Dead in a Week (Forensic Instincts 7)

“Hello, Robert,” she replied. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?” She didn’t wait for an invitation, just walked around him and made her way into the living room, where Jia li was standing looking totally baffled and equally unnerved.

“Have we met?” she asked, on some level realizing that this woman Robert obviously knew had just invaded her apartment.

“No, but we’re about to.” Simone had angled herself in such a way that she could keep both of them in her sights. Robert was still standing at the open door, staring at her.

“Close it and come in,” Simone instructed, her fingers inching to the closure on her tote bag. She had a feeling she’d be needing her Glock, even if it was just to keep them in line and get them to talk.

Robert complied on autopilot, simultaneously finding his tongue. “What are you doing here? How did you even know how to find me? Is this some Nano emergency?”

“Oh, it’s a Nano emergency all right. But not the kind you’re thinking of.” Simone kept her tone calm and even. What she really wanted was to kick Robert in a very vulnerable part of his anatomy. “As for how I found you and what I’m doing here, why don’t you and Jia li have a seat on the sofa and we’ll talk.”

Despite the fact that Robert was looking a little green around the gills, he planted his feet where he was. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what this is about.”

“Have it your way.” Simone pulled out her pistol and calmly aimed it at Robert, who did a double-take, his gaze moving from the gun to Simone’s face and back. Jia li clapped a hand over her mouth to silence her scream.

“Sit,” Simone commanded.

“Robert, please, do whatever she says.” Jia li had already darted over to the sofa and perched herself at the edge, looking like a terrified mouse about to be devoured by a feral cat.

Robert gave one last glance at the door.

“Xu Wei’s not coming,” Simone said, properly reading his mind. “He never left Shenzhen.”

Now Simone got the reaction she’d been waiting for. Robert literally lurched with shock, his eyebrows shooting up so high they practically disappeared into his hairline. His mouth opened and closed several times, but nothing came out. On stilted legs, he went to the sofa and lowered himself to the cushion beside Jia li.

“Good,” Simone said. “Now here’s how this is going to work. I’ll lay out the scenario. After that, you’ll fill in the blanks.”

“Who are you really?” Robert finally demanded.

“The person who’s running this conversation,” she replied. “A conversation that could take a very ugly turn if you don’t do as I ask. Understood?”

She didn’t wait for them to acknowledge that they did. She just stared Robert down and began laying out the facts.

“You’re using Jítuán’s resources to start up and run a whole new subsidiary company in Shenzhen. You’re colluding with their CEO, Xu Wei, as we speak, to steal Nano’s technology in order to beat out Nano’s rollout of its new manufacturing process. This way, you can introduce it yourself in your new capacity—as CEO of the newly formed company. Anything you want to amend thus far?”

You could have heard a pin drop in the room.

“Very well, then I’ll go on as to why this is happening.” Simone shot Jia li a quick glance. “You might want to cover your ears for this part, you foolish little girl. Otherwise, you’re going to find out exactly who the love of your life really is.”

“Robert?” Jia li murmured, slanting an uneasy look in his direction.

Robert didn’t respond, his gaze locked on Simone.

Simone turned her attention back to him. “You’ve had sexual relationships with far too many of your female employees while promising them career advancements along the way. As far as your board of directors is concerned, your libido supersedes your accomplishments at last. You’re no longer an asset. You’re an unacceptable liability. They’re forcing you out—now.”

At that provocation, Simone got the reaction—and the outpouring of words—that she needed.

Robert jerked forward on the sofa cushion, fury flashing in his eyes. “An asset? I am NanoUSA. I founded it, made it the electronics giant it is today. And the new breakthrough manufacturing technology that will turn the electronics industry upside down? I created it. Me! It’s mine. If I go, it goes with me. Screw the board. Screw the whole damn company.”

“And screw your country in the process,” Simone added icily. “Aren’t you the diehard patriot who was going to revolutionize the industry by bringing tens of thousands of jobs back to the US? Wasn’t that the reason behind all your efforts? Or was that politically correct bullshit and this was always all about your ego?”

“Not my ego,” he corrected. “My relevance. I have more to offer the world than all the thirty-year-old millionaire kids combined. I’m not walking off into the sunset, not by a long shot. As for my country…” A flash of regret crossed his face. “Yes, that was the plan. Unfortunately, that’s not the way it’s going to play out. You can thank th

e narrow-minded board for that.”

“And the women you took advantage of? Are they just collateral damage?”

Tears were trickling down Jia li’s cheeks.