Page 31 of Fool’s Gold

“No, they won’t.” Matt gasped as cool, sweet air filled his lungs. “They’ll break Besse up at best. The government can’t have its vaccine contracts in the hands of a company dealing with that kind of instability. They’re going to have to parcel out that business to a variety of competitors, to limit risk.”

Morales nodded, face no longer sheepish or youthful. “You’re not wrong. We’re going to have to look into anyone who has good-sized holdings with a bunch of competitors. Man, I thought regular organized crime was devious. The Mob hasn’t gotanythingon the white-collar crap. I should’ve gone into accounting instead of computers.”

“No one wants to give an accountant a gun, Agent.” Matt managed a weak grin. “Everyone thinks we’re half a step away from a psychotic break as it is.”

“Hah! Joke’s on you. We’ve got an entire white-collar division.” Morales pursed his lips. “You know, you’re still young enough to make the cut. It’s a hell of a pay cut compared to what you’re used to, but you’ll be set for life once we get the bastards setting you up for this. Especially if you let Wilde take your case. And you might just feel like getting a little bit of payback.”

Matt chuckled. “It’s definitely something to keep in mind. Let’s let me survive this mess first, okay? Then we’ll see what happens.”

“Of course.” Morales pulled out his laptop. “I’m going to get to work on this research. In the meantime, you guys speak up if you think of anything. With any luck we’ll find the bottom of this, and everyone can move on with their lives—especially everyone at Besse.”

“I’ll drink to that.” Norah raised her coffee cup.

Matt retreated to his office in a daze. He thought he’d planned for everything when taking this job. It was part and parcel of being an accountant.What could go wrong?Answer the question, and plan for it.

The problem was, Matt had tried to be realistic in asking the question. He’d planned for finding further irregularities either in research or in manufacturing. He’d planned around negative and violent public reaction. He’d even accounted for negative public response to his homosexuality.

At no point in his calculations had he predicted that his own board would try to have him killed to increase the chances of having the company broken up. Somehow that one had never one up in a business case during grad school. If he wound up teaching after all this, he’d have to make sure his students were warned.

You know, if he survived.

He fell into his chair, laughing. It couldn’t get more ridiculous than this, could it? He hadn’t gone into the military, or even into marketing. He’d gone into accounting. It was supposed to be boring. Instead, he was here fighting for his life because the people who’d chosen him for the position he heldwanted him to fail, in such a way that he died.

What was he supposed to do with that?

Jack slipped into the office. “You okay?”

Matt rubbed at his face, but he couldn’t stop the laughter. “I’m not sure which part is supposed to be okay. Is it the part where the people who hired me want me dead, or the part where my backup career plan is now apparentlyFBI agent?Because that’ssafer?” He groaned and buried his face in his arms. “What’s next? Special Forces, because I’ll get shot at less?”

Jack snorted. “You’re not crazy enough to be in Special Forces, although watching you laugh I might reconsider. And I’m not sure how I feel about the whole FBI thing either. A bunch of rich old men is one thing. Carlos the Jackal is something else. I can’t keep you safe from that.”

Matt finally sobered. He reached out to take Jack’s hand. “I know. But you’ll be on to the next job by then.” He gave his hand a squeeze. “Can’t protect me from wherever they send you next.”

Jack grimaced. “I suppose I can’t.” He didn’t meet Matt’s eyes.

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

Friday rolled in,bright and sunny and humid as all hell. Not that Jack had come to expect anything different. He vaguely remembered a relative, maybe an uncle, referring to Atlanta as Hotlanta. That relative had been right. Whatever—it wasn’t like Jack would choose to be anywhere else right now.

And wasn’t that a funny thing? He’d gone and gotten attached, the surest way to get himself and everyone around him killed. It should bother him. Itdidbother him, to the extent that he knew he’d have to leave soon. But while he expected to feel nothing but disgust for himself, he simply accepted it for what it was.

Matt emerged from the shower dressed not in his usual suit but in high-end jeans and a polo. Jack loved the way the jeans caressed his ass, but he had to raise an eyebrow.

“Since when does Besse Pharma do casual Fridays?”

Matt huffed out a laugh. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to take a little time off this morning. Grandma has a doctor’s appointment.”

Jack frowned. “I didn’t know she was sick.”

“She’s ninety-four. She’s as healthy as any other ninety-four-year-old woman. But she still needs regular checkups with the folks with all the letters after their names to make sure she stays that way. You don’t have to come. I know a lot of guys like you don’t like doctors.”

Jack crossed his arms over his chest. “Guys like me?”

Matt laughed. “Action guys. Military types, the guys who play chase with criminals—”

“Okay, now you make me sound like a puppy.”

“What? Puppies are awesome.”

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