was being too harsh about this situation, but she’d had enough. She was tired, stressed, and the fear was starting to take hold. It wasn’t something she was comfortable with. At least Mia and Aiden were staying to go over today’s testimony from the defense’s expert witness. It was going to be a long night and she made a mental note to have Gina order Chinese food for three before she left for the day. “I’ll give him call in a few minutes once the roar in my head settles out.”
Jarod continued to disregard the person trying to reach him. There wasn’t a minute of the day that the man wasn’t being beckoned by someone for some emergency or another. Ashlyn appreciated his steadfast attention now, knowing full well he was most likely needed elsewhere, but she could have used it three months ago when this thing could have been squashed in its infancy.
Ashlyn pulled out her desk chair, grateful the dark brown leather was comfortable as she sank down into its embracing depths. She took one moment to herself, inhaling deeply to try and ease her rushing headache. It didn’t work.
“You know how this works, Ashlyn,” Jarod said with a slight hint of a reprimand. Ashlyn raised an eyebrow, not willing to allow him that luxury. He wasn’t technically her direct supervisor. He only had administrative overview of her department. She worked for the Department of Justice and for the Attorney General in all the ways that mattered. He certainly didn’t get to berate her on how she conducted her business. Victor Wright ran the cyber division and happened to be a good friend of Ashlyn’s. She didn’t need Jarod telling her where those boundaries lay or who she trusted with her personal security. “We’re stretched thin. The Chenglei Haung case is only the half of it. The Chinese government is behind ninety percent of what they’re fronting as a privately owned company.”
Ashlyn understood just how important the Haung case was to the DOJ and the current administration. The defendant had been involved in the illegal export of classified material, specifically dual use technology that was a restricted export item controlled and plainly identified under International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) agreements. The company had clearly falsified the end user certificate. It was a serious offense and the lead prosecutor on the case, Andrew Rutledge, was having a tough time proving Haung Enterprises was the one responsible and not the U.S. Defense Contractor that held the proprietary rights to the technology. She didn’t overlook that Rutledge had wanted to consult on the case either and assumed Gina had taken care of scheduling a meeting for tomorrow to go over the contractor’s depositions that were going to be key in the prosecution of the case.
“I’m well aware of how busy Victor is,” Ashlyn countered, reaching into her draw for the bottle of Motrin she always kept on hand. She first squeezed then unscrewed the cap and shook out two of the orange capsules. “He can send someone else over in the morning then. He doesn’t have to handle it personally. He has good people.”
Ashlyn stood and walked across the carpeted floor, wishing she could have kicked off her heels. She would never appear anything other than professional in front of Jarod though, so she toughed out the soreness that still remained from where the shard of glass had embedded itself on that horrible night. She poured herself some water from the pitcher she kept on the small side table beside the coffee maker. She tossed the two pills into her mouth and then washed them down before walking back to her desk, cataloging what was to be left of her evening.
“Fine. Call Victor and set something up for tomorrow morning, but don’t wait too long. Give him time to assign one of his people before the end of the day. As for Safeguard Security & Investigations, they’re a good alternative for personal security while the FBI investigates the case.”
Jarod continued to disregard the person trying to reach him. There wasn’t a minute of the day that the man wasn’t being beckoned by someone for some emergency or another. Ashlyn appreciated his steadfast attention now, knowing full well he was most likely needed elsewhere, but she could have used it three months ago when this thing could have been squashed in its infancy.
Ashlyn pulled out her desk chair, grateful the dark brown leather was comfortable as she sank down into its embracing depths. She took one moment to herself, inhaling deeply to try and ease her rushing headache. It didn’t work.
“You know how this works, Ashlyn,” Jarod said with a slight hint of a reprimand. Ashlyn raised an eyebrow, not willing to allow him that luxury. He wasn’t technically her direct supervisor. He only had administrative overview of her department. She worked for the Department of Justice and for the Attorney General in all the ways that mattered. He certainly didn’t get to berate her on how she conducted her business. Victor Wright ran the cyber division and happened to be a good friend of Ashlyn’s. She didn’t need Jarod telling her where those boundaries lay or who she trusted with her personal security. “We’re stretched thin. The Chenglei Haung case is only the half of it. The Chinese government is behind ninety percent of what they’re fronting as a privately owned company.”
Ashlyn understood just how important the Haung case was to the DOJ and the current administration. The defendant had been involved in the illegal export of classified material, specifically dual use technology that was a restricted export item controlled and plainly identified under International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) agreements. The company had clearly falsified the end user certificate. It was a serious offense and the lead prosecutor on the case, Andrew Rutledge, was having a tough time proving Haung Enterprises was the one responsible and not the U.S. Defense Contractor that held the proprietary rights to the technology. She didn’t overlook that Rutledge had wanted to consult on the case either and assumed Gina had taken care of scheduling a meeting for tomorrow to go over the contractor’s depositions that were going to be key in the prosecution of the case.
“I’m well aware of how busy Victor is,” Ashlyn countered, reaching into her draw for the bottle of Motrin she always kept on hand. She first squeezed then unscrewed the cap and shook out two of the orange capsules. “He can send someone else over in the morning then. He doesn’t have to handle it personally. He has good people.”
Ashlyn stood and walked across the carpeted floor, wishing she could have kicked off her heels. She would never appear anything other than professional in front of Jarod though, so she toughed out the soreness that still remained from where the shard of glass had embedded itself on that horrible night. She poured herself some water from the pitcher she kept on the small side table beside the coffee maker. She tossed the two pills into her mouth and then washed them down before walking back to her desk, cataloging what was to be left of her evening.
“Fine. Call Victor and set something up for tomorrow morning, but don’t wait too long. Give him time to assign one of his people before the end of the day. As for Safeguard Security & Investigations, they’re a good alternative for personal security while the FBI investigates the case.”
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