Baiting Trouble (Sinful Business Book 2)

by Marie Astor

  “I don’t see why not. You do accept the assignment, Jake?” she asked, her tone making it clear that no was not a possible answer.

  “Yes, Marion, I accept.”

  “Allyson Roberts and Delilah Jones. We had an opportunity to send in two interns, so I thought they’d be perfect for the job. So far they’ve done good, but now it’s getting too hot in there and I want you to keep an eye on things.”

  Jake gripped the armrests of his chair so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Sometimes he could just strangle Marion. “Really, Marion, you thought it was a good idea to send two inexperienced agents into such a dangerous situation?”

  Marion raised an eyebrow, clearly alarmed by the emotion in his tone. “It’s not as if I sent them into a war zone. And as far as experience goes, Ally and Delilah both have distinguished themselves during their time with the agency. You know how I always keep an eye on new agents—they are the most successful agents we recruited last year.”

  “I can’t believe you sent them in there all alone. Things may not be dangerous over there now, but the situation can change on a dime. Or haven’t you forgotten that Ally got shot during one of her assignments?”

  “It was just a graze on the arm, Jake. I bet it hardly even left a scar. That sort of thing builds character.” Marion rolled up her shirt sleeve, revealing a faded bullet mark on her upper arm. “This is from an assignment from years ago, but every morning I’m reminded of the mistakes I made that day and how to avoid them going forward.” She rolled down her sleeve. “Ally wanted that assignment—she’d practically begged me for it. She did a damn good job too, putting that bastard Platt behind bars and clearing her father’s name, which was what she wanted.”

  “Fine, but it was still the agency’s oversight that she got shot in the first place. Reconnaissance team messed up.”

  Marion’s head tilted slightly in silent acknowledgement, which was as far as she’d ever go. She’d chew out the responsible parties privately, but never expose their fault to another agent—it’d be bad for morale.

  “How do you know that the same thing won’t happen at Orion? With all those Chinese contracts going to Orion, Tian Wang must be livid and that guy won’t be beating around the bush.”

  “Mistakes happen, Jake. None of our agents are perfect, not even you. Good agents know how to work their way through a dangerous situation and still get the job done. If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.”

  “Easy to say when you’re sitting in your ivory tower. I don’t see you behind the stove,” he shot back, completely forgetting himself. Normally he’d never speak to his boss in such a way, but the thought of Ally being in danger made his blood boil. “And you sent her in there with that ditz Delilah! What were you thinking?”

  “Look at you, so overprotective, like a mother hen.” Marion laughed. “I know you trained both of these girls when they were fresh recruits, but trust me, they’ve both come a long way since then. And you’re not being fair to Delilah—she’s anything but a ditz. She may come off as one, but that’s just a facade. Underneath, she’s as sharp as a tack. I know you took your instructor job very seriously, but you’ve been back in the field for some time now Jake, and your trainees have gone on to become very capable agents. It’s time to let the chicks out of the nest. Or could there be another reason for you getting so worked up over this?” Marion fell silent, eyeing Jake intently.

  “There’s no other reason,” Jake barked. He felt himself blushing like a schoolboy under Marion’s penetrating stare.

  “I don’t stick my nose into my agents’ private lives as long as their private lives don’t interfere with their professional lives.” Marion’s tone was like steel. “I trust that you will conduct yourself accordingly, Agent Morrissey, and see that this assignment goes off without a hitch.”

  “Yes, Marion,” he answered quietly. He felt dejected, realizing what he’d have to do next.

  “Good.” She smiled brightly, as though the spat between them never happened. “Orion’s new CEO has reached out to McKeenly to do a study of their plant. We have a contact at McKeenly and starting Monday you’re their new consultant, dedicated exclusively to Orion.”

  ***

  On Saturday morning Brad Weiss boarded his flight to Las Vegas. Usually when he went to his favorite destination he would leave on a Friday night and look forward to a weekend of gambling and wild sex. But this wasn’t his typical trip and he certainly wasn’t looking forward to it. Indeed, he was dreading it. He wondered if Tian Wang knew that Oleander was Brad’s favorite resort and casino on the strip. Knowing Tian Wang he probably did. It vexed Brad that he was now under a microscope, like some sort of pin-pricked, prostrate bug for Tian Wang to observe. He’d spent countless hours cursing his indiscretion in Macau, but he still had no idea how to get out from under Wang’s thumb. To make matters worse, Wright was breathing down Brad’s neck. If Wright were to get wind of this, Brad was certain that his career at Orion, or anywhere in the industry for that matter, would be finished.

  Four hours later Brad checked into the Oleander Hotel. Normally he reserved an executive suite, but this time he had opted for a standard room. After all, he’d only be staying for one night and there’d be nothing pleasurable about this trip. He wasn’t surprised or pleased to learn that he’d been upgraded to an executive villa, which was several notches above the executive suite and was the only accommodation that occupied the entire top floor of the hotel.

  Once escorted to his accommodations, Brad closed the door behind him, dropped his duffel bag on the floor, and surveyed the luxurious surroundings with indifference. He would never again fall prey to Tian Wang’s tricks. The villa was indeed magnificent, not that Brad cared. There were several giant bedrooms with all the perks imaginable, including marble-lined bathrooms. The villa also had a karaoke room and its own bowling alley. It was the perfect place for a party, but he had nothing to celebrate.

  Brad had a little over an hour before he was due to meet Wang, so he took his time lounging in the giant marble tub, thinking that the hot water would relax him. It did the trick and he’d been able to zone out for a few minutes, but then he was back to it, his mind racing feverishly, trying to come up with a way to get of this crazy tangle he’d gotten himself into.

  Finally Brad gave up and took a shower. Then he toweled off and got dressed. It was almost time to meet Wang, but he didn’t know exactly where to go. Wang’s instructions didn’t say anything other than Oleander Hotel. Brad sprawled out on the leather couch in the living room and waited. He was sure that Wang would let himself be known shortly.

  At exactly the appointed hour there was a knock on the door. Brad got up from the couch and found Tian Wang on the other side of the door. Next to him was a stunningly beautiful woman in a skintight leather sheath dress and red stiletto heels, but Brad was immune to her looks—to him, she was nothing more than Wang’s employee.

  “Come on in,” Brad said to his unwelcome guest. “And you can tell your companion to wait outside. I’m not falling for the same trick twice.”

  A cool smile appeared on the woman’s chiseled face. “I’ve heard so much about you, Mr. Weiss.”

  “Like I said,” Brad spoke looking directly at Wang. “I don’t swallow the same bait twice.”

  Wang tsked. “Oh, Mr. Weiss, I expected you to be more of a gentleman. Allow me to introduce my niece, Irene Zong.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Weiss,” Irene said in a silky tone.

  “Perhaps you’ll be so kind as to invite us both inside?” Wang asked mockingly.

  Understanding that further resistance would be futile, Brad stepped aside.

  Wang made his way inside, his arm protectively on Irene’s waist. “Irene has a degree in engineering from MIT. She is a managing director at McKeenly and will be working with you closely during the study that McKeenly is going to conduct on the Orion plant. As to any improper urges that you might have with regards to my niece, one w
hiff of that, Mr. Weiss, and I’ll have your privates cut off and pickled in a jar. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Crystal.” Brad coughed. “Please, take a seat. Make yourself comfortable. Would either of you like a drink?”

  “I’ll have a whiskey, neat.” Wang took a seat on the couch.

  “I’ll have the same, please.” Irene smiled as she sat down next to her uncle, folding her hands on her lap demurely.

  “Just a moment.” Brad headed over to the bar and poured the drinks into glasses. He poured himself a triple scotch. He returned to the living room and handed out the drinks. “So what is the nature of this ‘study’ that McKeenly is going to perform for us?” he asked casually. Wright had mentioned McKeenly before, and now lo and behold Wang’s niece turned out to be a big shot there. Could it be that Wright too was somehow connected with Wang, or was it merely a coincidence?

  “You shall find out the details just as soon as Mr. Wright arrives.”

  “What? What’s Wright got to do with this?” Brad spat out, despite his attempts to remain calm.

  “I believe you will find out shortly.”

  As if on cue there was a knock on the door. Brad went to open the door and found Steven Wright smiling at him.

  “Brad, how are you, buddy? Did you have a good flight?” Wright greeted him as though nothing was out of the ordinary. He then proceeded to walk into the living room where he joined Tian Wang and his niece.

  “Steven, good to see you.” Wang shook Wright’s hand. “This is pretty good whiskey. Would you like a shot?”

  “I sure would,” Wright replied.

  “I’d like a refill as well,” Wang said.

  Brad headed over to the bar feeling like a waiter. He poured the drinks, refilling his own glass generously.

  “Thank you, Mr. Weiss.” Wang took his glass.

  Normally Brad liked it when people addressed him as Mr. Weiss or sir, but Wang’s overly polite tone made him feel mocked. He was clearly being made fun of. “I think we can be on first name basis, Tian,” Brad said, his tone more a warning than a suggestion.

  “As you wish, Brad.” Wang smiled. “Now, should we get to the point of our meeting?”

  “For starters, I’d like to know what he’s doing here,” Brad demanded, pointing at Wright.

  “Oh, Mr. Weiss—pardon me—Brad,” Wang corrected himself in the same sugary tone as he caught Brad’s irate glance, “there’s no need for hostility among friends. After all, we’ll all be working together.”

  “Working together?” Brad asked.

  “Yes. To put it simply, Steven is working for me,” Wang explained.

  “Steven works for Orion,” Brad said. “He’s Orion’s CEO. He could fire me for all I know.”

  “That’s true, Brad, but Tian Wang pays much better than Peter Langman,” Wright explained. “And as for firing you, you needn’t worry, I have no such plans. Actually, I’ve enjoyed working with you. Sorry if I’ve been riding you a bit hard. I was just testing your limits. You passed the test.”

  “Thanks,” Brad grumbled. He couldn’t believe Peter Langman had been gullible enough to hire Wright. If Langman had given Brad the job in the first place, there would’ve been no trip to Macau and no compromising information for Wang to hold over Brad’s head. At least Brad’s spying wasn’t being done by choice, but Wright was a true traitor.

  “We have a very important task before us and I wanted to make sure that I have the best possible team. I believe we have such a team now,” Wang said with satisfaction in his tone. “Irene, please walk us through your plan.”

  Irene opened a sleek leather briefcase and produced a set of drawings, which Brad instantly recognized as architectural plans of Orion’s plant facilities. “Gentlemen, here’s what we’re going to do . . .”

  Chapter 11

  It was Monday morning and Ally was seated in her cubicle at Orion corporate headquarters. Last week she and Delilah had gotten the tour of Orion’s plant facilities and this week she planned to delve deeper into the plant structure. The way she saw it, if there was a leak it would have to come from someone who had top level access to the plant and would have information about future contracts, planned maintenance, and new equipment purchases. They’d only been on the ground a week, but it was still disappointing that neither she nor Delilah had been able to get their hands on any useful information. Ally had sent Marion a report last week, but it was just a matter-of-fact summary of Orion’s business, at least as much of it as Ally had managed to understand during her short time there. Ally couldn’t wait to get to the bottom of things. If there was indeed a leak she wanted to ferret it out, and if there wasn’t one, then she wanted to pack it up and move on to the next case. She missed New York, and most importantly she missed Jake.

  She was shocked to find how big a void she felt not being able to see him or contact him in any way. She never remembered feeling this acute sense of separation when being away from her ex, but then she’d never felt about her ex the way she felt about Jake. She wondered how long it was going to take to crack this case. She knew it wasn’t the correct motivation, but she wanted to complete this assignment as soon as possible so that she could get back to Jake. She grabbed her ID, got up from her chair, and nudged Delilah who was zoning out in her cubicle.

  “God, you almost gave me a heart attack!” Delilah hissed. “I hate Monday mornings.” She took a long gulp of her coffee.

  “It’s already ten o’clock.”

  “Exactly my point. Don’t make it any worse by reminding me.”

  Ally perched herself on the edge of Delilah’s desk. “Time to get to work.”

  “You’re welcome to it.” Delilah took another sip of her coffee. “I need another hour to regroup.”

  “You shouldn’t have stayed up so late last night watching TV.”

  “Sixteen Candles was on—it’s my favorite movie.”

  “I hope it was worth it. Come on, let’s go.”

  “Where are you dragging me?”

  “I want to check out the plant again.”

  “But we just saw it last week.”

  “Yeah, but now I want to do a deep dive.”

  “A deep dive? I don’t like the sound of that, especially on a Monday morning.”

  “You’re welcome to stay here if you’d like, but then I won’t be putting your name on my weekly report to Marion.”

  “Now the truth comes out. I didn’t know that you’re such a cutthroat careerist.” Delilah got up. “All right, let’s go.” Delilah took one last sip of her coffee and reluctantly placed it on her desk.

  Ally smiled. She had no intention of leaving Delilah’s name off the report, but her threat had worked and that was all she cared about.

  “Do you think we should tell Rogers where we’re going?” Delilah asked.

  “I already sent him an email.”

  About ten minutes later, after passing through all the security checkpoints and having donned hard hats, they were inside Orion’s plant facility. In addition to having to scan their employee IDs when accessing the plant, they also had to report to the supervising manager on duty and explain their reason for being on the plant’s grounds. So far the controls around Orion’s security seemed to be very tight, but Ally wondered if there was a chink hiding somewhere.

  “I wonder if we could get logs of all entries into the plant,” Ally mused as she and Delilah surveyed the plant’s equipment.

  “That’d be like looking for a needle in a haystack. This place is huge. Can you imagine how many people come in here every day?”

  “Yes, but we could look for patterns. I bet most of the names are going to be the same day in, day out, but if we see a new name—someone randomly coming in, we can do more digging to see if they had a legitimate purpose for visiting the plant.”

  “You’re just bursting with ideas this morning, aren’t you?”

  “We have to figure out this case.”

  “We just got here last week, or have you forgo
tten? No one completes an assignment in one week. I must say though, I do wish this case was over already and we were back in New York. It’s so boring here. There’s nothing to do and you won’t let me socialize with anyone.”

  “What are you talking about? We socialized last week.”

  “Yeah, but when Alex and Mark invited us for drinks this Saturday you made me say no.”

  “That’s because it would’ve been unprofessional.”

  “How’s having a drink unprofessional?”

  “Oh come on, don’t tell that you didn’t realize that those two horndogs are dying to get into your pants.”

  “Horndogs? What is this, the 1950s? And it’s our pants they’re trying to get into, not just mine.”

  “Leave my pants out of it, thank you very much.”

  “What’s the harm in a little flirtation? We already found out a ton of information from them.”

  “I wouldn’t call it a ton, but some of it was useful. That guy Alex might be useful—you should keep close to him.”

  “How am I supposed to do that if you won’t let me see him?”

  “I’m just trying to keep things professional. You can have lunch with him this week.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “All right, enough of this. I’m trying to concentrate here.” Ally looked at her notes. According to her research, there were several new machines added to the plant over the past few months and she wanted to get the serial numbers from the actual machines to make sure they matched those on file. She just started typing in the first number into the company-issued electronic tablet when Delilah nudged her. “What is it now?” Ally asked, irritated—she’d just lost the number sequence.

  “Don’t look now, but I just saw Jake walk through the entrance. He’s with a bunch of suits,” Delilah whispered

  “What are you talking about?” Ally muttered, still trying to finish inputting the information. “What Jake? I don’t remember meeting any Jakes here.”