I sat in my office, stunned, until the letter arrived.

I sat there, stunned. I wasn’t even sure if I could cry for Clive, but I still felt sick. Someone had murdered him. Someone who was hired by Jiàn Innovations—I knew it. It could have been a guard or another prisoner; I wasn’t sure at that point if it even mattered.

If Li Na could get to Clive in jail, she could get to any of us.

I still didn’t understand clearly how Clive had become involved with her. Maybe it had been something simple, such as a cocktail party while he was working in Shenzhen. I could picture Clive bragging about being on Paragon’s board and the great things we were doing. Perhaps he mentioned the patch. Li Na might have been intrigued, and they’d struck up a conversation that had led to something more. Or maybe she’d known exactly who he was and exactly what Paragon had been working on, and she’d been the one to seek him out.

I don’t know why he’d become beholden to her. Maybe it was merely a matter of fear. She could have told him that she would kill him if he didn’t perform, and eventually, that was exactly what had happened.

I quickly went to my bathroom and scrubbed the mascara from my face. I had a Code Red on my hands. Clive Warren was dead. The patch was launching as soon as I could manage it.

Li Na was coming for us, and I had to be prepared.

* * *

I got the approval email from the FDA that morning. I’d always envisioned this moment—calling Hannah, popping open champagne, and celebrating with everyone at Paragon. The cheers. The smiles. The excitement.

Instead, all I felt was a pit of dread in my stomach.

I called Eva in the lab. “The FDA just approved the patch.”

“Yay? Why don’t you sound excited?”

“Because we need to launch as soon as possible. We’re under a verified security threat. Tell everyone that we’re on lockdown for the imminent future.”

“Sooner than two weeks?” she asked. That was the tentative timeframe we’d agreed upon, pending the government approval. I could just picture Eva with her brow furrowed in disbelief underneath her mop of curly hair.

“I know. It’s crazy. But trust me, it’s also necessary.”

“Okay. I’ll call everyone in.”

I called Eddie in security next. “I need you to check all of our employees—lab workers, tech, cafeteria, maintenance, everybody. Please tell them that I trust them, but that we have a verified security threat, and I want to make sure none of them have been personally hacked. I need all cell phones and other electronics confiscated. If they need to call home, they have to use a landline, and it has to be monitored. I want guards at the entrance twenty-four seven. No one gets in or out without a full search. We’re like this until we launch.”

“Wow,” Eddie said.

“You can say that again. And wait—there’s one other thing.” For all I knew, Li Na could be fully aware that I’d spoken to Clive’s lawyer earlier, and that he’d sent me a letter. She could also know that Paragon was headed into lockdown mode. “Call housekeeping. We need the building swept. And dusted,” I added for good measure.

I held my breath, hoping he’d understand that I meant swept for bugs, and not the six-legged variety.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied without missing a beat. “A clean office is a healthy office.”

I wrote a quick Post-It to myself and stuck it on my computer. Give Eddie a raise.

I called Timmy next. He was on the premises somewhere, probably drinking a protein shake and cracking his knuckles. “Clive Warren’s dead.”

“Oh… Wow,” Timmy said. That seemed to be the word of the day. “In jail?”

“Someone stabbed him. The guards found him this morning.”

“We need to increase your security,” he said immediately.

“I already talked to Eddie. He’s taking care of the premises. I only want you guarding me. You’re the only one I trust.” I paused for a beat. “Timmy, do you really trust Wes? With my sister’s life?”

Timmy grunted his assent. “He’s a brave kid, Ms. Taylor. He’s been through a lot. I trust him to protect her. He seems happy with the assignment.”

Wes and Hannah both seemed a little too happy with the assignment for my liking. I wanted him protecting my sister, not trying to date her. But that wasn’t the most important thing at the moment. “If you think he can keep my sister alive, that’s all I care about.”

“Does Mr. Betts know yet?” Timmy asked. “About Clive?” He seemed to like Gabe a lot. Maybe more than he liked me.

“Not yet,” I snapped and hung up.

I called Hannah. “Clive Warren’s dead,” I told her without preamble. “Someone in the jail stabbed him to death. And the FDA approval just came in.”

“Holy fuck,” Hannah said. “I’m going to have to figure out a PR spin for this one. Former board member killed in jail. By the way, Paragon’s patch is finally launching.”

“You’ll figure something out. You always do. Right now, I need you to come into the office. Bring clothes and pajamas. We’re having a lockdown. I have to get the patch out as soon as possible.”

“Am I bringing Wes?”

I sighed, feeling a major headache coming on. “As your bodyguard. Not as your plus-one, Hannah.”

“Since I’m going to be locked in the building with you, please try to improve your attitude,” she said. “Oh, wait—sorry. You have things to be reasonably upset about. It’s terrible about Clive. Did you talk to Gabe? Does he know about Clive? Are you two okay?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know,” I answered reflexively. “See you in a few, okay? Please be safe.” I hung up before she could ask me any more damned questions.

The thing was, I needed to call Gabe. I had to tell him about Clive, to warn him. Plus, he’d called fourteen times already that morning. If I didn’t want Stephanie to quit because she had to keep dealing with him, I needed to intervene. Gabe was the only one I could share Clive’s letter with. But I had to protect him—so before we spoke, I needed to be sure that it was a hundred-percent safe.

So I waited to call him back, even though I ached to hear his voice. I headed down to the lab to review the latest reports and check on the day’s progress.

When I emerged a few hours later, everyone was buzzing around with a nervous energy. Eddie had discussed the new security measures with each group. He also confirmed that the building was clear of listening devices—we were officially bug-free. Cell phones had been turned in, Internet connectivity had been shut off, and the race to launch was officially on.

Back in my office, I closed my eyes briefly. An image of Clive Warren, dead and bleeding onto a concrete floor, materialized.

My eyes snapped open. If Li Na wanted my patch, she was going to have to come and get it.

Over my dead body.

And while that might suit her just fine, I wasn’t going down without a fight.