King closed the door behind them and stood at the head of the table facing them. “What happened is those bastards blew up Gibson Global.”
“Yeah, with us in it,” Joker growled. “Chip alerted us in time. We got the hell out. The building blew just as we made it outside. We got knocked on our asses, but other than a few cuts and bruises, we were damned lucky. Martin, not so much.”
What? A lump formed in Jay’s throat, and it took everything he had not to throw his arms around Ryden. What if they hadn’t gotten out in time? If their injuries had been worse. Ryden could have died. Jay swallowed hard and forced himself to remain still. Ryden must have sensed something, because he reached out under the table and took Jay’s hand, giving it a quick squeeze. When he went to pull his hand away, Jay grabbed it, holding on tight. After taking a deep breath, he released Ryden’s hand.
“What do you mean?” Lucky asked. “Martin was there?”
Ryden nodded. “Yeah, Chip found him. He must’ve been either in the buildin’ or close to it ’cause he got caught in the explosion. The weird thing is, he was already dead.”
“You think they killed him?” Red frowned. “But why kill Martin, dump his body at Gibson Global, and blow it up?” He narrowed his eyes. “Unless they were trying to pin Gibson’s murder on him.”
King hummed. “Maybe Martin got a little too sloppy, and they figured this was the best way to point the police away from them and get rid of Martin. Two birds with one stone.”
Joker dropped into one of the chairs. “We need to talk to Colton. Ask him about his meeting with Gibson.”
“He should be here any minute,” Ace replied, looking at his watch. As he said the words, the door opened, and Colton appeared. Talk about timing.
“Thanks for coming,” King said, motioning to the chair beside Ace.
“Of course,” Colton replied, kissing Ace’s cheek before taking a seat.
It was amazing how the room’s atmosphere changed when Colton stepped in. He was tall and elegant, his appearance pristine from his perfectly styled blond hair to his expensive Armani suit. He exuded confidence. The boardroom was his battlefield; anyone who saw him could tell he dominated it. Jay’s boss might be different from Joshua’s in every way, but they had one thing in common. They each had a powerful presence.
King motioned for Ryden to continue.
“Colton, did Gibson mention being in debt or an offer from Bullard Business Import and Export Solutions?”
“He did,” Colton replied with a nod. “That’s what our lunch meeting was about the day before he died. After learning about the incident involving Graham’s cargo ship, I offered my support, but he was already dealing with the insurance company. When they declined his claim, he came to me for advice. He was devastated. This was his family’s business, and until then, the company had been doing very well. Graham didn’t want to sell, especially to Bullard. There was something about the man who made him the offer he didn’t like. I told him not to take the deal and that Connolly Maritime would invest in Gibson Global.”
“You were going to bail him out,” Joker confirmed.
“Invest,” Colton corrected, though his lips quirked into a smile in the corners. “I’ve known Graham for years. He was a good man with a solid business model. He didn’t deserve what happened to him.” Colton’s brows drew together. “I find the circumstances surrounding the loss to be…questionable.”
King looked thoughtful. “How so?”
“Graham had been in business for years. He was meticulous, and his crew was highly experienced. I’m not saying a cargo ship can’t lose its cargo. It happens more often than you think. Pirates, hurricanes, storms. Anything can happen out there in the middle of the ocean. But none of those conditions were present, and according to one of the crew members, the cargo containers started falling from the stern.”
“So, the opposite end of where the explosion was,” King said.
Colton nodded. “I suspect that was why the insurance company denied his claim. The investigator must have concluded that certain things didn’t add up.”
Jay still didn’t understand. “Why would they kill Gibson because he refused to sell?”
“Not to mention that killing Graham has led to Connolly Maritime doubling down on security,” Colton added. “They must have known this would happen.”
Ryden tapped his fingers on the table. He met Colton’s gaze. “Did Gibson say who from Bullard approached him?”
“Yes. A Martin Smith, I believe. The man came on a little too strong for Graham’s liking. Something about the man had him on edge.”
Jay noticed that Jack was typing away at his tablet the entire time they talked. Was he trying to find more information on their guys? Did the explosion at Gibson Global and the dead man found there hit the news?
Joker sat back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. “I think King is onto something. First, Martin gets on Ryden’s radar at the wedding. Their research would have shown that Ry and Jay worked for Four Kings Security and Colton’s husband. If they’d been trying to find an in with Connolly Maritime, Martin jeopardized that plan. Then, he tries to force Gibson to sell. Instead, Gibson goes to Colton. Martin kills Gibson in a very loud way, and it results in Connolly Maritime doubling down onsecurity. There’s no going back. Connolly Maritime is out of the question.”
Red nodded his agreement. “So they kill Martin, dump his body at Gibson Global, blow it up, and now the police will look into Martin, who witnesses would have seen at Gibson Global when he went to make Gibson an offer. It’s easy to assume he’d be angry at Gibson for refusing to sell. That’s motive.”
“They have to be regrouping,” Jay pitched in. “I just don’t know why these guys were working with Martin in the first place. They didn’t look pleased with him at the wedding.”
“Ah ha!” Jack grinned brightly at King. “Your husband is a genius.”
