She’d already filled her backpack with water and protein bars, but Rory snatched it from her before she could put it on. “I got this,” he told her firmly. You concentrate on finding the way.”
Machete in hand, she set off into the dark depths of the vegetation at the edge of the camp. Lincoln followed in her footsteps, while Rory held up the rear. He wanted to keep an eye on his boss, because he was behaving so erratically. They all wore headlamps, but those beams of light seemed so fragile compared to the endless darkness of the jungle.
Lincoln insisted on carrying the overnight bag, while Rory carried everything else. Despite all the crazy shit that had happened over the past few days, he still hadn’t mentioned the crystal—or whatever it was. He was still acting as if the med kit was just that, and not a hiding place for a mysterious glowing object. Rory wasn’t sure if he should tell Lincoln that he knew what was really in there. How would he explain it? Sorry, boss, I broke into your med kit and your briefcase, NDA be damned.
They hiked in silence except for the drip-drip of raindrops rolling off thick jungle leaves onto the next layer of foliage. Although it wasn’t currently raining, enough water had fallen from the sky over the past few hours that it was still dripping into the underbrush. The air was moist and cool, the scent of it both earthy and flowery.
Mathilda followed the trail most recently walked by Philip Phelps. But at a certain point, she diverged from that chaotic path.
“I know a better way,” she explained over her shoulder. “Less up and down, but we end at the same place. Fewer waterfalls, though. Of course if you want the scenic route…”
“This is fine.” Lincoln was already out of breath. Mathilda paused and gestured to Rory. “How about some water all around?”
He passed out water bottles and they all took a swig. Lincoln wiped the back of his hand across his forehead. He was sweating much more than Rory was, even though he wasn’t carrying anything besides the overnight bag.
Rory shared a glance of concern with Mathilda. The two of them would have a hard time carrying Lincoln out of the jungle if he couldn’t make it on his own two feet.
They needed to distract Lincoln from his fatigue and his limping gait, and as soon as they were underway again, Mathilda came through.
“Say Lincoln, I wonder if you know that there have been wild rumors flying around about you, even before your plane crashed.”
“Is that right? I deny everything.”
Good. He was in banter mode; excellent distraction.
“So you’re not planning to build a bunker on Maui to protect yourself and your friends from the potential collapse of civilization?”
“Oh, that rumor. I have to admit that one’s a little bit true.”
“A little bit?” Mathilda paused to hack at an especially dense thicket of prickly vine.
“The bunker already exists.” He slid a glance at Rory, who’d pulled up just behind him. “But I wouldn’t say that it’s mine. I’m involved in it. Nothing wrong with security in this day and age. That’s why we were headed to Maui.”
Rory didn’t believe him. Until he came clean about that crystal, he wouldn’t believe anything Lincoln said. “Then why all the secrecy? Just you and me on the plane. No assistants, no entourage. That’s not your usual MO.”
“Let’s just say it’s a controversial topic within the company. I wanted to keep the trip off the radar.”
Mathilda gestured for them to duck under the vine she’d cleared.
When they were back underway, Rory asked, “Did anyone else know we were going?”
“I didn’t tell anyone else, but they could have figured it out. Beth might have.” His executive assistant. “Tanner.” His second assistant. “Why are you asking?”
“Well, we did crash.”
“In a storm. Do you think it wasn’t just an accident?”
“Gotta wonder. Especially given that you got kidnapped afterwards.”
Lincoln nodded somberly. “It’s feeling like someone’s after me. ”
An ominous silence settled over them as they walked. Mathilda interrupted it with a cheery, “Not everyone. Those commandos wanted you alive, right? Otherwise they would have just killed you.”
“Great point,” Lincoln said gloomily. “I guess I’ll take it.”
“Did they say anything helpful while they had you?” Rory asked. “Do you know where they were going, or who they worked for?”
Lincoln swung at an insect careening into his headlamp. “I heard one of them say, ‘This handle-with-care shit is fucked. Too bad he wants him alive.’ I said, ‘Who wants me? What are they paying? I’ll double it.’”
