay him that much. Immediately, he thought