“Who is he?” she asked with caution in her tone.
Telling her Cain was Jerry’s so-called landlord and her future savior was too much for now. “I’ll tell you about him later. God, lass, I really want to kiss you.”
Her pale cheeks turned pink. “Are you crazy? He’ll kill you.”
“Will he let you continue with your work?” If not, he’d never have a chance to see her alone.
“I don’t know. He said yes, but this afternoon he cancelled my appointments. He’s unpredictable.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I better go back to the party.”
Letting go of her hand, he clenched his fingers into a fist. As much as it pained him, she needed to be with Juan. It was a golden opportunity because he was sitting next to Tony and Garcia.
“Pay attention to Tony and Garcia,” he said. “They’re the ones who’ll most likely have connections to Godfrey. And whatever you do, don’t put yourself in danger, do you hear me?”
She bit her lip.
“Go, lass,” he said, giving the most difficult command he’d ever given.
Offering him a smile, she hopped to her feet, took her drink, and made her way to the trio of men. Uncertainty radiated from her stance. She looked so damn vulnerable in front of those dangerous men. A genuine smile transformed Juan’s face when he noticed her. He held up a palm to silence Garcia, who was still talking, and took her hand to pull her down next to him. Garcia appeared mildly irritated as Juan draped an arm around her shoulders.
Someone walked up to the bar and asked Sean for a drink. He did his thing, mixing like a pro, but his attention was fixed on the patterns Juan drew with a fingertip on Asia’s shoulder. She sat stoically, putting up a good show. He’d get her away from there if it was the last thing he did.
Juan’s touch sent a shiver of repulsion over Asia’s skin. It took all her willpower not to pull away. It was nothing like Sean’s. When Sean put his hands on her body, it felt right. She felt safe. It was too early to fall in love with him, but they did share something. She couldn’t name it, but it had been there when their fingers had brushed. It couldn’t be just physical, could it? Was their connection only based on the life-threatening situation they found themselves in?
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she almost missed the name when Garcia mentioned Godfrey.
“Knowledge is power,” Garcia said, “and Godfrey holds that knowledge. His application gives us all the information we ever wanted about any individual who downloads the app, about entire nations. With the new updates his company is developing, he’ll not only own every scrap of information every person on the planet has ever captured in cyber space, but he’ll also control purchasing behavior.” Garcia continued animatedly. “He’ll create the demand and supply the solution. With his network of social media and communication companies, he’s telling people, via personalized apps, what they need in order to be healthier, prettier, cleverer, and happier. The solution is right there, on the app, with a buy button. They don’t even have to search. They just have to click.”
“You don’t have to sell it to me,” Juan replied. “I want to invest in the app. It’s the profit sharing we’re not agreeing on.”
“He’s offering you more money.”
“I want access to the data.”
Tony, who sat on the other side of Garcia, leaned his elbows on his knees. “He won’t give you the data. Whoever owns the data, owns the control. The best you can get is a buy button.”
Juan rubbed his chin. “What do we buy?”
Tony pushed his gold frame glasses to the bridge of his nose. “Insurance companies. As people grow more uncertain about the political and economic situation, we offer them short-term insurance for their precious earthy belongings and long-term insurance for their retirement.”
“We can make billions,” Garcia said. “People are already addicted to the app. It tells them what to eat, how fast to pedal their exercise bikes, and when to sleep. Now it will tell them how much they need to invest to retire comfortably. And when they click on that button, it will come straight to us.”
Juan seemed to ponder the suggestion while drawing invisible pictures on Asia’s shoulder. “And you think he’ll agree?”
“Since the Mexican arms syndicate that funded his African operations has been blown up, he’s short of cash. He needs your investment for the new development phase of his app and to buy out the competitor lifestyle apps and communication companies. It’s a hard bargain to drive, but with the portion you’re interested in investing, we can twist his arm.”
“I want to know his weaknesses,” Juan said with a calculated glint in his eyes.
Garcia sat back and crossed his legs. “He had a daughter, Lily, but she was allegedly killed by her own step-brother, Adam, when she betrayed her father. Sky Communications, his main competitor, wiped out Godfrey’s whole household when they ambushed his house in South Africa. Adam, his second in command, was shot by the feds two years ago when they raided a secret lab in Costa Rica where Godfrey was doing research on forbidden arts.