Succession (19 page)

“Cash, all the data that was turned over with that deal directly places the failings of the Miller System on me! Personally! There was nothing left that makes you guilty of anything, nothing that even hints at you or Oliver doing a thing wrong! Everything incriminating… it all points to me!”

“Isn’t that true?” I ask. Unless I’ve misinterpreted our results, this seems to be an accurate assessment.

Sascha sits up. I know he’s been attending to the conversation, pretending like he hasn’t been, but this is his passion, too. He gives Kristine a curious look.

“Where did the rest of it go?” he asks.

My mother gives him a dirty look, but she engages with him.

“I don’t know,” she admits, speaking more to me than to Sascha. “But there are things missing. Things you released last time, things that connect to the research in the past. Anything that could paint Cashiel as a repeat offender—as someone committing treason—it’s all gone. What’s left is a bunch of evidence against me and my system.”

“And you’re telling us this why?” Sascha asks. “You can’t be here officially. You don’t have your team with you. You’re driving a rental. I saw it on the security cameras. What do you get out of this?”

I’ve been wondering the same thing; Sascha has just said it out loud. He’s bold, and the fact that he’s so freely insulting my mother makes me wonder what he knows, or what he suspects. He thinks on her level.

“Because I don’t know who’s protecting you, and I wanted to see if you did,” Kristine says, shaking her head. “Clearly, you know even less than I do.”

“Could Torenze have set this up?” I suggest. “He was the one dealing with the data analyst while I was in prison. He has just as much motivation to destroy you as I do.”

“If he did, he planned it well,” Kristine decides. “Arranged it in advance. He would have made sure that Michaud & Torenze didn’t go down in the deal. That analyst is probably rolling in money in a luxury condo right now. He never had anything to worry about.”

Not from Torenze, but it occurs to me that one of our new Argova associates might have taken it upon themselves to help us again. But that still doesn’t explain why the state hasn’t moved on the evidence. And it doesn’t explain why my mother is here, asking for our help.

“So why come to us?” I challenge. “Why not bring it to the news, try to find an unbiased party at the state level?”

“Cashi, there are no unbiased parties at the state level,” my mother reminds me, giving me the same look she always has when I dared to ask a stupid question. “I have nowhere else to turn. My fall from grace has left me with few friends. I know I’ve burned bridges. I don’t regret doing it. It’s business. If things had gone my way, you and Torenze would both be out of the picture. But that didn’t happen. Oliver Torenze has tried to destroy me since I kicked him off of my professional team. Do you know why that happened?”

I sigh. She’ll paint my business partner to look like some sort of malicious evildoer, but he’s told me enough about their relationship that I can fill in the blanks. “You were upset because he tried to outperform and steal your spotlight.”

My mother laughs. “He was never that successful. He put my information at risk, and he did anything for a price. I made a considerable amount of money off of the Miller System, but he wanted more. He still wants more. Keep an eye on him, Cash. You can’t trust him.”

She’s told me this about Oliver on multiple occasions. As always, it seems to serve her purposes more than fulfilling any sort of truth.

“It seems like he’s working in my best interest,” I remind her.

“For now,” she counters. “What’s to stop him from getting you out of the way after he gets me out of the way? First he releases the data that incriminates me, don’t you think you’ll be next?”

“My involvement is tied to him,” I remind her.

“For now,” Kristine repeats, shaking her head. “Records can be edited. You know all about that.”

“I learned it from the best,” I remind her. “You’ve given me your message. Did you have anything else of importance? Or did you just want a way to sneak in here and bug my house again?”

“I know you have a lot of information that you could release about me. Suspicions, facts, research. Evidence that isn’t even included in what that data analyst turned over. You haven’t released a lot of it. I appreciate that. I’m sure you’re just waiting for the right time, but I didn’t raise you any other way. Please just consider what Torenze is getting out of this. You can take over the re-education centers without taking me down. It makes your case more clear; you can look like a martyr instead of a scorned rival. And… even though I’m sure you wouldn’t want me around, it’s better to have me as a supporter.”

I glare at her. She’s begging for my sympathy like I should care. After all she’s done to me and Sascha, I’d rather us both go down than act like I’m helping her.

“Get out of my house and don’t contact me again,” I demand, my voice low. I can’t look at her. I pretend I’m not afraid, but a part of me is. This sort of tone would never have been allowed, not when I was a child, not when I was an adult. But I’m sick of her hold over me.

To my surprise, she stands, straightening her clothes for a moment, and then makes her way to the door without another word.

I should be pleased to see Kristine Miller give up without a fight, but it alarms me. Normally, she would threaten, terrorize, remind me of how much power she has over me. If she’s giving in so easily, she must have no other option than to try and win my favor. And for a woman of her status to be left without options, there must be something major happening.

I turn to Sascha the moment she leaves. “Find out everything you can about that data analyst. Who he was, who his family is, where he is now. See if there’s security footage on his building, if anyone visited him. Find out when he last talked to Oliver. Legal or illegal means, I don’t care. Just make sure to stay away from the state investigation.”

“What about the Argova family?” Sascha asks, thinking along the same lines as I was. He glances at Sy. “Would this be something they’re interested in?”

Sy nods. “They have a vested interest in the Demoted system, and in your research. But I wouldn’t bother looking into them. If they’re involved, you won’t find anything. They have people who are skilled enough to make themselves invisible if they so choose.”

Sascha looks back at me. “Do you want me to start looking into Torenze?”

I pause for a moment, startled by his blatant accusation. “Do you really think he was involved?”

Sascha shrugs. “We shouldn’t immediately rule him out. We only partnered with him because we thought he’d keep us safe from Kristine. What has he even done to help us?”

“He safeguarded our data,” I remind him, frowning. “He bailed me out of prison… he’s my partner in this business, Sascha. If we go down, so does he.”

Sascha goes quiet, nodding. “Right. Sorry.”

It’s rare to see him shut down so quickly, especially about our research. I go to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You don’t need to apologize,” I remind him. “I know you’re just checking bases. I appreciate it. You see a lot of things that I don’t. I’m just a little jumpy, and my mother has messed things up for us so much in the past. If you think Oliver is worth the time, you are welcome to check him out in any way possible. I don’t think it will lead anywhere, but I won’t stand in your way.”

Sascha looks up at me, a grateful smile on his face. “Thanks,” he says, reaching up to cover my hand with his. “I’m probably just being paranoid.”

“This business is officially Michaud & Torenze,” I remind him. “But you’re the one I want to share everything with, not Oliver. You’re the only one I trust completely. That doesn’t change.”

Sascha pulls my hand to his lips, placing a light kiss on it before letting it go. “You should call him,” he advises. “Let me see what I can find.”

I smile, lingering a moment before moving away. As Sascha gets to work, I place a call to Oliver.

“Did you know that our data analyst has given our data to the state?” I ask, not bothering with formalities.

Oliver is silent for a moment. “No. I was unaware. How did you find this out?”

“I have my sources,” I try to be vague.

“Kristine?” Oliver suggests.

I don’t try to deny it; he guessed it too quickly. “How soon until the police start asking questions?”

“I have no idea. This is the first I’ve heard,” Oliver says. He sounds worried. “Did he turn it all over, then? Should I start making arrangements?”

If he’s acting, he’s acting well. “There were plenty of data in there that would have cast Michaud & Torenze in a very negative light. Apparently, that didn’t get included. Nothing in there makes us look bad.”

“And your mother told you this?” Oliver asks, skeptical. “I wouldn’t trust that. Either there is no data breach, or it includes data about us as well. She’s lying, Cash. Like she has been this whole time.”

Except that my mother’s extortion plans almost always include something in her benefit. She’s the victim here, and she would never willingly choose that role.

“What can I say, Cash? I thought we could trust the analyst, so did you. See what your mother is up to. Hasn’t it always been her calling the shots?”

I pause. This isn’t adding up, but I can’t tell that to Oliver. I don’t trust him or my mother, and I don’t trust the connection with the Argova family, either. Instead, I try my best to be subtle. “Let me handle hiring a new analyst. No need for you to deal with that on top of everything else.”

“If you think that’s the best plan, I won’t stand in the way of it,” Oliver agrees. “Is everything else going all right? You sound a little distressed.”

I scowl, glad that he can’t see me. He knows that I have plenty of reasons to be distressed; he’s making me aware of how obvious it is. “I’m fine,” I lie. “Just surprised to hear about our data analyst. It will push back the results. I’m hoping to have a definitive, unbiased report by the time my court date comes around.”

“Yes, that would help your case considerably. If you need a backup copy of any of your data, it’s all still housed on my servers. Just tell me what you need, or have Sascha get in touch with me. I always welcome his voice.”

“All right,” I agree, trying not to be annoyed that he even dares to talk about Sascha. “Let me know if you hear anything else.”

“Of course,” Oliver agrees. “Anything to help business.”

I can’t help but wonder whose business he’s really interested in promoting: ours or his.

Chapter 17
Teasing

When Cash coms his lawyer to question her about the supposed deal between the analyst and the state attorney’s office, she is unavailable. She remains unavailable throughout the day, and sends him a message later, directing him to go along with the plan.

If the Argova family is involved, they are keeping it under wraps. So is the state attorney’s office; despite the anxiety I feel as I wait for my master to be arrested, my fears are unfounded for now. Cash makes arrangements for me and Sy in the event that something of that nature should happen, but there is no indication that we are at risk for now. We are left to wait.

While we do, we work on our research and our image. Over and over, I check the numbers, looking for any indication that there are problems, anything that would weaken our case. At the same time, Cash answers reporters’ questions, prepares press releases. Our message must be clear: we are reporting the facts for the betterment of the nation. That we stand to profit and show up Kristine is simply an added benefit.

We watch the news and scour the media furiously. In order to stay ahead, we have to know about the questions, the suspicions, and another other developments as soon as they occur. We watch the riot coverage in a mix of fascination and horror. The last time there were this many riots, I was a little boy; I barely remember the bloodshed, the tighter control over citizens’ lives, the constant wail of police sirens.

I stand in front of the sliding glass doors in our bedroom, staring at the city below. Normally we can see the sparkling lights, far enough away to give us some privacy. Cash likes to watch me strip against the city background; otherwise, we take it for granted. Now, smoke twists up from various sectors. There is a remarkable lack of hov-cars after curfew.

I hear Cash coming into the room, finishing whatever he’s been working on.

“Shut the blinds?” he says, making it a request. “I’m tired of looking at destruction all day.”

I comply. As interesting as it is, it kills the mood. When we aren’t working, we both prefer ignore the threats that loom in favor of exploring each other. I turn, walking slowly toward the bed and joining him. He gets a smile on his face, the kind he gets right before he tells me to do something that makes me highly uncomfortable, but that I usually end up loving.

“I was thinking about Sy,” Cash says, neglecting to provide me with any other details, any clues as to what he was thinking about my friend.

A smiling Cash is dangerous. I crawl over to him, draping my body over his in hopes that my thinly veiled attempt at seduction will encourage him to open up a little bit more.

Cash grabs my hips and holds me in place, pressing my body tighter against his. “He was quite helpful the other day. I’m really starting to like him.”

I’m glad. Sy has started to mean so much to me in such a short period of time; I had no idea how it would work once we got back home. At first he was so stiff and awkward, I was afraid that he would never really feel at home here. The vicious competition between him and Cash didn’t help, but it has died down recently. As I had hoped, their annoying mutual interest in taking care of me seems to have superseded any other feelings between them.

“I see the way you look at him, Sascha,” Cash teases, the hard-on he’s sporting indicating that he isn’t at all bothered by it.

“I like him,” I admit, slightly embarrassed. “It’s weird. At the detention facility, we had a different relationship. Close.”

“Yes, you did,” Cash agrees. “You miss him. I can tell.”