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“Thank you, that means a lot.” Fiona turned and pulled me in for a hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
I hugged her back, hard. “What’s going on?”
Fiona smiled, but anxiety rolled off her in waves. “I’ll tell you everything, but first—I’ve been worried sick. How are you?”
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, the Chinese biomedical giant that had tried repeatedly to steal our invention. But people in the industry still talked.
Fiona sank into the nearest seat. “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. Tell us what’s going on, because now I’m worried about you.”
Fiona played with her rings. “Things are going well at Protocol—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. “Thank you.”
“That’s amazing news.” I leaned forward. “So why’re you so 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.”
Chapter 2
Hannah
Lauren put her face in her hands while I sat there, reeling.
“Why do you think it’s Li Na?” My voice sounded hoarse.
Fiona sighed. “Because she called me, right after my IT team caught her trying to hack into our server.”
Lauren looked up. “What did she say?”
“That Jiàn Innovations was interested in acquiring Protocol. When I explained we weren’t selling, she wasn’t too happy.”
“Did she threaten you?” I asked.
Fiona shifted in her seat, as if talking about Li Na caused her physical discomfort. “Not exactly. In other words, she didn’t say anything specific enough that I could take to the police or the FBI. But she did say that if I didn’t reconsider, I’d regret it.”
Lauren and I locked eyes for a moment, but neither of us said anything.
“Listen, people in Silicon Valley talk,” Fiona said. “You haven’t gone public with what happened, but I’m aware that Jiàn Innovations has been after Paragon. I also know that your former board member Clive Warren got involved with Jiàn when he was in China, and that he brought that shit-show home with him when he came back to California.”
Fiona pursed her lips. “I’m not here to put you in another bad position—I’m just wondering if you have some insight on how to deal with her. I’ve been hacked at every company I’ve ever been with, but I’ve never been directly threatened like this. And after what happened with Hannah, my concerns have escalated. That’s why I wanted to meet with you.”
“I hate to say it, but you’re right to be scared.” Lauren pulled out a business card from her desk drawer. “You should contact the FBI—they’ll want to know about this immediately. I’ve worked with Agent Marks. He’s in charge of Li Na’s file, which is getting thicker by the minute.”
Fiona accepted the card Lauren, turning it over in her fingers. “Can he actually do anything?”
“Unfortunately, not much.” Lauren frowned. “The United States has limited jurisdiction—we can’t just arrest a Chinese national on Chinese soil, and as far as we know, her government has no plans to extradite her.”
Fiona nodded. “That’s pretty much what my attorney said.”
“You should increase your security immediately. Li Na’s holed up in Shenzhen, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t active over here. She has a pretty extensive team of thugs waiting to do her bidding.” I shivered, hoping Lauren wouldn’t notice.
She leaned forward, watching my face. “Hannah? Are you okay?”
Of course, my nosy big sister didn’t miss a trick. “I’m fine. Please, we’ve got bigger problems right now—like the fact that Li Na’s using these tactics again on another American biotech company. She’s not backing down at all.”
Apparently, a trail of dead guards and a botched buyout weren’t enough to deter her.
