Page 214 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Addie nodded. “Jordan mentioned that.”

Piper’s features tightened. “Did Jordan also tell you that he planned to sell the formula to our competitor, Barrett Medical?”

Addie’s throat constricted to the point where she felt it might swallow her tongue. Her words came out breathless. “Jordan was a good person. He loved you. He was honest.” She clenched her hands. “He wouldn’t do that to you.” The words sounded small and insignificant in her own ears, like she was shouting against the wind. “Above all, Jordan wanted to help cure Alzheimer’s.” Her voice quivered with intensity. “He wanted to protect families from suffering the same fate we did. Jordan’s mother, your mother … Gram.”

Piper’s eyes were a curious mixture of pity and anger. “I know it’s hard to believe.” She grunted out a laugh. “I could hardly believe it myself, at first.” Her voice took on a faraway quality as she stared past Addie into space. “My dad came to me. Told me his suspicions. There were rumors that Jordan was working a secret deal with Blanche Richey the VP of Barrett Medical.” Her jaw hardened. “Eventually, I hired a detective and discovered that the rumors were true.” Her eyes streaked with pain. “Further, I learned that Jordan and Blanche were having an affair.”

The current was rushing so swiftly that Addie could hardly keep her head above water. “The two of you planned to go on a cruise the following day. You told me so yourself.” She eyed Piper, daring her to deny it. “Why would you do that if your marriage was on the rocks?”

Piper crossed her legs and wrapped her hands around her knees. “Jordan had a falling out with Blanche. He realized she was in cahoots with another man and only using him to get the formula for PZT. Jordan severed all communications with Blanche. He and I started seeing a counselor.” Her voice broke. “I thought everything was fine.”

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this was happening?” Rocks knocked together in Addie’s stomach. She and Piper shared everything…or so she’d thought.

“You don’t know how much I wanted to.” Piper gave her a pleading look. “Jordan was embarrassed over his actions, and I wanted to just move on.”

Maddox interrupted the conversation. “There’s something I’m not getting.” He tilted his head. “You said PZT is in the final testing phase and that a drug application will be filed with the FDA in the near future.”

Piper nodded. “Correct.”

“Jordan was part owner of your drug company, right?”

“Yes, he and I were partners in Therapia,” Piper answered. Her expression was one of annoyance, like she didn’t understand why he was interjecting himself into the conversation.

“After my cabin was ransacked, Maddox came into town to protect me,” Addie explained. “He’s trying to get to the bottom of why someone’s targeting me.”

Understanding registered on her features. “I see.” Piper looked at Maddox, the lines on her face smoothing. “You were saying?”

Maddox scooted to the edge of the sofa. “Once PZT hits the market, it will potentially be worth billions of dollars, correct?”

Piper spread her hands. “That’s the hope.”

“Assuming the drug works,” Maddox added.

“Oh, I assure you. It works,” Piper countered, lifting her chin.

“Okay, so you have a revolutionary drug—that works—about to hit the market.” Maddox’s tone grew musing. “Jordan is half owner of the company that developed it. He’s in the driver’s seat. Why would he want to sell it?”

Addie frowned. An excellent point. She looked at Piper, awaiting her explanation.

Piper let out a long breath. “Getting a drug on the market is a long, painstaking process. It can take years to complete the process. Jordan grew impatient with the red tape. He wanted to cut to the chase and release the drug ASAP to get it to as many people as possible. Barrett Medical has a history of circumventing the system. I’m sure Blanche promised Jordan the Moon,” she added bitterly, “told him everything he wanted to hear.” Piper’s expression grew grim as her eyes met Addie’s. “Even though I didn’t agree with Jordan’s reasoning, I understood where he was coming from. Think of what it would’ve meant to my mom and your grandmother if they’d had access to PZT.”

Tears rushed to Addie’s eyes. Had Jordan developed PZT sooner, it might’ve cured Gram’s Alzheimer’s. Still, it wouldn’t have saved her from developing brain cancer. She was surprised when Maddox reached for her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. He gave her an empathetic smile, showcasing his left dimple. An unexpected warmth settled over Addie. In that moment, she realized how grateful she was to have Maddox by her side.

Maddox frowned. “None of this explains why Jordan was killed.”

“I have my suspicions,” Piper said darkly. “Brent Barrett the CEO and founder of Barrett Medical and his lackey, Blanche Richey, thought they had the greatest discovery of this century in the bag. Then, Jordan foiled their plans. The two of them would stop at nothing to get their hands on the formula for PZT.”

What Piper said made sense. Addie turned to Maddox to get his reaction. She could almost see the wheels turning in his head.

Maddox stroked his chin. “I’m assuming you keep the formula for PZT under lock and key?”

“Industrial espionage is the plague of drug research and development. We have a single computer that we keep locked in a vault. The formula for PZT is on that computer.” Piper held up a finger. “However, we suspect that Jordan kept a personal copy.”

“Your entire theory hinges on the idea that PZT actually works,” Maddox said.

Piper lifted an eyebrow. “I assure you, it works.”

The tension in the room grew palpable. A second later, Piper’s father entered. Maddox and Addie moved to stand.

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