Page 19 of Just My Luck

He stepped toward the tree so he was standing directly under the boy. “Eddie, have you ever seen a picture of a sloth?”

“What?” The kid was sounding more and more breathless. He might run out of energy any moment.

“Sloths like to hang upside down from the branch. What happens when you try to roll over? Does that hurt too?”

“I don’t know. I’m afraid. I don’t want to fall.”

“That’s okay if you fall. I’m going to catch you. I’m right under you, can you tell? If you scoot over to your side, whichever way doesn’t hurt, you can let go of the branch. Go ahead, give it a try.”

It took a bit more coaxing, but finally Eddie tried rolling to his right side. “Ow! That hurts.”

“Try it the other direction.” That hurt too, and Eddie started to whimper.

“Hey hey,” Lincoln called to him. “We’ll figure something else out, okay? You hear me? I’m not going anywhere until you’re down from that tree.”

He hoped his shift supervisor, Raoul, hadn’t noticed the silence of his leaf blower. If he didn’t get all the hales done before check-in time, he could get fired. Raoul had been itching to get rid of him anyway, since he had a friend he wanted to bring onto the staff in Lincoln’s place.

He shaded his eyes to see what Eddie was doing now. His position had shifted on the branch. Instead of rolling sideways, he was inching forward, toward the end of the branch.

“Stop,” Lincoln said urgently. “Don’t go any further because⁠—”

Too late. With a terrifying crack, the branch broke halfway down its length. Eddie pitched toward the ground in a flurry of splintered wood and leafy confusion. It all came directly toward Lincoln’s head. He flinched away to avoid getting a face full of leaves, but kept his eyes open a slit so he could track Eddie’s fall. Where was he? A moment of panic when he thought he’d lost him. Then…there he was, heading straight for the ground just a step away.

Lincoln dove forward to catch the boy in his arms, then felt something hit his head. Then…nothing.

9

Big Joe had been trying to catch Zara’s attention all afternoon, but she’d been swamped at the concierge desk thanks to a storm warning. A Kona low was forecast to hit the islands over the next few days, and that meant that, for once, the “dry side” was going to get the brunt of the rain, wind, and high surf.

The waves were already picking up and several of the guests’ boating and surfing trips had been canceled. Her job was to find alternatives for them.

Finally, Big Joe swung by the concierge desk at a moment when she was gulping down an iced tea rather than checking on coffee farm tours and jungle adventures.

“Been wanting to tell you something,” he said, not taking the time for the usual preamble of chitchat. “Remember that weird Japanese dude with the sunglasses that we saw in hale twelve?”

“Yeah. Hard to forget that.” Her eyes widened. “Did you see him again?”

“Sure did. Not here,” he added quickly. “I was picking up a buddy over at the Kona Queen. Saw him doing security for a VIP and his family.”

“Was it Lincoln Kerr? That’s who he said he was working for.”

“Nah, bro. I asked my buddy and he said it was Kendo Tanaka. He’s on vacation with his family.”

“Who’s Kendo Tanaka?”

“You don’t know Tanaka? Scary dude. Kind of a crime boss, is what they say.”

She shuddered. “I guess it’s a good thing our security didn’t meet his standards.”

“It’s funny because their security is a joke compared to ours. And why did the guy say he worked for Lincoln Kerr?” Big Joe shrugged his massive shoulders. “Seems sketch as fuck. I took a photo and gave it to the guard shack so they’ll tell me if that dude comes back.”

“That’s smart. Hey, could you send it to me, too?”

“Sure. I’ll need your number.”

Darn it. She sighed and put it into his phone. A moment later, her phone pinged with a photo and an emoji of a flower bouquet. “Thanks, Big Joe. Hey, have you seen that new gardener?”

In all the busyness of the afternoon, she hadn’t once caught a glimpse of Jim since she’d asked him to check on Eddie. Maybe no news was good news, but it still seemed odd.