Page 49 of Fatal Conspiracy

“We searched for the files, but since it was Hugo’s little pet project, he must have decided he didn’t want to share. When we couldn’t find them, I knew you’d have a copy, so sending my men to get them and take care of you, killed two birds with one stone. I got the file and you were dead. Well, you were supposed to be dead. I told them to go in and make it look like a robbery gone wrong, but those idiots couldn’t even do that. Here’s a tip. Never hire untrained felons. Thankfully, I got them out of police custody before they talked.” She checked her watch. “Too bad they won’t survive their final ride. Now, it’s time to take care of you, which has been harder than I anticipated since you hooked up with another team. Didn’t see that one coming, but no matter, I’ll take out the trash and be on my way.”

“Josh.” He said the name in hopes of getting a reaction from her. When her lips tipped up in a smile, he had his answer, but to keep her off balance, he dug in for the story. “Was he blackmailing you?”

“Such an annoying little gnat,” she snapped, pronouncingthegthe same way Hugo used to, before she giggled mercilessly. “Hugo was right about that boy. He was willing to do anything to get that app, so it wasn’t hard to convince him to join me with the promise of selling it to him.”

“You mean he wasn’t blackmailing you?” Derek asked, catching movement from the corner of his eye but forcing himself to stay focused on Salma.

“Blackmailing? No.”

“I don’t understand why he had to die then, or was that an accident, too?”

“Like you, he had to die to get him out of the way. He was already making noise about stepping into Hugo’s shoes at Black Marlin and merging our companies. There wasn’t a chance in hell I’d ever let that happen, so he was another mess I had to clean up. Thankfully, he was driven by greed, so it wasn’t hard. You, on the other hand, have annoyed me beyond measure.”

“You know this entire room is covered in cameras, right?”

She waved the gun around so wildly that he feared it would go off. “Usually it is, but darn, those cameras went down at just the wrong time. When they come back online, the fun will be over. You’ll already be dead, and I’ll be long gone.”

“Wrong,” a voice said from behind him and his blood ran cold. The movement he saw must have been Alayah sneaking through the side door. Why would she put herself in danger rather than alert the Secure One team? He desperately searched for a way out. “I know you’re here, and I won’t let you hurt Derek.”

Salma scoffed. “Such a touching tirade from someone barely able to reach my kneecaps. Forgive me if I’m not shaking in my boots.”

“Alayah,” he hissed, stepping to the side to shield her from Salma. “You need to run.”

“No,” she whispered. “Distract her.”

Distract her? He could only think of one way to do that. “Do you know who Hugo left the business to?”

“To the board, of course. He knew we’d protect his legacy from poachers.”

“That’s why you killed him? So the board could take the company public?”

He dropped his hand and Alayah nudged it with hers. Was she trying to hold hands? That’s when he registered the cold metal she slipped into his palm. A gun. This brave woman put her life in danger to bring him a gun. When they got out of this room, alive, he was going to ask her what she was thinking and then tell her just how much he loved her.

“He made it clear that wasn’t going to happen until he was dead. It felt like a gauntlet thrown, so I stepped up because Curtis wasn’t man enough to do it. I’d hoped they assumed you’d done it, of course, and then, once you were dead, that would be the end of it. Instead, here we are.”

“Here we are indeed,” he said, a grin splitting his face. He noted it made her nervous, so he kept it up even as he moved in front of Alayah to prevent her from getting caught in any crossfire. “Hugo lied to you. He didn’t leave the business to the board. He left the entire business to me. After this, I’m afraid I’ll have to fire you.”

“Big talk from a guy not holding a gun,” she said before dropping her arm.

“Get down!” he yelled to Alayah as he raised his gun, the look of surprise on her face the last thing he saw as he pulled the trigger. He dove to shield Alayah as a loud retort filled his ears and pain blossomed across his chest.

“Stay down!” a voice behind him yelled, and then anotherpop and loud bang filled his ears as people started yelling about ambulances, and the hall flooded with light.

“Derek!” Alayah screamed.

“Stay down!” Cal yelled. “Her gun is still hot!”

The next thing he knew, Alayah was leaning over him, holding something to his chest as she screamed for help.

“Hang in there, Derek,” she begged, leaning down near his ear. “You’re going to be okay. The hospital is practically across the street.”

He lifted his left arm, the only one he could move, and ran his finger down her cheek. “If I don’t make it, know that I’ve fallen head over heels in love with you, Alayah.”

She put her finger to his lips as her eyes filled with tears. “Don’t say it. You just think you’re dying, which you aren’t, dammit! We can talk about this when you pull through. When you pull through. Do you hear me?”

“When,” he agreed, nodding weakly. “When.”

Chapter Twenty-Six