She smiled without parting her lips. “Not closely, but it’s about to rain and your office is at least twenty minutes away.”
Oh. She knew. How?
There was no point in playing coy. “In that case, thank you. I’ll join you.”
A driver emerged, took the box, and opened the back door on the other side. Getting in took only a moment. A large red Doberman sat in the front passenger seat, strapped in by some strange seatbelt contraption, her gaze alert and watchful.
The dog could’ve picked up the scent and alerted, but not through a closed window. How had Diana known?
The car slid back into traffic.
Letting go was like a light, imaginary stretch. A brief effort, followed by a slight lessening of the load.
Gone was the olive skin, the short dark bob, the blouse, and the utilitarian black slacks. He was tall again, his regular persona firmly in place, familiar like an old glove. His true self still remained hidden, yet the new illusion was a tweak rather than an entirely new disguise. Like taking off a sweater but keeping the T-shirt on.
He stretched for real this time, working a kink out of his shoulders. The hunched posture had taken a bit of a toll.
He hadn’t needed to slouch, strictly speaking, but he always found that his illusions flowed better when he allowed himself to fully submerge into his assumed identity. After that barrage, most people in Maria’s place would have either stormed out defiantly or braced themselves, as if expecting to be punched. Storming out wouldn’t have achieved his goals.
Diana watched him with genuine fascination. He’d seen that reaction so many times that he should’ve been used to it by now, but coming from her it felt refreshing.
“A moment?”
Diana nodded.
He pulled his cell phone out of his Zegna suit and selected his second-in-command from the contact list.
Zachary answered instantly. “Here.”
“Dump FINERGY.”
“Understood.”
He ended the call, tossed one long leg over the other, and smiled.
“I believe I will dump FINERGY as well,” Diana said.
“Professionally, no comment. Personally, off the record, I highly recommend it. They are engaged in cybersecurity fraud. The latest crop of drones they brought to the market and sold to multiple law enforcement agencies has severe software issues. Allegedly.”
“How severe?”
“A child with a LeapFrog tablet could hack one. They just fired the specialist who brought the problem to their attention two months ago.”
“You assumed her identity?”
He nodded. The scale of the fraud was massive enough that the real Maria’s safety was a concern. He’d spent the last week dutifully going to the office in her place. Normally, he would’ve sent one of his subordinates, but his House’s investment in FINERGY was considerable, and he had wanted to assess the state of things for himself.
Diana tapped her phone.
Tomorrow one of the biggest law firms in Houston would file thequi tamlawsuit against FINERGY, alleging violations of the False Claims Act, and Maria would become one of the most famous whistleblowers on record. If the government chose to join the suit, she would be entitled to about twenty percent of recovered damages. Considering the extent of FINERGY’s transgressions, she wouldn’t have to worry about finding a new job for some time.
Diana finished and put her phone down. “Now I’m in your debt, Prime Montgomery.”
“Not at all. We never spoke of this.” He slid his glasses a little higher on his nose. “Please, call me Augustine. Now then, what can Montogomery International Investigations do for House Harrison?”
Diana hesitated. It was very brief, but he’d been trained to observe people carefully, noting minute changes in expression.
“I want to hire you.”
