Page 7 of Just Between Us

I gave him a flat smile. “Charming.”

JP scoffed. “Her or this shithole?”

I didn’t respond, instead allowing him to draw his own conclusions.

He sighed and dove right in. “I appreciate you meeting me here ... and also keeping the details of this meeting private. Even so, I assume you’re comfortable signing a nondisclosure agreement?”

Ice ran down my back, but I schooled my face.An NDA for an introductory meeting? It’s worse than I assumed, which is saying something.

I supplied a flat smile. “Of course.”

After reviewing his iron-clad NDA, I signed it. Something unexpected and unnerving was occurring at King Equities, and the part of me who loved a mystery was wholly intrigued.

JP smoothed a hand down his suit jacket. “If you were to come on board, we would provide a monthly retainer for your services.” JP slid a folded piece of paper across the dusty desk. I opened it, attempted not to balk at the astronomical number, and closed the paper.

JP watched my movements, attempting to read my reaction, but I remained calm, despite my heart thrumming at the base of my neck.

His steely gaze was relaxed and confident. Despite his young age, he had a ruthlessness that would serve him well. “Your experience with corporate law is unrivaled and something I anticipate will be of value to me, which is why I called. After your contract with Franklin & Mirth ended, I assumed you would be available.”

So he knew what happened in Chicago. Fucking perfect.

I took a small steadying breath. “Add twenty percent and you’ve got yourself a deal.” I stuck out my hand and willed it not to shake.

JP immediately gripped it, and our verbal agreement was set. “Done. I’ll have the paperwork drawn up.”

I smirked. “Are you sure yoursecretarycan handle it?”

His jaw clenched. “I’ll draw up the contract myself.” A small sigh escaped him. “My siblings like to meddle. This is going to get dirty, and they don’t understand my father the way I do. I’d like to keep them as far away from this as possible.”

Close relationships and warm familial bonds were not something that pulled on my heartstrings. “That won’t be a problem,” I assured him.

Relieved, JP exhaled. “Then let’s get started.” He hauled up a banker’s box full of paper and leaned his forearm on it. “As Imentioned before, I need you to look at everything. Go through the books. Talk with people. Something is off, and I can’t allow my father to run this business into the ground.”

I held his stare, unafraid for him to see that he couldn’t feed me that line of bullshit.

I was no fool.

I’d done my homework, and King Equities was in no way at risk of failure. In fact, the business had been makingmoremoney in recent years. Its investments were solid from a business standpoint. I’m sure the mom-and-pop shops that were bought and divided for profit would have something different to say about it.

“What exactly am I looking for?” I asked.

“Anything. Everything.” A serious line flattened his stern mouth. “Whatever you find, I want to know about it ... the good and the bad.”

I paused, waiting for him to divulge more, when he finally lifted his chin. “When he falls, he’s not taking us down with him.”

I impassively scanned the piles of boxes haphazardly lining the wall as excitement bloomed under my skin. “Then I guess it’s best I get started.”

Drainedafter a grueling day digging through old paperwork, I climbed the stairs of my newly rented apartment. JP knew someone who knew someone and by the end of the afternoon, was able to find a place for me to stay at an obscene price.

Covered in a grimy layer of dust, my shoulders screamed at me. I pressed my thumb into the papercut on my middle finger and cursed that stupid fucking box.

My preliminary investigation into King Equities revealed a wildly successful business with varied assets and a diversified portfolio. Russell King had used old family money to start his business and turn a small acquisitions firm into one of the largest mergers-and-acquisitions businesses in the Midwest.

On the surface it appeared typical—King Equities would facilitate the buying-and-selling process, guiding the companies—though JP’s gut instinct was correct. Something wasoff. I didn’t yet know what that was, but I was determined to get to the bottom of it.

My temporary living space was a cramped apartment, and the walls were so thin I could hear the neighbor’s television as though I was listening in my own living room.

Looking around, I sighed and slipped out of my heels with a delicious moan. I needed a hot shower, a full belly of lobster carbonara from my favorite Italian place, and a tall glass of buttery chardonnay.

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