Page 62 of Risk Assessment
He looked at his watch and then saw Clark entering the lobby. He was walking with Josh. They stopped and seemed to be having some sort of fight. Clark turned his back on Josh as if to dismiss him.
Josh’s face filled with rage the moment his boss’s back was turned, but it only lingered for a second before the mask he normally wore clicked back into place. It couldn’t be easy working for a man like Calvin Clark. Josh seemed to deal well with it most of the time, but this weekend was obviously getting to him. Hopefully, after today, if they got everything right, Clark wouldn’t be a problem any longer.
“Clark,” Dylan said as he approached the bar, “thanks for meeting me.”
Clark glanced over at him and nodded. He was leaning forward, trying to get the bartender’s attention. “Josh said you had information about the election.”
“Actually, do you mind if we go over and sit in the corner. There are too many…ears here.”
The fact that Dylan didn’t want to speak out in the open had caught Clark’s attention. He straightened up. “Well, sure, we can chat privately.” He smiled at Dylan.
Dylan had to jam his hands in his pockets to avoid punching Clark’s face. The man strutted across the lobby with Dylan a step behind. They settled into chairs in the far corner away from the crowds.
“So, what information do you have for me?” Clark asked.
“Nothing. I have information about you.”
Clark frowned. “I don’t understand. I thought you wanted to talk about the election.”
Dylan glared at Clark. “I know you have a history with women.”
Clark’s face flushed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do.” Dylan had no proof, but his gut told him this guy was a slimeball. He just needed confirmation, and he was pretty sure he could bluff Clark into admitting he was Raleigh’s stalker.
Clark stood up. “I don’t have to sit here and listen to baseless accusations.”
“Sit down!” Dylan roared.
Clark’s mouth dropped open. He quickly looked around the lobby. People were staring.
“Sit down before I put you in that chair.” Dylan’s voice was quieter but had a menacing tone.
“You can’t—”
“If you don’t sit back down, I’ll tell the world what I know.” Dylan had risen. He had a couple of inches on Clark but, more importantly, he had a lot more muscle, and right now he was doing everything possible to stop himself from using it.
Clark must have read the danger in Dylan’s eyes because he sat back down, but it didn’t stop him from mouthing off. “Do you know who I am? Who my friends are? You can’t speak to me this way.”
“I can speak to you any way I damn well please. You’re a suspect and I’m just here questioning you until help arrives.”
“Suspect? For what? Who complained? Was it that cleaning woman? She flirted with me. I didn’t instigate anything. I can’t help it if women find a man of my stature intoxicating. She practically threw herself at me.”
He had no clue what Clark was talking about, but silence often led to confessions. People always rushed to fill the void. He just stared at Clark.
Clark glared back but soon shifted in his chair. “I need a drink. Wait, was it the waitress? She practically rubbed her tits in my face. It was an obvious invitation. Then she acted all upset when I touched her. She shouldn’t have had them hanging out if she didn’t want attention.”
Dylan couldn’t believe his ears. The skeeve factor blew up exponentially. How many women had this guy harassed in a weekend? “You did all that and still had time to torture Raleigh? You are some piece of work.”
“Torture Raleigh? What are you talking about?” Clark looked genuinely confused. “Did someone come on to Raleigh? She did look magnificent in that green bikini.”
Blood rushed to Dylan’s head. He was having a hard time controlling his temper. “You have been stalking Raleigh all weekend,” he ground out.
“Well, I wouldn’t call it stalking. I mean, I did seek her out at dinner the first night. She is the PR person you know. I need to be seen. And I admit I did scan the pool to find her but, really, that’s hardly stalking. She’s an attractive woman. She should expect attention.”
Dylan blinked. What was this asshole going on about? “You wrote her threatening notes. You broke into her place and moved stuff around. You—”
“Are you out of your mind? I would never take that kind of a risk! Do you know what that would do to my political career? It would be suicide!”
