Page 77 of Just My Luck

“What are you up to, Lincoln?” Rory asked furiously. “What deal are you talking about?”

“The kind that keeps you alive.”

Of course Rory would have questions. He had every right to. But Lincoln didn’t want to reveal any more than that. He schooled his face to reveal nothing; he had to hope Rory would trust him.

“What about you?” Rory demanded. “They beat you to a pulp last time. I’m pretty sure those same guys are on that boat itching to do it again.”

“They can.” Lincoln raised his voice. “But the last thing Tanaka wants is for me to die. My death would mean my father would get Higher Ground and everything it has developed. Did you hear that?” he called to the guard. “KiYun Chun will get everything. Make sure Tanaka understands.”

A few interminable moments later, the guard released Rory and gave him a little shove toward Lincoln. Lincoln stepped forward, still keeping his hands in the air to prove he wasn’t trying to torpedo this exchange.

“Keep everyone safe,” he murmured to Rory as they passed each other.

“Don’t sell us out,” Rory growled in response. “Don’t be a fucking billionaire. This is bigger than that.”

“I get it. Trust me.”

Their gazes held. He still couldn’t tell if Rory believed him, and he couldn’t blame Rory for that. His track record wasn’t great, but there was only one way to change that trajectory.

“Tell Zara…” Lincoln shook his head, not sure anything he wanted to say was appropriate.

“Whatever it is, you can tell her yourself as soon as you get back.” Rory gave him a smile, lopsided from some minor swelling. “I gotta say, being in love looks good on you. Now where’s the quickest way up?”

Lincoln pointed out the trail, then limped toward the guards, who were yelling at him impatiently. He did what they said and climbed into the Zodiac as soon as it was able to beach, if you could call it that. More accurately, it got wedged between two rocks a few feet from shore while the guard beckoned for him to get in.

At least the salty ocean water felt good on his bloody feet. Who was the goddess of the ocean again, Pele’s sister? Nāmaka, he remembered. Just in case, he muttered a quick prayer to her as the Zodiac skidded across the waves toward the high-powered yacht awaiting them.

38

When Rory appeared at the edge of the cliff, dirty and breathless, Zara held her breath, hoping that Lincoln would be right behind him. Mathilda ran to Rory, who caught her in his arms.

“You’re bleeding!” she cried.

“Yes, can someone run me a hot bath?” he said dryly. His gaze met Zara’s and he gave a little shake of his head to her unspoken question. “Lincoln’s out there making some kind of deal with Tanaka. I was deal point number one, apparently.”

“I am never going to say a bad word about Lincoln again,” Mathilda swore. “He’s my new hero. After you, of course.” She peppered Rory’s face with kisses.

Zara’s stomach clenched. Lincoln was all alone with a whole crew of armed thugs working for Tanaka. He’d sacrificed himself for Rory, which, okay, maybe it was heroic, but it was also crazy. After all this, he’d just handed himself over.

And she’d let him go without telling him how she felt about him. Maybe she hadn’t even known how she felt about him until now. And now—it could be too late.

Rory saw her face. “Lincoln will be okay,” he reassured her, but she could hear in his voice that he wasn’t sure of that himself. “I’m sure he’s made provisions in case the worst happens.”

Zara flinched. The worst?

Rory saw his error immediately. “What I mean is, he has a plan and probably a backup plan or several. Lincoln is very smart and very determined. He has nerves of steel. I’ve never seen him sweat in a negotiation. He’s impossible to read and impossible to outmaneuver.”

Impossible to read? She didn’t find him so. Maybe that’s how the outer world saw him, but she didn’t. Not anymore. She exhaled a long breath. Freaking out now wouldn’t help Lincoln.

“What do we do now?” she asked. Suddenly she felt very alone. She’d just met all these people yesterday. Lincoln had brought her here; without him, what was she even doing here in the jungle?

The rest of the crew was already packing up their tents. “We go back to Nahele,” Rory told her. “See what kind of damage they did there. Make sure…” He didn’t finish that sentence, but Zara knew what he meant. Make sure they hadn’t found the laptop he’d hidden.

The trek back to the camp took a couple of hours, since they were all moving more slowly after that rough night. Zara spent the whole time worrying about Lincoln. Only occasionally did the beauty of her surroundings break through. Once, when an achingly graceful white bird with long tail feathers soared overhead—a white tropicbird, Mathilda told her. They were usually seen over the Kilauea caldera, but occasionally elsewhere.

Another time, she nearly bonked her head against a hard, lumpy fruit that looked like a small sack of potatoes. It was growing from the trunk of a tree, and Sasha told her it was a jackfruit.

“Zara found breakfast,” Sasha called to the crew. “Or it found her.”