“Yes… I can see how you will be useful to us in many ways,” I mused, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. “Iraja, please show Marisol what we have so far.”
Iraja went to a cabinet behind my desk and pulled out all of our files as well as our most recent prototypes of the EyeRead. She placed them on the table in front of Marisol, who immediately began scanning the files, pulling out pages she found interesting, it seemed.
I watched her work for a few minutes. She opened and closed the models, testing their durability and quality.
“So?” I prompted her.
“I see what Danisha meant,” Marisol said finally, setting the folders aside. “I told you she talks to me about the EyeRead; she mentioned potential problems a few times,” she explained, seeing my confused look. “The problem you’re having here is that you can’t get the screen to perform at every size. Once you begin to unfold it to use it as a tablet or laptop, the fiber-optics within begin to fray and break,” Marisol concluded.
Marisol was right. After only a couple of uses, the screen would crack, or simply fail to turn on. If a prototype did manage to work at its largest size, once it was folded back down, the image on the screen remained zoomed in.
“Has she figured anything out? Because she doesn’t have any kind of work like that in her notes,” I said, tapping the stack of papers next to me. I wasn’t a technical person myself, but I had made sure to read every page of Danisha’s files.
“How old are those?” Marisol asked.
I looked at Iraja. “When did I get these files? Six, maybe seven weeks ago?” I turned back to Marisol, “You’ll have to excuse us, it’s been a crazy ride. Can you get access to her computer?” I asked her.
Marisol nodded.
“Good. See if you can find anything she’s done that is more recent. If there’s nothing there, find out what you can from Danisha directly.” I couldn’t believe my luck. Two double-agents in my pocket: Sally, and now Marisol. I felt on top of the world right now.
Nothing was going to hold me back.
Chapter Nine
“Did I get it? Did I get it?!” Marisol exclaimed as she came through the apartment door, Jackson close behind.
“That was amazing! Right, Adrian?” I turned behind me to see Adrian still sitting on the futon. He smiled and stood up.
“I’m sure this is plenty of evidence to re-open your appeal. You’ll have your invention back just in time for winter break,” he said.
I squealed loudly. I couldn’t believe it. It worked. It all worked. I was going to get my life’s work back, I would be able to graduate, Adrian’s business would flourish… I looked at Adrian again. For some reason he didn’t seem as excited as the rest of us.
“Champagne!” Marisol shouted, popping open a bottle, pulling me away from Adrian. We toasted to Marisol’s acting, to the EyeRead, to my plan, to Victor’s stupidity, and half a dozen other things. Before I knew it, the four of us had gone through two bottles of champagne.
Jackson and Marisol were not-so-sneakily sneaking off to Marisol’s room, giggling the whole way.
“Goodnight!” I called after them.
Jack waved and Marisol took a sloppy bow before slamming the door. I heard the giggling continue and smiled to myself.
“Who would have thought, huh?” I said to Adrian, jerking my thumb behind me at their door.
He looked at me solemnly. “There are stranger couples,” he said.
I looked away. I knew what he was referring to. “Adrian, please,” I said.
“Have you thought about it?” he asked anyway.
I didn’t speak for several moments. “I have,” I said softly.
“And?” he pressed.
“I can’t,” I looked back at him, tears threatening to fall from my eyes.
“Why not? Because of Sally?” he pressed.
“Yes! Because of Sally!” I exclaimed. “She’ll never let you go, and while you might be able to move on, you’ll always be tied to her in a way I can’t reach.”
“What if—” Adrian began.
“There are other reasons,” I cut him off. “There are things I want to do in my life, and I want to be able to do them in my own time. Now’s just…not the time for us, Adrian.” I stood up. “You should go back to Sally, Adrian. My case will be over soon and you can spend more time with her. You’ll see then,” I declared.
I went to my bedroom and shut the door. I slowly got into bed and pulled the covers to my shoulders, as I cried myself to sleep on what should have been the happiest night of my life.
The Billionaire’s Dark Escape Book 9
Bella Rayne
Chapter One
I stared at Danisha’s bedroom door. The sound of it slamming shut still echoed in my ears. I slumped back onto the futon.
That was not how I expected that to go. I was certain Danisha still cared about me; I could see it in her eyes when we talked. I had practically poured my heart out to her, only to receive a list of reasons as to why our relationship was a bad idea.
I understood Danisha’s reasoning, even if I didn’t agree with it, but I also believed that if two people truly loved each other, they would fight the odds, no matter how insurmountable, to be together.
Danisha clearly felt that the history I had with my ex-wife, Sally, would forever be an issue that divided us. Danisha was young —she had yet to experience the kind of bond that develops after two people spend such a significant portion of their lives together.
Our age difference was also a fear of hers. Things were normal now, but the next twenty years would be very different for the two of us. Danisha would be at the height of her career, and I would most likely be ending mine. If I was being honest with myself, it was not how I envisioned the perfect relationship going.
I had hope, though. Danisha hadn’t completely rejected the idea of us. What she said was, “Now isn’t the right time for us”. I wasn’t a patient man, but for her, I would wait.
I thumped my thigh with my fist. Damn, that woman had a way of winding me up! I rose from futon, grinning with the excitement of a challenge.
I immediately sat back down, putting my head in my hands. Sally. Things were terrible between us. Even prior to my revelation about Danisha, it felt like Sally and I were disintegrating. I had a suspicion that she was feeding private information about me and my plans to Victor behind my back, and it was growing stronger every day.
I had nearly confronted her about my hunch, but decided against it at the last minute. Accusing Sally of betraying me was a dangerous bridge that would likely burst into flames in my attempt to cross it. I wanted more evidence before I potentially destroyed our relationship for good.
I felt incredibly guilty that even a small part of me thought she was capable of doing something like that to me. I should be able to trust Sally, but the fact was that I didn’t. And I knew that I shouldn’t be with someone I didn’t trust.
I sighed deeply. No matter what tomorrow’s outcome was, I needed to go to my hotel. I had been sitting on Danisha’s futon musing to myself for the last half an hour. I had already pushed my luck with her; I didn’t need to damage the situation any further by overstaying my welcome.
Tomorrow I would head back home and deal with my problems with Sally.
***
This time when Victor called me, I made sure to head to my usual bench, even though Adrian wasn’t supposed to be home for several hours. Victor had been busy helping Iraja interview potential engineers for the EyeRead, and it hadn’t been going well so far, apparently. He wanted me to figure out what Adrian was up to in the meantime, but I hadn’t gathered any new information yet. When I told Victor there was nothing new in Adrian’s files, he became furious.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Sally. Is that all you did? Checked his files and then called it a day?!” he had yelled into the phone.
“What do you want me to do?” I had hissed back.
“Talk to him! Goddammit, Sally, you were supposed to be an ass
et —someone who could go behind enemy lines and get inside Adrian’s head,” Victor rebuked.
“We’re…not on speaking terms right now,” I mumbled.
About an hour prior to the phone call, Adrian had practically accused me of being the one who leaked Danisha’s files to Victor. My heart had nearly frozen in fear. Thankfully, Adrian hadn’t pressed it and left for Massachusetts still in the dark.
Adrian and I hadn’t spoken since then— I was not looking forward to this talk with Victor. I dreaded imagining what his reaction would be when I told him I still had nothing.
“Hello, Sally!” Victor answered, sounding surprisingly cheerful.
“Victor, how did the interviews go?” I asked immediately, hoping to forestall any questions Victor might ask about the information I was supposed to have found on Adrian’s potential plans.
“They went excellently, thank you for asking. I suspect, however, that your interest in the matter might not be genuine and you are perhaps trying to distract me from bad news about Adrian. Am I correct in this suspicion, Sally?” Victor asked.
I hesitated, unsure of what to say. To my surprise, after a few seconds of silence, Victor began to chuckle. Confused by this unexpected turn of events, I remained quiet.
“I thought as much,” he said once he had calmed down.
“Victor,” I started, “Adrian hasn’t been home since you and I last spoke, and to get the kind of information you’re looking for, I thought it would be best to try and talk to Adrian face-to-face.”
I hoped Victor would buy my excuse. The last thing I wanted was to send him into a rage to the point where he “accidentally” let slip to Adrian that I had been betraying him all along.
“Sally, my dear, don’t worry about it. Everything has been taken care of,” Victor said. He sounded positively serene.
“Exactly how ‘excellently’ did these interviews go, Victor?” I asked.
“I have found the perfect candidate to solve all of our problems,” he enlightened me.
“Well, who is it?” Whoever this person was, I wanted to send them a thank-you basket for saving my ass.
“Her name is Marisol Jones; she’s young, but she’s smart, and she has money to invest in research for the EyeRead. She actually goes to MIT along with a friend of ours,” Victor said.
“Does she know Danisha? Have classes with her?” I demanded. “If she has any kind of a connection, we need to exploit it.”
“Interestingly enough, Marisol is Danisha’s roommate, and, up until a few months ago, they were the best of friends.” Victor said. “Apparently, both you and Marisol have lost lovers to that girl.”
“I didn’t lose shit to that girl, Victor. If you haven’t noticed, Adrian is with me now,” I snapped at him.
“Of course, Sally. You and Adrian are together, you just aren’t on speaking terms,” he said drily.
“Victor…” I warned.
“I’m sorry, it’s just been such a good day for me. Listen, how about you come to New York in about a week or so and meet Marisol? I think the two of you would hit it off. It would do you good to get out of that house, Sally. Besides, I’d like to have a little powwow for the four of us to make sure all of our ducks are in a row.”
I paced while I thought about Victor’s suggestion. I was sick and tired of Adrian waltzing in and out of the house while I sat home waiting for him to return, agonizing over what he might be doing with Danisha in Massachusetts. It would serve Adrian right to turn the tables on him— maybe then he would realize how dangerous of a game he was playing with me.
I loved Adrian dearly, and I certainly didn’t want to do anything (more) to threaten our relationship, but he needed to be reminded of who I was. Adrian thought he was too smart to lose, but for all his cleverness, he still hadn’t figured out I was lying about being a double agent for him.
“Sounds lovely, I would be happy to join,” I said, smirking.
“Excellent. Let Adrian know I asked you to meet me to discuss future plans— hopefully telling him will help build the trust between you two. Don’t tell him you’re going to New York, though. If he knew I was state-side, he’d blow the country apart trying to find me,” Victor said.
“Where should I say I’m going, then?” I asked.
“Tell him… Tell him I didn’t say, but that I told you to bring a passport,” Victor said.
I thought of Adrian, anxiously awaiting my return, unable to sleep with me halfway around the world, alone with a dangerous enemy.
“I can’t wait,” I said smugly.
Chapter Two
“So, Adrian left again, huh?” Marisol said the next morning as she walked into the kitchen. I was pouring myself a cup of coffee. I hadn’t gotten much sleep last night.
“Of course he did. He went to his hotel like he does every time we meet,” I replied evenly.
“So nothing happened?” she asked, staring at me. “Nothing at all.”
“No, Marisol, nothing happened,” I answered. That wasn’t exactly true, but I knew if I started talking about it, it would all come pouring out. I wasn’t sure I was ready for that.
“You know, Danisha,” Marisol said softly, “you don’t have to do everything alone. You’re going through a lot right now. If you want to talk, I’m here for you.”
I stared at my coffee, stirring the cup with a spoon. My fingers began to tremble, and my shoulders started to shake. Within seconds, I was sobbing my eyes out on Marisol’s shoulder as she wrapped her arms around me.
She slowly maneuvered us over to the futon where we sat and she petted my hair as I cried. After a few moments, my sobs began to subside. I took a few deep breaths and slowly sat up, wiping my eyes.
“What happened?” she asked once I had calmed down.
“Adrian told me that he’s not sure if he trusts Sally. He’s growing suspicious of her as well, and he doesn’t want to be with someone he can’t trust.” My voice shook, and I couldn’t stop taking these random huge breaths. It felt like the air was too thin.
“Finally!” Marisol exclaimed. “Between what you and Jackson have told me, I can’t believe Adrian hasn’t figured it out yet. That is one dumb, smart guy.”
“Then he told me…he didn’t use these exact words,” I took another deep breath, “but he essentially told me he wants to be with me instead,” I finished.
“Sheesh!” Marisol said, her bright blue eyes widened in shock. “That’s crazy! I mean, Jackson said Adrian was struggling with his feelings for you, but I can’t believe he put something like this on you with everything else that’s going on. What’d you tell him?” Marisol was dying to know.
“I told him that I needed to…Wait, a second, you and Jackson talk about Adrian and me? What do you say?” I asked, completely bewildered.
“Oh!” Marisol said in a very surprised, high-pitched voice. “You know, um, it’s not even really talking. We sort of just…guess what latest situation you two might happen be in, and if one person happens to guess right then they might, like, receive some sort of, um, reward or something.”
“You bet. You and Jackson bet on my relationship with Adrian,” I said with complete incredulity. “Are you fucking kidding me, Marisol?” I pinched the spot between my eyebrows.
“Yeah…Sorry…” she said sheepishly. “Hey Jack!” she shouted suddenly.
My eyes shot open in surprise. Jack opened Marisol’s bedroom door and poked his head out.
“Yeah?” he called.
Marisol waved him over and patted the chair next to her for him to sit. “She knows,” she said.
“Sorry, Danisha, but it’s pretty interesting to watch the interactions between you two,” Jack said.
I rolled my eyes so hard I thought I might have strained something.
“So, go on, Danisha. What’d you tell Adrian when he asked you to be with him?” Marisol said excitedly.
I looked at Jack. I didn’t want my words getting back to Adrian. Jackson seemed to understand my look; he mimed
zipping his lips and throwing away the key. I smiled despite myself, but it quickly faded.
“I said no,” I told them. Marisol and Jack stared at me with open mouths. “It was like you said, Marisol. There’s too much going on right now to even think about something like a relationship. Besides, even if Adrian doesn’t want to be with Sally, he’ll always have feelings for her. I don’t want to have to compete for his attention,” I explained.
“But Sally’s probably the one helping Victor sink Adrian’s business!” Marisol protested. “If you care about Adrian, you can’t let him stay with her,” she insisted.
“We don’t have any proof that Sally is connected to this,” I said. “And I’m not going to him with anything less than hard evidence that she is.” I looked at Jackson. “You’ve seen how Adrian reacts when you suggest Sally might be involved more than she’s claiming to be,” I reminded him.
He nodded. “Speaking of hard evidence: what are we going to do about Marisol’s upcoming meeting with Victor? It’s in a week. She needs something to give them to keep them off of her scent.”
I took another deep breath, thinking hard. The problems that Victor and Iraja were having with the EyeRead were some of the exact problems I had anticipated occurring —and some of the exact reasons I had waited to begin production. The technology simply hadn’t been developed yet for the device to work seamlessly.
If I hadn’t been able to figure out an answer to the problem for myself, I didn’t know how I was going to do it for my enemies.
“Danisha?” Marisol said, waving her hand, breaking me out of my thoughts. “It’s your invention…What do we tell them?”
“I…need some time to figure some things out,” I admitted.
“You don’t know?!” Marisol asked incredulously.
“I will!” I snapped hotly at her. “I just need to clear my head. My life is kind of a mess right now, if you haven’t noticed.”
Hang Em' Up: A Bad Boy Sports Pregnancy Romance Page 85