By AJ Llewellyn

Abe took the plate his sister handed him. She’d carved a huge chunk of cake and the unmistakable tang of banana wafted under his nose.

“This is the Bananas Foster,” she said. “Dad’s favorite. The butter cream frosting is a blend of banana and caramel.” Abe took a seat on one of the wrought iron chairs but an ominous creak lifted him to his feet, and that’s when he saw it.

The blonde came back inside, gripping her cell phone, her face a mask of anguish. Abe felt a pang of sympathy for her. I wonder what the heck is going on?

Meleny whispered, “Abe, look.”

I’m looking, I’m looking. The woman might have been upset, but she was still stunning. Abe couldn’t tear his gaze from the long, luscious legs in their three-inch black satin pumps. Her skin was lightly tanned, her legs toned and gorgeous. There was a sheen to them, too. He hadn’t noticed it earlier.

Meleny mooned over the shoes once more as the blonde trotted past them. “Those heels have real Swarovski crystals on them.” Her voice quavered with emotion. “Look at the little ornament on the back of the ankle. Have you ever seen anything so darling? I’d love to have shoes like that for my wedding.”

“How much do they cost?” Abe wasn’t sure he really wanted to know.

“Sixteen-hundred bucks a pair.”

Abe almost choked, ignoring her pleading glance. She still lived in the family house up in Manoa and could barely cover her expenses as it was. As far as he was concerned, Oswaldo could dress her up in anything he wanted on his dime, once the wedding was over. Fork in hand, his gaze fell on a tall, dark-haired man wearing a grey suit, standing outside in the alleyway. He hovered against the far wall, holding a cell phone to his ear. He seemed nervous. Something wasn’t right. The blonde had rejoined the table with her gossipy friends and let out a loud sigh.

“James is making my life hell,” she complained. Abe caught snatches of conversation. Therapy was mentioned. So was, “You need to call your attorney.”  The blonde retorted, “Who do you think I was talking to?”

Abe forked the cake and tried it, but for some reason, there was no taste. He noticed the man outside pacing behind Abe’s rental, then the blonde’s car. Abe gaped when he realized the man wore skin-tone latex gloves. He moved so fast, reaching into his jacket. He drew out a red-tipped slim Jim, slid it into the window frame, popped the lock then dropped a square-looking black object into the back of the vehicle. The man closed the door and with a quick glance back at the cake shop, strode away from the BMW.

Abe almost thought he’d imagined it, but he knew he hadn’t. Guy was a pro. Fifteen seconds, tops. The cake stuck to the roof of Abe’s mouth. What on earth… What had he put inside the car? Abe’s senses flared, his mouth grew hot. He tried to swallow. No. It couldn’t be.

Bomb.

About Coffee and Kukui Nuts

Hawaiian explosives expert Abe Torufu looks forward to a day trip on Oahu helping his sister Meleny taste-test wedding cakes. Abe loves cake almost as much as malasadas, but something deadly interrupts their plans for butter cream and spongy goodness. A bomb.

Abe unwittingly uncovers a near-fatal plot in a marriage gone awry and soon becomes the target of not one but two hit men. He now requires round-the-clock protection from a U.S. Marshal. But not only is Tony McCracken skinny and shorter than the big Tongan detective, Abe doesn’t need protection.
Well, that’s until McCracken saves his life in a spectacular way when one of the bad guys finds him. What started as a fun, family day becomes a nightmare and Abe must touch a stranger with his life. Can he? Or is he in big, bad, Hawaiian trouble? Will he live long enough to walk his sister down the flower-strewn, tapa-carpeted aisle, or is there worse to come?

Get it on Amazon.

About the author

 A.J. Llewellyn lives in California, but dreams of living in Hawaii. Frequent trips to all the islands, bags of Kona coffee in the fridge and a healthy collection of Hawaiian records keep this writer refueled.

A.J’s passion for the islands led to writing a play about the overthrow of Queen Lili’uokalani’s kingdom.

A.J. never lacks inspiration for writing erotic romances but has many other passions: collecting books on Hawaiiana, surfing and spending time with family, friends and animal companions.

A.J. Llewellyn believes that love is a song best sung out loud.

Visit her website and blog, and see her other books on Amazon.

About Amazon Kindle Worlds

Kindle Worlds is an Amazon initiative that allows authors to publish stories set in another author’s fictional universe. The Lei Crime Kindle World is based on the Lei Crime series, created by bestselling author Toby Neal.