and slid it between a crevice in the stacks of boxes. A few seconds
later a man appeared. Quentin Rowe stood about five-eight, weighed
perhaps a hundred fifty, with narrow shoulders; slender oval glasses
rested above a hairless face. His long, thin blond hair was tied back
into a neat ponytail. He was dressed casually in faded jeans and a
white cotton shirt. The antenna of a cellular phone sprouted from his
shirt pocket. His hands were stuffed into his back pockets. “I
happened to be in the area. How’s it coming?”
Jason stood up and stretched his long, muscular frame. “It’s coming,
Quentin, it’s coming.”
“The CyberCom deal is really heating up and they want the fi-nancials
ASAP. How much longer do you think it will take you?”
Despite his carefree appearance, Rowe looked anxious.
Jason eyed the stacks of boxes. “Another week, ten days tops.”
“You’re sure?”
Jason nodded and methodically wiped his hands off before resting his
eyes on Rowe. “I won’t let you down, Quentin. I know how important
CyberCom is to you. To all of us.” A twinge of guilt hit Jason between
the shoulder blades, but his features were inscrutable.
Rowe relaxed somewhat. “We won’t forget your efforts, Jason.
What with this and the job you did on the tape backups. Gamble was
particularly impressed, to the extent he can understand it.”
“I think it’ll be remembered for a long time,” Jason agreed.
Rowe surveyed the warehouse with incredulity. “To think the contents of
this entire warehouse could fit comfortably on a stack of floppy disks.
What a waste.”
Jason grinned. “Well, Nathan Gamble isn’t the most computer literate
person in the world.” Rowe snorted. “His investment operations
generated a lot of paper, Quentin,” Jason continued, “and you can’t
argue with success. The man’s made a lot of money over the years.”
“Exactly, Jason. That’s our only hope. Gamble understands money. The
CyberCom deal will make all the others look puny by comparison.” Rowe
looked admiringly up at Jason Archer. “After all this work you’ve got a
great future ahead of you.”
Jason’s eyes took on a soft gleam and then he smiled at his colleague.
“My thoughts exactly.”
Jason Archer climbed into the passenger seat of the Ford Explorer,
leaned across and kissed his wife. Sidney Archer was tall and blond.
Her chiseled features had softened after the birth of their daughter.
She inclined her head toward the rear seat. Jason smiled as his eyes
fell upon Amy, two years old and dead asleep in her baby seat, Win-me
the Pooh automatically clutched in one fist.
“Long day for her,” Jason said as he unknotted his tie.
“For us all,” Sidney replied. “I thought being a part-time law partner
would be a breeze. Now it seems like I cram the same fifty-hour week
into three days.” She shook her head wearily and pulled the truck onto
the road. Behind them soared the world headquarters building of Triton
Global, her husband’s employer and the world’s undisputed leader in
technologies ranging from global computer networks to children’s
educational software and just about everything in between.
Jason took one of his wife’s hands in his and squeezed it tenderly.
“I know, Sid. I know it’s rough, but I might have some news soon
that’ll let you chuck the practice for good.”
She looked at him and smiled. “You devised a computer program that’ll
let you pick the correct Lotto numbers?”
“Maybe something better.” A grin flashed across his handsome features.
“Okay, you’ve definitely got my attention. What is it?”
He shook his head. “Uh-uh. Not until I know for sure.”
“Jason, don’t do this to me.” Her mock plea brought a broader smile to
his lips. He patted her hand. “You know I’m real good at keeping
secrets. And I know how you love surprises.”
She stopped at a red light and turned to him. “I also like opening
presents on Christmas Eve. So come on, talk.”
“Not this time, sorry, no way, nohow. Hey, how about we go out to eat
tonight?”
“I’m a very tenacious attorney, so don’t try to change the subject on
me. Besides, eating out is not in this month’s budget. I want