Charles Daniels was the chief financial officer of PeopleMover when they went public and has since had a part in a half dozen startups. He’s financially secure, and his girls are secure. I wish his oldest were kinder to Katrina, but I’m sure there’s a lot going on at home, particularly now with Christina in jail.
“Oh, Christina,” says Jackson. “She’s a trip. She told the police that I got her pregnant after we went out once, and it was only drinks. They went after me hard at first, thinking I might have been behind Cecelia’s murder because she was mad things didn’t work out between me and her friend.”
My jaw drops. “Wait. She told the police you got her pregnant?”
He nods. “You know how Cecelia wanted everyone around her to find the happiness you had?”
I cock my head. “She did try to play matchmaker, but I can’t imagine anyone being a good fit for Christina.”
Corrine snorts.
“What about Mia Couture?” I ask her. “Is she a donor to the foundation?”
“She’s a big donor. She gives almost three billion a year. She tries to keep her assets at about ten billion, so anything beyond that she donates.”
“She could start her own foundation, like Viviana Prentis.”
Corrine’s eyes grow big. “Mia always says she doesn’t want the headache, and she loves what we do. But I wasn’t aware that Viviana had a foundation.”
I shrug. “I guess she invests in future tech. I went by her incubator earlier today. It’s next door to Landon’s, and I walked in the wrong building.”
Corrine’s head tilts. “I wasn’t aware that she was investing in any companies.” She exchanges a look with Jackson.
“What am I missing?” I ask.
“I won the Maui estate from Viviana,” Jackson says. “Some of the things we’ve found since then don’t add up. The house needed significant repairs, which I oversaw while living there for six months.”
“And she’s not an active member of Women in Tech,” Corrine adds. “She just shows up for the social parts. I’m just not convinced she has the money everyone thinks she does.”
I have a dozen more questions, but the girls arrive and we need to get going. Trevor joins us in the helicopter. Once we’re buckled in and airborne, I can hear him over my headset. The girls are having a separate conversation over their headsets.
Trevor turns from the front seat and looks at me. “The house in Sausalito had a major breach this afternoon.”
“Are you fucking with me?”
He shakes his head. “Eight-man assault team. We’re not sure what they were looking for, but they did get into the house.”
“What the hell?”
“They came from the west side and repelled down the cliffs. There was a gunfight, and one was injured and left behind.”
“Where is he? Does the FBI know?”
“Yes, they are aware. He was injured in the leg, and he’s at North Bay Hospital with four armed police guards.”
Did I cause this when I went to Surtest and ran into Viviana?
Staring out at the City below me, I wonder where Lilly could be. What if Viviana gets to her before we do? She’s not safe.
“Can you make sure Jim and your team are doing everything they can to look for Lilly? I’m really worried about her.”
Trevor gives me a thumbs up. “Jim’s assigned Gage to it personally. My team is ready to be dispatched as soon as we find something out.”
The girls watch a movie during the flight, but I can tell they’re frightened. I move to sit between them, and they both cuddle up closely.
“We’re going to get through this. I promise.”
“I love you, Daddy,” Bex says.
“I love you, too,” Katrina wraps her arm across my chest and hugs me.
“I don’t think I could have made it through these last few years without you two,” I tell them. “There are no words to describe how much I love you.”
The movie plays, but it’s hard to pay attention to it, and the five-hour flight into Maui seems twice as long.
At one point, Trevor motions to me, and I extricate myself from the girls.
“What’s up?”
“The FBI was able to talk to the guy in the hospital. Well, they tried. He isn’t a great communicator. They brought in a Russian translator, and he was clear he had nothing real to say. There isn’t any threat we have that scares him. He had no visible tattoos, but with a blacklight they did find several done with invisible ink.”
My heart stops. “What did they determine?”
“The FBI doesn’t know a ton about them, but they appear to tie him to a crime group more vicious than anything else they’ve seen. It’s called the Tredivyatoye Tsarstvo, and it has a global reach.”
“Does the name point us anywhere?”
“It loosely translates to Royal Dynasty.”
“Great. That sounds like a rabbit hole for the FBI to fall into,” I say.
It’s almost dinnertime when we land on Maui, and I’m sure the girls are getting hungry. Hopefully that won’t translate to crabby before I can get them some food. As the convoy of vehicles arrives at the estate, I’m reminded of my last visit here. This was the first poker tournament we had outside of Las Vegas and the first after Cecelia’s death. That long weekend was a blur. My friends were amazing and made sure I was comfortable and never excluded—and it was here that I discovered Corrine. She’s been wonderful about stepping in and taking care of the Foundation.
A large Hawaiian woman dressed in a muumuu is at the door as we arrive. “Aloha, Mr. Lancaster. Welcome back to Halona Moana Estate. I’m Leilani Palakiko, the majordomo and chef.”
I reach in and give her a quick hug. “Leilani, it’s wonderful to see you again. Let me introduce you to my daughters. This is Katrina and Rebekah, but we call her Bex.”
“So wonderful to meet you two. We’re going to have some fun with you girls here.”
Katrina visibly relaxes. “Do you have a pool?”
Leilani’s eyes grow wide. “We do. The beach isn’t great because of the cliffs, but we have lots to keep us busy.”
“Does the pool have a slide?” Bex asks.
Leilani leans in. “I have access to a slide we can bring over. It’s made of the same material as a bouncy castle. You’ll love it.”
Leilani shows us around the house. “I arrive each morning before six and will have breakfast ready for you when you wake. My specialties are a Hawaiian egg scramble and pineapple pancakes with homemade pineapple syrup.”
Bex’s grin is as wide as the Grand Canyon. “Pineapple pancakes and syrup? Dad, did you hear that?”
“I did. It sounds like we know what you’ll be eating.”
Bex nods.
“If you girls want to take a tour of the property, I’ll show you where we grow our own pineapples.”
Bex jumps up and down. “Can we go, Dad? Please?”
“I think we can do that, but let’s figure out where we’re staying and get our things unpacked first.”
“Follow me.” Leilani turns and walks down a hallway. “You’ll be staying on the windward side of the house in the Island rooms. Mr. Lancaster, you’ll have the master suite, the Big Island suite, with its own sitting area.”
I nod. “I think that’s the same room I was in last time I visited.”
“And I understand your nanny should be joining you shortly?”
“Yes,” Katrina says. She cuts me a look that dares me to say otherwise.
“We can put her in the Oahu room, which is the next largest room and also has a beautiful view of the ocean. You girls will go in the Kauai and Maui rooms. Each bedroom has its own bathroom.”
She shows us each of the rooms she’s mentioned. The bedrooms are close enough to hear if Bex has a nightmare, but far enough that if Lilly comes and is open to spending time with me, we’ll have a small bit of privacy. Even as I have this thought, I realize how optimistic I’m being.
Katrina looks out th
e window of her room. “I can see the pool and a pool house with it.”
“I understood you may be bringing someone who may require some assistance while here?”
“Lilly’s mom is in a wheelchair. She had a stroke,” Bex informs her.
“There are three bedrooms in the pool house, and a stair-free entrance, so it will be perfect for her. Brian Turner and his family live in the apartment off the kitchen. The remainder of the Clear Security staff will stay in the staff quarters on the east side of the estate.”
“This is quite the compound,” I say.
“Mr. Graham has been very good to us.”
The luggage arrives, and Trevor introduces Brian and Melanie Turner to the girls.
“We’re so happy to have you here,” Melanie says with a smile. “My boys should be home from school shortly, and they’ll be so happy to meet you.”
“Brian is the head of security here at the estate,” Trevor says. “Given everything going on, it’s important that you pay attention to the rules. The estate borders a national park. There are sensors that will tell us if you’re off grounds, so be cautious wandering around. And please don’t try to climb the cliffs. They’re steep, and there’s no beach. The surf is both rough and deep.”
Leilani is making kalua pork for dinner, and after she offers the girls some fresh fruit to tide them over, we take some time to relax and admire the grounds while she’s finishing up. An hour or so later, we all sit down at a family table to eat. Danny and Jimmy are Brian’s high-energy twin boys, and Bex is immediately thrilled to have someone to hang out with, despite a two-year age gap.
The flight and shift in time zone catch up with us not long after we eat, so the girls and I hang out and watch television in my sitting room. Eventually, Katrina wanders off as I carry Bex to bed.
Lying in bed with her, I look to the ceiling and wonder what Lilly is doing right now. Wherever she is, I hope she’s safe.
Chapter 26
Lilly
I stretch as the sunlight falls across my face. Today is the first day in almost a week that I’ve slept through the night. I miss the girls desperately, but I’m determined not to reach out to Nate. He needs to make amends if he’s truly sorry. Otherwise, this break was inevitable. I wish it hadn’t happened like this, but there’s no point in making it more painful by getting in touch and drawing things out.
I’m determined to move forward, and I was up late looking at jobs. Nothing has panned out so far, but there’s a new one posted in the City, and I want to apply. It’s perfect for me, though I don’t really want to be that far away from my mom. Since it’s Saturday, though, I don’t have to make the decision today. I can walk over to visit my mom, but I need to do some errands that are farther afield. I might be able to swing a day rental...
My computer pings, indicating I have mail. My stomach drops when I see it’s from Mackenzie. My first instinct is to just erase it. But maybe she’s coming back and begging for my help. I’m guessing they’re behind with the code. No one they have on staff understood the level of coding I was doing. But I’m not giving her any help without getting my shares back, at minimum. She decided to organize a mutiny, and the one thing I inherited from my father is that I don’t forget or forgive deceit.
My curiosity gets the better of me, and I open the email. My eyes grow wide as I read it.
Lilly,
We’ve been approached by the attorney for Cecelia Lancaster’s estate. It appears that you need to sign a release. I’ve attached it. Please sign and get it back to me by the end of the day. I am sorry it came to this.
Mac
I open the attachment, and at first glance it’s just a release that says I won’t sue the company. As I read it carefully, though, I see that it says I voluntarily resigned and am forfeiting my stock options.
No way am I going to sign this. She was supposed to notify Cecelia’s estate if they were going to make a change and get their permission. I can tell she didn’t, because Nate would have known. Now she’s trying to fix it after the fact.
Mackenzie,
I appreciate the bind you’re in, given that you failed to notify our angel funder’s estate of the changes you made in my company. I will consent to sign this for $10,000,000 in compensation and damages.
Lillian
It doesn’t take long for her reply.
We don’t have that kind of money. You need to sign this.
I don’t need to do anything. Mackenzie has a terrible habit of conveniently forgetting what Cecelia Lancaster did for us. She believed in what I wanted to do, and I will always honor that. Whatever my relationship with Nate and his daughters has become, I am grateful for the time we had together and for the time I spent with the girls. They’re Cecelia’s legacy, so I have to protect their investment too.
I write my response, but hesitate before sending it. It’s bolder than I actually feel, but that doesn’t mean it’s not right. I would swear it was Cecelia who finally pushed my finger as it hovered over the send button.
I don’t need to sign anything without proper compensation. Tell Mason Sullivan at SHN that you don’t have the ten million. And be sure to give him my best. He saw the letter you sent, and I’m sure he was the one who notified Cecelia’s estate. You’re toast.
I wait for her to reply, but nothing comes. I hop in the shower and walk out to find Mrs. Jones sitting in her chair.
“Good morning,” I say.
Her eyes turn toward me, and there’s a pained look on her face. I realize she’s listing to the side.
I rush over to her. “Mrs. Jones, can you talk to me?”
She rolls forward into me. I grab the cordless phone next to her, put it on speaker, and lay her flat on the floor. Her breathing is thready, and her lips are turning blue. I begin giving her CPR.
Thank goodness she has a landline. I call 9-1-1.
It rings five times, and I’m not sure what to do. Finally, I hear, “9-1-1, what is your emergency?”
“Hello, my name is Lilly Duval. I need an ambulance immediately. My landlord, Mabel Jones, has collapsed. She was leaning to the side and couldn’t speak to me. I dialed you and immediately began performing CPR. She needs medical attention now.” I conclude by giving her the address.
“I have an ambulance rolling,” she confirms. “It will be there in three minutes. Can you continue CPR?”
“Yes.” I count out my timing of chest compressions. Soon I hear the ambulance arriving, and I stop only to open the front door.
The EMTs come in and take over CPR. One takes Mrs. Jones’s vitals and tries talking to her. They ask me questions about her medical history that I can’t answer. They are kind and say that if I hadn’t been here, she probably wouldn’t have made it. Then they put her on a stretcher and roll her out of the house, on the way to the hospital. Everything happens in a flash.
I sit alone on the front stoop, unable to process much of anything. An older gentleman approaches. “You must be Lilly.”
I look at him carefully. “Yes.”
“I’m Captain Chapel. I live next door. Have you notified her daughters?”
“I don’t even know where their numbers are. I’ve only lived in her home for a few days.”
He smiles. “She liked you. She told me all about you. I understand you’re here to be close to your mama.”
I nod. I have no idea what to do with myself. Should I follow the ambulance to the hospital?
“Here, let me show you how you can call her girls.” Captain Chapel leads me into the kitchen to a list of phone numbers. “The top four are her girls. They’re here in the Bay Area but not close. Her son who’s living, is in Chicago.”
I turn and look at him. “I’m not even sure where they took her.”
Captain Chapel gives me a comforting smile. I’m not sure it’s pity or genuine kindness. “Napa Valley General Hospital.”
I start at the top and call her first daughter. “Gayle Farrell, please.”
“This is Gay
le. How can I help you?”
She’s brisk, and I’m not sure how well she’s going to take the news. “Hi, my name is Lilly Duval. I’ve been renting a room from your mom.”
“She told me about you.” Her voice becomes alert. “Is she okay?”
“When I woke up this morning, she was sitting on the couch and leaning slightly to the side. She saw me and registered I was there, but she couldn’t talk and soon collapsed. I called 9-1-1 and performed CPR until the EMTs got here.”
“Oh thank God you were there. I live down in San Jose. I’m on my way. I assume she’s at Napa Valley General?”
“In all the commotion, I didn’t ask, but Captain Chapel next door says that’s where she was taken.”
“I’ll call my sisters. Someone should be there shortly. Do you mind staying with her until we arrive? We’re on our way, but it can be a slog.”
“That’s no problem,” I tell her. The traffic can be terrible for no reason at all. “I’ve lived in the Bay Area my whole life. I understand.”
I call a rideshare and head directly to the hospital.
When I arrive, I’m pointed to the waiting room. Mrs. Jones is sleeping, but they won’t tell me much more, so I sit down and wait. I’m not sure how long it will be before anyone arrives, so I pull out my laptop and look to see if Mackenzie responded. She has. One line.
We’ll see you in court.
Whatever. I’m not scared of her, I tell myself. My mind begins to whirl. I worked hard for the company and rarely missed a deadline. One mistake should not have negated my whole contribution. It was my idea in the first place. But if this is how she wants to play it, fine. I will call upon on my non-existent public relations skills and make sure the world knows what Mackenzie did. Even better, I’ll get Mason to call in his investment. Or maybe I’ll have Nate ask for the twenty-million dollars of Cecelia’s seed money back. I read both contracts. And if Nate knew Mackenzie wanted to inflate the stock prices by not reporting Cecelia’s angel funding—since it wasn’t clear that anyone knew about her investment—he would take her to the cleaners.
Showdown: Tech Billionaires Page 23
