mass.
If Jarrod hadn’t been shocked, it would have made him laugh to have the agent call a pen a weapon.
Daniel clicked the pen, and as he did, a shot rang out. The percussive blast roared through the room, momentarily deafening him. Instinctively, Jarrod’s hand went to his gun.
Daniel crumpled to his knees and dropped the pen. His hands moved to his chest. Blood seeped from a tiny hole directly over his heart. He looked at Arthur, then down at his hands. Blood collected at the creases of his fingers and dripped downward. “Arthur, you two-faced bastard.”
“What in the hell did you do, Agent? It was a goddamned pen!” He rushed to Daniel’s side just as he slumped to the ground.
“He was drawing a weapon. I thought he was a threat,” Agent Arthur said, waving his hand at the offending man like his choice to shoot was obvious. “My actions were completely justified.”
Applying pressure, Jarrod tried to stop the bleeding even though he knew his efforts were in vain. The blood soaked through the man’s clothing and spread over the ground, wetting Jarrod’s knees. So much blood.
He looked to the pen. There was something off about it, and as he picked it up, he noticed that it had a tiny pill-like plastic piece filled with powder instead of a nib. He could only guess what was inside, but he wouldn’t have been surprised if it had been cyanide.
Beside the pen was a picture of a young woman. She had long brown hair and a playful, confident smile. He flipped the photo over with the tip of his fingernail, careful not to disturb the evidence. On the back it read: “She will be next.”
This time, death had won, but if he acted fast, and found the woman in the picture, perhaps he could stop another person from falling victim to life’s fickle master.
She hated this, being stuck in yet another stupid meeting. Sometimes she could have sworn her job was to do nothing more than listen to the mindless ramblings of the H&K board and their endless stream of guests.
Mindy Kohl looked down at her watch, trying to subtly check the time without making the members of the Swedish parliament, the Riksdag, think she was being rude. She had to follow the rules of etiquette or risk offending the leaders who would determine the fate of her company’s expansion, but it didn’t make her any less squirmy.
She hated this job. Pandering was best left to those who enjoyed the thrill of the hunt and the glory that came from winning. It was really no wonder her half brother had loved it, right up until he had become CEO of Heinrich and Kohl. Even in his new role, he’d still hovered, constantly reminding her that she was to do her best, as they had much to lose.
Then again, not everything was terrible about her new position: it afforded her a great deal of travel and leisure—though this time she got to stay home in the heart of NYC. She was relieved that after this brutally long and drawn-out meeting, she could go home.
There was a man standing to her left beside the table. His name badge said Jarrod Martin. She didn’t recognize the man, but he appeared to be in his early thirties and comprised entirely of muscle. He’d come in with the entourage that accompanied the parliament members, and was likely acting as a guard. But, instead of bringing her comfort, every time she looked at him, she felt an unwelcome warmth cascade through her.
If only it were a year ago, when her life had been focused on nothing more than giving in to the whims of her heart, she would have easily made the man her lover. She caught herself glancing down, hoping to see if his back was as scrumptious as his front. She wasn’t disappointed.
Her contact, and lead ambassador for the Riksdag, Hans Anders, cleared his throat as he took the floor. He was sitting three down from her at the conference table. His fingers were tented in front of him as he spoke, a look of distaste forming when he addressed Mindy directly. He clearly thought a woman in gun manufacturing was some kind of farce. She’d always thought that the Swedish were more progressive when it came to empowering women, but clearly there were some men in every culture who thought it best for a woman to stay in the kitchen.
Needless to say, she hated the bastard.
“Furthermore,” Hans continued, “it is not in our best interest to allow a machining plant in our countryside. While we welcome international businesses with open arms, by bringing in a gun manufacturer, it could be misconstrued as our implied consent and role in the international gunrunning trade.”
“Sir, while I appreciate your thoughts and hear what you are saying, I humbly disagree,” she said, forcing herself to remain seated even though all she wanted to do was stand, face him down and put an end to this argument. “My company is in no way an advocate for international violence. We pride ourselves on our stellar record within the global market. While we cannot control where or how our guns are used, the same can be said about many other incredibly lucrative businesses—such as pharmaceuticals. Would you deny a person access to a lifesaving medication because you are afraid of the medication being misused?”
Hans opened his mouth, no doubt wishing to rebut, but she didn’t give him the chance to speak. She had the floor, and no matter what some man thought, she was going to keep it.
“What you are talking about is a what-if, while you—and the entire Riksdag—should be focused on the bottom line of our proposal. This year alone, our plants in the United States have brought in $7.2 billion in taxable income. We believe, should you allow us to open our plant, we will either match or exceed this figure every year for your country.”
Hans looked as though he had swallowed a sour grape. Money always took precedence. Really, this endeavor would be a win-win for both parties. All she had to do was prove it.
“Why don’t we take a little break, and we can come back and discuss this further after lunch.” Hans stood up and shuffled through the papers of her proposal.
Though Hans wasn’t the head of the parliament, he sure acted like it. Without his approval, this would go nowhere. She’d spend the next six months apologizing to her brother and the board, and trying to find a suitable replacement for the warehouse and manufacturing building they had purchased in Sweden.
“That sounds wonderful,” she said. “And please note, my family’s company always strives to create a healthy environment for employees. It would be an honor to have our company located in a place that has an empowered and ambitious workforce.”
Smiles appeared on the faces of the men and women around the table.
Maybe she wasn’t so bad at pandering after all.
The guard to her left, Jarrod, stepped closer to her. “If you’d like, I’d love to escort you to lunch. I hear there’s a great deli just around the corner.”
Her mouth watered, but she wasn’t sure if it was because of the man who’d asked her or the prospect of salty, fatty meats. Either way, she was happy to oblige. “Of course, though I thought you were with the parliament members.” She motioned to the group around them.
He smiled. “I doubt anyone will miss me. As it is, I was brought here just to be a visible presence in the meeting room.”
“Oh yeah? Did they think that I was the kind of woman who would
