LAUREN (Silicon Valley Billionaires Book 1)

by Leigh James

  I nodded, trying to mask my disappointment with a small smile. Gabe was still angry with me, but at least I could finally have a look at Jiàn Innovations’s files. “You two have done some amazing work. Go take a walk. You both look like you need it.”

  I hustled to my office, instructing Stephanie to hold my calls and keep everyone out. Then, holding my breath, I opened up the files we’d just stolen from Jiàn Innovations.

  I reviewed the files for hours, long after the sky turned dark. I didn’t even notice the time passing. I should’ve gone down to the lab to get things organized, but Jiàn’s specs, and the story they told, had me riveted.

  They’d invented a patch, using the technology Clive had supplied them with.

  And it wasn’t working.

  I reviewed their test results and saw that they had charted a very similar course to the one I’d been working through last spring. With each failed trial, they tweaked the technology and tried again. And failed again. And again and again.

  They’d been testing furiously, every day, at all hours of the day. They were working as hard as we were, but they still hadn’t put the puzzle pieces together correctly.

  Paragon was poised to beat them to market. Based on their most recent reports, we could do it.

  I sat back in my chair. I wanted to be comforted by their results, or lack thereof. Instead, the information just made me feel wary. Clive had warned me that Jiàn Innovations would figure the technology out eventually. And I also knew they were dangerous. If they couldn’t work out the patch on their own in such a tight timeframe, what would they do?

  Clive had said they’d be coming, and that because they might need my help, I would be the last to go. Having ascertained where they were in the development process, my stomach sank. They weren’t as close as they should be. We were clearly going to beat them to market.

  If they didn’t show up and try to kill me first.

  “Ms. Taylor. Ms. Taylor, wake up.” A hand nudged me, and I jumped. I sat straight up in my desk chair, utterly confused. Morning sunlight streamed through the windows. What appeared to be a small puddle of drool was pooled on my desk where I’d been sleeping. I tried to wipe it up with a tissue as I peered at Stephanie, who was looking at me with a concerned expression on her face.

  “Are you sick?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “Oh. Okay.” The worried look didn’t leave her face, but she pulled out her tablet and began tapping on it. “You have a bunch of messages. Gabriel Betts called fourteen times. He was starting to get…”

  “Offensive?” I offered.

  “Aggressive,” she said politely. “He asked you to call as soon as you can. Also, Jennifer Schilling called for you. She said she’d tried to reach you on your cell phone, and that it was urgent.”

  “Anything else?”

  Stephanie shook her head. “Just your mascara…You might want to take a look.”

  I held up my hand, motioning her to stop. “I can only imagine. I’ll take care of it.”

  She gently smiled and bustled out. “I’ll get you some coffee.”

  I smiled back weakly. Coffee would suffice, but the only things that would really make me feel better were a case of wine and a voodoo doll of Li Na Zhao. But as neither would magically appear in my office, I sighed and picked up my phone.

  I called Clive’s lawyer first.

  “Hello?” Her voice was hoarse, and she was sniffling.

  “Jennifer? It’s Lauren Taylor, returning your call. Are you okay?”

  “No.” She blew her nose. “Clive Warren is dead. The guards found him this morning.”

  I slumped back in my chair. I felt as if the wind had been knocked out of me. “What? How?”

  “Someone stabbed him multiple times. No one knows who, and none of the prisoners are talking.”

  “Jesus.”

  “I thought you should know right away. Clive said if anything happened to him to call you first.”

  “Did he say why?”

  She sniffled. “To warn you. He said it was to warn you.”

  “Okay,” I said, even though nothing was okay.

  “He gave me something for you,” she said after a pause. “A sealed letter.”

  “Doesn’t that need to be admitted into evidence?”

  “Not yet. It’s currently protected by attorney-client privilege. He told me he wanted you to read it before anyone else saw it, including me. I’m having it couriered over. It should be there shortly.”

  “Okay,” I said again.

  “It’s not okay, and we both know it.” She blew her nose again. “I’ll speak with you soon, Ms. Taylor. Stay safe.”

  Chapter 25

  I sat in my office, stunned, until the letter arrived.

  Dear Lauren, it read.

  If you are reading this, it means that my attorney sent it to you. Good. She’s hot, and she follows instructions. Unlike you.

  If you are reading this, it also means that I’m dead, or in an everlasting coma or something. Not good.

  If I were a different sort of man, I would start here with an apology. But am I sorry for the things I did to you? Only some of them. Only a little. I absolve myself from some of the responsibility because I gave you an opportunity to turn this around, and you didn’t accept it. So we’ll be sharing some of the blame for what’s happened, you and me.

  The one thing I am sorry for is that I ever got involved with You-Know-Who. I told you that you reminded me of her. I guess if I apologize to you for anything, it should be that. You’re not that nice, but you’re still much nicer than she’ll ever be.

  Not that being nice is going to help you.

  This letter is my warning to you. I already told you that if they couldn’t figure out the patch on their own, they would come for us. If I’m dead, my guess is this: they’ve pinpointed where they’ve failed. But they still haven’t perfected the technology. They know you’re very, very close to your launch, and they want to stop you.

  So they’ve stopped me first. I’m a weak link, and she’s meticulous. She doesn’t like to leave behind any loose ends. First, I botched the relationship with you. Then I sold them technology that didn’t work.

  And then I turned myself in.

  She would never have accepted that. I should have thought it through, but I panicked. My incarceration would be intolerable for her. It makes her vulnerable, and she doesn’t do vulnerable.

  The only thing I can tell you is this: you won’t see her coming, but you have to know that she will. She is ruthless, Lauren. The only thing she wants is—well, is everything. She wants her company to become a pioneer in the global market. She wants money, she wants influence, she wants all sorts of things I have no idea about.

  I still haven’t figured out what makes her tick. Maybe if I had, I wouldn’t be writing this letter to you.

  You need to stay sharp. Stay on target with the launch and watch your back. I would tell you to watch Gabe’s too, but he’s a prick, and we both know it. He’s more of a thug than you know. Remember I told you this, and maybe someday you’ll forgive me.

  She can and will use everything she can against you. She did it to me. I’m really not a bad guy. Well, since I’m probably dead if you’re reading this, I guess it’s okay for me to be honest. I might not be bad, but I’m not good. I wanted things. Things I couldn’t achieve on my own. I wanted to be great, and great is above my pay grade, so I tried to get there a different way.

  It’s sort of sad, really. I had an empire of my own, and I was lord over it, but in the end, I was just a pawn. I didn’t ever see that one coming.

  Don’t let that happen to you. I know for a fact that you’re smarter than me. So learn from my mistakes and adapt.

  For what it’s worth, I hope you have better luck than me. If you’re reading this and I’m dead, you’re clearly going to need it.

  All the Best,

  Clive

  I sat there, stunned. I wasn’t even
sure if I could cry for Clive, but I still felt sick. Someone had murdered him. Someone who was hired by Jiàn Innovations—I knew it. It could have been a guard or another prisoner; I wasn’t sure at that point if it even mattered.

  If Li Na could get to Clive in jail, she could get to any of us.

  I still didn’t understand clearly how Clive had become involved with her. Maybe it had been something simple, such as a cocktail party while he was working in Shenzhen. I could picture Clive bragging about being on Paragon’s board and the great things we were doing. Perhaps he mentioned the patch. Li Na might have been intrigued, and they’d struck up a conversation that had led to something more. Or maybe she’d known exactly who he was and exactly what Paragon had been working on, and she’d been the one to seek him out.

  I don’t know why he’d become beholden to her. Maybe it was merely a matter of fear. She could have told him that she would kill him if he didn’t perform, and eventually, that was exactly what had happened.

  I quickly went to my bathroom and scrubbed the mascara from my face. I had a Code Red on my hands. Clive Warren was dead. The patch was launching as soon as I could manage it.

  Li Na was coming for us, and I had to be prepared.

  I got the approval email from the FDA that morning. I’d always envisioned this moment—calling Hannah, popping open champagne, and celebrating with everyone at Paragon. The cheers. The smiles. The excitement.

  Instead, all I felt was a pit of dread in my stomach.

  I called Eva in the lab. “The FDA just approved the patch.”

  “Yay? Why don’t you sound excited?”

  “Because we need to launch as soon as possible. We’re under a verified security threat. Tell everyone that we’re on lockdown for the imminent future.”

  “Sooner than two weeks?” she asked. That was the tentative timeframe we’d agreed upon, pending the government approval. I could just picture Eva with her brow furrowed in disbelief underneath her mop of curly hair.

  “I know. It’s crazy. But trust me, it’s also necessary.”

  “Okay. I’ll call everyone in.”

  I called Eddie in security next. “I need you to check all of our employees—lab workers, tech, cafeteria, maintenance, everybody. Please tell them that I trust them, but that we have a verified security threat, and I want to make sure none of them have been personally hacked. I need all cell phones and other electronics confiscated. If they need to call home, they have to use a landline, and it has to be monitored. I want guards at the entrance twenty-four seven. No one gets in or out without a full search. We’re like this until we launch.”

  “Wow,” Eddie said.

  “You can say that again. And wait—there’s one other thing.” For all I knew, Li Na could be fully aware that I’d spoken to Clive’s lawyer earlier, and that he’d sent me a letter. She could also know that Paragon was headed into lockdown mode. “Call housekeeping. We need the building swept. And dusted,” I added for good measure.

  I held my breath, hoping he’d understand that I meant swept for bugs, and not the six-legged variety.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied without missing a beat. “A clean office is a healthy office.”

  I wrote a quick Post-It to myself and stuck it on my computer. Give Eddie a raise.

  I called Timmy next. He was on the premises somewhere, probably drinking a protein shake and cracking his knuckles. “Clive Warren’s dead.”

  “Oh… Wow,” Timmy said. That seemed to be the word of the day. “In jail?”

  “Someone stabbed him. The guards found him this morning.”

  “We need to increase your security,” he said immediately.

  “I already talked to Eddie. He’s taking care of the premises. I only want you guarding me. You’re the only one I trust.” I paused for a beat. “Timmy, do you really trust Wes? With my sister’s life?”

  Timmy grunted his assent. “He’s a brave kid, Ms. Taylor. He’s been through a lot. I trust him to protect her. He seems happy with the assignment.”

  Wes and Hannah both seemed a little too happy with the assignment for my liking. I wanted him protecting my sister, not trying to date her. But that wasn’t the most important thing at the moment. “If you think he can keep my sister alive, that’s all I care about.”

  “Does Mr. Betts know yet?” Timmy asked. “About Clive?” He seemed to like Gabe a lot. Maybe more than he liked me.

  “Not yet,” I snapped and hung up.

  I called Hannah. “Clive Warren’s dead,” I told her without preamble. “Someone in the jail stabbed him to death. And the FDA approval just came in.”

  “Holy fuck,” Hannah said. “I’m going to have to figure out a PR spin for this one. Former board member killed in jail. By the way, Paragon’s patch is finally launching.”

  “You’ll figure something out. You always do. Right now, I need you to come into the office. Bring clothes and pajamas. We’re having a lockdown. I have to get the patch out as soon as possible.”

  “Am I bringing Wes?”

  I sighed, feeling a major headache coming on. “As your bodyguard. Not as your plus-one, Hannah.”

  “Since I’m going to be locked in the building with you, please try to improve your attitude,” she said. “Oh, wait—sorry. You have things to be reasonably upset about. It’s terrible about Clive. Did you talk to Gabe? Does he know about Clive? Are you two okay?”

  “Yes. No. I don’t know,” I answered reflexively. “See you in a few, okay? Please be safe.” I hung up before she could ask me any more damned questions.

  The thing was, I needed to call Gabe. I had to tell him about Clive, to warn him. Plus, he’d called fourteen times already that morning. If I didn’t want Stephanie to quit because she had to keep dealing with him, I needed to intervene. Gabe was the only one I could share Clive’s letter with. But I had to protect him—so before we spoke, I needed to be sure that it was a hundred-percent safe.

  So I waited to call him back, even though I ached to hear his voice. I headed down to the lab to review the latest reports and check on the day’s progress.

  When I emerged a few hours later, everyone was buzzing around with a nervous energy. Eddie had discussed the new security measures with each group. He also confirmed that the building was clear of listening devices—we were officially bug-free. Cell phones had been turned in, Internet connectivity had been shut off, and the race to launch was officially on.

  Back in my office, I closed my eyes briefly. An image of Clive Warren, dead and bleeding onto a concrete floor, materialized.

  My eyes snapped open. If Li Na wanted my patch, she was going to have to come and get it.

  Over my dead body.

  And while that might suit her just fine, I wasn’t going down without a fight.

  Chapter 26

  “Ms. Taylor?” Stephanie buzzed in, interrupting my train of thought.

  “Yes?”

  “Gabriel Betts is downstairs—he just, um, stormed the lobby.” She coughed. “Security stopped him and he sort of…didn’t seem to appreciate it.”

  I opened my mouth and then closed it, not capable of conjuring an appropriate response.

  Security was calling on the other line. “I have to go, Stephanie—thanks for letting me know.”

  “Ms. Taylor?” It was Eddie, sounding tense. “Mr. Betts is here to see you. He tried to come straight up to your office but we, uh, detained him and had him searched.”

  I’m sure that had gone over like a lead balloon.

  “Was he abusive to the staff?”

  Eddie coughed. “Only verbally, ma’am. And just to me and Timmy. We’re fine.” He said it quickly, as though he were protecting Gabe.

  Enabler. I sighed. “Send him up.”

  Timmy brought Gabe up a minute later. Timmy’s expression was carefully neutral, but Gabe looked pissed.

  Timmy left as quickly as possible, closing the door behind him and not saying a word.

  Gabe stalked past me, also not s
aying a word, and threw himself on my couch. I couldn’t help admiring his T-shirt, his biceps, and the stubble that had grown on his face over the past few days. In spite of everything that was going on, my heart beat rapidly in response to the visual stimulation.

  He didn’t look at me.

  I crossed my arms against my chest. “Um…hi?”

  He put his face in his hands and shook his head. “Don’t.”

  “Don’t what?”

  “Don’t bother with small talk now.” He clenched his fists together, looking like he was trying very hard to keep calm. “If you wanted small talk, you should have picked up your goddamned phone. Before Clive Warren turned up dead!”

  “Gabe—”

  “Do you understand that I’ve been worried sick about you?” The muscle in his jaw jumped. “And then this happens—Clive gets murdered in jail. And you still won’t return my goddamned calls?”

  “I was waiting to have the building swept for bugs. I didn’t want to call you until it was safe.” I went and sat down slightly away from him on the couch, watching him cautiously even as I longed to touch him.

  He raked a hand through his hair, his bicep popping out from underneath his T-shirt. “I told you, you don’t need to protect me.”

  “I don’t need to throw you to the wolves, either.” All I wanted was to throw myself at him, but that hardly seemed appropriate, given the circumstances.

  The circumstances. I needed to keep my eye on the ball, not on Gabe’s bicep. “I can’t believe Clive’s dead.”

  Gabe finally looked up, his eyes tortured. He reached out for me. “C’mere.”

  I went and buried my face against his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, rocking me against him. My senses were overwhelmed by his smell, the feel of his chest against mine, his solid arms around me. “If I ever lost you…if anything ever happened to you…”

  “You won’t.” I buried my face in his chest. “Not ever.”

  He dropped a kiss onto my head. “I’ve been going crazy without you. We need to deal with this, once and for all.”