Taryn inclined her head, acknowledging Portia’s recognition. She also noted the dig but refused to show it. Portia had obviously never crossed the threshold if she thought Razor Jack’s was so easily dismissed. “You should visit some time.”
“And you’ll buy me a drink?” There was a hard-edged sweetness in Portia’s voice.
Taryn laughed. “There’s no profit in that.”
Portia finally looked at her. A genuine smile cracked her lips, just barely, before her pinched look returned. “Profit, hm? Aside from your name...” Portia paused. “Your title? My calendar doesn’t have any additional information. That’s not the way my admin schedules my time.”
One corner of Taryn’s mouth tipped up. “She didn’t make the appointment.”
“Oh.” After a moment, she said, “I hadn’t realized that the Jack was a woman.” Portia’s tone was neutral.
Taryn shrugged. “Does it matter?”
Portia pondered the question for a moment. “No. Your reputation is... strong.”
Taryn wondered what descriptors Portia had discarded in that slight pause.
“Thank you. As is yours.”
“What brings you to my office?” Portia steepled her hands. “If you’re looking for some kind of payment for helping my sis—for helping Dizzie, you’ll have to talk to her.”
Portia dropped her gaze to her computer, obviously dismissing Taryn. “If that’s all, I need to get to work.”
Damn, she’d definitely earned her reputation as the Ice Queen. Taryn had to respect that.
Except there’d been that little slip when she almost called Dizzie her sister. Between that and the fact that Ash liked her for some reason, Portia Tremaine might have a heart.
“Good to know, but that’s not what this appointment is about.”
That drew Portia’s attention back to Taryn. She enjoyed the look of surprise on the CEO’s face.
“If it’s not about Dizzie, then why are you here?” There was a hint of curiosity under her bored tone.
“I’m here to negotiate for the release of Ash Cutter.” Taryn crossed her legs in the opposite direction and watched Portia.
Portia’s nostrils flared. “You’re wasting your time. Release isn’t an option.”
“Of course it is,” Taryn countered. “Everything has its price. We just have to find it.”
“You don’t understand. The man killed my husband. He’ll never see daylight again.”
Taryn had been afraid that Portia would be intransigent. She wouldn’t denigrate the woman’s grief—Taryn would feel the same way if she lost Ash. “I understand and I’m very sorry for your loss,” she said sincerely. “But you and I both know that Ash wasn’t responsible for that bomb and your husband’s death.” She paused. “He worked with Leopold Brunswick. He wasusedby Brunswick, the same way Dizzie was.”
Rage flashed in Portia’s eyes.
Dammit, bringing up Dizzie had been a misstep. She tried another tack. “Leopold Brunswick was the mastermind of the New Amsterdam bombing. He used at least two members of the Tremaine Corporation to do his dirty work. Can you honestly say there aren’t more?”
Portia’s lips tightened, the only sign that Taryn’s question had hit the mark. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have at least one person you trusted? Someone who can help you root out Brunswick’s supporters? Solve other problems?”
“And that’s supposed to be you?”
“Oh no,” Taryn said with a laugh. “That’s Ash.”
Portia leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s ridiculous. I could never trust that man.”
Taryn knew she had to tread very lightly here. “But you can, Ms. Tremaine. What sort of man turns himself in, even when he knows it could be a death sentence?” She was still so pissed at him for that.
