Page 36 of In Spades

“Thanks, Spense,” Isaac said.

With a click, Spenser dropped off the call.

“Isaac Lawson,” I said with a chuckle. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your assistant blowing up my phone every day for a month?”

He gave an affable laugh. “You are not an easy man to track down. I was about to hire some Blackwater guys to pin you down until I can get back in the country.”

At least they wouldn’t take me far. Their training center was right up the coast on the border of North Carolina and Virginia. Hell, I could probably scrounge up my ID card to the main gate if they let me go home first.

Lawson didn’t need to know that, though. I liked to play my cards close to the vest.

“I’m a busy man,” I said. When I want to be.

“I respect that, so I’ll get to it.” Isaac cleared his throat. “The Taylor Creek Inn in Beaufort is, uh?—”

“Where your girlfriend, Hannah Jane, works,” I filled in. “I’m up to speed.”

The line went quiet for a moment. It was the sound of someone realizing they weren’t holding all the cards in a conversation. I loved that sound.

“Might I ask how you came across that information?” Isaac said hesitantly. “Miss Hayes and I are keeping our relationship private. I’d appreciate your discretion.”

“No worries, Lawson. I know how to keep my mouth shut, which is the reason I’m returning your call. I need to know if you can do the same.”

“I, uh, don’t really understand?”

“The financial health of the Taylor Creek Inn is on rocky ground,” I said, pausing hesitantly. Under most circumstances, I wouldn’t share this information with anyone.

“Go on,” he prodded.

I sighed. Time to put my cards on the table. “After we got our hands on the books, we noticed some discrepancies. My team of auditors are going through the records, tracking cash flow, all of that stuff.”

“The delicacy of the situation isn’t lost on me, Solomon,” Isaac interjected with irritation in his tone. “But I don’t see how this involves my relationship with Miss Hayes.”

“I’m staying at the inn for a couple weeks to see if I can sniff out any other problems. I know you have a personal interest in the matter, so I need you to keep your mouth shut. I’ve gotta be able to talk to the staff without them knowing who I am.”

I liked numbers, but they could lie just like people. In fact, they were better at it. They could hide behind the poker face of account transfers.

Money doesn’t just magically go into the wrong fund or get earmarked for the wrong thing. Someone was stacking the deck, and I wanted to know who.

“I understand,” Isaac clipped. “Can I ask how involved you plan to be in the management of the inn?”

I chuckled. “Lawson, you’ve never been one to hold back, so don’t start now. If you’re asking if I’m going to sell it for parts or clean house, the answer is no. The inn is valuable to me in more ways than one. The day-to-day will remain largely untouched, but things need to be stabilized. The story the accountants tell is pretty grim. The Taylor Creek would be facing bankruptcy by the end of the year if we hadn’t caught wind of money going missing. We’re making every effort to prevent that. Which, again, makes your discretion imperative.”

He sighed, sounding almost relieved.

Frankly, Isaac’s woman worried me more than he did. I had overheard her directing a rowdy wedding party over the weekend. She struck the fear of God into a herd of drunken groomsmen. If the Department of Defense ever needed someone to whip things into shape, Hannah Jane Hayes would be perfect for the job.

“I appreciate the heads up.”

A knock came at the door.

“I’ve gotta let you go, Mr. Lawson,” I said, trapping my phone between my ear and shoulder. I pulled the balcony doors shut and strode across the room. “For future reference, if you need something, there’s this wonderful thing called texting. I don’t do the whole assistant thing.”

“Assistants are great. You’re just terrible at being a billionaire.” He laughed under his breath.

“Yeah, yeah.” I ended the call and tossed my phone on the bed.

Hurrying to the door, I peered through the peephole but didn’t see anyone. I opened the door and craned my head out, peering left and right. Still, no one.

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