Chapter Twenty

Finn wanted to shout blue murder, to run after Eden and make his feelings known until no bloody uncertainty remained. Kiss her like there was no tomorrow. Because, apparently, there would be no tomorrow for the two of them.

She was gone. She wouldn’t be back. But he was still in the thick of it, standing at the front of the boardroom.

Back to business. Finn needed to keep his eye on the ball. Get back in the game. All the usual sporting analogies had helped him to claw his way up over the years and to keep going. His presentation was a piece of crap with a bow on it, but he’d known that all along.

If Eden had given him just a few minutes more, she would have understood his game plan. He’d counted on her trusting him, giving him the benefit of the doubt, but obviously, they weren’t there yet. Which cut deep when he thought about it too hard.

He glanced at McTavish, who glared at him from the back of the room.

“Mr. Donohue, continue.” McTavish’s voice was icy cold.

“Excuse me for interrupting, but I think we should discuss the doctor’s comments.” A woman from the European team spoke softly and calmly but with a steely undertone that demanded attention. “It would appear Doctor Robinson has significant reservations about the company’s new direction. Perhaps she is right.”

Finn breathed out slowly without making a sound. This. This was what he’d been trying to stir up. Questions, dissent, bringing out all the stuff McTavish was attempting to cover up. This had only been the start.

McTavish fumed but responded reasonably: “Of course. We’re happy to discuss any issues or queries regarding the project. As I explained earlier, this is simply a proposal.”

Like hell it was. In McTavish’s mind, the deal was no doubt already signed. But if Finn played his cards right, it wouldn’t make it past the proposal stage.

Finn: Eden, can we talk? Please? I can explain everything.

Finn: I miss you. More than you know.

A few hours later, Finn entered the lab, looking around for Eden’s offsider, Felicity. She was a smart woman, and Eden respected her, so Finn did too, by default. He needed to talk to someone who knew Eden to get some advice on where to start in smoothing things over with her. And if he managed to win over Felicity with his plans, it would be an added bonus.

As he strode across the gleaming white space, he spotted Felicity in a corner alcove, standing behind a partition. She was deep in conversation with someone. Meredith?

What was The Terminator doing here in the lab? Why was Meredith talking to Felicity? They had no reason to be working together.

Finn hung back, not wanting to interrupt what appeared to be an intense discussion. Felicity, who wore a frown, was waving her hands around until Meredith reached out, took hold of them, and smoothed them down by her sides. Meredith released the younger woman’s hands, then touched Felicity’s cheek with her thumb, gently. With affection—or love? Felicity’s expression softened, and she sighed.

Oh. Generally, he was good at reading people, but he’d always had a hopeless female gaydar. However, now that he saw them together, it was plain as the nose on his face. Another romance between coworkers had been going on right in front of him.

Now he knew where Felicity had gotten hold of her information about McTavish’s financial dealings. From Meredith, not just McTavish. That night at Eden’s house, when Felicity had been drunk, she’d spilled some of the beans. McTavish had a gambling problem. He owned a stake in an investment firm that was doing badly, and his racehorses hadn’t come through like he’d hoped. Felicity had also hinted at him having offshore accounts with money coming from somewhere else. Finn hadn’t realized Meredith had been the source of the details about those accounts.

Finn strolled toward the two women, giving them a chance to notice him before butting in. They’d stopped touching but stood close together. Felicity still appeared upset, with a tell-tale redness around her eyes.

There was no point in pulling any punches. “Excuse me, but I was wondering if I could have a word — with both of you. It’s about what happened at the presentation this morning. About Eden.”

Felicity crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “You’ve got some nerve talking about Eden when you’re the one who got her fired.”

Shit. This was going to be hard work. He turned and checked out the other lab staff. A few had tuned into their conversation already. “Can we discuss this in private? You’ll both want to hear what I have to say.”

Felicity nodded, and Meredith’s eyes flicked from Finn to Felicity again. She nodded too.

Finn led the two women out of the lab, at least twenty pairs of eyes trained on his back. He half expected someone to throw a dagger at any moment.

Felicity and Meredith gaped at Finn, who sat back in the leather seat at the diner a few minutes’ drive from Magna Smart’s office. They could have been in a spy movie, with the secret meeting in a neutral, public venue. All he needed was a roll of microfilm hidden in his pancakes for the perfect setup.

“I knew you were investigating what McTavish was doing. But… You’re a corporate spy.” Meredith crossed her arms and stared him down. “And you have evidence that he’s trying to pin his financial fraud on Eden?”

“Yes.”

Felicity blinked, then said quietly, “Let’s say I believe you. You understand what you’re trying to do will most likely end your career in big pharma?”

Finn nodded as he stirred an extra spoonful of sugar into his coffee. “Yes, but that’s not a major concern for me. I don’t particularly want to work in this field anymore. I can get a marketing job in another healthcare field or high tech, probably back in Australia. This whole experience has left a bad taste in my mouth.”

With her head tilted to one side, Felicity studied him. “What about Eden? You said you wanted to protect her. She liked you. Trusted you. I don’t want to see you hurt her.”

Hurt her any more than he already had, she meant. The mention of trust stung somewhere inside his chest. He’d been double-dealing with her from the start. But she’d done the same—with the online dating thing. Maybe she’d understand. Maybe he could still fix it.

Finn clenched his jaw, then released it. “I can help her, but I need to talk to her. I’ve tried calling and emailing, sent loads of messages, and she won’t respond.” He leaned forward and dropped his spoon with a clatter. “I care about Eden, and hurting her is the last thing I want to do. I just need a chance to explain.”

He let out a long breath and took a sip of coffee, watching as the two women turned to each other. A moment of silent communication took place between them.

Meredith bit her lower lip. She’d sat quietly until now, listening to what he’d said, but finally, she spoke up. “I can give you more details about Doctor McTavish’s financial investments, shell companies, offshore investments, that kind of thing. If it would help.”

Finn nodded, relief flooding his body. “Yes, that would be great. I’ve already got a stack of research papers and reports on the clinical trials Eden sent to me, stuff about the new drug and how it’s not performing as well as McTavish makes out. And there’s something about a patent, but it’s not clear what it means. I could use some help with interpreting the science-speak.” Finn glanced at Felicity, his eyebrow raised.

Her lips quirked up on one side. “Can do. Science-speak happens to be my specialty.”

Meredith leaned over and took Felicity’s hand where it rested on the table. “We make an awesome team.”

Finn couldn’t help smiling in return. They did look happy together. “So I see. Thank you, I’ll be in touch.” He stood and placed enough cash on the table to cover their meals and the tip.

As he was about to walk away, Felicity called out to him, “Finn, wait.” She tilted her head to one side, her blue eyes wide. “I’ll talk to Eden and tell her you’ll be in touch. I’ll give her a heads-up on what you’ve told us. It might help you get your foot back in the door.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.” He gave them a nod, then headed for the exit. For his plan to work, he needed information from people in several different areas of the company who’d support his version of events. Or corroborate his evidence if it came to a trial down the line.

But most of all, he needed Eden on his side.