“Like dogs,” I said.
“Dogs are more grateful,” he replied.
He handed me a cup. His fingers were callused, a soldier’s hands that had seen more than a country club tennis court.
I set the coffee down without tasting it.
“Let’s skip the hospitality dance,” I said. “I didn’t come all the way down here for biscuits and banter.”
“Shame,” Charlie said. “Those are Delphine’s two best talents.”
“Dominion Hall,” I said, not taking the bait. “Dominion Defense Corporation. Dominion Holdings.”
“Catchy, isn’t it?” he said. “Branding is half the battle.”
“You’ve got a web of shell companies spanning three continents,” I went on. “Shared officers, overlapping addresses, matching legal counsel. Funny thing, though—whenever I dig for actual details, I hit fog. Scrubbed records. Closed filings. Banking practices that would make a compliance officer nervous.”
Charlie didn’t look surprised. “You’re thorough.”
“That’s my job,” I said. “My other job is asking why a network like that keeps popping up in documents involving arms shipments, private security contracts, and money moving through Dubai and Cyprus.”
Levi’s head turned sharply toward me. I felt the weight of his attention like a hand on my neck.
“Money through where?” he asked.
“Later,” I said, eyes not leaving Charlie.
“And your job description?” Charlie asked mildly. “Is it ‘decide we’re guilty and work backward’?”
“If you’re innocent, the truth will exonerate you,” I said. “If you’re not, the truth will be the reason.”
“That sounds like a tagline,” he said. “You should put it on a mug.”
“You think this is funny?” My voice came out sharper than I intended. Jet lag, caffeine, and the memory of Levi’s hands on my skin didn’t make for good impulse control.
“I think you walked into my home based on anonymous whispers,” he said, humor thinning out. “And I’m trying very hard to decide whether I should be insulted or impressed.”
“My sources aren’t anonymous to me,” I said. “And they risk a hell of a lot more than hurt feelings.”
He studied me for a moment. “Who?”
“People who don’t want their names next to yours in a morgue report,” I said. “That’s as specific as I’m getting.”
Levi’s forearm brushed mine as he shifted, a subtle reminder that I wasn’t actually alone here.
“Dominion Hall is a security and philanthropic organization,” Charlie said. “We protect assets. We invest in communities. We hire veterans and first responders who deserve better than a handshake and a pamphlet when they get out. The structure behind that is complicated. Complexity is not automatically corruption.”
“That’s a diplomatic way to refer to men with inherited fortunes and military backgrounds,” I said.
Charlie’s smile sharpened. “Inherited, sure. But fortune implies excess. Waste. We’re far from that.”
“People with secrets always say they’re ‘far from’ something,” I murmured. “Especially when a journalist starts asking questions.”
He tilted his head. “You really don’t spook easy, do you?”
“I’ve been shot at for less,” I said. “Money doesn’t impress me. It just tells me how many people you can afford to hurt before anyone makes you stop.”
Something flickered across his face then—just for a heartbeat. Not anger. Something like weariness.
