PROLOGUE
LEVI
Levi Sandoval took his entire team out to celebrate. It wasn’t every day that he attained a contract with someone like George Lincoln, a tech billionaire whose goal was for humans to eventually make it to Mars. It was his company’s biggest achievement yet, but his sleek tech start-up was the darling of the industry thanks to Levi’s dedication and hard work.
It had been some time since Levi let loose. Standing in front of the mirror, he combed his hair back before heading out to the local bar, which was the closest to most of his employees’ homes. He adjusted his black frames and looked closely at his emerald eyes.
He was handsome enough, and women always seemed to like the money he was able to spend on a whim. That was usually how he landed hook-ups, though he wasn’t exactly in the market for it anymore. He had the Einstein project to work on ... lame and egotistic as the name was ... his reputation was going to be on the line.
But for the time being, he would go out with his employees and have a few good drinks and laughs.
When he showed up at the bar, everyone was already there waiting for him. He had hired four of the smartest engineers he had ever met and promised them all that the project was going to make their careers. They ordered pitchers of beer while Levi ordered expensive shots, which was his preference, and it seemed to draw the attention of the waitresses, who were overly giggly for his taste.
He didn’t get to where he needed to be by playing games. The idea of a relationship made his mouth go sour. Women didn’t tend to understand his dedication to his work, and they often became jealous and needy. He figured they would tire of his antics at some point and give up altogether.
It was better to stay focused on his work, which he knew the results of well.
After drinking and chatting for almost two hours, Levi’s PR agent Mary came bursting into the establishment. Levi was properly soused, so he hadn’t completely heard what she was saying to him the first time she spoke.
“Are you listening, Levi?”
Mary was an older woman with icy blue eyes and blonde hair that was always pulled back into a ponytail. She acted as his voice of reason, as well as the heart many people had believed he’d had removed at birth.
The media once called him the Tin Man for his apathetic attitude toward the drones that his company created and sold to other organizations. He had a feeling that what Mary was concerned about would fall under that category.
“I hear you,” Levi said, slurring his words slightly. “Let’s get a booth over there.”
Levi left the group, following after Mary. She was too used to babysitting him in these situations, and he honestly didn’t know where he’d be without her.
She helped him into his seat before taking her place in the booth opposite him. Levi held onto his beer, letting the glass crash loudly against the table.
“Are you drunk?” she asked.
Levi snorted. “We just landed Einstein,” Levi said, still chuckling. “This is the highest-profile client we’ve ever signed a contract with, Mary. So, yes, I’m a bit tipsy.”
Mary grimaced and brought her phone out onto the table. “You might not be so glad about that high-profile client now,” she said.
Levi placed his hand over her phone before she had the chance to turn it on. “Is this about the guidance chip again?” he asked.
Mary didn’t have to say anything for him to know the answer. He might be a bit drunk, but he could read his PR agent like a book.
“Listen,” he said, leaning forward and clutching his beer. “Those people complaining, they aren’t our client base!”
Levi’s voice had elevated a bit over the twangy music from the jukebox, and his team looked over briefly as he went on.
“There is war happening all over the place,” he continued. “There is no way we are going to be able to control what the hell people use the chip for.”
Mary had the same look of disappointment on her face she always had when the issue of the guidance chip had come up. This time, with the media scrutiny that came with landing a high-profile client like George Lincoln, the kerfuffle was unlikely to fade away like it usually did.
“This could go out with a bang, not a whisper,” Mary said.
Levi shook his head and took a long gulp of his beer. Mary reached for her phone again, and Levi once more put his hand over it.
“Stop touching my phone.”
“Listen to me, Mary ...”
“You get like this when you’re drunk, you know,” Mary said, pulling her phone to her side. “You aren’t listening to me. Let me talk for a second.”