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“I’m in the parking lot. I was hoping you could fit me in—it’s important.”
“Hold on—let me text Lauren and see if she’s free.”
I put her on hold and fired off a quick text to Lauren, wondering why in the hell Fiona Pace was sitting in Paragon’s parking lot. Something had to be wrong, very wrong. Fiona’s schedule was jam-packed. I’d tried to schedule a lunch with her two years ago, and we’d had to book it six months ahead of time.
I read the reply from Lauren and got back on the phone with Fiona. “We can see you, but it needs to be quick. Lauren’s due back in the lab in a half hour.”
“That’s fine. I’m coming in now.”
I hustled from my office to Lauren’s. She hadn’t been happy about the unscheduled interruption.
She jumped to her feet when I came in. “What does Fiona Pace want? I’m so busy today. There’s so much catching up to do—”
“I don’t know, but she sounded upset. And Fiona doesn’t do upset.”
“I don’t like it.” Lauren shook her head. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
I nodded, my stomach churning with nerves. “But maybe she’s working on another book and just wants to interview you.”
“I think she would’ve scheduled that ahead of time, don’t you?”
Stephanie buzzed in before I could answer. “Ms. Pace is here.”
“Send her in.”
Fiona Pace came through the doors, wearing a violet-colored sweater and a pencil skirt, her brown bob shining in the sun that streamed through the windows. She would’ve looked fabulous if her face hadn’t been so drawn. “Lauren, thank you for seeing me on such short notice.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Fiona. I enjoyed your book. It seems like BioTherapeutics is doing well—congratulations.”
“Thank you, that means a lot.” Fiona turned and pulled me in for a hug. “Hannah, it’s so good to see you. I’ve been following your story—I was worried sick.”
News of my kidnapping and the shooting at my house had been covered by the local press. Lauren and her attorney, Bethany O’Donnell, had done their best to keep the spotlight off Paragon and its violent entanglement with Jiàn Innovations, but people in the industry still talked.
“We’ve all been praying for you—me, Jim, and the girls—I’m so sorry about what you’ve been through. What a nightmare.”
“Thank you. But I’m fine, and I’m thrilled to be back at work.”
“How’s your boyfriend?”
“Wesley’s doing much better, thank you. He’s home now, and he’s going to start physical therapy soon. He’s expected to make a full recovery.”
Fiona squeezed my hand. “That’s wonderful. I’m so glad.”
We all sat down, and Fiona cleared her throat. “It’s not often I find myself sitting in a parking lot, begging for a meeting.”
“Why don’t you tell us what’s going on?” Lauren asked.
Fiona played with her rings. “Things are going well at BioTherapeutics—very well. We’re getting close with the antibody therapy, and I think it’s going to work. This could be big, a bigger innovation than we’ve seen in biotech in a long time. With the exception of your patch, of course.”
Lauren smiled. “Of course.”
“That’s amazing news,” I said. “So why do you seem upset?”
Fiona raised her gaze to meet mine, and I saw how hollowed-out she looked. “Because Li Na Zhao wants to steal the technology from me. And for the first time in my adult life, I’m scared. Scared, as in totally fucking petrified.”
