Page 27 of Crossing the Line
Clive shifts uncomfortably in his seat and then starts shuffling through the pages in his folder.
“Would you like to know the details?”
My gaze lands on Hercules’s face. Then I hear a tap and look down. The tip of Clive’s finger is pointing at words on a sheet of paper.
I’m about to deliver them just as they’re written, but then I purse my lips. Why shouldn’t I know the details of what’s going on here? I’m more than the PR director at GIT. My grandfather had bequeathed me a portion of the company which makes me fifteen percent owner. I also have lifetime royalties for Killer Firewall, software that I created for a coding competition in high school.
Dan’s sharp gray eyes are waiting for me to say something. Curiosity may kill the cat, but I definitely want to know what this is all about.
“Yes,” I say. My heart beats a mile a minute.What have I just done?
“Objection!” Clive roars.
“Denied,” Dan retorts.
Nero glances at Hercules with surprise. Up until this moment, Clive has regarded me with smiles and flirtatious eyes. Now he’s seething at me.
But I rip my focus off him and set my curious gaze on Dan, who relays details I never knew about the licensing claims the Lords have made regarding TRANSPOT. Then Dan asks me if I have knowledge of the product.
I’m on the edge of my seat. “I do.”
The tip of Clive’s finger slams down on the table. I’m aware that he’s pointing at his carefully crafted response for me.
“Could you tell us what you know about the software?”
I consider all I’ve just heard. “Well, I didn’t know the Lords had any claim to the licensing. However, I do know that we’re not even close to going to market with it.”
“And how do you know this?”
“Objection,” Clive roars.
“Denied. Answer the question, Miss Grove,” Dan insists.
My neck feels hot. I think I should stop talking, but instead, I say, “As I stated, I don’t think it’s ready for market.”
“Say it,” Clive hisses, barely moving his clenched lips. “Say it now.”
“Miss Grove, are you admitting that you have technical knowledge regarding TRANSPOT?” Dan asks, easily ignoring Clive’s rebuke of me.
I’m on the verge of answering his question, but my eyelids come down as my grandfather’s face comes to mind. My heart twists into knots, and I’m struck by the same numbing feeling that keeps me from jumping two feet into helping Max get back on track with TRANSPOT.
I’m not fully aware of what’s going on, but I’m gasping. Every inch of me is gripped by a feeling of pain and loss. I miss Grandfather so much, and I feel as if we had just buried him yesterday. I’m coughing, trying to breathe easier.
Hercules makes his way around the table and squats in front of me. He’s stroking the top of my thighs. “In through your nose. Out through your mouth,” he repeats.
I latch on to his soothing voice, attempting to steady myself until I’m able to do exactly as he says. Gazing deeply into Hercules’s eyes, I whisper, “I am not acquainted with the details of this case. Please grant me the allotted sixty days to gain knowledge of the facts.”
“Continuance, please,” Clive shouts. He’s angry, and all because of me.
“Okay. Continuance granted, but this it. No more after today,” Dan says.
“You want to take a walk?” Hercules asks.
Gazing into his concerned eyes is keeping me from falling apart. I don’t realize I’m crying until he swipes the tears from one of my cheeks and then the other.
“We should go grab lunch and talk about what happened,” Clive growls. It’s clear by his tone that he’s making a direct objection to Hercules asking me to walk with him.
But Hercules still has my full attention when he says, “Come on—walk with me, PG. Let’s get some air.”
