Protection

by Jay S. Wilder

  Which, by the way, she thought, she should just get back to her cube, get her things, and go home to crash. She’d done more than her fair share of not only her own work, but fucking Ryan’s, as well. Maybe she’d throw some shade at the executives on her way out, letting them know who really did the work around here.

  She snickered at herself as she straightened and began to ease out quietly into the hallway.

  Something stopped her dead in her tracks, though.

  In the board room, the three dark-haired men with their backs to her spoke in low tones. She could swear that she heard one phrase clearly.

  Zuìgāo jīm.

  Nicole gasped and furrowed her brows as she rolled the Mandarin Chinese words around in her head. To an ordinary person, Zuìgāo jīm sounded like something you’d ordered off the dim sum cart in Chinatown on the weekend, but Nicole knew better. She’s spent the first semester of her junior year abroad working in Shenzhen, a Chinese city connecting the mainland to Hong Kong, and home to a veritable shopper’s paradise, as well as a tech analyst intern’s dream resume-builder for eight months. She’d also made great friends with a local and co-worker named Mei-Ling, who took Nicole under her wing, introduced her to the culture, food, and nightlife. In fact, Mei-Ling had been the one to point out the job opening at Terratech, which put her back in the here and now. Nicole had studied Mandarin and Japanese before her trip. Honestly, her goal was mainly so she’d know what she was eating, where to find good brands of Japanese sake, and how to tell overly grabby men to fuck off when they got too up close and personal with her. She’d also kept current with both languages, so she knew exactly well what Zuìgāo jīm meant.

  “Top secret,” she barely whispered under her breath.

  That phrase “top secret” certainly wasn’t an oddity around this office since Terratech dealt in some pretty high-end shit for the military. Her team members had varying levels of security clearances, depending on the project du jour. Still, something about these three Chinese men in expensive suits in Terratech’s board room didn’t settle well in her already growling stomach.

  Speaking of dim sum…

  Her hunger pangs rang out again. It was time to make tracks, even though her interest in eavesdropping got the better of her. It was growing up a military kid with a father who was away a lot and let her play “spy” with him when she was home. She’d literally consumed mystery, thriller and spy novels as a teen. Damn did she love a good whodunit back then. Just not this early in the morning when her lids felt glued to her eyeballs, and her body ached from lack of sleep, food, and human touch.

  Maybe she’d go home and pull out her left drawer bedroom friend and relax a bit, provided the batteries were still good.

  She slid down the carpeted corridor, hoping to ease unnoticed by the boardroom as she made her way back to her cube. She’d snag a handful of AAs from the supply cabinet on her way out the door.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Bob Worthington, Executive Vice President of Development, and eventually her top boss up the food chain of the org chart. He paced back and forth while inside the board room, and eventually stopped in front of the three well-fashioned Chinese men. Nicole ducked back into the shadows once again.

  “I assure you, Mr. Wu, we are very aware of what we need to do,” she heard a familiar voice say. It was Luis Moreno, one of the Senior Vice Presidents over sales and product marketing.

  “For your sake, I hope you do,” said the tallest of the three Mandarins.

  She saw Bob let out a long sigh and then lower his voice. Nicole strained to make out what he was saying when she definitely picked up on him mentioning something very hush-hush her programming team was working on—what she’d been toiling over all night.

  “TDE-5X,” Bob said.

  The three Chinese men nodded as Bob continued.

  Nicole gnawed on the fingernail of her index finger as she tossed this around in her brain. This conversation was strange—fishy, in fact—because TDE-5X was a Level 3 adaptive data encryption device—including both hardware and software—Terratech was developing under an exclusive contract for the US government, orders direct from the Pentagon. She’d been working on all the backdoor firewalls to help secure the device’s safety from hackers, espionage, and…

  Who knows who else?

  Even though her curiosity was piqued, Nicole didn’t like the kick up of adrenalin her heart had started pumping out. Her own breathing rang out in her ears, and she was breathless as she waited for more. Was TDE-5X actually something the US military was working in tandem with the Chinese? Certainly not. We weren’t sworn enemies of the country, but the US wasn’t BFFs with them, either.

  The man identified as Mr. Wu withdrew a cell phone from his coat pocket and presented it to Bob. “This is what we agreed to,” he said succinctly. “No others will know.”

  Nicole’s pulse picked up. All thoughts of hearing office gossip or even nabbing free supplies to power her vibrator later were all lost. She set her water bottle down at her feet and dug into the pocket of her pants for her cell phone. She could record this interaction on video and play it back at home when her brain was more alert, to figure out what was going on.

  “Son of a bitch,” she hissed to herself. Her battery had died at some point, on account of working full steam through this long night of working.

  Of course. Wasn’t that always the case? Just when you actually needed it…

  Luis’ voice brought her back in. “We understand the importance of TDE-5X.”

  There it was again. She cringed at the second reference. TDE-5X was not something the Chinese—or anyone for that matter—should have any knowledge of. It was a military project and a military project alone. She highly doubted these guys were some sort of off-duty US military in for a weekend briefing.

  This wasn’t right.

  Damn her stupid phone.

  Terratech Incorporated had no Chinese officials, expats, or anyone so related working on TDE-5X. Neither did the Pentagon team they coordinated with.

  No conversation should land anywhere near the vicinity of the neighborhood of TDE-5X, and for that reason, she shook with fear.

  Fuck.

  She tried to swallow, but her throat was too tense to even get out a word, not that she wanted to because she’d be discovered. Like a firm slap, the veracity of the situation hit her. This wasn’t some backyard game she might play with her father, resulting in well-earned soda, chips, and cookies. This was real.

  And, that was a problem. As was their discussion about the TDE-5X.

  It was time for her to get the hell out of here. Sure, she worked on the project, but she shouldn’t have a dog in whatever this fight was, if it were a fight or anything nefarious. Her intuition to flee was spot on.

  She pressed herself back into the darkness of the corridor where the sun had yet to reach and glided stealthily past the board room opening headed back to her area. She was ninety-nine percent sure the five men inside didn’t see her, so she was in the clear.

  Going Home.

  Food. Sleep.

  Forget all of this.

  It was none of her damn business.

  3

  Nicole

  Nicole hadn’t gone far from the board room when the voices inside the board room raised a bit, as the men no doubt figured they were alone at this hour. Even though it clearly wasn’t her business, her nosiness was getting the best of her. She held herself back and listened for just a moment more.

  “As soon as the prototype is replicated, your firm will receive two demo units,” Bob Worthington said in a very official voice.

  “Our superiors at Delta Shandong appreciate your cooperation in expediting this request,” one of the Chinese men replied. “As you can imagine… we are most anxious.”

  I bet you are, Nicole noted to herself as she scowled.

  Again, the specs for this project were clear. Crystal clear, in fact. The TDE-5X was being developed for the United States federa
l government only, specifically under supervision from the Department of Defense and Homeland Security. A non-American shouldn’t be anywhere near it, including those men in that boardroom.

  And, why the hell did Delta Shandong sound so familiar?

  Okay. Really. I’m done.

  She needed to get a grip. She’d heard enough. More than enough, and as the only apparent witness to what was happening in that boardroom, it didn’t take a rocket scientist for her to know it was not the ideal position for her to be in. That discussion in there was way above her pay grade, so the best thing to do was ignore what she’d heard and get the hell out of there so no one could suggest she knew about it.

  Plausible deniability.

  That was what her father would have told her.

  To make a point of avoiding the area, Nicole turned on her heels and hurried back down the hall. If she hoofed it, she could be out of the building in three minutes. She turned a corner and took a long breath when her workstation was in sight.

  Good. Still no one around.

  She didn’t even stop for a minute. She’d already saved her work, backed it up to the cloud server, and locked up her computer in three clicks. Tracking the seconds in her head, she looped her hand through her work bag that hung off the back of her chair and with the same hand, slid the laptop into the carrier.

  She hunkered down a bit as she sped through the cube farm to the bank of elevators. They were in her line of sight now, so hopefully, at this time of day, she wouldn’t have to wait long.

  However, as she turned the corner past the row of secure shredder boxes… dammit! There they were.

  Bob, Luis, Mr. Wu and the other two. Even though they were still talking, they would definitely see her if she went to press the down button.

  Fuck.

  Okay, so maybe the elevator wasn’t an option. She’d take the stairs down. Nicole slowly leaned her weight into the heavy door and pressed it open as quietly as she could. Then, she let the door fall with a hushed click as she turned to bound down the six flights of stairs.

  On the bottom floor, she burst into the lobby as relief cascades over her. But she stopped short when someone discovered her sneaky exit. Four men in black suits who could make the linebackers Forty-Niners feel tiny were standing in the lobby, still-faced and not smiling. She swallowed hard and kept at her pace. It was a big building, and Terratech wasn’t the only company in the space. For all these hulking men knew, she was someone who just pulled the graveyard shift at the third-floor insurance company’s customer service line.

  Nicole straightened, kept walking forward, and said, “Good morning,” as she walked by the four men.

  One of them grunted something low at her as the other three stood their ground, one seeming to look her up one side and down while the other two were more interested in whatever they were looking at on their phones.

  Score!

  At the front of the lobby, she stretched out her access card, swiped the exit control panel, and slipped through the turnstile. She was out the front revolving doors and at the end of the block in just under four minutes. Daddy would be proud of her.

  Not that there was anything major going down… she didn’t think. The whole situation was odd. Best to get home and get some sleep. Two blocks later, she had her breathing under control. Then the paranoia started to subside. There had to be a logical reason for what she’d heard. At least, she hoped so.

  She’d have to mull over the myriad thoughts, random theories, and invented intrigues after she got some rest, a shit-ton of food, and a hot shower.

  Just then, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee danced through the air and Nicole realized she’d turned down the street in front of the 24-hour diner, one of her favorite places to indulge in a delicious, fat-filled breakfast—especially after a night of clubbing and dancing. That wasn’t the case this morning, but her stomach growled out just the same thinking of her normal chicken apple sausage, egg, and red pepper breakfast burrito. The tables outside were already filling up with early morning risers, so Nicole thought she’d run in and get something to go.

  “I’m not approving your overtime for this, Nicole,” she heard a voice call out to her.

  She would have ignored it if it weren’t for the fact that she recognized that damned voice.

  Ryan Malone.

  The fucking bastard.

  She turned and glanced over at where the sound was coming from. Ryan was sitting at one of the outside tables on the patio with his legs stretched out on the chair across from him. On his right was a flaming redheaded club kid with dark red lips, and a leather bustier, which gave off neon signals of all-night dancing and sex. On his left was a platinum blonde in a white jean mini-skirt and pink crop top that barely left anything to the imagination. Ryan lifted his dark sunglasses. It was obvious he was still drunk and stoned from the hours he spent entertaining these two sluts at the club, while Nicole did his work. In front of the three of them sat a half-filled pitcher of Bloody Mary’s with discarded celery stalks strewn about on the table.

  “Still drinking, I see?” she snarked at Ryan and his bimbos.

  “Hell no,” he said boldly. “I’m still drunk.”

  Nicole shook her head and had to laugh at him. She also had to get a picture of this to post on the team’s forum at work. No way would her co-workers believe this without proof. Ryan always played the straight-laced manager when he was within the walls of Terratech.

  Dammit, she thought as she reached into her purse for her still-dead phone. Oh, fuck it. It was a picture firmly embedded in her memory. That knowledge was enough. Besides, she wanted nothing to do with the shit-show in front of her.

  “Well, enjoy you’re… whatever.” She nodded at Ryan and moved to go inside the diner to place her order.

  “Hang on, Nicky,” he shouted out at her.

  God, she hated the nickname he decided to give her without ever asking for her input. She’d corrected him countless times and had resorted to completely ignoring him whenever he called her Nicky. This time though, she stopped and stabbed her fist to her hip. She’d tolerate it because she could use the time to find out if she had imagined things with that meeting she’d just overheard in the boardroom. Had he known about it? Did he know what was going on? Who those men were? Maybe the alcohol would loosen his lips.

  “What?” Nicole said, her frustration bubbling over.

  Ryan reluctantly released his chicks and hopped down six or seven steps from the patio to the sidewalk to get to her. “You won’t request those hours as overtime, will you?”

  She threw her hands up. “Seriously? That’s why you wanted to talk to me?”

  He stumbled a bit and grabbed onto her arm to steady himself. Or, at least, that’s what it appeared, but Nicole had the sneaking suspicion he was seeking a third for his more-than-ménage party. “Come on, Niiiiiiiicky,” he slurred out. “We’re already over-budget, and I’m gonna catch a ton of shit if I keep turning in more team expenses. You know how the grownups frown on overtime.”

  She wrenched her arm out of his grasp and stepped back a step. He reached out again, though, and grazed her boob with his hand, none too shy about his drunken and high intentions.

  Nicole reeled back and gave him a sneer. “Jesus, no breakfast burrito is worth this.”

  “I’m sorry, Nicky,” he said, blinking hard into the early morning sun. “Let me buy you that burrito. It’s the least I can do.”

  “The very least,” she said and then laughed a bit. He was a dick, but completely adorable in this state, with that dark fade of stubble on his face and his deadly blue eyes, now bloodshot from overindulging. “Look. Whatever. Say, since we’re talking, do you know anything about any new involvement in our project by Chinese contractors or clients?”

  Ryan’s eyes grew large, and he instantly sobered up. “What the hell are you talking about? Of course not. You know our project is some important, secret shit.”

  Nicole shushed him. “Let’s keep it that
way, boss man.”

  He nodded and then added, “Wait, why are you asking?”

  “No reason. Just wondering.”

  “That’s a weird-ass thing to wonder about. Sounds sort of ‘pacific’.”

  “Specific,” she corrected him. Like he gave a crap right now. Nicole bit her bottom lip for a second and then shrugged it off. “I’m sure I just imagined it. Lack of sleep and all.”

  Ryan looked like he bought that explanation, although Nicole still wondered what had happened back at the office and why the project manager wasn’t privy to it – drunk or not.

  “I’ll see you on Monday,” she said, trying to excuse herself.

  He moved to block her way into the diner. “Nicky, wait. Okay. So…” he took a step toward her and leaned in close. Near enough for her to smell the tomato juice and vodka freshly on his breath as he spoke. “Want to join us?”

  She tried not to laugh, but it was damn-near impossible. “What?”

  Ryan motioned his head up at the chicks sitting at his table, seeming terribly bored with the whole situation. “You, me, and the two of them… we can have drinks at my place, relax, and then… well, you know. You’d be perfect.”

  “Perfect for what?” she dared ask.

  “Me, us, Ashton, in general. She’s the redhead. Goes both ways. Says she loves going down on a brunette and I wouldn’t mind sharing.”

  Nicole stopped him with her hand raised between them. “Enough. You’ve got to be kidding me, Ryan.” Nicole spun around, abandoning her breakfast craving, and began walking away.

  Ryan chased after her and held on to her arm again when he caught up. “Nicole! Don’t be like that.” She glared at him, feeling as if fire could shoot from her nostrils anytime now. “What? It’s the weekend. You’re not into partying anymore?” He grazed his lips close to her ear and told her, “You know how much you love feeling my hands all over you. It’s been too long, Nicky. Don’t fight this. Come on, you know brunettes are one of my weak spots.”