Chapter 30
This sense of deep satisfaction was something Lincoln had never felt before—and it wasn’t because of the intense orgasm he experienced when Zara straddled him and rolled a condom over his erection.
That was great. Mind-blowing. No doubt. When he’d emptied himself inside her sleek body, he’d known he’d move heaven and earth for the opportunity to do that again, and again, and again, however many times she wanted to.
But the real gratification came from that blissed-out look on her face, the heady glow in her honey-gold eyes, the softening of all her muscles as she draped herself over him.
Pleasing Zara, that was his new mission in life, he thought whimsically. Suck it, CHUM. This is a lot more fun. They lay entwined in each other’s arms, dawn lightening the sky outside. He didn’t want to move, ever. He wanted the rest of time to be just like this.
Okay, so he might still be a bit stoned. But he was thinking clearly enough to know there were too many balls in the air for him to hide out in Zara’s arms forever.
“I know what the chip is, the one that Mia found at hale twelve. It’s a trigger.”
“A trigger? I thought you said rigger.”
“I was very out of it, okay?” he grumbled, making her laugh. “But not too out of it to remember what your dad told me. Tanaka sprung him from prison so he could search the house for that chip.”
“Why not just search it themselves?”
“Tanaka doesn’t like to show his hand at first. He probably thought this would be more subtle.”
“Clearly, he doesn’t know my dad.” Zara laughed. “But it’s true that no one would report seeing my father walk into his own house.”
“Exactly. If he couldn’t find it, his next move was going to be to cozy up to you. He didn’t want to make trouble for you, which is why he was looking for his go bag to sneak away to Bermuda.”
She sighed. “Good old Lucky Lou. The crazy thing is, I’m sure he’ll come out of this okay. He always does.”
“So he said.” He sure hoped it was true. Oddly enough, he’d warmed up to the guy.
“How did they know I was connected to that chip?” Zara asked. “The trigger, I mean.”
“I don’t know. My guess? The chip is made from something that reacts to the material the CHUM is made from.
That’s what makes it a trigger. The CHUM probably magnifies it, the way it does with electrical signals.
That guard brought it to the Royal Leilani to see if that reaction would get triggered so he could locate the CHUM.
It was probably Nathan’s idea, which is why his father is so mad at him.
When the guard lost the chip, they must have narrowed down who might have interacted with it.
They’re probably going through a list and now you’re up. ”
“Well, my dad didn’t find it, so they’ll back off, right? Does Dad have any idea how dangerous it is?” He could hear the worry in her voice.
“No, he thinks it’s a chance to get money from a bunch of billionaires, along with whatever investors I can line up from my client list.”
“Your client list?”
“I’m now a gigolo, remember?”
Hooting with laughter, she sat up in bed. With her hair shining deep russet in the morning light, she took his breath away. “How did I never think of that one? Well, big boy, let me be the first to tell you that you would make a fortune as a gigolo. Another fortune,” she added with an impish smile.
He grabbed her and swung her down next to him, then buried his face in her soft, damp neck.
Still sweaty from their romp; he loved that.
“I could nibble on you forever, but we have to decide what to do next. You can’t go back to the house.
I don’t trust your dad, although I kind of like him.
I think we’ve learned all we can from our time stalking Tanaka.
His security is so tight we’re not going to get anything else.
And there’s a chance someone followed us and they now know we’re not Zaharina Morgan and her manny.
It might not be safe to stay here, either. ”
She was quiet for a moment, her face shadowed. If only he didn’t have to bring reality into this magical time with her. “You said something about Rory when you were babbling in the shower.”
Yes! That was it, one of the missing pieces.
“Right. Rory Baker, my former pilot, probably knows more than anyone about what’s going on with the CHUM.
He’s been posting about it anonymously for a few weeks, trying to spread awareness.
Someone hacked into Kerr Enterprises and shared a meme about the CHUM.
It referenced something called ‘the Crystal Collective.’ Rory may know about that group, in fact he might even be connected to them.
He went off the grid after the power outage in Kona, but I’m pretty sure I know where he is. ”
“You trust him even though he might have hacked into your company?”
“It’s not mine anymore, and yes, I do trust him. I know what his goal is, he’s always been straight about that. He wants to make the CHUM tech available to everyone.”
“Hm, I like him already. Let’s call him up.”
“Not so easy. There’s no cell service there, not even a satellite phone. I believe he’s at the Nahele Research camp in one of the Seven Valleys.”
“Hmm….road trip?” She arched an eyebrow at him.
“There’s no road.”
“No road, no cell service. Sounds like a pretty good place to hide out, if you ask me.”
“We wouldn’t be hiding out,” he corrected. “We’d be trying to find out everything Rory knows. He might have learned something about this trigger and Tanaka’s weaponization plans.”
“Speaking of which, I guess I should mention…” She crawled out of bed and reached for her hoodie, which she’d thrown over the back of a chair.
Riveted by the graceful sway of her naked body, he barely noticed what was in the hand she extended toward him.
“I found Mia’s good luck charm. AKA the trigger. ”