“Why don’t you try to mass produce it so it can benefit everyone?”
But before Lincoln could answer, he figured it out himself.
“Because you’d make too many enemies. This way, you don’t disrupt world markets. You get your money, your billionaire buddies get their safe haven, and the rest of us still have to pay our energy bills. Win-win-lose.”
“Look. What do you want from me, pilot Rory? Tanaka was trying to force me to sell the lab to him, is that what you want? You want to let the guys who beat us up win? I owe you, I’ll admit that. You’ve saved my life a few times now. If you want a spot in the bunker, I’ll make it happen. But we need to get a move on. So decide quick.”
“If I say ‘no’?”
“Not a problem, as long as you keep all this to yourself. You signed an NDA, and that’s good enough for me.”
Rory heard an undercurrent of something in his voice. “But…?”
“But I’m not the only stakeholder,” Lincoln admitted. “And the others don’t owe you anything.”
“Who else?”
Crazy question, obviously, based on Lincoln’s flexing jaw. He’d probably give up his own life rather than give away that information. “All I can say is that if you’re smart, you’ll forget any of this ever happened.”
Rory weighed his options, which didn’t seem plentiful at this point. He could stick with Lincoln and help him deliver planet-transforming technology to a select few of the world’s wealthiest individuals, while snagging himself a spot in a luxury survival bunker.
Or he could cut ties now, while he had maximum leverage because Lincoln’s memories of being saved from the brink of death were still fresh. On the upside, Rory’s conscience would be relatively clear. On the downside, he’d have to keep a world-changing secret.
“What about you? Will you be living in the bunker?” he asked Lincoln.
“Hell no. I think the whole thing is ridiculous. I only bought in so I could keep my tech safe.”
“So your sister is suing because…”
This time Lincoln answered that question. “Because she thinks the family ought to take priority over my lab. You think I want to be locked underground with my half-sister and the rest of the Kerr family, who all despise me, by the way? Fuck that. So? Make a decision?”
The tension in Lincoln’s body language screamed at Rory to make up his mind. His boss had places to go, money to make, secrets to retrieve.
As for Rory, all he had right now was his gut instincts. He’d just have to trust them.
“Here’s what I can offer,” he finally said. “I’ll stick with you until your security team arrives. But then I’m done. I don’t want to leave this resort until I know Mathilda’s okay. Instead of setting me up with a survival bunker, you let me walk away without paying back my signing bonus. Saving your life a few times ought to be worth a million dollars, right?”
Lincoln gave him a long stare, then nodded. “I can live with that. Now come on, help me call the team in Maui.”
Feeling a million pounds lighter, Rory joined him on the coral-lined path that led to the reception office. “Just curious, why do you need my help to call the team?”
“Because my phone is gone and I don’t know how to reach them. I don’t have their numbers.”
“My phone’s gone too.”
“You’ll figure it out. You’re very resourceful.” That grudging respect from Lincoln…Rory had to admit it meant a lot. “If you reconsider…”
“I won’t,” he said firmly. “Because you’re right. I am resourceful.” And from now on, he wanted to make sure his resourcefulness was in support of something he believed in.
Maybe meeting Mathilda had taught him that. Or maybe surviving everything that had happened since the crash had opened his eyes. Life was unpredictable. If the next crash took him out, he didn’t want it to happen while he was protecting a billionaire’s greedy hoarding.
It took a few phone calls to track down the chief of security waiting at the Maui Four Seasons for Lincoln’s call. The entire time, Rory itched to get back to the Wheelers’ cottage. He intended to warn them that they were about to be invaded by a team of security professionals who were going to take the place apart to find that crystal.
But what he really wanted—no, needed—was to see if Mathilda was feeling okay, and like herself again. Maybe she’d seemed normal to them, but not to him. He knew something wasn’t right with her.
As soon as Lincoln hung up the phone, Rory stuck out his hand. “We’re good?”
“We’re good.”
