Emergence (Fox Meridian Book 5) Read Online Free Page B

development. The detective assistance systems we’ve built for Fox are well worth seeing.’
    ‘Thanks, Mister Martins. I’ll drop by next time I’m visiting Jason.’
    ‘Jackson,’ Jackson stated flatly. ‘Fox will tell you I’m not one for formality. Did you give them the wine yet, Fox?’
    ‘They haven’t opened that one,’ Fox replied. Monique looked around, spotted another tubular package, and picked it up.
    ‘Right,’ Jackson said. ‘Well, you’ll say “no, we can’t accept this” or some such because–’ He stopped as Monique pulled the bottle out and looked at the label. ‘Because it’s expensive,’ Jackson went on, ‘but you’re really doing me a favour. It’s a pleasant enough wine, but I’m told it doesn’t keep and if it doesn’t get drunk, I’ll be storing vinegar bottles.’
    ‘This is very generous,’ Monique said.
    ‘Fox told me that Jason had never had French wine, so I assume you haven’t, or rarely. I have about three cases of it which need drinking, soon. Fox wouldn’t let me send you a case. Said I’d embarrass her. I didn’t pay for it, so I don’t see why giving it away is a big deal, but…’ He waved a hand dismissively. ‘I hope it goes with your dinner.’
    ‘Don’t mind Poppa,’ Terri said. ‘He’s never been very good with money.’
    ‘You run one of the biggest companies in the world and you’re not good with money?’ Pascal asked.
    ‘Oh, I don’t run it,’ Jackson replied. ‘I have Mariel for that. If I ran MarTech Group, I’d never be able to afford to run MarTech Group. They make me turn up to board meetings, but that’s about as far as I go.’
    ‘Oh,’ Fox said, putting on an expression of mock affront, ‘so that’s it. You have to suffer through board meetings, so you suckered me onto the board of Palladium.’
    ‘Well… Yes. Why should I suffer alone? In a couple of years, I’ll have Terri doing my job and I’ll become a pottering, eccentric engineer.’
    ‘Poppa,’ Terri said, far too sweetly, ‘don’t make me hurt you.’
    ~~~
    ‘Well, it’s not bad,’ Jason said, looking at the wine in his glass, ‘but I have to agree, I’ve had better.’
    ‘Who gives away three cases of French white?’ Gaby asked, incredulous.
    ‘Four,’ Fox corrected. ‘They’ve managed to get through one. Jackson really isn’t a big drinker. Um… the North European Union’s ambassador to America. They’d signed some big deal with MarTech Defense Technologies for… I think Jackson said it was aerospace dominance fighters, so it would be High Harpies.’
    ‘You know all the equipment your companies produce?’ Pascal asked.
    ‘Me? No, but Kit’s got the whole catalogue in storage in case I need to know it. When I joined, I toured a fair number of the facilities. Went up to the Moon and the station at L-four, visited Germany and East Africa. Getting a feel for things, you know?’ Fox forked turkey into her mouth and let her eyes close: Monique knew how to cook a bird. It came close to melting on the tongue.
    ‘It doesn’t sound like something someone with your temperament would get into. All these meetings and paper– Well, no, I suppose the paperwork isn’t that much different to being a cop.’
    Fox swallowed. ‘I did say Jackson suckered me into it. I wasn’t kidding. I didn’t know I was on the board until I got to the induction meeting. But I was the only investigator in the company then. Helen joined a little later. Next month we get a bunch more people on board, but I’ll still get plenty of time doing detective work.’
    ‘She sounds happy now,’ Jason said, ‘but you should have seen her when she was reviewing all the contract documents for the private policing work.’
    ‘It did feel like my brain was draining out of my ears.’
    ‘And now you know how I feel. I hardly ever get to do anything a detective should be doing.’
    ‘Detecting.’
    ‘Precisely.’
    ‘Intimidating criminals.’
    ‘And