Baiting Trouble (Sinful Business Book 2)

by Marie Astor

  “What the hell is he doing, saying Tian Wang’s name like that?” Jake exclaimed. “Is he trying to tip them off or something?”

  “He’s just trying to get as much evidence as possible,” Delilah countered. She looked paler than usual and thinner too, as if she hadn’t been eating or sleeping at all these past few days.

  Jake merely shook his head. “Let’s hope the Boy Scout doesn’t overdo it.”

  “Brad Weiss has a lot more courage than most men I’ve met,” Delilah said quietly.

  “Yeah, right, courage to gamble, sleep around, get himself into a big mess with a bunch of crooks, and then get off scott-free,” Jake muttered.

  Ally saw Delilah’s eyes turning moist. “Jake was just kidding.” She reached out in a comforting gesture, but Delilah pulled away. Ally felt terrible. Sure, they were close to solving this massive conspiracy, but at what cost? But then her job required such sacrifices. Most agents like Jake wouldn’t even bat an eyelash at the casualties involved. She supposed having qualms about it made her a bad agent, a weak link in the chain. She stole a glance at Jake, wondering why he wouldn’t say something to lessen the blow of his remark. The expression on his face was steely and unreadable, which had become the norm whenever he was around her. Their conversations were terse and infrequent these days, limited only to the extent that was necessitated by their jobs. It was as if they had never known each beyond the duties of their office. As if the Jake who laughed with her and made her breakfast in the morning, or the Jake who made hot, passionate love to her never existed. She tried not to think about how much she missed the Jake she used to know, the Jake she no longer got to see.

  “Shhh!” Jake motioned for them to be quiet as he drew closer to the speaker. “I think we’re finally getting to the meat of it.”

  Irene Zong’s voice carried through the receiver. “Uncle, everything is going as planned. The sensors have been ordered and will be installed in Orion’s plants as part of the maintenance project. McKeenly is in charge of the specifications for the maintenance. I’ve arranged it so that the actual installation will be supervised directly by Brad. This way we won’t run into any unnecessary interference.”

  A male voice, which Ally assumed belonged to Tian Wang, carried through the receiver. “Excellent, Irene. I always knew I could count on you. Have the sensors been ordered as specified?”

  “Yes,” Irene confirmed. “We placed the order with the trusted source. Steven signed off on the invoice and everything is in order. The shipment will be here next week, and the installation has been scheduled. As you suggested, we used a local manufacturer to avoid customs.”

  “Excellent. I will speak with you soon. I’m looking forward to the fireworks.” Tian Wang’s voice was filled with satisfaction.

  “Thank you for your confidence in us, Tian—Mr. Wang. We will not disappoint you.” Brad’s voice was filled with deference, but Ally could tell what he was doing. She just hoped that neither Irene nor Wang smelled foul.

  There was a clicking sound, which Ally assumed was Tian Wang disconnecting from the line.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Irene’s voice was irked.

  “What?” Brad replied. “I only wanted to assure Mr. Wang that everything is going according to plan.”

  “I already told him that,” Irene barked. “You only speak when told to—or hasn’t the lesson you got in Steven’s office been enough?” She alluded to the shake-up Brad had received from one of Wang’s henchmen.

  “Apologies. I wasn’t aware of the protocol,” Brad muttered in a voice that was a mixture of politeness and fear. “By the way, as I am the company COO, at least nominally, I need to know what kind of sensors you were referring to in case someone asks me. I assume you meant temperature and pressure sensors?”

  “That’s right, Einstein,” Irene snapped. “And if anyone starts asking you any questions about it, you’d better let me know right away.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “I’ll contact you regarding the shipment shortly. I want everything to go off without a hitch,” Irene instructed him. “You’re both dismissed for now. Make sure not to draw attention to yourselves when you leave.” The receiver grew quiet, except for sounds of moving chairs and feet.

  Ally and Delilah were still huddled around the speaker when Jake clapped his hands, snapping them to attention. “We have to intercept that shipment. Wang’s going to blow up the plant.”

  “How do you know that?” Delilah asked.

  “Didn’t you hear him just now? What do you think he meant by saying that he’s looking forward to the fireworks? They’re going to smuggle in some kind of massive explosive during the installation and then blow the whole thing up.”

  “It could be that the explosives are in the sensors,” Ally ventured. “Maybe there’s some sort of programming mechanism that will make them go off remotely, so that Tian and his people won’t be implicated.”

  “They’re implicated now, all right.” Jake tapped at the recorder. “We’ve got it all on tape, and if Boy Scout there didn’t call out Tian’s name we still would’ve nailed him through voice recognition software. Once we track a supplier the whole thing will be in the bag. There are only a handful of major conglomerates that manufacture these. I doubt any of them would go along with Wang’s scheme—it’d be too risky for both parties. No, my hunch is that Wang’s people ordered the sensors from one of the major suppliers and then had them modified by their own engineers.”

  “The trusted source,” Ally pointed out, remembering Irene’s phrase.

  “That’s right,” Jake confirmed. “That’s what we need to find.”

  Chapter 22

  As Brad Weiss parked his car in his usual spot in Orion’s parking lot, he was a picture of calmness. Inside, however, he was a nervous wreck. He’d hardly closed his eyes all night, and now the lack of sleep was making his jitters even worse. Today the maintenance installation for Orion’s plant was supposed to kick off. If everything went according to plan Brad would be a free man, forever rid of Tian Wang and his cohorts. But if it didn’t . . . if it didn’t . . . Brad didn’t even want to think about the myriad of horrifying consequences he would have to face if things went wrong. The bruises from his encounter with Wang’s emissary still hurt like crazy, providing an ample reminder of what would happen if things went wrong. Maybe he was a coward, but the possibility of facing Wang’s retribution literally made him shake.

  Brad checked his watch. It was seven-thirty a.m. The shipment of sensors was scheduled to arrive this morning, and he had specifically asked the plant staff to notify him once the container was received. Irene had requested that Brad oversee the maintenance installation to make sure that everything went according to plan, which was exactly what Brad was going to do—only his plans were different from those of Irene and her uncle’s.

  Engineers and plant staff arrived early, but the corporate headquarters building was still empty this early in the morning and Brad relished the quietness of the hallways as he went up into his office. He needed some peace and quiet to get himself together. He sat down behind his desk, closed his eyes, and massaged his temples. Everything was going to be just fine, he told himself. Everything was going to go according to plan. He’d never been interested in the idea before, but the past few weeks had been so stressful that he tried to get into meditating. He’d read some articles about it online and attempted to recall the technique, struggling to picture some peaceful landscape before his eyes. For a few moments he rubbed his eyes, frustrated. Either he was doing it wrong or it simply didn’t work for him. Probably both.

  A knock on his door literally made Brad jump up in his chair. Who could it be this early in the morning? “Come in,” he called out irritably.

  The door opened and Irene Zong strode inside his office. “Good morning, Brad. Glad to see you in here bright and early.”

  “Hello, Irene,” Brad forced the irritation out of his voice, worried that Irene might get suspicious.
>
  “Ready for the big day?” She perched herself on the armrest of one of the chairs and crossed her legs, her hip-hugging skirt sliding up above her knees. As usual she was dressed in a tight, body-hugging number, but Brad couldn’t care less. To him Irene Zong was about as sexy as a rattlesnake.

  “Everything seems to be in order,” Brad replied matter-of-factly. “I’ll be sure to let you know if there’re any problems.”

  “There won’t be any problems,” Irene replied icily. “I’ll be there personally to make sure of that.”

  Brad felt his back breaking out in cold sweat. “I thought you weren’t going to be there,” he said cautiously. “Didn’t you say none of the McKeenly staff was going to be present at the installation?”

  “I’m not McKeenly staff. And I’m going to be there to make sure that you don’t mess it up.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence. Don’t you think you being there might raise a red flag?”

  “When I need your opinion I’ll ask for it.”

  “Very well. I’ll see you at the plant then.”

  “Be sure to call me before you head over there.”

  “Will do, boss.”

  The minute Irene left, Brad clutched his cell phone and began typing a message to Jake Morrissey. Their operation hadn’t even started yet and already things were going awry.

  At eight-thirty a.m. sharp Brad walked briskly into the plant facility. “I’ve been notified that the shipment of sensors has arrived,” he spoke to the supervisor in charge.

  “Yes,” the supervisor confirmed. “We’re all ready to go with the installation.”

  “Let’s make sure that the shipment is in order first,” Brad said. He looked around, wondering where the hell Jake was. He’d promised to be there. Brad was improvising on the spot, stalling things. He’d managed to get down to the plant without telling Irene, but he wasn’t sure for how much longer he was going to be able to hold her off.

  “Everything should be in order,” Irene’s steely voice literally made Brad jump. He had no idea how she’d managed to sneak up behind him on her three-inch heels. “The installation should commence immediately, unless Mr. Weiss has any objections?” Her tone and expression made it clear that objecting was not an option. She grabbed Brad by the elbow with what felt like iron fingers. “Why wasn’t I notified that the shipment has arrived?” she hissed into his ear.

  “I wanted to get down here as soon as I could. I told my assistant to contact you immediately,” Brad mumbled.

  Irene’s eyes narrowed, burrowing into him like x-rays. “We’ll talk later,” she hissed. “Now make sure that everything goes off swimmingly, or you’ll be hearing from my uncle.” She eyed him meaningfully, her elbow digging sharply under his ribs.

  “No objections on my end,” Brad said weakly. “I just want to make sure that the protocol for plant shutdown is closely followed. Otherwise there could be problems with restarting it.”

  “Of course, Mr. Weiss,” the supervisor confirmed. “The crew is aware of the procedure. We’re going to shut the machines off according to the operating sequence.”

  “Excellent, proceed immediately.” Irene barked out her orders before Brad could get in a word. The supervisor looked at him questioningly. After all, he didn’t answer to Irene—he answered to Brad.

  Brad shot another worried look at the door, wondering where on earth Jake was. “I’d like to examine the sensors just to make sure that they conform to the required specifications. The manufacturer had several questions on the topic, so I just want to confirm that the equipment satisfies all the requirements.”

  “Of course, Mr. Weiss,” the supervisor assured him. “We’ll open it right up for your inspection.”

  “No further inspection required,” Irene seethed. “I personally spoke with the manufacturer before the shipment was sent out and the equipment is one hundred percent compliant.”

  “With all due respect, Miss, nothing is ever one hundred percent,” the supervisor retorted. “And we here answer to Mr. Weiss.” He eyed Brad questioningly, looking for confirmation.

  Brad was about to speak when he heard a commotion by the main entrance. He looked at the source of the noise and felt a ton of bricks lifting off his shoulders. Jake Morrissey, accompanied by a squad of FBI agents, was at the plant entrance.

  One of Orion’s security guards was hurrying in his direction. “Mr. Weiss, the FBI just stormed through the door. Apparently there’s a security threat,” he reported breathlessly.

  “We must all cooperate,” Brad said calmly. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the FBI agents clad in protective gear swarming the plant.

  Followed by several armed agents, Jake Morrissey walked swiftly toward them. “Department of Energy, Agent Jake Morrissey. The operations of this facility are suspended until further notice. There is suspicion of a national security threat. We request to see the new shipment of sensors that was reported to have been received by this facility this morning.”

  “You have my full cooperation and support. Please examine the plant,” Brad said eagerly. “The shipment is right over there.” He pointed at the section of the floor where the containers with the shipment of sensors were stacked.

  A group of FBI agents surged toward shipment and began to carefully open the boxes. The agents had testing equipment with them, including a portable x-ray machine.

  “Hold it! This man is an imposter!” Irene pointed at Jake. “I’m a managing director at McKeenly Consulting, and up until this morning this man has been pretending to be a part of the McKeenly staff, reporting to me. He should be arrested for perpetrating this scam!” she demanded, looking at the FBI agents.

  “Here are my credentials.” Jake flashed his ID card. “I ask you all to remain calm while we proceed with the examination,” he added in a commanding tone.

  “There has to be a mistake.” Irene’s composure didn’t waver for even a moment. “As a managing director at McKeenly Consulting, I personally vouch for the soundness of this equipment. Do you have a warrant to enter the premises?”

  One of the FBI agents held up a warrant for her to see. “Yes, we do, ma’am. Your cooperation would be appreciated.”

  Out of the corner of his eye Brad saw one of the FBI agents who’d been examining the equipment rushing toward them. “There are explosives inside the sensors,” the agent reported. “We just confirmed it with an x-ray and chemical sniffers.”

  Irene paled, staring at Brad in disbelief, but he pretended not to notice. It was all over now. Before he could as much as blink Brad felt her arm lock around his neck in a steely grip. He’d been through enough humiliation these past few months and being beaten up by a woman wasn’t going to be one of them. He pushed against her, about to throw her off, but was instantly stilled by the sensation of cold metal pressing against his temple.

  “Easy there, Brad. We wouldn’t want any trouble, would we?” Irene whispered into his ear.

  He went limp in her arms, sensing from the tone of her voice that if need be she wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

  Several FBI agents instantly had their guns pointed at Irene. “Calm down, ma’am,” a senior agent addressed Irene in a steadfast tone. “We don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

  “And no one is going to get hurt as long as you let me walk out of here,” Irene replied.

  “Put your gun down, ma’am,” the FBI agent told her. “You’re only making it worse.”

  “If you want this man to live,” Irene pressed the barrel into Brad’s temple for emphasis, “you’d better follow your own advice.”

  “I don’t have a clear shot,” the FBI agent muttered to the rest of the agents and lowered his gun.

  Irene started making her way toward the door. Brad tried to make it as difficult for her as possible by remaining limp in her arms, his body weight impeding her progress.

  “Pick yourself up, will ya?” she muttered.

  “I’m sorry, I got a cramp in my leg,” he lied.
Out of the corner of his eye Brad saw his salvation. On the floor, a few steps to the left, there was a heavy utility chain used in cranes for lifting heavy objects. It must’ve been left there by mistake by a forgetful staff member. Normally Brad would’ve reprimanded the supervisor on duty for this omission, but now he was glad to see it. “I’m so nervous my legs are giving out from under me.” He leaned against Irene, pushing her to the side so that her feet landed smack in the middle of the coiled chain.

  “Don’t crap your pants, you worthless sissy,” Irene hissed. She moved to take another step, but her heels sank into the chain. Plant floors weren’t meant for stilettos.

  Jake Morrissey must’ve read Brad’s mind. He moved swiftly toward the chain, and aided by several FBI agents yanked at it, sending Irene flying into the air.

  The smart thing to do would’ve been to run for cover, but Brad felt all the humiliation he’d endured boil up inside him. He toppled Irene and banged her wrist hard against the floor, knocking her gun right out and sliding it away from her. “You bitch,” he muttered, “have a nice time in jail.”

  “You’ll pay for this,” she spat.

  As though in a daze, Brad felt Jake Morrissey’s hand on his shoulder. “Well done, Brad. Department of Energy, the FBI, Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice all appreciate your cooperation in this matter.”

  Brad gulped at the long list of authorities involved. He was glad that his lawyer had secured him an iron-clad deal. And he was glad that the plant had been saved. He shuddered to think of the devastation that would’ve been caused had Tian Wang succeeded in his scheme. Still, he was uneasy. All the immunity in world wasn’t going to shield him from Tian Wang’s clutches.