Mccormi

Marcus Thorne, was a notorious shark who didn't leave witnesses, let alone paper trails. The scandal ten years ago had been the single biggest win

"no comments." The money trail from Carmella's ghost account

file onto my desk in frustration. We'd been at it for weeks, su

n't complained once, hadn't shown a flicker of the despair that I knew must be gnawing at her. Instead, she channeled it i

. But this deal wasn't just about money. It was about knowledge. Someone had to understand our bid to know what t

list of Crestone's key personnel from ten ye

unts. He was the one who would have gone head-to-head with my designs. He left Crestone about six mont

ers in my mind starting to click. "Right

tte said, her eyes meeting mine. They were bright with intelligence, the way they probably

no public records, nothing. It took me another week of calling in old favors and greasing palms to find him. He was livin

roft were skittish. A stranger was one thing; the woman at

r with a shotgun in his hands and suspicion in his eyes. He was older, graye

elling, I'm not bu

up my hands. "I just want to talk about Ma

avered for a second. That was all the co

n, but he finally talked. The story tumbled out of hi

gos. A young, ambitious woman in their marketing department. She was willing to sell them the bi

Nichols,"

ecs, engineering schematics, cost analysis. It was a masterpiece of a bid. Charlotte Gall

sharp and ugly, t

d you leav

he deal had incurred 'unexpected expenses'. He paid the girl her piddling quarter-million and gave me a fraction of what I was owed. He said if I made

ecutive, just as Charlotte had

testify?

"And go to jail? No thanks. My word

and ruined her life. That woman is my client. All I need from you is the proof you have. The original files Carmella sent

afe in the corner of the room

ls, and I'll make sure your name is kept out of the official record. You'll be an anon

behind his tired eyes. He was weighing his freedom

alked to the safe, and

rn you for this," he s

grin spreading across my face.