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right. Sorry, Lucas. I’m being a horse’s ass. Let’s go get that drink.”
    They filed out of the conference room, Lucas and Stan still deep in conversation.
    “You’re the glue,” Ladd said in a quiet voice.
    Chase gave him a sharp glance. “Excuse me?”
    “You heard me. The lynchpin. The one who holds it all together. This is the biggest thing this company has done yet. If you’re on edge, everyone else will be too.”
    “I tell you, Ladd, I just have the strangest feeling. I can’t put my finger on it. Like something’s out of place but I can’t see it.”
    “You’re also the chief worrier,” Ladd said with a chuckle. “Come on. Let’s go toast to the success of Carpenter Techtronics. We’ve all earned it.”
    * * * * *
    The Carpenter Techtronics building was lit up as if it was the middle of the day.
    Teams always worked 24/7 in three shifts on the highly specialized electronic units that the company was famous for.
    Standing at the elevator, Chase marveled at the success of the company bearing his name. Not so very long ago he’d quit his job at a large engineering design firm, cashed in his retirement fund and taken a chance on his own startup company. He began in an incubator building—a place created especially to nurture new businesses and provide them with assistance—with only Stan and two other employees.
    Almost before he turned around Carpenter Techtronics had grown from a small boutique-type company to their current status as a leader in the world of specialized electronics. The expansion had taken a giant leap forward when Lucas Grant had joined the firm as a partner. Bringing with him a suitcase full of contacts and the ability to sell anything to anybody, he told Chase he was buying into a company that he saw on the verge of explosive growth. With the corporate and government contracts he’d negotiated for them, they’d had the capital to move to their present location and the reputation to attract the high dollar clients.
    Sometimes Chase had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.
    He knew he was obsessive about security but corporate espionage was the crime du jour , especially when the military, police departments and private agencies were hungry for the kind of electronics Carpenter was known for. The kind that could give them an edge in whatever war they were fighting. Carpenter was known for its security being unbreachable and Chase had no intention of changing that now.
    Once a prototype had sold, production cranked into high gear. The units were manufactured on four floors of the ten-story building. Then they were sent to packaging and shipping in the basement. And every step of the production was carefully watched over by security guards and by a member of the design team.
    Now, thanks to his idea and Stan’s genius at engineering design, Carpenter Techtronics was about to take a giant leap forward. He could feel the excitement hum throughout the building. Any time a new project was underway, the guards were doubled, just in case someone got itchy fingers or an outside source tried to breach the building. This time the project was so revolutionary security was even more important.
    He thought about this as he biometrically unlocked the door to the vault where Oscar’s prototype was stored.
    He stopped now in front of the Plexiglas block where the robot was stored, resting from the earlier demonstration. The pictures the team had received from Oscar’s miniature camera had incredible clarity. These were only of the exterior but they could detect any hidden sources of danger to a waiting team. And in a case where interior shots were needed, Oscar could be inserted into a building with no problem at all. The images the tiny camera could transmit to the computer might possibly save lives in a hostage situation or help prevent a mission from going south.
    Chase stared at the small object for a long time, then left the room, locking the door after him using the