He leaned down, putting his nose inches from the screen, scrolling to read the article. Icy fingers trailed down his spine. Why couldn’t be breathe?
A half cup of coffee didn’t wake his brain enough to change the article for the better. “Bo, have you seen this?”
Bo strolled back toward him, empty pancake plate in hand. “Seen what?”
Lucky turned the laptop toward Bo.
Bo’s cheerfulness vanished. “I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I.” Some damn body had better explain and explain fast.
The headline said it all: DEA Revokes Registration from Chastain Pharmaceuticals.
***
Lucky took his own car to work since Bo had a different schedule and volunteered to drop Ty off at school. So far Ty hadn’t said too much about his classes, or the people, but he didn’t say a whole lot of words to Lucky anyway.
Thank God for Bo.
Lisa’s eyes widened when Lucky stomped up to the reception desk. “Has Rogers checked in yet?”
“No… no, sir. He’s been out of the office the last few days on assignment.”
Lucky’s hackles rose. “What kind of assignment?”
“I don’t know.” The receptionist’s voice dropped whisper-quiet.
Lucky cut off a groan. No need scaring Lisa. She hadn’t done anything wrong.
That he knew of.
“Is Walter in?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I need to see him.”
Lisa spoke into her phone for a moment. “He says to come on in.”
Lucky made his way to his boss’s office and sat in his normal chair in front of Walter’s desk, breathing in the familiar scents of Old Spice and the boss’s cream-laden coffee.
Walter looked up from the laptop on his desk. “Good morning, Lucky. I suppose this is about Chastain Pharmaceuticals.”
“You read my report. The place was so clean it kind of freaked me out. There was nothing, I tell you, nothing wrong with the place.” Lucky pulled his gaze from the ugly motivational poster behind Walter.
The SNB and Chastain Pharmaceuticals must have hired the same decorator.
Walter rested his elbows on his desk in the small space in front of him not overloaded with papers and files. “Yes, I did read your report. I also know you. If there’d been anything out of the ordinary, or any violations, no matter how small, you’d have included them in your report.”
“Damned right, I would.” Proof positive that maintaining a consistent reputation, even as an iron-clad sonofabitch, came in handy now and again.
Walter pursed his lips, a furrow deepening between his eyebrows. “Do you have an idea of anything that may have occurred after you left?”
“Two hours, Walter! Two hours. Nobody could screw up that badly in two hours.” Not even Lucky. He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “What exactly did they find?”
“So far, there’s been no official word of DEA’s findings. They’re keeping the matter hush-hush for now.”
Not hush-hush enough to keep the headline off the Internet. Lucky scowled. Walter started his career with DEA and knew everybody in the business. “I know you’ve got contacts. Hell, Jameson O’Donoghue is still roaming around the halls. Ask him!”
