Chapter 14 #2
“Yes. It was very sudden and unexpected,” Hogarth said.
“Of course you didn’t expect it, Dr. Hogarth. I’ve kept my personal life personal,” Charlie said.
Hogarth ignored her and kept his eyes on Trent’s. “As you say, Charline is very devoted to her work. And we count on that.”
Hogarth was a ballsy man, making a threat while in his death grip. Trent squeezed harder. This time Hogarth visibly flinched.
“Something wrong?” Charlie asked.
“Nothing at all.” Hogarth pulled his hand from Trent’s grasp. Trent let him.
Hogarth said, “Dr. Cooper tells me that she doesn’t have the password to some files for your research protocol. See that she gets them.”
“I’ll see that she gets access to all the files she needs access to.”
“You know, Charline, I’m finding you’re a woman full of mystery.
For instance, there’s that large anonymous donation you received recently.
But maybe that’s no mystery after all since it appears to be around the same time you’ve become engaged to a very wealthy man.
” He turned back to Trent. “I wonder if you’re the donor? ”
“Wonder away.”
“I will. Charlie is full of mysteries to wonder about. There’s also the mysterious John Doe research subject. I wonder if you are also the mysterious John Doe?” He smiled.
Trent went into full-out game mode, training his face to a serious still mask that would rival a rock sculpture. He clasped Hogarth’s shoulder in a grip that may as well have come from a vise and leaned close.
“I don’t know why you would wonder such things, Hogarth. But both Charlie and I value our privacy and I am sure you would do nothing to violate that. We all know how unwise that would be.” He dropped his grip and stepped away, noting the beads of sweat that had popped out on Hogarth’s temple.
“And we all know what a wise man you are,” Trent added.
“You should be careful with your strong grip. You’re—”
“I’m a professional at gripping balls.” Trent folded his arms across his chest and slid closer to Hogarth, staring down at him from a ridiculously advantageous point so that there was no way for the man to feel anything less than uncomfortable.
Hogarth did what any weasel would do, he turned and faced Charlie.
“Your bonus check should be arriving next week. See that you take care of it per our agreement.”
“Oh, about that.” Charlie said. Hogarth stopped his planned flight short.
“I spoke to Lily in the auditing department and we agreed on the more standard procedure for handling my bonus check.”
Hogarth measured Charlie for a moment and so did Trent. He tried not to beam with pride at her.
“The end result needs to be as I expect regardless of the process, Dr. Morneau. There’s a lot at stake.
” Hogarth paused and turned his mouth up in a mockery of a smile.
“Say hello to your family for me.” Then he waved his hand dismissively.
“I must pay attention to our other guests.” Hogarth stepped away with only a quick angry glare at Trent, but no further comment.
Trent tracked the man as he snaked through the crowd and calmed his breathing down from the game-mode level of tension.
“That was intense.” Pulling her in with an arm around her shoulder, he held her close. She was stiff at first, and her skin was cold, but he felt her warming and wished they could leave the party right then.
“I don’t know what to say. I . . . I’m in trouble, Trent. And I’m sorry I’m dragging you into it now.”
“Don’t worry about me. Don’t worry about a thing. I’m on your team now and I’m not going to let Hogarth intimidate us.”
“You can’t win this with physical intimidation.”
“I know. Too bad. But I wasn’t intending to win that way. We’re two smart people and I’m sure together we can outwit that weasel.”
She glanced up at him in her classic red-and-black party dress looking like a princess with her Snow White complexion, porcelain skin, rosy cheeks, pink lips, and flowing dark hair.
Cue his heart to speed up and a zip of arousal to run through him.
He took a breath and tried not to drag her from the place back to the limo.
“I’m a very lucky woman,” she said. “To have you on my team.”
It was the last thing he’d expected her to say. She melted to his side and caressed his back up to his shoulders and he could feel the scorch of her palm right through the tux as if he’d been branded. The lurch of fear mixed in with excitement, without his permission.
“We need to figure out his Achilles’ heel,” she said. “What he wants most is power, money, influence. He cares nothing about personal relationships. Has no beloved wife or children or even siblings that I’m aware of.”
“Parents?”
She shook her head. “But he has as much to lose as I do if this drug trial doesn’t work out.
Well, not exactly—but it’s in his best interest if it goes well and we get to the larger second drug trial in the next phase.
Then the money and notoriety will pour in.
I think if he can find a way to replace me as principal investigator, that’s what he wants to do. Take the credit for himself.”
“So he wants to discredit you and get you thrown off the project.”
“But not before I complete the research. I’m the only one who is knowledgeable about the protocols and the formula for the drug. I’m the main author of the current grant funding the project and the author of the recent article in the NEJM—New England Journal of Medicine—”
“I know all about the NEJM article. Ralph was very excited about it and shared it with me.”
Charline nodded, but kept on track.
“I think Hogarth put this new woman on my team so she can learn everything and get access to everything—”
“To steal the formula,” he said, knowing with a staggering fury that it was true. And that Hogarth would not get away with it as long as Trent had a dime in his pocket and a breath left in him.
Before she could answer him, before she could voice the panic that rose in her, as she stared up at his stony face, one of the Trustees’ wives approached them.
“I know you—I don’t mean we’ve met—but I know who you are. You’re the football player.” The woman sparkled a smile and placed a hand on Trent’s arm. She gave a perfunctory nod at Charlie.
“I’m Krista Nowell. Dr. Jonas Nowell’s wife. He’s a trustee of the research center.” Then, dragging her stare away from Trent, she fully faced Charlie. “I know who you are.”
“Yes. We’ve met.” Charlie put out her hand to shake Krista’s hand, but mostly to get the woman’s hand off Trent.
The idea of another woman’s hand on him unsettled her.
The sight of the woman’s hand on him unnerved her to the point of feeling that tense alarm that was becoming increasingly familiar to her.
But Trent still had that immovable object look about him and seemed more pensive than his usual southern-charmer self.
“Tell me, Krista,” Trent said in a conspiratorial voice, lowering his head toward the woman and showing the subtle version of his smile—the serious version for a meaningful conversation. Charlie’s heart sped up. Trent continued.
“How much influence do trustees have over the director of research? And by influence, I mean power and control.”
Krista raised her well-plucked brows, wrinkling her otherwise teacup-smooth forehead. “That’s an . . . unusual question.”
“Does that mean you don’t know the answer?”
“Oh, I know the answer.”
“You want to know why I ask?”
“I’m guessing you—and by you, I mean you and Charlie—don’t get along with Dr. Hogarth.”
Charlie interrupted. “You know very well no one gets along with Hogarth, Krista.”
“You know each other well?” Trent eyed her with suspicion.
“Well enough,” Charline admitted.
Krista sighed. “I’m afraid my husband doesn’t like him either. Jonas had the misfortune of working with Hogarth on a research grant years back before he retired. Hogarth didn’t do much besides take credit. But Jonas is only one vote on the board and Hogarth has a majority backing him.”
“For now,” Charlie said.
“Why?” Trent asked Krista.
“Why what?”
“Why does he have people backing him?”
“Apparently, they think he’s the winning horse,” Krista said.
Horse’s ass. Charline thought it but didn’t say it.
“Charlie is the winning horse, not Hogarth.” Trent made the statement with such authority it was like he had already read tomorrow’s headlines and traveled back in time to tell them.
“Could be true,” Krista said and looked between them.
“Isn’t it nice that you have such a supportive man behind you, Charline.
” She paused and then addressed Trent. “But the problem is that Hogarth controls Charlie. She’s one of his people.
Her investigations go through him. He’s listed as an associate investigator on her research protocol.
He’s listed on the grant. He’s listed on all the department’s grants. That’s how it works.”
Trent nodded. But Charlie wasn’t sure he understood because he wore a Cheshire cat smile.
“We should get going if we want to . . . do that thing.” Charline sounded lame and not very doctorlike. Her face heated up and she avoided Krista’s eyes and her knowing look. Of course, the woman would misunderstand in that way.
“Sure, honey. Let’s get going.” Trent had a laugh in his eyes and swept her up with an arm. He winked at Krista.
“Nice to have met you, Krista Nowell. We’ll see you again soon,” Trent said.
“At the wedding?”
Charline felt her smile crack as she nodded the woman away. One more way in which her life had turned into a farce. A pretend engagement. The promise of a wedding that would never be.
But that was minor in the scheme of things—that’s why she’d agreed to the farce—because she had more important things to be concerned about.
The success of her serum drug trial. The perfection of her drug with genetic manipulation to customize it for each subject or patient and its approval for use.
The successful treatment of her mother and sister was the most important concern of all.