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“Of course you do.” Simone didn’t need an explanation. “Tell Abby I want a stuffed Disney Princess. Her choice. It’s unfair that I should fly all the way from Lyon and not get the chance to see the original Disneyland.”
“Will do.” This time there was a smile in Aidan’s voice. “Knowing Abby and her enthusiasm, she’ll have Emma buy you one that’s taller than you are. Be glad you’re flying home on the Zermatt plane.”
Stanford Business School
Palo Alto, California
1 March
Thursday, 7:40 p.m. local time
Jia li went sheet white when she read the cryptic text.
Xu Wei was here?
A classified leak. One that was serious enough for him to fly to Palo Alto for an urgent person-to-person meeting with all parties. And not at his hotel. At her apartment, where they wouldn’t be seen or recognized. In a half hour.
Something had gone very, very wrong.
She stood up and mumbled something to excuse herself from her meeting. Grabbing her things, she tripped and nearly fell in her haste to get out the door.
She made her phone call the moment she stepped outside the building.
The person at the other end listened intently, as freaked out by all this as she was—and with a lot more to lose. “I’m on my way.”
Crescent Woods Garden Apartments
Palo Alto, California
1 March
Thursday, 7:55 p.m. local time
Simone watched as Jia li’s BMW came tearing down the street and veered into the development until it disappeared into the underground parking.
“Well, your text certainly worked,” she announced to Terri. “Jia li just broke every speed limit and nearly hit a tree on her way in.”
“I expected no less.” Once again, Terri sounded both smug and pleased.
“Our mole should be here soon.”
“Yes, but don’t expect to spot him or her, not unless things go wrong and you have to relocate your car. Whoever it is will definitely not want to be seen. They’ll drive around back and tuck their car in an unobtrusive spot. Jia li will let them in via the back door. I’m sure that’s how they arranged any previous meetings they held here—assuming there were any.”
“My guess is, there were,” Simone replied, her gaze darting everywhere just in case their mole was sloppier than Terri expected. “Jia li is an unknown chess piece to everyone but us. Her apartment would be the best choice for face-to-face interaction. Public places would be risky, and anything closer to Nano would be riskier still. So I think your theory is a sound one.”
“I’m glad we’re in agreement.” Terri sounded as revved up as Simone felt. They were on the brink of a major discovery and they both knew it.
A few more minutes ticked by, during which time they heard the muffled sounds of Jia li letting herself into her apartment, tossing down whatever things she’d been carrying, and then hurrying back out the door.
Silence.
“She’s on her way to let her colleague in.” Terri stated the obvious. “The back door is at the other end of the corridor and around the bend from Jia li’s apartment. I’m sure she’s running. But it’ll still take a couple of minutes. Let’s sit tight and take some deep breaths.”
“Right.” Simone knew far better than to think Terri was either sitting tight or breathing deeply. She herself was perched so rigidly at the edge of her seat that her breasts were being flattened by the steering wheel.
At last the apartment door opened with a whoosh, followed by some hurried footsteps and the door being shut.
“Xu Wei will be here in less than five minutes.” Jia li’s hysterical voice came through Simone’s headset, clear and strong. “I’m frightened. I don’t even understand what’s happening. Or why.”
