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His smile vanished. “I’m guessing that’s why there’re guards all over the place—to keep your girlfriend from doing just that?”
I climbed out of the pool, careful not to soak Levi’s suede loafers—I needed him on my good side. Despite being a big, bad security agent, my older brother was very particular about his clothes.
I grabbed my protein shake and a towel and sat, looking at my house. Lauren was in there, somewhere. Probably cursing my name and packing a bag, for all the good it was going to do. “Hannah’s the only family she has left. Lauren’s out of her mind right now.”
“I don’t blame her. Blatant kidnapping and murder are sort of a big deal.” Levi took off his shoes, rolled up his pants, and sat on the pool deck, sticking his feet in the water. “Fucking California,” he sighed, looking around at the mountains and the sunshine. “It always makes me feel bad for Boston. Like my hometown is an ugly stepsister or something.”
“You could always relocate. We need increased security.”
Levi nodded. “Clearly—Silicon Valley’s tough, huh? Security business is booming out here. How’s the guard doing? The one who made it?”
I grimaced. “He’s in surgery. The hospital won’t release any information to us, but we have one of our guys there, waiting.”
“If he comes to, I’ll need to talk to him. See if he remembers anything that can help us.”
“Okay. So…what’s next? And where’s Asher?” Asher was our youngest brother and one of Betts Security’s top analysts.
“He’s meeting with your team. They’re doing a perimeter scan and catching Ash up on your systems. We haven’t been out here in a long time. He needs a refresher course. He’s also going to check out your copter and the helipad in case we need it—have you ever flown that thing, or landed it here?”
“It hasn’t come up.”
“Ah, the discretionary income of a billionaire CEO.” He laughed, then scrubbed a hand across his face. “Back to what we’re doing—we’re going to get Hannah back as soon as possible, obviously. My team’s flying in tonight. What were Zhao’s instructions?”
I shook my head. “She didn’t give any specifics. Yet. She just said that she wants to buy Paragon and she wants Lauren. She said she’d be in touch.”
“Then we’ll be ready for her.”
“But I’m worried about Lauren—she’ll do anything for Hannah. She would die for her—she wouldn’t even think twice about it. I love Hannah too, but I can’t let that happen. Do you understand?”
“Of course I do.” He shot me a look. “Does Lauren know who she’s dealing with?”
I nodded. “Li Na’s crazy, but she’s brilliant. She’s obsessed with Lauren’s technology, and she’s ruthless. Lauren knows who she is.”
The smile reappeared. “I meant you, little brother.”
I looked back out at the water, which was calm, level, and clear—a sharp contrast to how I felt. “Oh, she knows, all right. And she’s not happy about it.”
LAUREN
After a while, I heard voices out in the kitchen, but I didn’t care. I stayed in the bedroom, pacing a hole in the oriental rug, trying to figure out a way to escape.
I needed to save my sister—that was nonnegotiable. I would do whatever Li Na wanted. I’d analyzed the situation from every angle, and I knew this wasn’t an equation with more than one answer.
I paced, cursing Gabe. He’d gone from my boyfriend to my jailor, and an angry fire coursed through me every time I thought about what he’d said. “Did you hear that? Lockdown. You’re going nowhere unless I give you express permission.”
Someone knocked on the door. Assuming it was Gabe, I said, “Go away.”
My attorney, Bethany O’Donnell, stuck her pretty face into the room. “Can I come in?”
“Do you have news?”
“No,” she admitted, “but can I come in anyway?”
I shrugged and went back to pacing.
Wearing a crisp, dark suit, Bethany came in and sat on the bed. “How’re you doing?”
I just shook my head.
