Page 18 of Hunter

“Great,” Harrison says, relieved. “And any mutterings you’ve heard?”

“From what my contacts say, they’ve buried the case for now, even with the CCTV footage. Though I hear that bastard Menzies is asking questions.”

“Fuck’s sake, he’s the asshole that caused problems when you left,” Connor confirms.

“The very one. He’s always looking for ways to haul my ass into the station. He would love even more to drag yours in, Devane,” Damon confirms.

“Him and half of London,” I mutter, and they all snigger.

“Never a truer word said,” Harrison confirms. “Half my working life is keeping all you bastards out of jail, but this Menzies could be an issue. Are you confident your previous contacts at the force are not compromised?” He looks Damon square in the eye.

“I’m no longer one of them, so it’s hard to say.” He shrugs, but there’s no missing the flit of discomfort on his face. “Most of them owe me, but those favors will eventually run out. I heard Menzies was up for promotion too, and with that comes power.”

“Connor, can you do some digging on him?” Harrison asks. “He’s been an annoyance for the past twelve months, popping up where we least expect. Normally in court cases, I’m defending. But it would be best to know if he’s making his way up the ranks. Find something we can leverage against him if the need arises.”

Connor nods, then pulls out his phone and starts typing. Russell whispers something in his brother’s ear, and they both snort with laughter.

“Ugly little bastard,” Russell says, pointing at Connor’s screen. “He has that look of a rat. As if he is out to get someone in shit while clambering his way to the top.”

“And the Russians?” I ask, not wanting this diversion to escalate into the normal Chase brother debacle that will take up more of my time than I wish to give them.

“I’ll look into that,” Damon says. “I’ll get further checks done to all staff to see if there are any links we are unaware of.”

“Well, if that’s everything.” I push myself up to stand and straighten my jacket. “I’ll be off. I have things to do and people to see.”

“You need to get out in public with your wife,” Harrison says, startling me. “I want you to arrange a full schedule of suitable events. Play the doting and considerate husband.”

“What does suitable events mean?”

“Dinner in nice restaurants, the ballet, day trips to Harrods…”

“Not really my style, Waite.”

“Are prison bars more your thing?” He stands opposite me, the boardroom table stretching out between us. His eyebrow lifts, goading me to challenge him. “You need to clean up your act, Hunter. Too many people are asking questions. Give the people what they want. Pretend to be the businessman you portray, and hopefully we can placate the Russians with a new shipment, then all this will be forgotten.”

“He’s right,” Connor interjects. “We’re balancing two different problems. The criminal one that could affect your life and freedom, and the business image we need to ensure the wheels keep turning.”

“All right,” I concede. “We’ll sort the cars. You lot do some digging. Once we are ready to ship, we will let you know.” I turn away. Damon rises beside me, and we both walk toward the elevator. “And I’ll take my wife out to dinner in public.”

“Good,” Harrison shouts as the doors close.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and the manager from the gym advises that everything is prepared for tonight’s event. I pass the phone to Damon and he reads the information.

“Everything is set then.”

“Sure is. I have ten thousand on you to win.”

“No pressure. Emma will kill me if she finds out.”

“What does Emma think you’re doing tonight?” He focuses on the closed doors as the elevator glides down fifty-plus floors. Damon is scheduled to bare-knuckle fight at the gym. Emma doesn’t like it, so I know he’ll have told her something else.

“Working. An overnight stakeout.”

“Short and sweet,” I say with a chuckle. “And what if she asks where?”

“I’ll tell her it’s confidential. Are we expecting a full house?”

“Yep, every ticket is sold, McKinney.” I clap my hands together and rub. “Tonight will be very lucrative for all involved, especially if you knock him out. I’ll double your fee.”

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