The barracuda had been silent for too long. Like her namesake, she’d hovered, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. “Mr. Scott, is it true your sister contracted the butterfly flu on her trip to India three months ago?”
“No further questions.” Lucas stepped away from the podium.
She wasn’t about to let him get away now. “And is it also true that she died because your team gave her an experimental drug?”
I don’t know.
Clamping his teeth shut, Lucas did the only thing he could think of: he turned his back on the microphone, on the screaming reporters, on the company he had built from the ground up, and walked away.
Once in the private hallway, Lucas yanked his tie over his head and threw it on the floor, where he proceeded to grind it into the carpet. His anger satiated for the moment, he glanced up to take a cup of ice water from his personal assistant, Juanita. Her coal-black eyes were full of concern. He’d told her he planned to step down just moments before the press conference. He’d asked her to stay on as his assistant, working from home if necessary to escape the pandemonium that was sure to follow his announcement. She’d agreed, much to his relief.
“Where will you go?” Juanita asked.
“Someplace where no one will find me.” Lucas hadn’t given it much thought. When his account lit up with Google alerts—all painting him as a mad scientist with a Superman complex—he realized that distancing himself from the company during this time would be better for the investors and for the overall image of his company. Running away, as some might term it, wasn’t his style, but his grieving and lonely heart wasn’t up for a fight. His sister had shown him true, unconditional love, and her passing left a hole he wasn’t sure could ever be filled.
“But the flu . . .” Juanita pointed down the hall to where his research lab was waiting for him to run yet another test on Butterfly241. Like so many others, Juanita looked at Lucas as if he could save the world.
With the investigation into Brianna’s death, Lucas had been placed on probation by the FDA and wasn’t allowed into his own lab. He wasn’t a hero. He couldn’t save his sister and he could barely take care of himself at the moment. He drained the cup in his hand. “It’s not my problem anymore.”
Dr. Lucas Scott handed Juanita the empty water cup and turned without another word. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing more to say.
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank Gelato Publishing for the opportunity to write in the Destination Billionaire Series. This has been so much fun. The only way it could be better is if I could head to Kauai again for more research.
Thank you to Christina Dymock for your excellent advice, wordsmithing tools, and friendship. Thanks to my early readers: Patrick and Necia Jolley, Lucy McConnell, Gracie Christensen, Cathy Jeppsen, Cami Checketts, and Lisa Bradshaw. I appreciate your feedback and enthusiasm for the characters in this book.
A huge thanks to my family for supporting my crazy writing habit. My husband, Steve, and my kids all helped brainstorm different points in this novel, and they cheered me on when I reported my daily word.
And to you, Reader, thank you for taking the time to read my book. Without you, none of this work would matter. I am truly grateful for each of my readers, for the kind words and encouragement you share, and for your kindred spirits found among pages and pages of words.
I’m especially grateful to God for creating this beautiful world and blessing me with talents and experiences to open my eyes to infinite possibilities.
About the Author
Rachelle is a mother of five who writes mystery/suspense, nonfiction, and women’s fiction. She solves the case of the missing shoe on a daily basis. She enjoys raising chickens and laughing with her husband. She graduated cum laude from Utah State University with a degree in psychology and a minor in music.
Rachelle is the award-winning author of ten books, including The Soldier’s Bride (a Kindle Scout Selection), Diamond Rings Are Deadly Things, Veils and Vengeance, Proposals and Poison, What Every 6th Grader Needs to Know, and Christmas Kisses: An Echo Ridge Anthology. Her novella, Silver Cascade Secrets, was included in the Rone Award–winning Timeless Romance Anthology, Fall Collection.
Join Rachelle’s VIP mailing list to learn more about upcoming books and get your free book at www.rachellechristensen.com.
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