Page 103 of Twisted Truth

“This wasn’t an accident, Asher. I have gone through the protocols and procedures religiously with the executives, management, and all the lead scientists in Greenspan, and they’ve all assured me their methods and practices are safe. We even had an outside inspector come in and double check, and he gave us the green light. This shit shouldn’t be happening. These aren’t fucking accidents, this is sabotage. I’m sure of it.”

“Goddammit. Have you called Sterling?”

“Yes. He’s combing through the security footage and tracking records of every badge for when and where they were used. But that’s all going to take some time.”

“What is the scientist’s name?”

“Akio Kobayashi. He’s the lead in everything research. He’s brilliant and wouldn’t make some rookie mistake to cause an explosion.”

“Do we know his prognosis?”

“Not yet. He’s in surgery.”

“Fuck. You keep up on him and make sure we contact his family and help them however we can. I’m going to get Tyrone on this.”

“He won’t be able to get in there for a few days. The entire research floor is locked down, and crews are cleaning up and investigating.”

“I want you and Sterling to look into the background of every person doing the cleaning and investigating. Whoever is behind this has covered their tracks until now, so we have to assume they have someone on the inside with the cleanup. Get security there now. I want officers watching and following every fucking person working on the floor. I don’t even want a broom to sweep through the mess without knowing who is using it and why.”

“On it.”

“And make sure this is hushed in the media and even within Langford Holdings. I want Conrad kept as far away from this as possible. He’s already obsessed with selling Greenspan; we can’t afford for him to have any more ammunition to take to the board.”

“He’s bound to find out. There’s no way we can keep this silent.”

“Then we need to delay the spread for as long as we can. I want to know what is going on and who is behind it. The more we know, the more leverage we have when the board inevitably pushes to sell. All those old cocksuckers want Greenspan gone.”

Declan is quiet for a moment. “Do you think one of them is finding a way to do it?”

I pause, taking in his words. “You think one of them could be behind this?”

“It’s definitely possible. The board hates Greenspan, but they know they can’t force a sale with the three of us owning the majority of the company. But if they can make Greenspan a problem and not just a money pit, they might think that could be enough to convince us to sell. And whoever is behind this is definitely someone on the inside. There have been no break-ins and nothing out of the ordinary. The only strange thing is the fact that accidents that should not be happening keep happening.”

“We can’t rule anything out at this point. I’ll share your suspicions with Tyrone and get him in touch with Sterling. If anyone can sniff this out, it’s them.”

The movie must be over. I can hear applause from inside the theater. “Keep me posted.”

“Done.”

I hang up and wait for Ella outside the theater doors. Ten minutes later, everyone starts to file out after thank-you speeches from the producers and stars of the film. Jared fucking Aiken is cozied up to Ella, smiling and laughing with her as they exit the doors. I grind my teeth.

“Ella,” I say, moving toward her as Jared gives me an assessing look. I wrap my arm around her waist and kiss her temple. “Sorry I had to leave; I got an important call.”

“It’s fine. Although you missed the best part. The ending is insane!”

“Did you like—” Jared starts to ask her, but I turn away and pull her with me, heading for the doors.

“That was rude.”

“I couldn’t give a shit. He can go find someone else to prop up his ego for him.”

“It seems like your ego is the fragile one tonight.”

I shrug. I know she’s probably right, but I’m not about to admit it.

“The after party starts in an hour.”

“Fuck.” The last thing I want to do is go to a damn after party.