Page 14 of Insidious Threats
“You’re sure? Not even Antonia?”
“No, I didn’t want her micromanaging me and breathing down my neck while I was figuring out how to get rid of the bug.” He laughed shortly. “Guess it’s not a bug, after all. But why—?”
“—It’s a top-secret project. I can’t go into details.”
“Is it for the government?”
Rosen ignored the question. “I’ll keep this quiet. You forget we ever had this conversation.”
Rosen hung up without waiting for an answer. Gar flopped back in his chair and stared at the string of code on his monitor. His mind zinged and pinged, racing through the new information, trying to process it. Mjölnir was not just capable of predicting criminal behavior, it had been designed for that very purpose. The purchasing behavior program was a shield, a ruse to hide a technology that could easily be abused if it fell into the wrong hands.
He played back his conversation with Brian Rosen.
What if it was already in the wrong hands? Gar’s own hands began to tremble, and he shoved them under his thighs to still them. He had to keep it together—if not for his own sake, then for Petra’s.
9
Naya yanked open the door to the breakout room, and Sasha hustled Maisy inside.
“Maisy, you should take this offer,” Naya told her. “You don’t want to tangle with Delone in the future. He’ll sue your round bottom for defamation if you so much as mention his name. So, just take the money and move on.”
“No.” Maisy pressed her lips together.
Sasha eyed her. “Care to elaborate? It’s your call, but it would be helpful to give Mickey a reason when we reject the offer.”
She pretended not to notice the daggers Naya was shooting with her eyes.
“I’m a serious journalist, regardless of what that West Coast witch thinks. If I come across something newsworthy that involves Delone or one of his stupid businesses, I’m gonna chase the story. Besides, how many pies do you think that guy has a finger in? He owns a freaking moon. I’d be afraid to say anything about anything for fear he’s somehow involved in it. No. I won’t do it. Mickey can’t make me. Can he?”
Sasha gave Naya a look. Naya shrugged.
“No,” Naya admitted. “The agreement says you get the money with no conditions, so the court won’t impose one on you after the fact. Not without new consideration.” She perked up at the idea.
“What’s that mean?” Maisy demanded.
“More money,” Sasha told her. “Would you be willing to agree to never mention him for, say, two million? Hypothetically.”
“No. Not for two million. Not for ten million. I’m serious about this.”
Sasha studied her friend. Maisy was bubbly, charming, and fun. She was rarely serious. But when she dug in her heels, she meant it.
“Okay, let’s go tell Amanda Teale-James to pound sand.”
“You mean ATJ,” Naya snarked.
Sasha mimed sticking her finger down her throat. “Seriously, what isthatabout?”
As they headed for the door, Maisy’s laughter faded. “You think I’ll still get the one million, though, right?”
“Naya?” Sasha could get Maisy her money, but it might involve an ugly court battle. She deferred to Naya to assess their odds of getting it through a negotiation.
“Eventually, yes. Well, it would have helped if Mickey had ordered the financial discovery. You want to lower your demand?”
Maisy shook her head. “No. The station owes me a million. I want a million.”
“Then let’s go get your money,” Naya told her.
They trooped back into the conference room with their shoulders back and their heads erect.
