Lauren (Silicon Valley Billionaires 1)

Eddie didn’t respond immediately, probably wondering if I had finally gone completely off my rocker. “You mean, for audio?”

“Yes…a wire. So I can record what someone says to me—or have it sent directly to you.”

He sighed. “You want to tell me what you’re using it for?”

Nervous excitement bubbled inside me. “Does that mean we have something that would work?”

“Yes. I’ll bring it up to you and show you how to use it, Ms. Taylor.” It sounded as though this was definitely against his better judgment, but he didn’t say no.

This was why being the boss was awesome.

Eddie came up and dutifully showed me the wire. He put it on me and showed me how to turn it on. “Are you using this soon?” He sounded as if he were dreading the answer.

I coughed. “In a little bit.”

“You have to take Timmy, and let another team follow you.”

“I’m planning on it.”

He gave me a long look. “I’ll be listening. If there’s trouble, I’m calling the police. Are we clear?”

“Don’t worry. Timmy’s got me covered.” I smiled at him, but he didn’t smile back. He just looked worried.

Undeterred, I continued making my plans. I would take Clive by surprise and speak to him somewhere private. At this point, with all the surveillance and hacking that just we were doing, I didn’t trust his phones, his computer, or his office. I had no idea what his arrangement with Jiàn was. They could be hacking him too, or Li Na Zhao could be parked in the office next to him, for all I knew.

What did I hope to gain from meeting with Clive? The answer eluded me. I wanted to ask him what was really going on—to ask him what Jiàn Innovations had planned. And if he said something damning, I could record it, which gave me more leverage to prosecute him.

I would not text my legal team to ask if statements recorded during an illegal and undisclosed wiretap would be admissible in a court of law. Sometimes ignorance really was bliss.

Instead, I texted Timmy. Time to go. If Eddie already assigned us backup, tell them to follow us. Don’t tell them where. I realized afterward that I hadn’t even told Timmy where we were going.

I tried to look casual as I headed toward the parking lot. Of course, I never left during the middle of the day, so I felt as if everyone were staring. You’re just being paranoid. But I was under surveillance, and not just my own.

I hustled out to my car and slid in. Timmy hopped into the front.

“Where to, Ms. Taylor?” the driver asked.

I pulled out my tablet, examining the screen. “North First Street. An office building in the thousands.”

Timmy turned and looked at me. “Are you going to tell me what we’re doing?”

“Uh. Um…” I let my voice trail off. “A couple of things. I’m going to speak with someone who has an appointment at this office, and he’s not expecting me.”

“Is it you-know-who?” Timmy asked, his face impassive.

I nodded. “Yes. It’s Clive Warren.” I swallowed hard. “The thing is, he’s being…followed. By Gabe’s men.”

Timmy didn’t blink.

“If you want to quit now, before you get implicated in something, err, that may be a federal crime—or before Gabe completely flips out on me—feel free.”

Timmy still didn’t blink. “Go on.”

“Gabe doesn’t know I’m doing this.”

“I gathered as much.”

It occurred to me that Timm