Page 1 of Forged in Secrets

CHAPTER

ONE

DONALD

THREE MONTHS BEFORE

Donald Fairman grimaced as he looked down at the phone resting in his palm.

He let it ring once, and then twice, unsure whether he was eager or terrified to hear what the man on the other end had to say.

There was so much riding on this. What would he do if things didn’t work out?

He shook his head and reached out to tap the green button before bringing the device to his ear.

It was always better to know. One way or another.

“I take it this couldn’t wait until I was on the plane?” he asked by way of greeting.

He glanced out the window as he waited for a reply, taking in the glimmering lights of downtown Austin. It was beautiful out there. Paradise, really. As much as hetended to wax nostalgic about the snowy weather he’d experienced growing up, he had to admit that the Texan climate suited him just fine.

“Sorry, Don. I thought you’d want to know right away,” the man said. There was a teasing tone to his friend’s voice, a near-guarantee that he’d like what he was about to hear.

“It’s fine. Everyone’s long gone for the day,” he said, giving the open floor plan a final visual sweep, as though someone might have returned to grab a forgotten wallet or set of keys in the last five minutes. “Just tell me so I can confirm my plans.”

“The acquisition is officially going through.”

The words waited a moment then, suspended in time as Donald considered the implications. It was the news he’d been waiting for, yes, but that didn’t mean it would be a simple matter going forward. Oh well. There was no time to second guess anything now. Things would work out. They had to.

“Anyway,” the man on the phone continued. “We announce publicly in three weeks.”

Donald gripped the phone more tightly, noticing a slight ‘click’ as his wedding band met the hard plastic of his protective case.

He wasn’t sure if he’d ever be ready to stop wearing it, even though his wife had already taken her ring with her to her grave.

“Three weeks is cutting it too close,” he said. “I have funds to move. Not to mention the meetings, and everything I’m going to have to do to try and hide the paper trail we’re about to leave behind. And I’m leaving for China on the thirtieth.”

“We don’t have a choice.”

“Did you try to talk to them?” Donald asked. Somewhere on the street below, he heard the faint sound of a driver blowing his horn. Real life always felt far away when he was up here. Especially now.

“Of course I did! The board wasn’t having it. The accounting department is already upset that this chaos is all going on mid-quarter.”

“Okay,” Donald said, letting out a breath. “I’ll make it happen.”

“Three weeks.”

Without another word, the line went dead.

Donald smiled to himself. He’d half expected to be reminded of what he owed. Not that he would have complained about the exorbitant fee he had agreed to pay in installments in exchange for information on the acquisition.

It was worth it, and a whole lot more.

But making sure he kept everything nice and legal, now, that would be a bit more of a challenge. Still, it was nothing he couldn’t handle. He’d been in business a long time. It was amazing how many invoices could be categorized under the single title of ‘consultant fee.’

Another horn screeched below.

Donald stared down at the street as two men got out of their now banged-up cars and began yelling at each other, their words silenced by the thick glass.

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