Jamie stepped forward and folded his arms across his chest. “You two have a lot of nerve. You barge in here out of nowhere and now you’re accusing us of theft? Who are you, anyway? Why do care so much about some stupid jewel?”
In a show of support, Duncan stepped to Jamie’s side. “Maybe it’s time you all leave now. The Wheeler family needs some privacy.”
Mathilda caught Rory’s eye, and nearly laughed again at his befuddled expression. Of all the challenges he’d faced since crashing, her family was probably right up there near the top.
“It’s okay, everyone.” She waved her arms to get her family’s attention. “Lincoln and Rory are friends of mine. Well, Rory is, and Lincoln’s his boss, even though at first Rory said it was the other way around and that he was Lincoln…” This wasn’t helping. “Anyway, they’re looking for something important.”
“What is it?”
“It’s…I don’t know what it is, but it looks exactly how they described it. It had a kind of glow to it, it’s clear but has a bluish tinge to it. And it vibrates a little.”
“I don’t care for blue.” Charlotte gave a disdainful shudder. “Or vibrators. And why are two grown men searching for a crystal? Are you New Age influencers of some sort?”
Lincoln’s face was turning an ominous shade of red, although that could be because of the bruising. It was hard to tell. “Mrs. Wheeler?—”
“Oh, do call me Charlotte. Or Charlotte Spencer-Sutton Wheeler if it’s for anything official.”
“No, thank you,” Lincoln said stiffly. “We’re talking about proprietary intellectual property that could lead to disaster in the wrong hands. This is not a joke or a game. If you have it?—”
“Why on earth would I have it, when I already said I didn’t?” Charlotte cast a pleading glance at her husband, who sat up straighter and scowled at Lincoln.
At least, Mathilda knew it was a scowl, but it probably looked more like a mild frown to Lincoln. Mark Wheeler was no scowler.
“I do believe it’s time for the two of you to leave the premises,” Duncan declared. He and Jamie moved in unison to herd Rory and Lincoln toward the door. “We have important family business to conduct here and you lot are making it all about you.”
Rory and Lincoln both stood their ground, refusing to budge. “This is a very serious situation,” Lincoln said sternly. “I’ll give you a million dollars for that crystal.”
“You think we need money?” Jamie gave Lincoln an aggressive shove, causing him to stumble backwards.
Mathilda gasped, wanting to cry out, to tell everyone to stop fighting. But she couldn’t catch her breath.
Duncan looked her way, then yelled, “Get out, you’re upsetting my fiancée!”
No, that wasn’t it. Where was her voice? Why couldn’t she say or do anything? She caught Rory’s eye, desperate to communicate with him. Make it stop. Don’t let anyone get hurt.
Rory’s expression shifted as he understood her unspoken plea. Giving up on the battle, he yanked Lincoln by the arm and dragged him toward the door. Lincoln fought back, but Rory was stronger, and a moment later they were halfway out the door.
But wait…was she ever going to see Rory again? She wanted to go with him, be with him, now and forever.
She took a step forward, but the cottage spun around her. “Rory,” she said weakly.
But no one heard her. Maybe she hadn’t even said it out loud. She wasn’t sure of anything anymore. Except that sleep, deep dark sleep, felt like the only answer.
31
Expelled from the Wheelers’ cottage, Rory and Lincoln stumbled into the grassy courtyard, now filled with the eerie yellow light provided by a backup power system. The shadowy figures of hotel staffers flitted to and fro as they delivered flashlights and LED candles to the various cottages. The helicopter they’d commandeered still perched where they’d left it, right in the middle of the courtyard.
Lincoln grabbed one of the passing staffers and asked to use his cell phone.
“Sorry, dude, there’s no point. All the cell towers are down.”
“Dude?” Lincoln muttered to Rory. “I’ve never been called dude before. I usually get ‘sir.’”
“That’s the first sign of a complete breakdown in the social order, being called ‘dude’ instead of ‘sir,’” Rory said dryly. He was in no mood for a billionaire tantrum. Everything felt flat and meaningless right now. He’d reached Mathilda too late. She was engaged to Duncan, and who could blame her? Duncan Aberdeen seemed like a decent guy trying to protect his soon-to-be family. And then there was the massive fortune and the aristocratic title.
Who could compete with all that?
“If the towers are down, we need a landline,” said Lincoln. “I need to call my team in Maui.”
