Hawaiian Gold

Hawaiian Gold (Alicia Myles #6) By David Leadbeater Other Books by David Leadbeater: The Matt Drake Series A constantly evolving, action-packed romp based in the escapist action-adventure genre: The Bones of Odin (Matt Drake #1) The Blood King Conspiracy (Matt Drake #2) The Gates of Hell (Matt Drake 3) The Tomb of the Gods (Matt Drake #4) Brothers in Arms (Matt Drake #5) The Swords of Babylon (Matt Drake #6) Blood Vengeance (Matt Drake #7) Last Man Standing (Matt Drake #8) The Plagues of Pandora (Matt Drake #9) The Lost Kingdom (Matt Drake #10) The Ghost Ships of Arizona (Matt Drake #11) The Last Bazaar (Matt Drake #12) The Edge of Armageddon (Matt Drake #13) The Treasures of Saint Germain (Matt Drake #14) Inca Kings (Matt Drake #15) The Four Corners of the Earth (Matt Drake #16) The Seven Seals of Egypt (Matt Drake #17) Weapons of the Gods (Matt Drake #18) The Blood King Legacy (Matt Drake #19) Devil’s Island (Matt Drake #20) The Fabergé Heist (Matt Drake #21) Four Sacred Treasures (Matt Drake #22) The Sea Rats (Matt Drake #23) Blood King Takedown (Matt Drake #24) Devil’s Junction (Matt Drake #25) Voodoo soldiers (Matt Drake #26) The Carnival of Curiosities (Matt Drake #27) Theatre of War (Matt Drake #28) Shattered Spear (Matt Drake #29) Ghost Squadron (Matt Drake #30) A Cold Day in Hell (Matt Drake #31) The Winged Dagger (Matt Drake #32) Two Minutes to Midnight (Matt Drake #33) The Alicia Myles Series Aztec Gold (Alicia Myles #1) Crusader’s Gold (Alicia Myles #2) Caribbean Gold (Alicia Myles #3) Chasing Gold (Alicia Myles #4) Galleon’s Gold (Alicia Myles #5) The Torsten Dahl Thriller Series Stand Your Ground (Dahl Thriller #1) The Relic Hunters Series The Relic Hunters (Relic Hunters #1) The Atlantis Cipher (Relic Hunters #2) The Amber Secret (Relic Hunters #3) The Hostage Diamond (Relic Hunters #4) The Rocks of Albion (Relic Hunters #5) The Illuminati Sanctum (Relic Hunters #6) The Illuminati Endgame (Relic Hunters #7) The Atlantis Heist (Relic Hunters #8) The City of a Thousand Ghosts (Relic Hunters #9) The Joe Mason Series The Vatican Secret (Joe Mason #1) The Demon Code (Joe Mason #2) The Midnight Conspiracy (Joe Mason #3) The Rogue Series Rogue (Book One) The Disavowed Series: The Razor’s Edge (Disavowed #1) In Harm’s Way (Disavowed #2) Threat Level: Red (Disavowed #3) The Chosen Few Series Chosen (The Chosen Trilogy #1) Guardians (The Chosen Trilogy #2) Heroes (The Chosen Trilogy #3) Short Stories Walking with Ghosts (A short story) A Whispering of Ghosts (A short story) All genuine comments are very welcome at: [email protected] Twitter: @dleadbeater2011 Visit David’s website for the latest news and information: davidleadbeater.com Contents Other Books by David Leadbeater: PROLOGUE CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN CHAPTER FOURTEEN CHAPTER FIFTEEN CHAPTER SIXTEEN CHAPTER SEVENTEEN CHAPTER EIGHTEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER TWENTY CHAPTER TWENTY ONE CHAPTER TWENTY TWO CHAPTER TWENTY THREE CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE CHAPTER TWENTY SIX CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT CHAPTER TWENTY NINE CHAPTER THIRTY CHAPTER THIRTY ONE CHAPTER THIRTY TWO CHAPTER THIRTY THREE CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE CHAPTER THIRTY SIX CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT CHAPTER THIRTY NINE CHAPTER FORTY Other Books by David Leadbeater: PROLOGUE Hawaii, 1779 Koa woke that fateful morning with very little on his mind except work. He was a strong, fit, healthy boy and knew his place among the people. He loved the dawn, loved to watch the blood-red sun drift steadily over the horizon. Sometimes, he ventured out early on his own to hide among the trees and watch the splendour unfold, watch as the burning crimson ball chased away the last vestiges of the night to bring its nourishing warmth to the land. It started out a good day. He joined with his family, his parents and his brothers, working their small plot of land near the coast of the big island of Hawaii. He enjoyed the digging and the fetching and carrying and the brief break they took to eat. When the sun was at its hottest, they took shelter, sitting under the trees and enjoying the stillness. They talked among themselves. Today, their father would meet the chief. Of course, they had met the chief many times. Sometimes, he worked among them. But, today, their father would be blessed with a great honour. Koa wasn’t entirely sure of the significance of it – something to do with their family plot – but it was a privilege, nonetheless. In the afternoon, Koa slipped away from his family and walked the forests for a while – he loved to walk – and sat for a while by a whispering stream with the sun dappling through the trees all around him, the sounds of the wildlife that teemed between them loud in his ears. Koa stretched out and slept for a short while and, by the time he awakened, the sun wasn’t so intense. The first sound he heard was a cry for help. Koa sat up so quickly his head span. He blinked, wiped his face. What am I hearing? What is that sound far away? It was angry, roaring, faint, but still an assault to the ears. It was the sound of many men fighting. Koa felt his stomach twist. In his fourteen years, he had been witness to several battles among the natives. He had seen white men come and go, some most recently during the season of Makahiki, the ancient Hawaiian New Year festival. He had seen internal fighting and friends slain and marauders arrive from other islands. It never ended well. Koa thought about his father, his older brothers. If there was a fight, they would be involved. His stomach clenched even harder. They were all vulnerable to attack; his entire family. Koa rose to his feet. He carried an axe. He staggered forward, legs like jelly. Images of his