DONOVAN (Gray Wolf Security, #1)(123)

Jacob turned and stormed toward the garage door. “I’m going to the office. I’ll meet you there later.” And he disappeared through the door.

I waited, listening for the garage door to open, then close. Then I went to the window and watched his car make its way down the driveway and disappear onto the street.

I trusted my brother. I believed that he wouldn’t want to sabotage his own company. But I had reason to believe that someone in the company was trying to sabotage the human trials of the artificial pancreas, and I needed to rule Jacob out myself. I didn’t want Ruben Garcia or his daughter searching through his files, or tipping him off to my concerns.

I abandoned my breakfast for the bedroom Jacob had been living in since his separation began three months ago. It was a spare room at the back of the house that was originally designed to be a mother-in-law room, so it had more than just the typical layout of a guest bedroom. There was a decent-sized sitting room when you first walked through the door that held a love seat that was a castoff from the living room and the flat screen television Jacob had bought and installed himself. Off to one side was a kitchenette that Jacob kept stocked with the junk food he liked to indulge that he knew I was reluctant to buy. Not because I shouldn’t eat it—because I did, more often than I liked to admit—but because I preferred to not to have to hit the gym more than twice a week.

He also had a desk over there in what should have been a small dining room. That’s where I was headed. I knew he kept files from the office there, often files for ongoing projects. I picked through the papers scattered across the top of his desk, noting the names on envelops and the little notes he’d scribbled on small pieces of paper. There was a manila envelope there addressed to him with the office address on the label. I opened it and slipped the thick sheaf of papers out. Divorce papers.

Shit!

I didn’t know Lynn had already served them to him. I knew he was hoping they would be able to work things out. But I guess that was all an illusion he was content to continue to promote.

There was nothing else there. No project files, nothing on the pancreas. Not that I had expected there to be, but I had to admit it was something of a relief.

The thing was, someone had tipped off a local reporter that we were developing an artificial pancreas despite the fact that Jacob had publicly denied it multiple times. How word got out was anyone’s guess. The project was top secret. Only five people knew about it. Me. Jacob. Two biomedical engineers. And a computer programmer. And I trusted those people with every fiber of my being. We’d worked together since the beginning. And I went to college with Tito, the programmer. These were my brothers, my friends. I knew they would never leak anything about the device. But someone had, and I needed to find out who it was before the leak destroyed everything we’d worked so hard on.

We couldn’t have reporters nosing around. Not yet. Corporate espionage was a real threat. This sort of technology was worth billions in a market that was growing every day. If another company got ahold of our plans before the patent was in place, we could kiss the device and everything we’d put into it goodbye. But it wasn’t just about the money to me. It was personal. This was why I’d gone into business with Jacob, why I’d devoted the last five years of my life to developing the device. If we lost it now just as we were about to cross the finish line, it would be devastating. I couldn’t let that happen.

That’s why I’d gone to Ruben Garcia. Everyone said he was the best when it came to corporate security. And he promised that he and his company would keep word of the device from getting out before the patent was secured. I had to believe that.

And it didn’t hurt that his delectable daughter was a part of the deal.

I just hoped she didn’t become an obstacle rather than a solution.





Chapter 4


Adrienne

“How did it go last night?”

I looked up from my disorganized desk and watched as my father lumbered into the room, his clothes dirty and his eyes heavy with lack of sleep. He’d been on a stakeout, watching some rich CEO’s house to make sure his stalker didn’t show up again. It was the third time this week he’d had to take the stakeout because Bennie, the investigator who normally handled stakeouts, was on another case and I was busy with this biomedical case.

“You should go home and get some sleep, Poppy.”

He brushed off my concern with a wave of his hand. “How did it go? Was he too heavy handed?”

“It was fine. I handled myself, thank you very much.”

“Oh, I know you can take care of yourself. I’m just concerned about this guy getting a little too touchy feely and you forgetting you’re playing a role and taking his head off.”

“It’s fine,” I repeated, aware that a blush was spreading over my cheeks as I spoke. I simply turned and focused on my laptop, pretending there was some important email that needed my attention more than my father.

He sat heavily in a chair in front of my small desk. “Did you get a good feel of the brother? Do you think he might be capable of something like this?”

“I doubt it. The company is the only thing this guy has going for him right now. His wife kicked him out and filed for divorce a month ago. He has no children, no close friends as far as I can tell. He has no one in his life but his family, especially his brother. And his company.”