Page 5 of Jael

“How is a dinner party helping me?”

“I don’t have time for this. If you want to keep your foundation running, you’ll be there.”

“You’re threatening me now?”

“That’s not a threat. It’s sound advice. With Christopher taking over as CEO, he’ll be the one signing your checks. Do you think it’s a good idea for him to believe you have no interest?”

Jael bit her lip. She hadn’t thought about the full implications of Christopher’s new role. In her mind, thepayments would keep coming. But her dad was right. The new CEO of Heber Industries wouldn’t necessarily go along with it, and Christopher was somewhat of an unknown quantity to her. It would help if she could find out from him what his thoughts were about Vita Nova. At least she could let him know she would appreciate Heber Industries’ continued support.

She kept her voice steady. It didn’t matter how many times she was forced to concede ground to her dad, it always felt like she was losing another part of herself. “Fine. I’ll be there.”

“Wonderful.” He smiled as if there had never been a doubt in his mind.

Chapter 2

Deputy Director Deborah Millswas of average height, but that was the only thing average about her. Her hair, prematurely white, was always drawn into a braid that trailed down her back. It gave her an unusually carefree look that did not match her eyes. A striking blue. Icy. People often had trouble looking her in the eye, and that suited Deborah just fine. It was better to keep people from getting too comfortable. She was fair and more than competent, but being a woman in the top job meant you couldn’t show any weakness, and she was okay with that too. It was easier to pretend strength when everyone around you was convinced that it was the indisputable truth.

She propped her glasses on top of her head when there was a knock at her door.

“Come in.”

A stocky, dark-haired man entered. He nodded at Deborah, then dropped comfortably into a nearby seat.

“Agent Barak, thank you for coming.”

Thomas Barak was the special agent in charge of the taskforce Deborah had created with agents from multiple agencies. It was a group that helped facilitate the capture ofsuspects that crossed boundaries from drugs to guns to people smuggling and everything in between.

His half-smile carried a familiarity that matched the casual way he sat in the chair—not choosing the one across her desk but relaxing in a seating area with his foot propped on the coffee table in front of him. They’d known each other for more than a decade and had a lot of water under the bridge.

“Don’t want to keep the deputy director waiting,” he said. “How’s Charlie?”

“Didn’t you play golf with him last week?” Her husband wasn’t a good golfer, but that never stopped him.

“He said he pulled a muscle in his shoulder.”

“He always makes excuses when he’s losing,” Deborah said. “He’s fine.”

Barak squeezed both his fists, cracking his knuckles. “So, what is it I can do for you?”

She tossed a file to him. It spun like a frisbee before plopping neatly in his lap.

He flipped it open. “My report on the Siseras?”

“Calling it a report is quite generous, don’t you think? That’s more like a memo. He’s top of the list as far as these things go, and we can’t get one thing on him.” Her tone was steady and low, but her eyes flashed.

“What do you want me to say? We’re doing everything we can.”

“That’s my problem. Your best isn’t good enough on this case.”

Barak scoffed before spreading his hands in a grand gesture. “Then please, tell me what we should be doing differently.”

“You take a lot of liberties with our friendship.”

“You know I wouldn’t be so flippant if anyone else was around.”

“I hope it doesn’t affect the efficacy of your work.”

“You think we have nothing on Artus Sisera because I’m being lazy?”

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