Page 195 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Her breath caught as she swallowed. “What?”

“I was going to wait and tell you and Maddox this at the same time, but I’ll go ahead and tell you now. Jordan was working on a new drug for Alzheimer’s.”

“PZT.”

He sounded surprised. “How did you know?”

“Jordan told me.”

“Jordan and Piper were joint owners of a company called Therapia.”

Addie knew all about the company. “Yes, it’s a derivative of the Greek word for cure. Piper’s dad, Hamilton Gentry, is heavily involved in the company as well. Hamilton’s in charge of securing financial backing to fund the research. Shortly after Jordan and Piper got married, they started a research facility in New Jersey.”

“That’s correct.” Corbin’s voice was factual and to-the-point. “Therapia is in the final phase of their laboratory trials on PZT and is getting ready to submit an application to the FDA.”

“Yes, I know all that,” she said impatiently.

“I’m impressed.”

She rolled her eyes. “Duh. Piper and Jordan are two of my closest friends. I know just about everything about them. Plus, Piper and Hamilton still have their home in Liberty Falls. They travel back and forth. I get together with Piper whenever she’s in town.”

“Did you know they were having serious marital problems?”

“What?” Her head began to spin. “That’s not true. They were supposed to leave the day after Jordan was killed for a cruise to the Bahamas. I talk to Piper on a regular basis, the two of them were good.”

“Not according to Sutton’s investigators.”

“Then the investigators are wrong,” she nearly shouted.

Silence.

“Corbin, are you still there?”

“I’m here. Look, I’m sure this is hard to process, but you’ve got to remove your personal feelings. According to Sutton’s investigators, Jordan and Piper were on the verge of divorce. Jordan had already spoken to an attorney.”

Addie felt betrayed and confused. Why would Piper and Jordan not tell her they were having problems? Something Jordan said came rushing back.“You’re the only one I cantrust.”Was that Jordan’s way of hinting that things weren’t right between him and Piper?

Her throat constricted to the size of a straw as she swallowed. “Do you think PZT had something to do with Jordan’s death?”

“At this point, it’s merely a theory. If PZT really can cure Alzheimer’s…” He let out a low whistle. “Think of the billions upon billions of dollars it would be worth. That’s certainly motive enough for someone to kill.”

“Yeah, but why kill the developer?”

He paused. “I don’t know. There are still too many missing pieces to form a clear picture.”

“Why did someone break into my house? They didn’t even take anything.”

“You were the last person to see Jordan alive. Maybe someone thinks you know something.”

“Well, I don’t,” she barked. “All I know is that I’m getting sick and tired of the whole situation.” She swallowed. “I just want this to be over, so I can get on with my life.”

“Hang in there, sis. I’m working on it from this end. In the meantime, you need to stay close to Maddox so he can keep you safe.”

She let out a humorless laugh thinking of how she’d sent him packing. “Sorry, bro, but I’m afraid my meeting with Maddox didn’t go so well. He’s probably on his way back to San Diego by now.”With Felicity, she added mentally.

Short pause. “No, Maddox is too diehard to let a few harsh words stand between him and a mission.”

Diehard!She rolled the word around in her head a couple of times. Maddox might be a diehard former SEAL, but it was too bad he wasn’t as diehard when it came to relationships. Fickle was what he was!

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