A month or so before separating from Lynn—a separation that was orchestrated to get Lucien to allow Jacob to move in with him so that he could keep a close eye on him—Jacob was approached by a representative of a company out of Europe. They had heard rumors about the artificial pancreas, and they wanted to know what it would take to buy the patent. Jacob brushed them off at first, but then they made an offer. He couldn’t pass up the money.
As Lucien had known from the beginning, the artificial pancreas would change the way in which diabetes is treated worldwide. Whoever held the patent to the first practical artificial pancreas would have the world in his hand. The Europeans knew that, too. And they were willing to pay anything to get it.
It was just the scheme Jacob had been waiting for to get his back on Lucien and everyone else in the family who’d always put Lucien first. He was going to screw them all.
Jacob tipped off the reporter who contacted Lucien and sent him running to my daddy’s private investigation firm. And to me.
Then Jacob sent the emails to keep us busy while he made the deal.
And then there was Jaime. She went through Lucien’s emails and his snail mail, kept track of anything that could get in the way of Jacob’s plan. She also happened to be having an affair with Jacob.
The split with Lynn might have been pretend, but that didn’t mean that Jacob felt any loyalty to her. He’d never really been faithful. But Lynn overlooked his infidelities because, well, because she loved him.
We all make stupid mistakes for love.
And then Rachel. Jacob spun stories and got a friend to pose as a lawyer to get Rachel on his side. He really had thought Rachel would flub the attempted kidnapping, keeping me and Lucien in San Antonio while the deal went down. He’d never thought she’d actually be successful at it.
I wasn’t sure what to think about that.
My dad’s friends found Jacob at a hotel in downtown Houston the night Lucien went into the hospital. He was waiting until the deal was signed and sealed the next morning. Then he was on the first flight to Switzerland. Alone.
Jaime was arrested at the bed and breakfast. Lynn turned herself in after coming to the hospital to see Lucien in the ICU.
Rachel wasn’t charged. I told the cops that she’d told me about the plan and I’d gone willingly with her so that we could set up Jacob. She came clean with her family. Lucien showed her the patent on the artificial pancreas that had her name on it and then offered her a job with his tech team at the company.
Lucien has decided to continue the good work he’s been doing with the biochemical company. After all, it’s all his now. He’s hired a scientist to run the drug division, and he’s pushing forward with his artificial pancreas. They go into trials next week.
Jacob’s trial is next month.
Lucien’s going to testify against him. Not because he bodes him ill will, but because it’s the right thing to do. Lucien’s always been about the right thing.
And me? I still work for my daddy, but I don’t do undercover work anymore. I spend most of my time in the office in my comfortable jeans, running background checks and hacking the bad guys’ computers. It’s where I’m most comfortable.
Besides, my husband doesn’t like the idea of me kissing strangers in bars anymore. And I figure once in a lifetime is more than enough for me.
END of LUCIEN