by Liz Wolfe
She hoped she wasn’t leading all of them to their deaths.
When they were closer to the camp, Paige shuffled her feet through the brush, and motioned for the men to do the same. She could hear the Hunters trashing their old campsite.
“You think they’re coming back?” a voice asked.
“Must be,” Wade said. “They wouldn’t have left this much stuff if they were leaving.”
Anger and regret surged through her at hearing Wade’s voice. Connor had been right. Wade was in it with the Hunters.
Paige increased the noise they were making as they approached the camp, wanting the Hunters to notice them before they got there. Then she and the men broke through the last of the foliage and stood at the edge of the camp.
The Hunters were talking, their guns still holstered or held at their sides. She signaled the others and they turned and broke into a run heading southeast of where they’d left Aleisha and Alex. Paige hoped the Hunters would think they were reversing their steps back to where they’d come from.
It worked! The Hunters followed them, shouting and cursing. They were able to stay ahead since they weren’t encumbered with weapons and ammunition. Some advantage, but Paige would rather have been weighted down with some weapons of her own.
A couple hundred yards from the camp, in the opposite direction that Aleisha and Alex had taken, the Hunters fired their first shot. Exactly what Paige had been waiting for. She dove for the ground, motioning the others to do the same. Rolling over to Connor, she whispered in his ear.
“You and Nick hide over there, while Ty and Kevin and I take off. When the Hunters have passed, go find Alex and Aleisha and get them to the cave.”
“But what about you?” Connor whispered back.
“We’ll lead them away and meet you there later. Go!”
“I don’t like it,” Connor argued.
Another volley of gunfire whizzed over their heads. She looked Connor in the eye and willed him to stop arguing with her.
“Do it! Now!”
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
SHELBY GOT OFF THE ELEVATOR ON the seventeenth floor and walked across the marble floor to the receptionist’s desk.
“Shelby Parker. I have an appointment with David Howell.”
“Have a seat. I’ll let his secretary know you’re here.” Shelby took a seat in one of the over-sized chairs and looked at the magazines fanned out on the coffee table. Software World, Business Communications, Cutting Edge Technology and the most recent annual report for Eastland Industries.
“Ms. Parker?” A young woman in a stylish suit held out her hand. Shelby nodded, rose, and shook the woman’s hand.
“I’m Rhonda, Mr. Howell’s secretary.”
Shelby followed her down the hall to a set of double doors at the end. A plaque on the door stated that Howell was a Senior Vice President and General Manager of EasTech, a subsidiary of Eastland Industries. Rhonda knocked softly on the door and opened it, gesturing Shelby to go inside.
David Howell paced behind his desk at the end of the office, talking on a headset. He appeared to be in his mid-forties, athletic, energetic, good looking. He looked over and waved her to a chair in front of his desk.
Howell’s office was large and elegant, with a teak desk at one end, backed by floor to ceiling windows that gave a view of the river. A conference table with high-backed leather chairs filled one corner; and a sofa, two upholstered chairs, and a cocktail table sat next to a sleek, black and mirror wet-bar. She figured the door next to it probably led to a private bath.
Shelby took an immediate dislike to the man, but mentally shook off the feeling. Howell ended his conversation, put the headset on his desk, and walked over to her.
“Good to meet you, Shelby.” Howell shook her hand vigorously.
“Nice to meet you.” Shelby sat in one of the leather chairs in front of his desk. “You mentioned on the phone that you think someone might be stealing some product information and selling it to another software development company.” She took a pad of paper and a pen from her briefcase.
“Let me fill you in on the details.” Howell sat in a chair across from her and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.
“Zircon Industries has released five products in the past two years. Three of them have been almost identical to software that we were developing. Each time, their product was released just as we were performing usability testing and getting our end-user documentation completed.”
“I see.” Shelby nodded. “I assume that after the source code is completed you have about three to five months of testing and documentation, depending on the complexity of the program?”
“Exactly. The way I see it, if Zircon Industries got our source code just as it was completed, they could then release it in short order.”
“What about the documentation?” Shelby scribbled a note and looked back at Howell.
“Our developers keep some documentation while they develop the product. Then, the technical writers produce the books that are packaged with the software, using that information as they’re doing the usability testing.” Howell shrugged and spread his hands. “If Zircon can get their hands on the source code, they already have a sort of rough draft of the technical documentation as well. It would be possible to turn that into end-user documentation in no time.”
“And they just skip the usability testing?” Shelby asked.
“Zircon has a reputation for releasing software that still has a lot of bugs in it. They always sell the first version pretty cheap and then correct the bugs in later upgrades.”
“So what makes you think that Zircon Industries is getting their hands on your source code, other than the coincidental timing of their product releases?”
“Zircon isn’t staffed to be able to develop these programs. They’re a real small operation. I’ve checked around, and they aren’t hiring contractors to do the development. At least, not from any of the contract agencies around here. With the few developers they have, there’s no way they could develop these products in the time frame we’re talking about.”
Shelby scribbled another note on her pad. “You suspect one of your employees is selling the source code to them and you want me to find out who that is?”
“That’s about the gist of it.”
“And do you need hard proof, or do you just want to be able to fire the person?”
“I’m not sure what you mean by hard proof, Shelby. We would certainly require proof enough to be comfortable in our decision to terminate the employee.”
“No, I meant will you be taking Zircon Industries to court over this?” Shelby asked. “If you will, I’ll need to get some kind of proof that you can go to a lawyer with.”
“That would certainly be nice. But at this point, I’d consider it a bonus. I think we’d be happy just to stop this from happening again. If we end up with enough proof to take Zircon to court, all the better.”
“I see. I think the best way to go about this would be for me to come to work here undercover.”
“Exactly what I thought. I’ve come up with a position that will give you the most access to the organization.” Howell sat again and pressed a button on the sleek phone on the cocktail table. “Rhonda, will you ask Jennifer to join us?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Jennifer is the Senior Vice President of Marketing. We thought we could put you in as a marketing executive, heading up the CommLink promotion.”
“Probably a good plan,” Shelby said. “I assume as a new marketing executive I’ll need to learn about the CommLink software and therefore have access to all the developers and other team members?”
“Exactly.” Howell stood as the door to his office opened. “Jennifer, I’d like you to meet Shelby Parker. Shelby, this is Jennifer Thomas.”
Shelby stood up and offered her hand, which Jennifer shook briefly. She turned back to Howell, but continued to observe Jennifer from her peripheral vision. The woman looked to be in
her early to mid forties. Her body testified to regular attendance at the gym, the blond streaks in her light brown hair were too perfectly placed to have been put there by nature, and the dewy complexion probably came from a very expensive bottle that had been individually matched to her skin tone. She would have been attractive but for the pinched expression and perpetual frown that creased he forehead.
Jennifer took a seat on the sofa with Shelby and opened a folder, passing her several sheets of paper. “This is the job description for your position, along with some general operating procedures. I’ve transferred the current marketing executive to another project. Fortunately, we’ve had an opening for a few weeks, so I don’t think anyone will question your arrival. Have you had any experience in marketing?”
“No, but I’m a quick study,” Shelby said.
Jennifer’s lips tightened. “I’ve made copies of some articles and background information that should give you an overview, as well as a list of some of the buzz words you’re likely to be confronted with. Hopefully, that will help.”
“Thanks.” Shelby held her hand out.
Jennifer handed over the documents and stood up. “Of course, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask me. I assume you’ll be starting soon?”
“Good question, Jennifer,” Howell said. “So, Shelby, when do you think you’ll be ready to tackle this?”
“Might as well start on Monday,” Shelby said.
“Good. The sooner, the better. Thanks again, Jennifer,” Howell said as she left his office.
“Now, I need to give you a rundown on all the players.” He pressed a button on the phone again. “Rhonda, can you bring in that material I asked you to get together for me?”
“Yes, sir.”
Seconds later, Rhonda slipped into the room and handed Howell a thick folder, which he passed to Shelby.
“That’s background information on all the employees that would have access to the source code.”
“Do you suspect anyone in particular?”
“No. There aren’t actually a lot of employees that would have access to source code. Mostly, it’s the developers. But the technical writers have access because the developers’ notes are written along with the source code.”
“So, these are the people who would have the easiest access to the information?”
“Exactly. Other than these, only the Senior Management personnel would have access. I can’t imagine why any of them would be involved in something like this. Their bonuses are based on the success of our software programs, so they’d be cutting their own throats.”
“Maybe. Depends on how much someone would be willing to pay for this information. I don’t like to leave any stone unturned, so I’d like to get some background on them as well,” Shelby said.
“No problem, I’ll have Rhonda get those for you. I’ve included all the developers and writers because they all have access to the source code for all projects, whether they’re actually working on them or not.”
“Have you considered changing that?”
“I have a meeting with the head of Information Technology later today to see what can be done about setting up a different access system.” Howell pointed to the papers. “I’ve noted which developers and writers are actually working on the CommLink program.”
“Good, that will help a lot.” Shelby opened the folder, and leafed through the bio sheets on the employees. Each sheet contained the employee’s name, job title, background, and a photograph. The CommLink developers were first, then the developers for other projects, and finally, the group of technical writers.
“I’ll take these with me and do my homework this weekend,” Shelby said.
“Great. I’ll get the backgrounds of the senior management team together. Can I email them to you?”
“Sure, the address is on my business card.”
“Any other questions?” Howell asked.
“Just one, for now.” Shelby slipped the papers into her briefcase. “Who in the company knows about me?”
“Me, Jennifer, and the CEO of Eastland Industries, Martin Scorebsy,” Howell said.
“Good, let’s keep it that way. The more people who know, the more likely it will get out. Once that happens, I’m not going to be of much use to you.”
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
PAIGE MOTIONED TO TY AND KEVIN, and they set off at a run, trying to keep as much rainforest between them and the Hunters as possible. A couple hundred yards away, she could still hear the Hunters crashing through the forest, and she hoped that meant Connor and Nick had managed to stay hidden.
Vines, leaves and branches slapped at her arms and legs as she led the way through the heavy foliage. Ty stayed just a stride behind her, and she could tell from his breathing that he wouldn’t have a problem keeping up. Kevin ran a little behind Ty in an easy loping stride. They were all in good shape and could keep the Hunters running until they tired out. Paige’s real concern was keeping the Hunters from being able to take a shot at them.
Half an hour later, Paige had to slow down in order not to lose them. She wanted to keep the Hunters chasing them for at least an hour so they would be far from the path the others had taken to the cave.
Slowing to a trot, she was able to scan her surroundings a little better. The foliage was thinning out and soon they would need to find a place that would give them some cover before the Hunters caught sight of them again.
Through the leaves, Paige saw that the ground rose up ahead. She kept up the pace until they came to a U-shaped clearing. Behind them was the rain forest and the Hunters, ahead was a deep gouge cut out of the hill. It looked like a waterfall might have been there during the height of the monsoon season. Looking around the area, Paige realized they had no place to go but up.
She could hear the Hunters getting closer and cursed under her breath.
“How are you guys at climbing?” she asked
“Given the right incentive, I can do it,” Ty answered. Kevin nodded. Paige knew having the Hunters on their tails made an excellent incentive for climbing.
“I’ll go up first. Just follow where I put my hands and feet.” The wall of rock and earth had plenty of natural hand and toe holds. Paige started up, glancing back to make sure Ty and Kevin were right behind her. They were doing okay so she climbed faster, spurred on by the sounds of the Hunters closing in.
Paige made it to the top, scrambled around, and leaned over. Kevin had climbed ahead of Ty and pulled himself over the edge. Ty was only a few feet away when his handhold crumbled. He pushed himself up from the toehold and threw both arms over the edge. Paige reached down and pulled on his arms while he scrambled over, just as a bullet whizzed by him, taking a chunk out of the rock.
There wasn’t much foliage to give them cover, and Paige quickened her pace, Ty right behind her. Kevin veered off behind a rock and disappeared from sight. She glanced back and saw someone climb up over the rock. The others wouldn’t be far behind him. Wherever Kevin had gone, she hoped he’d be safe.
Paige ran in a zigzag pattern, hoping to give the Hunter following them less of a target. She could hear him not far behind her and Ty, and put on a burst of speed. Ty increased his stride to keep up with her, and they ran full out. The foliage thickened again and Paige hoped they would be able to lose the Hunters in it.
Another bullet zinged over their heads. At least the Hunter had to stop to fire at them, which gave them a little more lead. They ran until their lungs were burning, their bodies covered with scratches and welts from the vines and branches. Paige heard the sound of water and headed toward it. If it was a fast moving stream, maybe she and Ty could get far enough downstream to elude the Hunters.
They burst through the foliage to find themselves on a riverbank. Ty stopped and leaned over, gasping for breath and holding his side. Paige took a moment to check out the river.
The water wasn’t moving very fast, which was a disappointment. Looking downstream, it appeared to pick up a
bit before it rounded a bend.
“Ty, catch your breath, we’re going for a swim.” Paige patted his shoulder. “You up for it?”
“Cramp,” he gasped.
“Stand up straight and put your arm over your head. Stretch it out.” She couldn’t have him trying to swim with a cramp in his side.
“Okay, that’s better. Let’s go.”
“Not so fast.” Paige froze at the sound of Wade’s voice. He was about twenty yards away, rifle at the ready.
“Why don’t we all just have a little rest? The others should be here shortly. They had to go around the little hill that the rest of us climbed.”
Paige and Ty backed toward the river as Wade approached them. She considered the possibility of diving in and trying to swim while he was shooting at them, but immediately nixed the idea. It would only provide him with target practice. Maybe she could rush him and get the rifle.
“Don’t even think about trying anything,” Wade ordered. “Have a seat.” He indicated a fallen log with his rifle.
Paige and Ty backed up to the fallen log, watching Wade warily. He eased a knapsack off his shoulders without taking his eyes off them. Reaching in, he pulled out a huge candy bar and, in spite of the situation, her mouth watered.
“Hey, you two look a little hungry.” He laughed, peeled the wrapper back, and took a big bite.
Paige didn’t usually consider herself a violent person, but right then she thought he deserved to die. Preferably with a great deal of pain.
Ty half turned and leaned over to her. “You can take him,” he mumbled.
Paige glanced at Ty. Had he lost his mind? Wade had a gun.
“Come on, you know you want to.”
He had her there. Paige wanted to take him. In the worst way possible.
“You took me, you can take him,” Ty assured her while Wade chomped on his candy bar and looked around.
She had to do something before the other Hunters arrived. “When I look at you, dive behind that log.” Paige whispered to Ty.