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of bikers on HOGs. They glance over in time to see me lean into Jack, and toot their horns. One of them shouts, “Gimmee some of that too, chickee-baby!”
    Instead, Jack leaves them in the dust.
    “I’m glad I wasn’t fishing in your pants pocket,” I say wryly.
    “I’m not,” he murmurs.
    When we reach the road’s highest point, he pulls over. For a moment, we sit there, staring west. A thin ribbon of blacktop barely separates the rugged hillside from the vast and torrid Pacific Ocean.
    Finally, I unfold the paper. It’s a list of Graffias’ board of directors from eight years ago.
    Lee’s name is on it.
    So is the name, Jonah Breck,  
    “At the time, Graffias was a privately held company. It’s one of the reasons why this information stayed below the radar until now,” Jack reminds me.  
    “Obviously, Lee is not still on the board,” I point out.
    “Only because sitting presidents can’t be associated with corporations—a conflict of interest for any elected official. In regard to POTUS, all financial assets are held in a blind trust until they are out of office.” He shrugs. “But if the two men were on the board together, they must have met at some point prior to Lee purchasing Jonah’s companies upon his death.”
    “I’ll admit it looks more than coincidental. But this is eight years old, and there’s a possibility their paths never crossed, especially if one or the other was on the board for only a short period of time and missed the annual meeting. And even if Lee was introduced to Breck through Graffias, it doesn’t prove he knew of Jonah’s affiliation with the Quorum.”
    “Donna, come on! Carl acted as the middleman between the Breck estate and Lee. You’ve got to admit that Lee’s previous affiliation with Jonah and Carl—and therefore the Quorum—has always been too close for comfort.”
    I shake my head. “I’m sorry, Jack, but unlike you, I’m not willing to buy into the idea of Lee as one of the bad guys. Do I doubt that the Quorum has its tentacles in everything, including the highest offices of governments all over the world? Not at all. The Los Angeles hostage situation proved that. My guess is that Lee realizes this too, which is why he still needs our protection. Don’t forget, Lee’s secret weapon against Carl was Acme.”  
    For good reason. As Carl’s former employer, Ryan felt it was his duty to bring Carl to justice. Jack’s reason was personal. He was under the assumption that it was his botched mission that caused Carl’s untimely demise. Just a few weeks before, his wife, Valentina, disappeared—along with a microdot containing a code to access the secure cloud holding the names and dossiers of every Acme operative. When a street security video captured Valentina with Carl exterminating an Acme agent in Hungary, Jack put two and two together: Carl had seduced her, and trained her to be one of his operatives.
    And then there’s me. Hell has no fury like a wife left with three children because her husband traipsed off to be a bad guy.
    Jack lets me drive back to the dealership. It’s a small consolation, and I take full advantage of it by breaking all speed records.
    Yes, we buy the car.
    And yes, Ryan is pissed that we’re late. “Lunch break was over an hour ago,” he growls.  
    Even with Carl dead and buried at the bottom of the ocean, there is enough evil to keep Acme busy. It’s time to save the world, again.

Chapter 4
    Prickly Thorns

    The most beautiful plants in any lady’s garden are her flowers. But while colorful petals and sweet scents are quick to beckon one forward, one nasty prick from a thorn can mar the memory of what should have been a joyous experience.  
    Remember—thorns are Mother Nature’s way of protecting her plants from predators. So that those who want to admire your cuttings can do so while keeping ouchies at a minimum, follow these rules:
    Rule #1: The best time to prune is during summer or winter months. In hot