Duke(81)
Sheila opened her mouth to speak, but Gen kept going before she had a chance. “I went to a public school, and there was no money for me to go to college. I waitressed to put myself through the Realtor courses, and I took some legal and accounting classes at Chatt State, though not enough for any kind of degree. I also took some photography classes so I could learn to take the best pictures of the land and houses possible, and some negotiating and mediation classes. I spent several years learning what I needed to know to make the jump from residential to commercial, so I’d be ready to take on the big boys when I did. No one handed me anything. I worked my ass off to get where I am.”
Diana seemed to be the woman in charge of the kitchen, and at this she declared, “Breakfast is ready. Enough drama for one morning. Let’s eat!”
* * * *
Two hours later Gen was stretched out in a very comfortable — if incredibly ugly — recliner, with a laptop on her thighs, engrossed in research. She followed the corporations back a ways, realized she’d taken it as far as she could, and called Chance, her guy at Drake. Without thinking about her audience, she told him she’d followed the corporations through a well-constructed labyrinth and come up against a brick wall in Switzerland. “Can I send you what I’ve found, see if you can figure out who actually owns this land? I really need to know who I’m negotiating with before I walk into the room, and I’m willing to pay extra if you can do it now? Pretty please?”
She hit send on her email, knowing he’d be looking for it before he even told her he would. “Yeah, I got it,” he said. “I’ll let you know when I have something.”
“Well,” Gonzo said as she disconnected, “why didn’t I ever think of that when dealing with a private detective?”
Gen looked up and asked, “What?”
Bash answered for him. “Pretty please? Does that really work for you?”
Rolling her eyes, she grinned and told them, “Just offering extra money can come off high-handed. It’s about respect, right? I’m asking nicely, not ordering him to. If he can run it down in fifteen or twenty minutes he’ll charge me one-fifty, and I’ll pay him two-hundred or maybe even two-fifty. But we all know it isn’t just about the money. Everyone responds better to being asked than to being ordered around.”
“They’re just picking on you, Beautiful. Ignore them.” Duke was looking through news articles on his tablet and seemed to be pretty engrossed as well.
She started organizing her notes for the meeting, and jumped a little when her phone rang. She’d asked her assistant to hold all calls unless something important came up, so she answered in her most professional voice possible.
“I just sent you an encrypted file,” Chance said, his voice serious. She noted almost every man in the room looked up, and realized they could hear Chance through the phone. She looked away, determined to ignore them.
“When you saw me a few weeks ago you made a comment on my outfit, and I made fun of a word you used. That word is the password to decrypt it. This is serious shit, Gen. I’ve already called Tyler and texted Nathan, they’re on the way to my office for a briefing. Not likely dangerous, but it’s a political minefield, and one our people may need to address.”
Gen punched in carnivalesque and hoped they both spelled it the same way, and was relieved when the file opened, but then her stomach flip-flopped as she realized the mayor’s wife owned the property the city was trying to buy from a corporation not willing to sell.
She sized the situation up, tapping her nails on the edge of the laptop a half-dozen times before saying, “Okay, Tyler’ll want to know my game plan. Before the meeting starts, I’ll ask their rep how the mayor and his wife are doing, and casually inquire as to how long they’ve been back from Switzerland. I’m guessing he’ll be a lot easier to negotiate with at that point, but if not then I’ll walk out of the meeting without a deal, and then probably jump into the center of the landmine. No game plan for Plan B yet, but I’m sure something will come to me.”
Duke walked to her as she ended the call, and she minimized her window as he looked at the screen. He looked to her and she said, “Remember how I’ve shut up and backed down a couple of times when you told me it was club business?” He nodded and she continued. “Well, this is my business, and I know how to handle it. There’s no physical danger, just professional, and I’m well equipped to handle it.”
“The mayor owns the property?”
She shook her head.