“Hey. Look at me,” I say, and wait until she gazes up from beneath her long lashes. “You’ve worked really hard and comereally far. You’re going to crush it today, and I’m going to be on the sidelines cheering louder than anybody.”
She laughs. “I’ll believe that when I see it,” she scoffs.
“Hey, for you I’d cover my shirtless body in paint like those weirdos at IU basketball games,” I tell her, then plant another kiss on the top of her head. “Now go get ’em, killer. I’ll see you tonight.”
She takes a deep breath and blows it out before she nods and pivots. Before she makes it out of the kitchen, I land a slap on her ass that echoes with a satisfying crack. She squeals and bolts. After some rustling in the entryway that I know means she’s wrestling with her giant gear bag, the door slams.
Fuck, I love that girl.
I’m dipping a spoon into the bubbling chili to test the seasoning when my phone rings. I flip it over and see Marcel’s name.
“What’s up?” I ask.
He laughs on the other end of the line. “An actual greeting! My how far we’ve come. That girl is a good influence on you.”
Oh yeah, and I told Marcel and Jameson. What can I say? Carson has made me chatty.
“Shut up,” I grunt, adding some smoked paprika to the chili.
“As much as I’d like to grill you about your romantic life, I have news,” Marcel says, and I immediately drop the spoon. Marcel wanting to get down to business? This must be something big. “I hate to tell you this, but I think you’re about to be indicted. You need to come to New York. The SEC is requesting a meeting with you prior to the grand jury being impaneled.”
“That’s weird. They want to see mebeforethe grand jury?”
“I know. I tried talking to my contact at the SEC, but they haven’t gotten back to me. It’s weird.”
“You think I’m going to be arrested?”
“I don’t know. They’re not being particularly quiet about their intent to charge you, but something feels off about it. I think you need to come prepared, though.”
“So I’m coming to New York to go to prison?”
“I mean, there will be a hearing, and I doubt they’ll remand you. They’ll definitely release you on bail. But yeah, this could be it.”
I turn off the burner and pull the chili from the stove, then scrub my hand over my face. This is real. This is happening.
“Tomorrow morning?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
Fuck.
“I looked at flights,” Marcel says. “You can fly out of Indianapolis at two thirty this afternoon. Can you get up there that quickly?”
I look at my watch. It’s not a question of whether I can make the flight. It’s what I’ll miss if I do.
“I’m not being subpoenaed?” I ask.
“No.”
“And they haven’t indicted me yet?”
“Not yet, no. I’m telling you, something is weird?—”
“So what happens if I don’t come?”
There’s a long silence.
“Dan, I wouldn’t advise screwing around with?—”
