He frowned, staring at James before looking at me. “Making out like a teenager in the foyer of your own press conference, Katherine?”
I blushed, but remained defiant. “I was just kissing my boyfriend, since he’s been so helpful with his support. James, this is Nick Mercer, the CEO of ARCANE. Nick, this is James Stratton. He was in the Marines and now works for a major bank.”
James held out his hand, and Nick took it for a single shake before dropping it like a hot iron.
“It’s nice to meet you, Nick. Kat’s told me all about ARCANE. You must be a saint for championing the crusade to keep everyone’s data safe from criminals.”
The corner of Nick’s mouth twitched as he forced a smile. “That’s funny, you look a little skinny to have been in the Marines.”
Skinny?
James’ shoulders were much more broad than Nick’s, and his chest filled his shirt in a way that would make any woman wet.
“I’m just glad to earn an honest living and help people. I’m sure you feel the same way, don’t you, Nick?”
Nick’s back stiffened, and he glared at James. “I have to find the board.”
The CEO stalked away.
James raised his eyebrow. “I don’t believe he likes me that much.”
“No, I don’t think he does.” I stared at Nick’s back. James’ comments were far too innocuous to have caused that kind of a reaction. “Must be because we were kissing when he arrived.”
We shared a look and shrugged. It didn’t matter—Nick was a pain in the ass, and anything that made him uncomfortable was a positive in my book.
Sean waved his arm from across the room to get my attention. He pointed to his wrist.
It was time. I nodded back and gave him a thumbs-up.
“Let’s go inside, the guys will round everyone up and guide them in, and then I’ll begin the conference. I saw the head of sales and the head of engineering here, so anyone who might have to answer questions on the ARCANE side is present.”
James put a hand on my lower back and one on my arm. “You’ll do great, Kat. Go in there and knock ‘em dead.”
I nodded, fighting down the rush of adrenaline.
“This is it.”
18
~ James ~
“And that is how ARCANE will protect the vulnerable from exploitation and help elevate those in need from poverty to their rightful place in the global community.”
An animation of the ARCANE logo swirled onto the screen to punctuate the end of Kat’s presentation, the usual circle surrounded by thorns replaced by a globe.
A smattering of applause grew into a low rumble. It wasn’t deafening, but then, it had been a marketing presentation, not a solution to global warming. For a crowd of business people and media, the response was great.
The lights, dimmed for the presentation, came up to full.
“Thank you for being here today,” Kat said. “We’ll now take questions for the next ten minutes, and after that each of us will be available in the lobby for discussion. Food and drinks are laid out.”
Half the questions were about the technical aspects of the ARCANE encryption system, which Kat passed on to the head of the engineering department. When a question about the charity plan was directed to her, her face lit up as she expanded on her vision for the campaign and the help they could offer through the program.
She’s so beautiful when she’s this passionate about something.
The thought stressed my resolve to the breaking point. This con was intended to investigate the signs of Nick being a menace to his clients and relieve him and his company of as much cash as possible. The past ten years of my life had been spent in an analytical, detached state where the only thing that mattered about people was their use to me. That wasn’t supposed to change with Kat.
But it had.
“That’s it for questions. Thank you for coming, and I hope to talk with most of you before you leave. Come and ask me or my colleagues anything.” Kat wrapped up the official press conference, beaming at the room.
The attendees milled around, talking to each other and picking their way out to the lobby, where several staff had been busy setting up the refreshments during the presentation. I fought my way against the crowd to approach the podium, where Kat spoke with the other department heads.
“That was a great answer to the encryption questions, Greg. You may have scored us a few contracts on the spot with that one,” Kat said to the imposing head of engineering. “I saw a few eyes light up in the audience—it wouldn’t surprise me if you had a few headhunters coming your way after this.”
Greg chuckled. “Oh, they’ve been at my door for years. Once you get to a certain level of infamy in the field, they never go away.”
Kat laughed. “I hope I get to that point someday. It would be nice to be at the top of everyone’s wish list. I’ll see you guys out there. I need to talk to my team, first.”
She turned to me as the men walked away. “Well? What did you think?”
“You did great,” I told her. “And it sounded like it was well-received. I think you did it!”
A wide grin split her face, white teeth dazzling in the bright press room lights. “I know, right? That felt amazing. I’m so glad I rehearsed as much as I did, it made it so much easier to get it all out exactly how I wanted it.”
“The sales team will have their hands full after this. Your enthusiasm came across when you answered questions—it made me want to buy in.”
Kat flushed, and she gave me a hug. She whispered in my ear, “Thank you for helping me so much.”
I hugged her back, enjoying her presence in my arms even as my mind screamed about the massive deceit I hid. She still didn’t know who I really was. She didn’t know that I planned to destroy her company. Even worse, I kept the truth about ARCANE from her—that all the charities she wanted to help so badly were far more vulnerable to criminal harm under ARCANE’s protection than they were before.
The secrets whirled inside, tearing at my mind like a hurricane, but I couldn’t think to do anything other than squeeze her closer.
“I’ve got to get back out there,” she said, breaking off the hug. “I can’t wait for later. I want to celebrate!”
I smiled. “Shoo, woman. Get this over with, and then I’ll take you out for a big reward.”
Kat winked and turned to leave, speaking with Sean for a minute on the way.
How the hell will I protect her from what’s coming?
Kat wasn’t the only one who would be affected by ARCANE’s demise. There were dozens of regular employees, people who would be left without a job and paying ridiculous San Franciscan rents with no income.
Sean and Todd stayed in the conference room, walking along the periphery and taking down the ARCANE promotional materials they’d strung up that morning. I meandered over as casually as I could fake it.
“Hey there, guys. You’re on Kat’s team, right?”
The man on the right turned to answer. “Katherine? Yeah, we’re her marketing specialists. I’m Todd, this is Sean.”
I shook their hands. “I’ve been dating Kat—sorry, Katherine—for the past few weeks. Don’t want to be underfoot out there while they are mingling with the press and corporate types, so I figured I’d keep you two company in here while you take things down, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure,” Sean said. “We’re just shooting the shit.”
“Cool. What’s it like working for ARCANE? I know Katherine’s perspective, but there can be a huge difference between how management sees things and the way it is for the rest of the employees.”
The two men looked at each other. Sean shrugged and nodded at Todd, who turned. “It’s good, mostly. Your girlfriend is turning out to be a decent boss. I don’t want to say anything too incriminating, but since I know she hates Nick, I feel safe in saying that he’s a huge dick. He really makes it a shittier place to work than it has to be.”
I nodded and gave a little
laugh. “Isn’t that always the case? Sometimes you luck out with a good boss, but there’s always someone up the line who’s an egotistical asshole.”
The key to communicating with people was to speak their language. I adjusted my stance slightly to mimic Todd’s posture, giving him a nonverbal signal that I was part of his group, one of his peers. He could relax and be honest with me.
We shared another laugh.
“Ain’t that the truth? Still, it’s the startup life. You do it hoping to hit it big, right?”
They’ll be sorely disappointed if they expect anything of the sort out of ARCANE.
“Have you ever thought about leaving? How hard would it be to find something else?”
Todd shrugged. “It’s not really too difficult out here. There are always new companies popping up, looking for eager young minds to form the next Google or Uber. It’s more a matter of inertia than anything else. Once you’ve been with a company for a while and you’re accumulating options and it feels like they’ve got good momentum, you don’t want to leave and start new elsewhere unless something better comes along.”
That made sense. “That’s true. I should leave you guys to this, though. Sorry for distracting you.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Sean said. “Maybe we’ll see you around, if you and Katherine hit it off.”
I wouldn’t count on that.
“Maybe you will. Cheers.”
It was decision time, and talking to Kat’s team had solidified my choice. I sent a text to Addison to activate Candy. The escort would track Nick down and show him the time of his life tonight. After a mountain of blow, bottles of liquor, and more top tier pussy than he’d ever had,Nick would be out of commission for the entire weekend.
The crowd in the lobby had thinned a touch while I spoke with the two marketers, but it was still bustling. It took some work to locate Kat, surrounded as she was by people. I edged my way into the crowd.
“What made you decide to donate ARCANE resources to these charities? How did you come up with the idea?”
Kat didn’t need any time to think of an answer to the question. “I’ve always been passionate about charitable work, and in fact I almost took a position with one of the charities we’re partnering with in this campaign. It was a natural connection to make, and I am happy that I can help even if I’m not working for them directly.”
A tall man spoke, wearing a turtleneck and jeans as if trying to emulate the beloved founder of a major technology firm.
“That is a very impressive campaign you put together, Katherine. A series of partnerships that looks like it benefits everyone involved. Very smart thinking.” He handed Kat a card. “Call me if you’re ever interested in pursuing an opportunity at Google.”
“Wow, thank you!” Kat said, taking the card with a broad smile. “If things don’t work out at ARCANE for any reason, I’ll let you know.”
That cued several more people to pass her their business cards, until she had a small stack.
The crowd dispersed a little, those who simply wanted to give Kat their cards leaving the circle.
“I’m the head of security at a large credit union in the area,” another man said, tapping Kat on the elbow. “Is it possible to set up a consult to discuss what would be involved in a switch to ARCANE?”
She nodded. “Of course! If you see Dave over there, in the blue shirt, he’s our head of sales. He’ll set you up with all the information you need.”
The man sauntered off, replaced by another. Kat handled each question with ease and grace. If she was still nervous, it didn’t show.
Finally, she’d depleted the questions of those waiting to speak with her, and we stood alone.
“Wow,” I said. “You were popular.”
She laughed. “You’ve got that right. I thought there might be one or two questions, not that gigantic flood. And look at these!” She fanned out the business cards. “Can you believe it? One presentation about one campaign, and these people are actually interested in me. Me!”
I looked at the flush in her cheeks—she rode an emotional high, and it made her that much more attractive.
The lobby had mostly cleared out, only a few people still hanging around besides the ARCANE employees.
“Think I can steal you away for a nice dinner?” I asked Kat.
She smiled. “I’d like that. Just let me go check in with the team, and if everything’s good, then we can go.”
I let her go by herself, giving me more time with my thoughts.
She’ll be devastated if I follow through with the plan.
I’d counted on that in the initial planning. It was supposed to be a good thing. I hadn’t planned on caring.
Kat only spent a moment with the other executives before coming back my way. There was a bounce in her step and she flashed a brilliant smile and a wink as she caught me looking.
“Why, hello there, handsome,” she said. “Care to show a lady a good time?”
“Always.”
We left the building, and I guided our walk down to the Embarcadero. The sun hung low in the west, the brilliant rays glinting against the waters of the bay. Kat’s hand found mine and our fingers interlaced as we strolled down the road.
“What a perfect day,” Kat said. “I needed this.”
“You were incredible. I liked watching you up there, so passionate.”
She blushed. “It’s something I really care about, and I’m glad I could help those in need.”
She didn’t know that she might have hurt those charities by convincing them to let Nick and ARCANE protect their data. I burned to tell her, but that would jeopardize everything—the con, and the budding relationship that had grown between us.
“I’m sure they’ll be thankful for a long time. And now you’ll have your pick of companies you could work at after you’re done with ARCANE.”
“I don’t know, James. I feel good about this campaign—confident. I think I might pull it off. If this quarter is good enough, then I could just stay at ARCANE, and keep building on this. It will be a great legacy, and give me even more experience.”
You might not have a choice. I didn’t want to say it.
“This is us,” I said instead, guiding her to a restaurant on the water.
Dinner was a long, luxurious affair. Despite my internal struggles, I kept my thoughts bottled deep inside and concentrated on making Kat happy. She deserved a night of pleasure before her world blew up around her.
Tomorrow would be the day I destroyed ARCANE.
19
~ Kat ~
“Oh, my God.”
My head pounded. I flailed around and found a glass of water on the bedside table. The cool liquid slid down my throat, soothing the parched tissues.
“James?”
I patted the bed beside me. Nothing.
The previous night was a blur of darkness and dizziness. Two bottles of wine had turned to three.
Or four? I can’t remember.
One thing was clear—we’d come back to my apartment instead of James’ condo. He’d said something about needing to get up early in the morning for a work meeting.
Who works on a Saturday?
After asking the question, my mind shifted. The conference had gone so well the day before, it would be nice to see if there was any immediate impact on the numbers. I could access work email on my phone, but to do more I would have to go in to the office and log into the secure network.
It can wait. I deserve a weekend off.
I put work out of my mind and focused on curing the hangover that grabbed hold of my head and wouldn’t stop shaking it. Copious amounts of water and a spot on the couch cuddled up with a blanket turned the tide until the neighbors next door put on music so loud that ripples formed in my water glass.
The relentless bass seeped into my brain and made my head throb with the pounding rhythm. I slammed the wall with my hand, but the music didn’t go away and my hand joined the pain party.
&n
bsp; Fuck this.
It was a Saturday—there would be no one in the office. I could check on the numbers, then read while I waited out the hangover. It was better than staying here.
The best part about going into work on the weekend was the lack of awful traffic. It took a mere half an hour from making the decision until I walked up to the front door of the building. I dug around in my purse for the magnetic key card.
A minute later I still hadn’t found it.
That’s weird. Did I take it out and put it somewhere else?
I dreaded having to turn around and go right back home. The drive to the office had been painful enough.
“What are you doing here, Katherine?”
The question sounded like an accusation. I turned to see Nick staring at me, eyes narrowed like he thought I stole his cat.
“Oh, Nick. I thought I’d check the numbers and see if there’s been any action since the press conference last night.”
I can’t believe he’s coming in, too. So much for the relaxing and peaceful recovery day at the office. He wasn’t the only one surprised—I’d never heard of him coming in on the weekend.
“Why are you here?”
He shifted and adjusted his hands in his pockets. “I have to check on something.”
“Whatever. Can you open the door? I must have left my key card in another bag.”
The door swung open after Nick pressed his wallet against the reader.
“What did the board say about the press conference?” I asked as we walked to the elevators. “They left before I had the chance to talk to them.”
Nick’s head snapped over at my question and his eyes drifted before he responded. “Oh, the board? They were impressed, thought it was a good campaign.”
My eyebrows nearly leapt off my face. Nick would never speak like that to me on a regular day. His approach to management was to yell at and belittle his employees until they performed well out of spite. His mind was elsewhere, and he barely paid attention to the exchange.
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