“I can’t quite take on the holier-than-thou role. For a few moments there I was thinking about how a windfall from a sure thing like that could affect my mother’s standard of living—and my own.”

“What’s that make us?”

“Human, I guess. Though some people would call us stupid humans for not jumping on it.”

Doug caressed the back of her hand. “I’ll never feel stupid if I’m with you.”

She laughed. “How many scotches have you had?”

He only smiled and she knew the love in his eyes was reflected in her own.

They sat in silence for a while. Finally Nadia voiced a question that had been bothering her. “What I’d like to know is what do they have up their sleeves that makes them so sure the stock is going to jump?”

“Only two things I can think of.” Doug held up a finger. “They’re expecting a takeover bid.” Another finger popped up alongside the first. “Or… they’re expecting a major breakthrough, like a new product that’s going to take the market by storm.” He pointed both fingers at Nadia. “Hey… maybe it’s the project you’re working on. Maybe you’re the key to the company’s future.”

Me? A queasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. The best she could say about the status of the project under her captaincy was that it was becalmed and rudderless.

“If that’s the case,” she said, “I think we’d be better off leaving our money in the bank. And maybe I will have that chardonnay.”

8

“I don’t know how you manage it,” Kent Garrison said with a note of hostility as Luc stepped into the conference room. Kent was stuffed into a pink golf shirt that matched the flush of his ample cheeks. “But somehow you always manage to be the last to arrive.”

Up yours, Luc thought, but managed an ingenuous smile instead. “Just lucky, I guess.”

Kent had called about an hour ago, saying, “We’ve caught the culprit,” and that they needed an emergency meeting. He’d say no more, but Luc knew what he meant: the software people had tracked the hacker who’d broken into the GEM system.

Kent sneered. “What were you doing—counting your wine bottles?”

That brought Luc up short. Did they know? He glanced quickly at the usually dapper Brad Edwards. He looked terrible. Wrinkled shirt, half-combed hair, glazed eyes, slack expression—was he on tranquilizers?

“Counting his wine bottles,” Brad said with a dull laugh. “That’s a good one.”

“I had to cancel plans,” Luc said. A lie. His only plans had been to continue packing his wine. “Plus I was up late at the test session.”

“Oh, right,” Brad said, looking apologetic. “How’d it go?”

Kent held up a hand before Luc could answer. “Close the door first.”

“It’s Saturday morning,” Luc said. “We’re the only ones here.”

Kent shook his head. “Not quite. Your new researcher is signed into the lab.”

“Really?” Luc had to smile. “Amazing what the offer of a million-dollar bonus will do.” He pulled the door shut and latched it, then sat down. “Couldn’t we have discussed this in a conference call?”