by Love, L. J.
The noise from the fracas would have gotten the attention of hotel security and time was of the essence in which Zach needed to change back and get out of there. He breathed deeply, trying to calm his raging blood, thought soothing thoughts, all the techniques he’d taught himself over the years that would bring on his change back to human form; none of them worked.
Then he remembered the one helpful thing his brother Robin, had ever taught him.
“Concentrate on your hands,” he’d said. “Visualize your paws turning back into fingers, a palm, a hand.” That was what had finally worked especially since he’d needed those fingers most of all to dial Fitz’s telephone number.
But for the moment, he didn’t need to do anything but run. He had no schedules, no pressure. The forest was his and so was the night.
I might even do some hunting, he thought. Too bad there are no good creeks for fish in here.
Chapter Five
Alpharetta, Georgia.
It had taken all morning for the D.A. to fax the warrants to the office and when Rebecca had requested to see the originals, the usual smokescreens had been mounted. Once Aurora received the photos on the tablet she was using, she knew that the documents had been quickly patched together entirely for their benefit. There had been no legitimate warrant for the searches or at least she was sure there was none for the search of Zach’s car or office that turned up the prosecution’s evidence. She turned her attention back to the evidence log, scanning it earnestly for what could be the last piece of the quick dismissal case she was planning in her head.
Aurora couldn’t help but laugh out loud when it didn’t appear on the list. There was no record of testimony or proof that Zach had transacted any of the information they claimed that he had in his possession and having the information alone was no crime at all. It was suddenly clear to her that the D.A.’s key evidence was now completely circumstantial. Again Aurora called Rebecca to cross check her findings. She wanted to be sure before she went over to Guyton Estate to deliver the news.
“No, Aurora, according to the records, there was no evidence that directly linked him to transacting the information. They wouldn’t even have confirmed that he knew anything about it if they hadn’t found it during the search. They didn’t even have any witness testimony to that effect. It’s really weird that they didn’t make the decision to interview some people about it.”
“Or maybe they did,” Aurora said, “but the results didn’t tell them what they wanted to hear.”
***
Guyton Estate, Hamilton, Bermuda.
The reporters were again camped outside the gates when Aurora pulled up to the estate. It seemed the propaganda campaign launched by the Hong Kong police was working and the media just weren’t ready to cut the Guyton’s a break. At least the paparazzi had gotten bored and evacuated the trees.
As she pulled up, Aurora could see that Will and Robin had decided to make an appearance. She endured her walk of shame with dignity and refinement. After all, no one knew about what had transpired between her and Zach the night before. Or so she hoped.
“Good morning, Aurora,” Will said politely when she had climbed the stairs and set foot on the enormous portico.
“Will,” she replied, extending her hand courteously.
They made their way straight into the bright drawing room and Will motioned to the chair opposite John, indicating that Aurora should sit there, before taking his seat. Zach and Robin perched themselves like a matched set on the sofa like two spectators at a tennis final. As if on cue, Liz came in with a tea tray and set it down in front of Aurora and left. Silence fell over the room as she poured tea into five beautiful china cups. Suddenly John cleared his throat.
“So Aurora, Will says you have good news?”
“Yes, that’s quite true, Mr. G.,” she replied, turning to face the old man. “Yesterday when I got back to my hotel the copies of the D.A.’s documents on the case had already arrived from Alpharetta. It seems the police searched your car and office without valid warrants, Zach. Didn’t you check them?”
“Well, they had one when they came to the house and they did show it to me, but I didn’t have an opportunity to scrutinize it.”
“You mean the officer didn’t give it to you before entering?”
“No, he kind of just flashed it and when they asked for the car key and where it was parked, I just assumed it was included in the warrant for them to search that too.”
“Wow,” she said, leaning back into the chair and crossing her legs.
Will’s eyebrows shot up in appreciation when he saw the five inch Christian Louboutin high heels she was wearing and the sexy arch of her foot in them. As he looked up again, their eyes met and she flashed him an admonishing look. He felt a growl rising in the back of his throat and swallowed it quickly.
“The warrants were not legal. They weren’t signed by a judge. It seems they were in a hurry to catch you off guard and they couldn’t convince the judge there was just cause to search, so they just went ahead anyway, thinking that no one would check.”
“So what does that mean for us?” Zach asked.
She was still mad at him for the night before. But she was a big girl. She’d been warned repeatedly about him and she had still decided to sleep with him. She shouldn’t have been surprised at all and now she was taking her medicine like a woman.
“Well, it means that none of the evidence is admissible. Rebecca and Mr. Caplan are going to the judge’s chambers with the D.A. this afternoon to spring the bad news on them and get the case thrown out.”
John put his hand over his heart in sheer relief and Robin hugged his brother excitedly. When the clamor was over, they all returned to look at Aurora. The look on her face sobered everyone in the room instantly.
“There’s more, isn’t there?” Will asked.
“Yes, there is.”
“Well, go on,” Zach snapped impatiently.
“The invalidity of the search warrants throws out the evidence, but it doesn’t give us a definite mistrial. Of course, that’s what I’ve asked Mr. Caplan to shoot for in chambers today, but if it’s not declared a mistrial, then double jeopardy doesn’t apply.”
“They’ll be able to start the case against me all over again?” Zach said.
“Yes, they will,” Aurora confirmed, “and this time they would already know about your secret weapon. Me.”
“Well, aren’t you full of yourself, Miss Aldridge,” Will said sarcastically. Aurora looked at him for a moment and they both burst out laughing. It was obvious that he knew she’d slept with his brother. It was also obvious that he didn’t approve, but he wasn’t going to hold it against her either.
“What are you two laughing about?” Zach asked.
“The fun part,” Aurora said, turning to look him square in the eye.
“Oh, the fun part. Hmmm, I wonder what that could be.”
“It’s the part when you get to go to jail, little brother. Go pack a bag!”
Aurora burst out laughing again at the look on Zach’s face, then she said, “Hey, Will, how about that drink now?”
Zach didn’t like being the brunt of Aurora’s jokes. He sat in a corner chair and seethed the entire time, knowing that the Hamilton police would be showing up any minute to take him off to the central booking station. It was Friday, which meant that the longer they took, the more likely it was that he would be spending the weekend in jail.
After a few drinks, John announced that he wanted to meet with everyone briefly before lunch. Aurora decided it was as good a time as any to relieve herself and freshen up a bit. She walked out into the spacious hallway and crossed the foyer toward the powder room door. As she stood at the sink looking into the mirror, the door opened and Zach stepped into the doorway. Aurora turned just in time and stepped forward, preventing him from entering any further into the little powder room.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“I just thought I’d come get a qui
ck version of that stuff you gave me last night. They are incarcerating me today, you know.”
“Zach, don’t be stupid. You know that won’t ever happen again after how you treated me last night.”
“You don’t have to give it to me, Aurora. It’s mine now, so I’ll take it if I want it,” he hissed at her.
She pushed him off her and he stumbled back embarrassed.
“What’s this?” John Guyton asked from behind him.
Just then, they heard the sound of sirens approaching and Zach went wild-eyed.
“They’re coming for me now, aren’t they?” he asked piteously.
It was all she could do to nod her answer. Suddenly, a look of panic washed over Zach’s face. It was as if the stern sound of his father’s voice had finally driven home the reality of what would be happening to him next. There was a low growl rising in his throat and Aurora was terrified. Then she looked over Zach’s shoulder at Mr. Guyton’s face and what she saw there was a look of sudden realization and sadness. He was a tad slow and couldn’t grab a hold of Zach before he made a run for it.
He threw open the front door and vaulted off the porte cochere to the lawn below, racing for the tree line. That was when Aurora saw something that changed her life forever. As Zach was about to break through the trees, he transformed into a huge brown bear and disappeared out of sight.
Speechless, she turned to look at her boss. He grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her as she asked simply, “Did I really see what I think I did?”
He nodded slowly to confirm his answer and braced himself against her weight as Aurora fainted into his arms.
While his father took Aurora into the drawing room to lay her down on the sofa, Will stepped out into the hallway and collapsed into an armchair to wait. When the police officers entered the foyer, he stood up solemnly and stepped forward to ask the men to have a seat while they waited for his brother to come back from the stables.
***
“I think you’re keeping too many secrets of mine now,” Aurora said to Will as they stood on the terrace of the estate house looking out over the grounds.
“I’m not keeping score and neither should you,” he replied. “In time, you’ll find that I’m a very trustworthy person, Aurora. For the past seven years, you’ve probably repeatedly wondered why my dad loves you so much. He raves about your work and he’s keen on you learning everything that he can possibly teach you. Everybody says it’s because you’re sleeping together or that you remind him of my mom, but the truth is that you remind him of me, Aurora. He sees everything he ever saw in me in you and has been so grateful to have a second chance to groom another person the way he did me. After Zach, I think he thought he’d lost his touch with young people. You’ve taught him that he’s just as good of a role model as he always was and that makes him extremely happy.”
“I’d never have thought that I’d hear something like that from you, Will.”
“That’s because I don’t make a habit of talking this openly with anyone. But I think after what you endured today, you deserved an encouraging word or two.”
“Thank you for everything you’ve done, Will, most of all for not saying anything. He’s your brother, I know it must be hard.”
“It was. Maybe next time you could stick to doing your job and not behave so much like a star-struck teenager.”
Before she could answer him, Will turned and walked away. Aurora was left behind fighting back fresh tears.
Just then, her phone rang. It was Mr. G. She cleared her throat quickly and answered it as she swept the tears from her eyes.
“Yes, sir?”
“Aurora,” he bellowed. “Gather what’s left of my sons and get in the dining room. We have an emergency in Hong Kong.”
“Yes, sir.”
Aurora ran into the house and found the two brothers lingering over by the bar in the entertainment room.
“Mr. Guyton needs us in conference,” she said curtly and made her way down the hall to the huge dining room.
As she stepped in, she saw John Guyton sitting in front of a large screen chattering animatedly with a small Chinese man who spoke only fair English. She only caught the last part of their conversation, but the Chinese man, who she found out was Lu Wei, the CEO of Tsang Wei Electronics, looked angry. And worried. A few moments later, they ended the call and John turned to face the three.
“This is terrible. Lu Wei is adamant that he won’t do business with people who are accused of bad business practice. He claims that this hoo-hah with Zach has him convinced that selling to Xaoping is the right thing to do.”
“Then offer him more money. I’m sure he’ll reconsider,” Robin said smugly.
“Not everyone worships the almighty greenback like you, son,” his father retorted. “Lu Wei is not for sale.”
“What would be the big deal if they sold out anyway? They’re our biggest competitors over there so wouldn't that be a good thing if they didn’t exist anymore?” Robin asked.
Before anyone else could respond, Aurora answered him.
“That’s just it, Robin. The only reason we’ve been able to compete with them at all is because they aren’t very liquid. Had they the capital resources, they would have blown us out of the market ages ago. That’s not the case with Xaoping, though. They’re rumored to have Yakuza backing from Japan and loaded to the gills with money to burn. If Xaoping Exports is allowed to take over Tsang Wei, they would be in a market position to slowly absorb every business interest Guyton has in the region. With the skilled engineers from Tsang Wei working for them exclusively, Xaoping’s investors would throw money at Hong Kong until they were the only company left.”
When she was done speaking, Aurora looked around the table to see Will staring at her with his jaw slack while John Guyton sported a huge grin.
“Flipping genius, Precious! I hope you’ve learned something, Robin. You see why I take her everywhere?” he asked, turning to Will, who nodded slowly, still a little shocked at Aurora’s display of knowledge. “So tell me, what’s your plan? I’m sure you have one by now.”
She smiled at her boss and took her phone from her pocket, quickly skimming over their schedules before replying.
“Seeing as how Zach has completely fucked it for everyone and everything Guyton in Hong Kong right now, it’s too risky for any of us to fly there to try and settle things down. I suggest that we send a plane for Lu Wei immediately. Bring him to our own turf in Alpharetta and get him to negotiate a deal with us first.”
She paused and there were nods of approval all around the room.
“That would mean cutting the weekend short, wouldn’t it, Precious?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary, Mr. Guyton. You said Lu Wei has high values. I’d assume he is a family man as well?”
“Two children and a wife of fourteen years.”
“Perfect! I’m willing to bet that with his busy schedule and demanding lifestyle, they don’t get much family time.”
“What are you getting at, Aurora?” Will asked impatiently.
She shot him a look and then cleared her throat before continuing. “I say we send G4 for him tonight. Mr. Guyton, you would have to get back on the phone with him and let him know you’re inviting him over and that you have a special treat planned for him and his family this weekend before we meet bright and early Monday in Alpharetta. Have the plane take them to Paris for a mini vacation. Hotel on the Champs Elysees, spa day for Mom and daughter, the launch of the International regatta for father and son, followed by some guided sightseeing and picnic lunch beneath the Eiffel Tower and of course shopping for all. By the time they get to Georgia, Lu Wei will be convinced that Guyton values are as solid as a rock and that we don’t dabble in anything that’s not above board.”
“Brilliant!” John exclaimed. “Plan it and get it done, Aurora. I’ll get on the phone right away.”
“Wait a minute!” Robin protested. “How much is this going to cost exactly? There’s
no way we can possible afford to do...”
“What the hell are you talking about, boy? Who can’t afford it? I’d hope you’re talking about yourself because the last time I checked, I don’t pay you enough for that. What I do pay you for is to sign the checks that make things happen for this company, so you’re gonna sign whatever checks Aurora needs you to sign. Understood?”
Robin nodded, stunned, while John turned to Aurora.
“Set up as much as you can on account; hotels and such. Then arrange a prepaid debit card for their shopping. Forgetting about the cost of the plane, try not to spend more than a half mil; we have to keep this lucrative after all.”
When John dismissed them, they all went back down the hall toward the study. Aurora was fist bumping while Robin gave her looks of exasperation.
When she stepped into the study, Aurora promptly announced that she would be taking her leave of them.
“I have to get back to the hotel and wrap this thing up for tomorrow. Rebecca should have found some more out about the case and I’ll be eager to get started on the next phase just in case we don’t get the mistrial.”
“Thank you so much for coming, Aurora,” Robin said, shaking her hand.
“It's my pleasure, Robin,” she replied.
“I’ll walk you out,” Will blurted out quickly.
She had wanted to avoid that. After the conversation she had just had with him, it was akin to the walk of shame for her. Outside, Aurora hit a button on the remote and the trunk opened up; she laid her briefcase inside and closed it. Will was holding her door open and giving the car a once over.
“You have great taste in cars,” he said.
She smiled when he said it; she had been enjoying it and she knew that it sent the exact message she intended. Tough as nails, sexy, professional, independent woman and a lover of fine things.
“What can I say, Will? This company has always been good to me and I’m never short of little perks like this to keep me interested.”