"Ugh," her eyes rolled as she turned to the newcomer, leaning against her desk with his arms crossed to show off muscled biceps. "Yagura. What an unpleasant surprise."
"You're wasting your time with The Virgin Holbrook," he sneered, jerking his head at the bathroom door. Nicholas was just coming out, smoothing the t-shirt down. He flushed at hearing his title.
Slinging her arm over his shoulders, Maura smiled maliciously at the muscled newcomer. "Well, matching his new hotness and kind personality up against your severe lack of either, I'm pretty sure Nicholas is getting laid before you are tonight."
His eyes narrowed. "Bitch!"
Maura laughed. "Thus proving my point. What do you want?"
"The Big Three want to see you. Now." Tony Yagura grinned hatefully as he watched MacLaren's face go pale. It was no secret that she was terrified of the three people who ran the empire, just like nearly all of their employees. Each step closer to the Boardroom (or the Blood Room, as some of the more daring had named it) made the breath choke in Maura's throat. Getting called before The Big Three usually meant death or an assignment to something almost certain to get one killed.
The three people lounging in the walnut-paneled room were sartorial perfection, all custom suits, crisp white shirts, and silk ties. Their neckwear alone likely cost more than her rent.
Morgan Kingston was sitting at the head of the long table, and she gave a sniff. "Really, James. Perhaps it's time to institute a dress policy in Research and Development."
Maura flushed, aware that her baggy khakis and sweater looked terrible. And here she was, giving poor Nicholas fashion tips?
"Holbrook and MacLaren's value is in their genius, not their fashion sense." James Pine’s voice always lulled Maura into a state of bliss. Perfectly enunciated Cambridge educated mastery in a deep, smooth purr.
Morgan Kingston irritably waved her hand. "Stop wasting time, you two. Sit down."
So far, so good,thought Maura,they'd never kill us where it would get blood on the oriental.
Her relief was cut short when Kingston clicked a remote. "Do either of you know this man?" Drawing a blank, Maura glanced at her lab partner, who leaned forward to get a better look. "Haman Amari," he nodded. "The Corporation sold him the surface to air missiles a few years back."
"Amari dropped off our radar when we made the move to... diversify."
Maura stubbornly kept her eyes on the huge monitor. What he meant was that the Murder Triplets discovered there was more money and less blood in banks and stock market fraud than drugs.
"Off our client list but apparently not without contacts within the Corporation," Kingston thundered, throwing the remote at them. Maura ducked just as a hand wrapped around her ponytail and yanked her head back to see Yagura's leering smile. A startled yelp told her Nicholas was getting similar treatment.
"Amari cut into a sixty-million-dollar funds transfer and intercepted the bonds into an untraceable account," Kingston's voice was rising. "With our software!" Maura bit back a gasp as the woman backhanded her, the blood from her split lip trickling down her chin, staining the milky skin of her neck. "Software designed by our department heads in Research and Development!"
A yelp from Nicholas told her he'd received the next vicious slap. She clenched her fists under the table. It was always worse when they hit Nicholas. He was always so shocked when they hit him. "Ma’am- Sirs- you all know we'd never compromise the security of the Corporation! That software is so proprietary that one can't even recognize it without a code available to less than ten people in the building!"
"You're right," James agreed, "including the two of you." Maura clenched her teeth as Yagura gave her another brisk slap. "Anything to say, Maura?" Her eyes widened, she’d been in the depths of the Corporation for nearly a year and a half, this was the first time she'd ever heard her first name in his beautiful voice.
"Yes, Mr. Pine," she agreed, "but could you ask the ape behind me to leave off for a minute?" He had the audacity to chuckle, negligently waving Yagura off of her. "You can't possibly doubt Nicholas, I know he's been here since you formed the ah- the Corporation’s New York branch. I am the one who actually designed the software. I'm sure you're aware of that."
"That's right," Simon Fassell, the third member of the Corporation’s management spoke up from the foot of the table, "and we plucked you fresh from prison, didn't we, darling?"
"Yes sir," she agreed calmly, though she couldn't control the angry flush on her cheeks. "However, if you'll allow me, there's a signature trace on all ten access codes. Nicholas and I can start a track torrent tonight and have information for you within twenty-four hours."
"Is this correct, Nicholas?" asked Morgan.
"Yes! Eh, yes, Ma’am. We had to program an electronic signature to see who would authorize the funds on any transaction." Holbrook's guileless face was relieved.
Kingston’s face was still set in harsh lines. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get the fuck out of here and get to work!"
Wiping her bloody chin off on her sweater sleeve, Maura stood, waiting for her shaking partner to rise as well. "We're on it, Sirs, Ma’am," Nicholas assured them rapidly. "On it!"
Gritting her teeth, Maura strode angrily down the hall, Nicholas trailing after her, still rambling nervously. "Holy shit," he gabbled, "I swear I could see my life flashing before my eyes in there. I was seconds away from pissing myself until you spoke up."
"Let's just-" she took a deep breath and let it out through her nose, "let's just get this started, all right?"
"Oh, right. Yes, that's a good idea." He looked at her closely as they entered their lab. "God, Maura! They really did a number on you!" She ignored his earnest look of concern and realized he’d come out of their encounter far less damaged than she was. Her full lower lip was split and trickling blood, Yagura’s handprint was still red and vivid on her cheek.
"It's not the worst I've ever taken," she sighed. Maura forced a smile. "If we can set up the tracking torrent quickly, you can still make it to the bar."
