“What was that?” Liam shook his head as though he hadn’t heard correctly.
“Liam.” Imani beamed a smile. “It was very nice meeting you.”
Liam took her hand in both of his. “Enjoy your lunch. I’ll see you again,” he said.
Imani nodded and crossed to Roman. “Just let me get my sweater from the back,” she kissed his jaw and left the gallery at a quick, graceful walk.
Father and son followed the departure with twin expressions of approval.
“She’s a thing of beauty, kid.”
“Very much so, Sir.” Roman was still watching the doorway Imani left through.
“You love her, don’t you?”
“Love and in love, Sir.”
Liam appeared impressed. “You know the difference, then?”
Roman’s eyes were still on the doorway. “Not before I met her, Sir.”
“This will be complicated, Son.”
“I know that too, Sir.”
“What do you plan to do about it?”
“No idea, Sir.”
Liam grinned, enjoying the hell-bent intensity to his son’s responses. “You have no idea, but you’ll never want to let her go, will you?”
Roman sighed over a laugh. “Never, Sir.”
~51~
“It would seem we’re at an impasse, Mr. Tesano.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Humphrey’s mouth tilted into a smirk.
Jude Ophion responded in kind. “Is that because you think you have me over a barrel?”
“Now that I would say.”
“I wouldn’t. The police didn’t even have enough to search my lab,” Ophion boasted.
“But they didn’t have your file, did they?”
When Ophion chuckled, Humphrey bit back his agitation. The man wasn’t acting like someone with a terrible secret on the verge of discovery.
“Funny thing about files is everyone has one,” Ophion eased a fat folder across the table to Humphrey. “My hats off to the grunt you got to identify the images in the photos, though.”
Humphrey’s smile was chilly. “And that’s all they are to you? Images?”
“Why?” Ophion seemed amused. “Are you suddenly taking the moralistic high road?”
Humphrey slipped both hands into the pockets on his pin-striped trousers. “I may not have your experience, but even I know it doesn’t pay to be personally connected to your victims.”
“Personal connections can be useful when it comes to taking the wrap.” Ophion tapped the folder when Humphrey frowned. “Sweet of your uncle to take the blame for hiring those guards for the Chicago hits. You stood by like the ambitious, but misguided nephew drawn into his uncle’s dastardly scheme, but it was you. You were behind the whole thing-working in the shadows with various underworld connections. But why? Naturally you wouldn’t want your father to know you’re undermining his business, but was there more to it? I’d say yes.”
By then, Humphrey had the file and was cautiously thumbing through it.
“Yes, I’ve got my own hardworking grunts too,” Ophion’s eyes were on Humphrey’s face instead of the file. “My guess is this indiscretion was just the tip of the iceberg. You’ve probably got your fingers in all sorts of shady pies. For what? Some underhanded way to steal the company out from under your dad before he’s ready to hand it over to you?”
“What are you planning to do with this?” Humphrey shook the file. “If you could do anything?”
Ophion’s laughter echoed through the warehouse rafters. “Oh I could do quite a bit with it. Your father may be too sentimental to cast out his first born son for such treachery, but his board members might not be so forgiving. I know your dad’s board only serves in an advisory capacity but that’s why your father is the success that he is, he listens to good advice, dispassionate advice. Advice that would be strengthened if the board takes what I know to your brothers. Be hard for your dad to lean on sentimentality then. Calm down,” he urged when Humphrey fumed and began to pace the floor.
“I haven’t even told you about the guard.” Ophion added with relish.
Humphrey ceased his pacing and waited.
“The Chicago guard I have on tape confessing to your involvement,” Ophion continued. “I can’t say which guard, you understand? My guess is that I don’t need to since there was only one you trusted with so many details. From what he told me, it sounded like he was made certain promises but you’ve taken your sweet time filling-”
“I told him to be patient-!” Humphrey closed his eyes when he stifled the outburst.
Ophion grinned. “Kinda hard for a man to do that once he’s put his life on the line. Anyway, he’s still kinda sour about it. My tape of him doesn’t paint you in a very nice light. The only thing the cops would like more than that tape is the guard himself-sort of makes him an endangered species of sorts.”
Humphrey began to walk the warehouse floor again.
