Page 86 of Just My Luck

“Here it is.” She brought it to Tanaka, who gestured for her to hand it to one of the guards.

“Open it,” he told the man. Another wave touched his shoes, but he ignored it.

It took the guard a few moments to unwrap the burlap and reveal the tin. The brightly colored image of a mango looked almost cartoonish on his big palm. He pried the lid off and there was the chip, glinting in the sunlight.

“Ah.” Tanaka smiled in satisfaction. “Give it to me.”

The man passed the opened tin to Tanaka. He gazed at it avariciously. Lincoln knew that feeling. He probably looked like that when he was around the CHUM crystal. Or he had, when all he’d seen was dollar signs. But that time was long gone.

Another wave crashed onto the beach and sent a shimmering wash of water toward them. This one had more force to it, enough to send a splash right across Tanaka’s shoes. With a jolt of surprise, he shifted his focus from his hand to his feet.

The tin tipped out of his hand, glinting in the light.

A moment later, it sailed back down the beach on the retreating wave and into the ocean.

“Get it,” Tanaka yelled at his guards in Japanese. The two of them went charging into the water, stumbling over rocks, then jabbing their hands into the surf in hopes of snagging the little tin.

Beside him, Lincoln heard Zara’s intake of breath, almost a giggle, or a prayer.

A few minutes later, the guards, now sopping wet, trudged back up the sand, empty-handed.

From the look on Tanaka’s face, two more guards were about to get fired. Either that, or given lethal orders out of sheer fury.

Lincoln felt adrenaline run through him, followed by ice—the same thing that happened during business negotiations. Start talking, Lincoln ordered himself. Keep your cool. “There you go, Tanaka. It’s gone, so you don’t have to worry about me reverse-engineering it. That’s what you wanted to prevent, right? The ocean has it now. No one else. Not me, not anyone.”

“I ought to have you shot right here and now,” Tanaka growled, beside himself at being outmaneuvered by a wave.

He might, thought Lincoln. Tanaka still had the advantage over them. The guards were already fumbling for their guns, ready for his command.

“Look, how about a gesture of goodwill.” Lincoln spread open his hands. “Even if we aren’t partners, I think I can offer you something you’ll appreciate, maybe even more than that little chip.”

Tanaka gestured for the guards to stand down. “Talk.”

“You mentioned some, ah, dissatisfaction with your heirs. Maybe they just need a little more time to get up to speed. Which means that you need more time. Have you explored the field of longevity? It’s a real growth industry, extremely lucrative and quite effective. I had an entire department focused on it at Higher Ground. You can have all of that research, everything that Higher Ground has developed, which I can personally vouch for. You could extend your lifespan beyond what you ever imagined possible. Just ask my father. He’s taken advantage of some of our discoveries.”

He caught the twitch in the corner of Tanaka’s mouth and knew he’d scored a direct hit. Tanaka wouldn’t want KiYun Chun living longer than him. Why not use that endless feud to his advantage? And if Tanaka’s sons were so useless, why shouldn’t he try to live as long as possible?

“Very well,” Tanaka said, grudgingly. “I accept. You can live.”

He jerked his head toward the guards and they all turned as one unit and marched away up the beach, toward the black SUV that had brought them here.

44

Zara was so relieved she felt almost dizzy. She collapsed against Lincoln, grateful for the steady thump of his heartbeat.

“So that’s what a high-stakes negotiation feels like,” she murmured. “And I thought Mia was tough.”

His arms came around her. “Are you okay, my love?”

“I think so. My heart is still hammering. That is one terrifying man.”

“Yes, but he’s gone now. You were absolutely incredible. The way you kept your cool and made him call off our deal…” He lifted her chin in his hand. “I was trying to keep you out of this to protect you.”

“I hope you learned your lesson,” she said lightly, even though she deeply appreciated the thought. “I generally don’t like other people making decisions for me.”

“Message received, I promise.” His gaze caught sight of someone behind her, and his eyes darkened. “Maureen. Are you sure it was a good idea to bring her into this?”

“I probably should have consulted you, but you did abandon me in the middle of the jungle.” She winked at him, giddy with the opportunity to tease him again. What if those scary guards had lost their tempers?