Page 96 of Man of the Year

Walter, pushing Rosenberg in front of him, who’s bound again, his mouth taped.

Julien, with Nick’s body thrown across his shoulder.

I stare in awe at how strong Julien is, how different he looks in army boots and tactical pants. Their group shadow, cast by the porch light of the guest house, is dark and gigantic.

I step aside, letting them into the guest house.

This time, Walter sets Rosenberg down in a chair. Julien dumps Nick’s body on the couch.

“What’s wrong with him?” I ask, staring at Nick, who is motionless.

“I guess his buddy injected him with his own medicine,” Julien says indifferently.

Goosebumps cover my skin. I shouldn’t feel bad. After all, Nick was the one poisoning the girls all this time. He killed at least one person. I would’ve been dead, too, if it weren’t for Julien.

Yet, the thought that he’s poisoned gives me whiplash.

“We should take him to the hospital,” I say, turning to Julien, who’s already at the desk, doing something on the computer screens. “What are you doing?”

“Erasing the passkey security protocol so that the authorities can gain access to the system.”

“What authorities?”

“The ones who will properly handle IxResearch funds and investments.”

“You work for the authorities?”

“No.”

“Then why?”

Walter leaves Rosenberg and walks up to me. “You ask too many questions.” He turns to Julien. “I told you she’d be a liability.”

I want to snap back with a clever remark, but I don’t know what their plan is and how I fit in.

“Leave her alone. I’ll deal with her,” Julien says. “I’ve got all the accounts sorted, except for one, his personal money. We are keeping it,” he tells Walter. “The rest will cover everyone, going back to Metrix Technologies.”

“Good. Let’s go. We need to hurry.”

Julien gets up, leaving the computer screens on. “Come with me,” he says to me, motioning toward the door.

“Where?” I ask, uncertain if I should follow. “I’d rather wait for the police.”

Walter snorts. “You kidding me?”

Julien holds the door open for me. “We are done here. You are never coming back here. And that’s not a request.”

“And them?” I nod toward Rosenberg and Nick.

“The ambulance will arrive in time. As well as the police. I’ll explain on the way.”

But something doesn’t sit right with me. If Nick’s biggest asset was the thumb drive with the passkeys, then what did his reference to the treasure in the closet mean?

“What was Nick talking about when he mentioned a treasure?” I ask.

Julien nods to the computer. “This. Natalie, please, we really need to go.”

I shake my head. “No. Something else. When he left me in the closet, he said that I was a dragon guarding a treasure.”

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