Chapter 21
Lincoln was so wired by everything that had happened over the past day that he had trouble sleeping. As he watched the rain slash against the window, he was hyperaware of the fact that Zara was tucked into the bedroom next to his.
Had she forgiven him? He didn’t think so. There was still something in her eyes, a reserve that hadn’t been there before. He wouldn’t blame her for walking away. Instead, she was throwing herself wholeheartedly into the CHUM hunt.
She really was one of a kind.
And now he was going to get more time with her, as her manny. Was that why he’d agreed to her insane plan?
Just between himself and the storm outside, probably. The chances of them learning anything seemed minuscule. But maybe he could win back her trust by being the best manny she’d ever had. That would make it all worthwhile, so long as everyone stayed safe.
Before he drifted off, he decided to check in with his people. He reached for his laptop and propped it on his stomach.
Only one message had come in, but it was a doozy. It came from the head of his IT department.
We’ve traced the ‘free power’ memes to Rory Baker. What do you want us to do?
Ah hell. He respected Rory. The pilot had saved his life, and besides that, he just plain liked him.
During their time in the jungle, they’d formed a bond.
He knew what Rory was up to…he was trying to get the word out about the CHUM because he didn’t want a small group of billionaires to control it.
Fair enough, but he was under an NDA.
Nothing, for now, Lincoln wrote back. Just find him and track his movements.
His tech lead answered immediately. He’s at Nahele Camp.
So Rory had gone back to the research camp where they’d been taken after their plane had crashed. He’d gone back to where he’d met Mathilda.
With Mathilda Wheeler? That would be handy; he could question both of them. She was still at the top of his list to interrogate when he had the time.
No, she’s not there.
Interesting. Was Rory looking for the CHUM in the jungle? Nah. How could it have gotten back there from Kona? No, Rory was there for Mathilda, probably waiting for her return.
Keep me posted, he finally typed. And get some sleep.
He could sense the man’s shock in his brief, Yes sir.
Lincoln set his laptop back on the nightstand.
Rory didn’t have the CHUM. If he did, he wouldn’t be spreading those memes around the Internet.
Mathilda probably didn’t have it either.
If she did, Rory would be putting her in danger by activating the curious conspiracy theorists of the world. He would never do that.
But to be completely sure, Lincoln would have to go back to the jungle and interrogate Rory. Which he would do, after he’d resolved this Tanaka situation. He needed to know what the man was up to.
A random thought occurred to him. What if Tanaka was just here to vacation with his family?
He chuckled at the thought. As if Tanaka ever did anything without a hidden agenda or three.
Still amused, he finally dropped off to sleep. And dreamed.
He dreamed that he was flying above a jungle with strong sweeps of his arms. He could fly!
He’d always known he could fly, and now it was confirmed.
He couldn’t wait to tell the world, but for now, it was pure exhilaration to swoop down a few inches above the treetops, then soar high again.
At the edge of the jungle, he reached the ocean and flew over the waves.
The wind was steady under his body, and he knew it would never let him down.
Until a shark emerged from the water’s surface, its jaws wide enough to swallow him whole, and he was falling toward it, falling, falling, and he was aging backwards, a youth, then a boy, then a…
He woke up with a start, beads of sweat dotting his forehead. These damn dreams. That damn coma. Would he ever get back to normal again?
Outside his window, the rain had eased, but the skies were still gray and turbulent. Kona lows could linger for days, he’d heard.
And then, like a bolt of sunshine, he remembered. Zara was here. Warmth and excitement rushed through him. She was right next door with her wild hair and her bright smile. And her little sister.
He pulled on some sweats and hurried out of his room, feeling like a little kid at Christmas.
Zara and Mia had pulled the couch over to the big plate-glass window that faced the ocean.
Holding coffee cups, they both sat on the back of the couch for a better view.
They were saying things like “right-facing” and “twenty-foot swells” and “it’s firing hard,” occasionally oohing over an especially spectacular wave.
He watched them for a moment, soaking in the feeling of company.
So much better than isolation, which had been his natural habitat for so long.
Zara’s hair tumbled down her back in kinky waves that she hadn’t tried to comb out yet.
She was wearing the same clothes from yesterday—loose wide-legged pants and a V-necked tee with a stylized hibiscus flower—but they were dry now.
He admired the shape of her back and the delicate flare of her hips as she perched on the back of the couch.
He cleared his throat, and she turned abruptly, nearly losing her balance. Mia grabbed her to keep her from tumbling off the couch.
“Hey,” she said cheerfully. “We helped ourselves to coffee pods, hope that’s okay.”
“Of course.” Her fresh face, her honey eyes, that sky’s-the-limit smile, it all hit him somewhere in the solar plexus.
“Thanks for letting us stay here,” said Mia. Without any of her black makeup, he saw now that she had a kitten-ish face with a dimple when she smiled. “This is the nicest place I’ve ever stayed, like, by far.”
“No problem.” Wanting coffee, he walked over to the kitchenette. He wasn’t in the habit of making his own, but he tried his best, and it turned out to be pretty simple.
When he joined Zara and Mia on the couch—the actual couch, not the back, so as not to tip it over—they all clicked their mugs together. “Here’s to the waves,” said Zara. “We’re happy one landed us here.”
“So am I. How’s Eddie doing?”
“Happy as a clam. He loves it at Marley’s. They eat a lot of macaroni salad, which is his favorite. Apparently I can never make it quite right.”
“That’s because you don’t use half a jar of mayo every time,” said Mia. “Because you care about ‘health’ and ‘nutrition.’” She used air quotes as emphasis.
“Not that much, apparently.” She swirled the coffee in her mug, and Lincoln saw it was nearly beige from all the cream she’d added.
“So I was thinking, Lincoln,” she smiled at the way that sounded, “that Mia should be part of our upcoming adventure after all. It’s always helpful to have a moody teenager along. ”
Mia made a face at her.
Lincoln thought about it. The more distraction from himself, the better. He didn’t want Tanaka to recognize him until he chose to confront him.
“We can do that. Everything is already in motion. I gave the orders last night—scheduled them,” he corrected. “I can amend them to include Mia.”
“Great. She might draw the line at a makeover, though.”
“No need. Moody teenager works just fine.”
“Is someone going to explain all this to me?” Mia complained. “Or am I just a prop?”
Zara and Lincoln exchanged a glance. “We’re just helping Lincoln out with some light espionage,” Zara said.
“A business competitor of his is staying at the Kona Queen. All we have to do is stay at the second-best resort in Kona and act like the dysfunctional family we are. Except I’ll be the mother and Lincoln here will be the manny. ”
“The manny?” Mia laughed so hard she actually fell off the back of the couch and onto the cushions, then from there onto the floor, where she hooted with uncontrollable howls of laughter. Lincoln reached down a hand to help her up, but Zara waved him off.
“Give her a second,” she murmured.
“Who…is ever…going to believe…that he’s our manny?” gasped Mia. “He always acts like he’s never even seen kids before.”
Lincoln sipped his coffee calmly. “Laugh all you want,” he told her, “but there’s a hundred-dollar bill in it for you if you get up off that floor in the next ten seconds.”
“Oh my God. Just for the record,” Zara said, shaking her head, once Mia was back on the couch and holding out her hand for the cash. “That is terrible mannying technique. Don’t ever ask me for a reference.”
His lips twitched in a smile, and so did hers. Boy, did he love it when her face lit up with amusement like that.