“Well, how about we wipe that self-satisfied smile off your face?”
Dash sighed, already growing bored with the conversation. He crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in the chair.
“Isn’t it odd a man of your age would’ve retired fromthemost elite level of the Guard? You were only twenty-nine, correct? You graduated university early and were recruited before you even walked the stage. Brought into a position men twice as old work their entire lives to attain. Most failed, but you were supposedly so brilliant theyhadto have you. And then, what? Less than a decade later, you’re retired with a small pension?”
Dash’s smile faded.
“I made a few calls and while I didn’t get thefullstory, I got enough to sense there was something inappropriate that occurred inside those hallowed halls. I’m sure I’ll come up with something.IfI keep at it.”
“You have nothing—because thereisnothing. You’re not going to blackmail me into working for you or your client.”
“Oh, it’s definitely something,” Crenshaw said. “I heard mention of… a locker room shower, but that’s all I’ve been able to dig up.” The attorney grinned.“So far.”
Dash’s smile faded as he attempted to contain his rage.
“Oh,therehe is,” Crenshaw whispered, eyes glittering with a victorious light. “That’s the man who’s going to find Jennings Lachlin’s son.”
Dash’s stomach knotted. He narrowed his eyes and did his best to remain cool and collected, employing every tactic he knew tonotlose his shit. “I have no idea about any locker room, so dig away.”
“Or you could simply take the case—and I’ll stop digging altogether,” Crenshaw said, sliding a large check across the table.
Dash didn’t move. He kept his hands clenched tightly in his lap.
Crenshaw chuckled. “You’re a tough nut to crack. I like that.” He rose. “I’ll enjoy findingallyour secrets even more.”
The man would go down, come hell or high water, but Dash was at a slight disadvantage. The attorney had had time to research him. Dash needed some time of his own. A man like Crenshaw had plenty of skeletons in his closet. He simply needed to find the one with the most leverage and use it to ensure his secrets remained safe.
“And if I agree to take the case, what happens then?”
“I stop digging. Bring Jaye home and I let it go,” Crenshaw said.
Men like Crenshawbrokeredin secrets. There was no way he’d stop digging for gold. Dash needed to find his own nuggets to maintain his safety. “I’ll need everything you have on Jaye. Basic info, stats, photos, addresses, email accounts, usual haunts, a list of friends and associates—and dealers, if you know them.”
“Who said anything about drugs?”
“You mentioned vices, and I assumed,” Dash replied.
“I’ve heard stories of the occasionalparty favorsbeing supplied in his home, but I’ve found no proof they were purchased by him.” Crenshaw pulled a thick folder out from a satchel he lifted from the floor and slid it across the table. “Everything you need should be in there.”
Dash opened it, scanning through the first few very detailed pages. “His father has had a detective following him?”
“Off and on for a few years,” Crenshaw said. “Jaye has disappeared before, as I said. It’s why the financial reins were created in the first place. His father likes to keep an eye on him now. Jaye has learned a few tricks for evading his tail, though.”
“And why, might I ask, are you not using the same P.I. to handle his disappearance? He’s already familiar with Jaye’s habits and hangouts.”
“You mean the P.I. who lost him and hasn’t found anything in eleven days? He’s been fired. We need a new detective to help keep track of Jaye’s whereabouts. I think your firm will do quite nicely.”
“I have no problem finding himthis time, but I don’t run a daycare, nor do I stalk petulant overgrown boys. Iwon’tbe keeping tabs on him.”
“You can use one of your agentsafterhe’s located.” Crenshaw rapped his knuckles on the check still lying at the center of the table. “Perhaps this will persuade you?”
Dash eyed the many zeroes and inwardly rolled his eyes. For that kind of money, they could afford two new hires to just follow Jaye Lachlin all over the province, twenty-four-seven, and a couple more to handle new cases—plus a few well-deserved bonuses for his existing staff. He lifted the check, hating that his attention had a price tag. “I’ll discuss it with my business partner and get back to you—but I offer no promises. This can cover our initial investigation into Jaye’s disappearance. We’ll bill you the rest after he’s home safe and sound.”
“Yourinitial investigation, notour,”Crenshaw said, forcing a smile that looked anything but pleasant.“Yourcase. No one else’s.”
“Of course,”Dash said, tucking the check into his front pocket. “Though, I may need to bring other team members in for backup, depending on what Jaye’s gotten himself into.”
“They’ll need to sign NDAs first. Send them to me before including them in anything—and everything isneed to know,”Crenshaw said. He rose, fishing something out of his pocket. He held a keychain up, two keys dangling from it. “Jaye’s townhouse in the Highlands. Address is in the file. I stopped by alreadybut didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Maybe you’ll find something I missed. Doubtful, but possible, I suppose.”
