One White Lie: Barrington Billionaire's Series: Book One by Jeannette Winters Page B

before, but by his tone, she knew he wasn’t a man to mess with. Even if he had been on the do not transfer list, she probably would have done so anyway. Thankfully, even though Brice and Asher were partners, he didn’t seem to work out of this office. Let’s hope it stays that way.
    “Mr. Henderson asked not to be disturbed.” Lena couldn’t help it. She knew her voice trembled as she spoke and waited for the inevitable.
    “Do you know who I am?”
    Softly she answered, “Yes, I do.”
    The man’s voice rose as he demanded, “Then transfer my damn call now.”
    Without any hesitation, she put the call on hold and rang the lab. It continued to ring. Lena didn’t want to tell Asher Barrington that Brice would not take his call. She was positive it would end in being cursed out if not fired. Come on. Pick up. Thankfully he finally answered.
    “I said no calls today.” His voice was as gruff as Asher’s.
    What is wrong with everyone today? “Sorry. But he insisted.”
    “Lena I s—”
    “Mr. Barrington is on line one.” Then all was quiet. All she could do was wait. Just take the call.
    “Put him through.”
    Thank God. Before she hung up, she hit the transfer button. Oh, how I wish I could eavesdrop on this conversation. I’m sure it’s going to be a heated one.
    “Neither outcome is acceptable.” Brice couldn’t believe it. Dammit. Not only did he carry the weight of the entire development and testing of this project on his shoulders, but now he needed to think about the business negotiations in Trundaie as well. This is what you get when your business partner has the tact of Dominic Corisi. “Asher, you need to reconsider your process and each component of it. Remove the unacceptable and reconfigure with a substitution.” One that doesn’t involve violence and destruction maybe? “Have you considered a more diplomatic approach?”
    Even over the phone he could hear Asher’s frustration. If you didn’t act like a bull in a china shop, maybe we wouldn’t have these issues. Brice grew up watching his father use this same heavy-muscle tactic to get whatever he wanted. It was lucrative, but what was his legacy going to be? Take what you want. Crush what you can’t have.
    Brice was equally driven but logical. He wracked his brain for the right answer. This wasn’t his field of expertise. The only person he knew who had ever dealt with any kind of overseas disaster was Trent Davis in Dubai, but the place was known for luxury, not turmoil. And Trent’s no sweet talker either.
    “Have you considered your brother Ian? He has a skillset that could be the third option you haven’t considered. Perhaps a more diplomatic approach could convince the Trundaie government to step up in this situation. The rebels are their issue, not ours.”
    After the call, Brice wanted to do one thing, to focus on what he could control, his responsibility for the business, but that wasn’t going to be possible until he knew for himself what the situation looked like. Opening his computer, he googled Trundaie. It looked like they were a country on the verge of revolution, something that had been building for years. Searching deeper, he came across something new. It was brief but powerful. A new rebel force threatening the destruction of an American-based company both in Trundaie and abroad. That’s B&H. Fuck.
    Brice now understood Asher’s concerns. This is more volatile than I thought . What exactly had it meant by there and abroad? Asher mentioned hiring Bennett Stone as head of security. This facility was secure. This new addition didn’t have anything do to with someone trying to steal his formula. That meant only one thing. The stakes just got higher. Did that mean personal threats against their lives? And what about our families and friends?
    He closed his laptop again. He needed more answers, and not just the ones Asher provided. They had been friends since childhood, and he had spent more time at the