Chapter 33
The helicopter descended into a clearing surrounded by tall palm trees and groves of banana trees, their fringed leaves whipping in the wind created by the chopper’s blades.
The clearing contained a number of wooden platforms with canopy tents perched on top. The most central platform held a yurt, which she assumed was where the cooking and the eating happened. On a clothesline strung between structures, laundry flapped wildly in the swirling air.
As the helicopter’s skids settled onto the ground, a woman hurried out of one of the tents. Her blond ponytail flew like a flag behind her. She shaded her eyes to see who was inside the metal beast descending on her peaceful camp.
Lincoln helped Zara out of the helicopter, grabbed their two backpacks, then signaled to the pilot to go ahead and take off.
“He’s not staying?” she asked Lincoln over the purr of the engine as the chopper rose back into the air.
“No. I have another job for him.”
The blond woman reached them, but she didn’t exactly look excited to see Lincoln. She planted her hands on her hips. “If you’re still looking for that damn crystal, you—”
“I’m not,” Lincoln said quickly. “I come in peace. I’m here to warn you and Rory, and everyone else who happens to be here. There’s trouble on the way. I didn’t want you to be caught off guard.”
The blond woman gave him another long stare.
Zara’s first impression was that her peaches-and-cream appearance didn’t match her inner machete-queen.
She wore shorts with work boots and a chambray shirt over a ribbed tank streaked with dirt.
In one hand she held a backpack with a dented tin water bottle and said machete strapped to it.
“Rory doesn’t want to talk to you,” she finally said. “And I’m about to go out in the field.”
Zara glanced curiously at Lincoln. This woman didn’t seem to be a huge fan of his.
“We really did come to warn you,” she told her.
“There’s no ulterior motive here. Well, except to avoid the Japanese crime lord who’s after us.
I’m Zara, by the way.” She strode forward and offered her hand to the woman.
“Mathilda,” she said warily. “How exactly do you know Lincoln?”
“I wouldn’t say I know him exactly,” Zara said blithely. “I’m still filling in the blanks. But I have good instincts about people. He’s been a great nanny to my younger siblings and that counts for a lot.”
Mathilda’s mouth fell open and her clear aqua gaze slid back to Lincoln. “A nanny?”
“A lot has changed since I crashed here,” he said dryly.
“Lincoln Log!” A booming male voice sounded from across the camp.
“I figured it had to be you. I see a plane, I think of you and hope it doesn’t crash in my damn jungle.
” A large Hawaiian man covered with tattoos emerged from the central yurt, drying his hands on a rag.
Without even looking, he tossed it onto the clothesline.
Zara’s eyes widened at his spectacular accuracy.
“Lincoln log?” Zara whispered to Lincoln.
“I told you I was in a coma,” he whispered back.
Unlike Mathilda, the Hawaiian guy didn’t seem at all suspicious of Lincoln. They pounded each other on the back and laughed together.
“Never thought I’d say this, Robert, but it’s good to be back.
” Lincoln waved an arm at their surroundings—the tall fringed palms, the thick tangle groves of hala and banana groves.
A light, flowery fragrance drifted through the camp; there must be a pikake blooming somewhere nearby.
A flock of chickens pecked at the dirt and a Myna bird squawked from its perch in one of the palm trees.
It was peaceful here, but at the same time, dynamic and bursting with life.
Including insect life. She slapped a mosquito on her arm.
“Who’s this?” Robert asked, looking her way.
Lincoln introduced her. “This is my friend Zara. I don’t know exactly how, but she got dragged into my mess.”
“Which is ironic, since generally I’m the messy one.” Zara’s light comment made everyone smile.
“I always thought Lincoln needed a little messing up.” A slender silver-haired woman strolled over to join them. The harvesting bag slung over her shoulder was filled with plant samples. She looked as if she’d just returned from a muddy walk.
“Sasha!” Lincoln flung open his arms, and the two hugged each other for so long Zara felt jealousy tighten her chest. She despised the whole concept of jealousy, so the feeling shocked her a bit.
Her philosophy had always been that if a guy wanted someone else, they should just go, and she would move on.
Was she actually getting attached to Lincoln? What a tremendously bad idea.
“Sasha saved my life,” Lincoln told Zara when their endless hug was finally over. “She’s the doctor here.”
“I did nothing, nature did it all.” Sasha beamed her smile at Zara. “Aren’t you a stunner.”
Zara changed her mind and decided that she quite liked Sasha, after all, especially now that Lincoln was back at her side, putting an arm around her shoulders.
“I really need to talk to Rory,” he told the group. “I promise I mean him no harm.”
“Hey, man.” They all turned to see a tall man with an odd resemblance to Lincoln himself saunter toward them.
Zara looked from one to the other, noting differences and similarities.
They both had dark hair and a lean build, but Lincoln’s eyes were a deeper green and the lines of his face were more stark.
They both showed the influence of an Asian parent.
And then there were the intangibles. Rory was just as good-looking as Lincoln, with an easy charm, but he didn’t call to her heart, or body for that matter, the way Lincoln did.
Chemistry was such a mystery. But then again, so was most of the universe.
The two men shook hands, both a bit wary. “I’m not here to make any trouble for you,” Lincoln said quickly. “I’m here to help.”
“Do I need help?” Rory asked dryly. “News to me.” He slung his arm around Mathilda’s shoulders and she nestled against him. They were adorable together, thought Zara. An aura of contentment surrounded them.
“You do. Some people are on their way here. You need to get out. I’m also hoping,” Lincoln eyed the others, “that we can talk privately.”
“Not without Mathilda,” Rory said promptly.
“Fine.”
“Or me,” Zara interjected. She waved at Rory. “Hi, I’m Zara, just a random concierge slash wannabe-lawyer slash fake-wealthy divorcée slash always-up-for-an-adventure tagalong.”
“She’s a lot more than that,” Lincoln said, laughing at Rory’s confounded expression.
Mathilda burst out with a deep belly laugh. “Lincoln, I swear I didn’t know you had it in you. Zara, I adore you already. Come on, let’s go to my tent so we can talk in private.” She turned to address the others. “Spread the word that we need to evacuate the camp tonight.”
Everyone else scattered, and Rory and Mathilda led the way to a wooden platform at the farthest edge of the encampment.
“Where will everyone go?” Zara asked.
“We have an emergency backup plan for situations like this. Ever since Lincoln last graced us with his presence, we decided we needed one.” Mathilda unzipped a mosquito screen and ushered them into the large tent set up under the white canopy.
The tent would have been stuffy without the screened window flaps, which were open. As an added layer of protection, a mosquito net attached to a hook in the canopy was tucked around the queen-sized bed. A bright green gecko clung to the filmy netting.
A simple desk made from two sawhorses and a piece of plywood sat in one corner. On it, a laptop stood open, along with a mobile Wi-Fi device.
“You’ve upgraded, I see,” said Lincoln. “You have internet now?”
“Believe me, it’s controversial.” Rory offered up a wry smile. “But I needed it. They held a group meeting and eventually gave the go-ahead. It’s probationary, but already Bjorn and Cody have dropped in for super-secret research requests.”
“Everyone here is a scientist,” Mathilda told Zara, as she set down her backpack. “This camp is kind of a base for all kinds of field work, which doesn’t usually require the internet. But once it’s here, why not use it when you need to?”
Scientists. Zara felt new respect for the motley crew of folks she’d seen so far.
“How much time do we have?” Rory asked Lincoln, getting down to business.
“Probably at least half a day. They’re on foot from Waipi’o.”
“Do you know what they’re after? We don’t have the crystal.”
“I don’t know for sure. I have my theories. I’d like to see what you’ve got on there.” He gestured to the laptop. “I know about your memes. I’ve been monitoring them online.”
They locked eyes in a standoff. Zara picked up suspicion on both sides. Clearly there was tons of history there, and she didn’t know all of it. Maybe the two men needed to work out a few things on their own. “Mathilda, would you mind showing me the bathroom, if there is such a thing around here?”
Mathilda nodded, clearly picking up on her assessment of the situation. “It’s not a room, and there’s no bath, but it does the job. Follow me.”
They ducked out of the tent. “You boys play nice,” Mathilda called as she zipped the tent behind her. A startled hen skittered away with a loud squawk.
“Should we post a guard in there to keep things civil?” Zara asked.
“No need. Lincoln seems…different.” She shot Zara a speculative glance. “You must be a good influence on him.”
Zara laughed. “If so, that would be a first. I’m usually the one in trouble.”
“Come on, you can tell me more while I pack up some evacuation supplies.”