Colin was running late for his meeting with Gina and her client. A restless night spent puzzling through his marital situation meant he hadn't heard his alarm, and things had spiralled downward from there. God how he longed for the peace and contentment that he felt when he was with Grace. With her, his world was in order. Without her, life was chaos.
He'd texted to say he'd been delayed, but still hated to keep Gina waiting. She didn't deserve that. A full twenty minutes after the meeting was to have started, he strode into the boardroom of the Gina Lazarri Literary Agency.
"I'm sorry I'm late," he said and set his bag down on a chair.
Gina greeted him with a smile. "Don't give it another thought," she said and gestured toward the man sitting across the boardroom table. "I'd like you to meet my client, Robert Walters."
Colin extended his hand in greeting, but Robert ignored it. Without getting up from his seat, he took off his glasses and began to clean them. "Make it a habit of being late, do you, Jackman?"
"Quite the opposite," answered Gina, keeping things light. "In fact, he's usually the one waiting on me." She gave Colin a little wink and continued. "Help yourself to coffee and then we'll get started."
Colin hadn't had his morning coffee yet, nor his breakfast for that matter, so he gratefully accepted her offer. He was definitely going to need all his strength to deal with this guy.
Returning to the table, he sat down and took out the fountain pen and notebook Grace had given him. "I understand you have quite an interesting story, Mr. Walters," he said. "Gina was pretty vague on the details though. Can you tell me more about it?"
"I can tell you that what they've been saying about me is untrue."
"And who is 'they'?"
Robert put his glasses on and tucked his handkerchief back in his pocket. "The media."
"What has the media been saying about you?"
His neck reddened. "Good God, man. Don't you listen to the news?"
"Colin has been writing a rather high-profile biography these past few months," explained Gina, in an effort to keep the mood cordial.
"Yes," said Colin. "I avoid the news when I'm working on a manuscript. I find it distracting." That and Eve had asked him not to watch it.
Robert merely grunted. It was impossible to tell whether it was in approval or disgust. "They say I've been accepting bribes."
"And have you?"
The red on his neck crept up over his ears. "I've been following orders."
"Whose orders?"
"I'll tell you that when we have a deal in place." He laced his fingers together and placed his hands on the table in front of him. "For now, suffice it to say that not everyone in city hall is as honest as they seem."
"A corrupt politician is hardly news," said Colin, laying down his pen. He'd dealt with guys like this before and generally, he found it wasn't worth his while. But Gina thought there was a story here, so he took a deep breath, stuck a smile on his face, and soldiered on. "Gina said something about you having inside information about the way contracts are being awarded. Can you tell me more about that?"
"Not without a deal."
"The false identities then. What's that all about?"
Robert folded his arms across his chest but said nothing.
"Mr. Walters," said Colin. "I can hardly offer you a publishing deal if I don't know what the book will be about, or what sales potential it has." Walters was a businessman, so perhaps it was best to appeal to him on that level. Colin took a sip of his coffee while he waited for a response. When nothing came, he tried again. "Tell me about the bribes."
Robert shot Gina a look of disgust. "This is a waste of my time. He should already know this information. Get me someone competent."
"He's the best in the business." She leaned forward to meet his challenge head on. "It's precisely because he's the best that he's been too busy to follow the local news."
Robert began to protest, but she shut him down instantly.
"As his time is also extremely valuable, I suggest we carry on," she said.
Colin made a half-hearted attempt to hide his smile. Damn, she was good.
Robert sat across the table, fuming, but not speaking.
"He's a partner with Kenroy, Morgan & Walters," said Gina. "It's an architectural and engineering firm. His recommendations about the structural integrity of two buildings have come into question."
"So he filed false safety reports in exchange for money?"
"Allegedly," said Robert. The red in his face was taking on a purple hue.
Gina rubbed her temple. "He's been charged and is currently awaiting trial."
Colin leaned back in his chair. "Something's not adding up here. What aren't you telling me?"
"One of the buildings collapsed," she said.
While it was true that he'd been avoiding the news these past few months, a building collapse was hard to miss. "The Wellman Building?" he asked.
As she nodded, Robert shrugged.
"A few bricks fell, that's all," he said.
Colin's eyes widened as he looked from Gina to her client. She was rubbing both temples now. "Three people died in that accident. Is that because of you?" He felt the heat rising in his cheeks, yet across the table there was only silence. In disgust, he got up from the table and gathered his things.
Alarmed, Gina also stood. "Have you ever heard of The Mutineers?" she asked.
"Yeah, they're a drug cartel. What about them?"
She looked to her client but still he said nothing.
"Do they have some connection to this?"
A slow smile spread across Robert's face. "Maybe," he said. "Maybe not."
Oh, how Colin wanted to wipe that smug look off his face. He was at best a pig, at worst a murderer. "I want nothing to do with this," he said, swinging his bag over his shoulder.
Gina caught hold of his arm. "Hang on a minute . . ."
"Let him go, Ms. Lazarri. I'm not convinced that a man who is unable to iron his shirt is the right man for the job anyway."
Colin looked down and examined the wrinkles. They hadn't looked so bad at home. He noticed too, the dark sweat stains peeking out from his armpits. "At least my reputation is intact," he said. "And I don't have a criminal record. I'll take that over a fancy suit any day."