Did he want to? “She cares about her parents, but they’re from a small town. I doubt I can simply swoop in and kidnap one without a large media presence coming into play. No. I think we should handle her in a different fashion. The truth of the matter is if she is allowed to keep her stock, she controls a minority share in the company. She could cause me trouble down the line if she chose to.”
“I’m surprised you allowed that to happen.”
“It hasn’t happened yet. Some of those shares only vest if she successfully delivers her AI. She can’t deliver it if she’s dead, right?”
A brow rose over her eyes, an arrogant look. “You can’t afford to kill her. Or did you figure out how to fix your problems?”
Everything seemed to have fallen into place this afternoon. “She’s got a solution. All I need is for her to show me how to do it. I’ll be the last person to touch the system before it goes into orbit.”
“You can’t leave this for the launch. I need to take this to my associates very soon. They need to know this is going to work so they can put word out about the service we’ll be able to provide.”
A service he would be able to provide. “I don’t know. It seems risky for me to give you something so dangerous when I have no real promise of payment.”
She stopped, her body going still. “You don’t trust me?”
“I think you’ve gotten everything you want and given me nothing so far.”
One side of her mouth curled up as though he’d said something that finally impressed her. “I can understand that.” She turned his way, giving him a better view of the way her breasts rounded. “You’ve done everything we’ve asked so far. You’ve played ball in a most excellent way. How about I set up a meeting with the board?”
A thrill went through his system. The board meant the big guys, the most powerful men in the world. It was what he’d been waiting for. It was the real first step. He would meet with the board, be placed on the board, and then take over the board.
“When?”
If she was surprised by the harshness of his tone, she didn’t show it. She merely sat back, her eyes going to the road as her hand drifted up to the pendant at her neck. “Monday. I think Monday will be a good day for a meeting.”
“Monday? That’s not a lot of time. Should I have the jet ready?” He forced himself to sit back, too. It wouldn’t do to look overeager. He had to play this cool.
“They’ll come to you,” she promised and then shifted again, her expression going soft as she reached for his hand. “Nolan, it’s all coming together. Don’t worry. I’m here to take care of everything for you. All you have to worry about is the integration.”
He felt his jaw tighten. “I’m struggling with it. I need Madeline.”
One elegant shoulder shrugged. “So kill two birds with one stone. Force Madeline to do the integration for you and then kill her.”
“She’ll be missed. She’s close to her parents, and I don’t think her boyfriend is just going to shrug and let her go.” Something about Deke Murphy bugged him, and it went beyond him reminding Nolan of all the assholes who’d been handed the world because they won the genetic lottery.
“Then kill him, too. He’s former military,” she mused. “Those kind always have problems. Say you were having an affair with her and her boyfriend found out and tried to kill you both.” A smile crossed her face. “I like this plan. If we set it up properly, we wouldn’t even have to create evidence. Why don’t we have dinner and discuss it?”
The offer was accompanied by her hand finding his thigh and stroking upward. His cock immediately tightened, and he didn’t even care that his arousal was only partially about the touch of her hand. The vision of killing Madeline Hill was sexy, too. However, there were a few problems with her scenario. “Do you think we have time to set that up? We only have a few hours. The party is tomorrow night. Should we do it then?”
There was nothing he would love more than to deal with his problems quickly, but he had a schedule to keep. He should have put off the business function, but he hadn’t wanted to show there was a single moment’s strain with the launch. He wanted everyone to know he was the kind of man who could change the world and throw a dinner party while he was doing it.
“Oh, I think that dinner is probably going to be canceled,” she said briskly. “I told you I thought it was foolish to have people at your house so close to the launch. You’re opening yourself up to spies.”
“I only have some board members at this party.” They’d had this argument before. “I’ve had it every year.”
It was a way to show his board how much more he had. It was aspirational.
“Well, this year you’ll be dealing with a real tragedy. Tell me something, Nolan. Will it bother you if the world thinks you were fucking her?” Jane asked.
“She’s passably attractive.” There were other reasons to consider the plan. “Also, there will be a lot of people who suddenly understand why I was paying a woman so much. They already think half her work is mine anyway. There aren’t many women who can keep up in our world.”
“Well, when so many men try to keep them out, it isn’t all that surprising, is it?” She crossed one leg over the other, exposing more of her perfect skin. Her legs were long and graceful. “But, yes, you’re right. People will say you only hired her because of your dick. You’ll get the credit for her work, and she’ll be just another woman who tried to sleep her way to the top. That’s how the world works, right?”
It was, and he was going to keep it that way. “All right. I’ll skip the party. I’ll replace it with a wake. And I’ll find a way through my mourning. So tell me this plan of yours. And tell me about this.”
When she’d crossed her legs, her skirt had come up, exposing the beginnings of a tattoo on her left thigh. He reached out and traced the edges. Was that a K?
She shifted again. “That is the only thing I have left over from my former life. It’s a reminder of sorts to never trust my heart again. But my brain tells me we could have a perfect partnership, Nolan. So let me tell you how we’re going to solve all of your problems in one single night.”
He sat back and listened.
Chapter Twelve
Maddie had already had a tour of The Reef, but she hadn’t been in one of the privacy rooms. “Okay. I’ll bite. Is there a reason we’re not going home? I’m nervous, but I thought I would probably eat dinner before we meet Nolan.”
Deke had said very little beyond he wanted to stop by the club. She’d gotten the idea he’d planned something when he wouldn’t allow her to stay in the car, and then he’d walked past the offices and led her straight to a privacy room.
She wasn’t sure she wanted to play right now. Her gut was still in knots, and it all felt like it was about to crash down around her.
Of course, maybe that was Deke’s point. She was completely wound up, and in a few hours she was supposed to show Nolan’s girlfriend around the place. Deke had always been good at reading her moods. He was trying to get her loose and ready.