Midnight’s Queen (Stroke of Midnight #3)

Chapter 17

Frustrated with his lack of results, Aleks set the computer down hard on the coffee table. He’d been studying the Consortium’s dossier on the Tremaine Corporation—and Phillip and Portia—for hours. Ever since the call with the Solveigs.

He’d been sure that there was a way to end the company without endangering Portia. He was determined to save her life, though she probably wouldn’t see it that way if his employers succeeded in destroying her company. He could practically recite the dossier from memory at this point and still no magical solutions jumped out at him.

Darkness had fallen across the city, but the flicker of colors from the buildings lit up the sky. It’d be pretty if he had time to enjoy it. He stared out the window. There had to be something!

“One more time.” It wasn’t the first time he’d said that tonight. Probably wouldn’t be the last if he listened to that little niggle that told him he was missing something.

He stood, then grabbed his computer. Reopening the company dossier, he started to read it out loud. “Founded by the Tremaine Family. Headquartered in Seattle.” He paced the room as he continued to read. It was just as boring listening to his own voice as it was reading it.

“With Phillip Tremaine declared missing, Portia Tremaine has stepped in as CEO. At this time, there is no indication that illegitimate daughter Dizzie is involved in the day-to-day operations of the company.”

“Yeah, real helpful, intelligence team,” he muttered. “Anyone listening to the newsies could have told you that.”

He scrolled to the footnotes. Aleks had read them before. They were mostly links and citations for the report. He dutifully read them out loud. “A new drug, Vyne, has recently been growing in popularity in Seattle, one intelligence officer noted. When he asked about the source of the drug, no one could provide any information. However, one informant said they heard from a friend of a friend that it was created by the Tremaine Corporation. We were unable to substantiate this rumor.”

What the hell? Had the answer been staring him in the face all along?

Aleks didn’t know much about Vyne. Not surprising. And he certainly wasn’t going to sample the stuff. His brain was already messed up enough; he didn’t need random chemical reactions making it worse.

Settling into his desk, he pulled up a search screen. “Vyne” was an easy search term and his screen filled with news stories, party videos, and user images.

His lip curled in disgust as he read about the designer drug. No one knew where it came from, but, thanks to the dossier, he had that rumor. Tremaine was more biomedical than pharmaceutical, so he assumed it had to do with another project or it was a failed attempt to expand their market. Their legitimate market, at least. Did Portia know about this?

According to the news reports and disturbing videos of users, the extremely addictive drug provided euphoric highs. As a user’s veins calcified and hardened, the chemical cocktail turned them green. The decorative—and deadly—patterns gave the drug its name.

He shuddered. Nasty stuff.

Focusing more on the news reports, he learned that the drug was nearly 100 percent fatal. Long-term use was measured in weeks or months and, by all accounts, breaking the habit was impossible. Vyne use only ended in death. There hadn’t been any successful attempts to ween someone off it. Or, if there had been, no one was announcing the results.

This was it. The Solveigs could use this in their quest to destroy the Tremaines. Bring down the company, but leave Portia unscathed.

He sighed. That wasn’t true. After losing her husband and father, Portia only had the company left. Aleks had to believe that she wasn’t involved in the production and distribution of Vyne. That project had Phillip Tremaine’s fingerprints all over it. While Portia was his heir, it appeared that her father had kept the seedier aspects of the business from her.

Her “Ice Queen” nickname was well earned, but every once in a while, she revealed a glimpse of something softer. That woman wouldn’t touch a project like this.

Aleks started drafting a report on what he’d found. He’d weigh his options in the morning. Releasing the origin of Vyne may not bring the company down, but it would start the process.