Page 46 of Full Throttle 2

“Yeah.”

It didn’t sound like he had been asleep, either. Brian raked his fingers through his sleep-tousled hair. “Quick question. Has anything come back on Glenmore? I know we usually do the preliminary background check first, but this opportunity came up quickly. Anything that might embarrass us or the team before we sign contracts?”

Randy was hesitant. “No. I didn’t find anything that would be embarrassing per se, but there is something you should know.”

Brian didn’t like his tone. “What?”

“Glenmore is not solvent.”

Brian sat up straighter. “I think that’s the kind of shit I should know.”

Randy rushed to clarify. “Let me rephrase. Glenmore, on its own, is not solvent. There’s been some fancy number play on the balance sheets, but you know me. I can always find the money.”

“Who’s funding them? And, if they aren’t solvent, why on earth would they spend money to sponsor a car? Sponsorship is icing on the cake in terms of marketing for a company.”

“The parent company of Glenmore is Hughes Industries.”

“I don’t know them.”

“They are a cosmetics company. One that sells its products in big box stores and pharmacies. That type of thing.”

“Okay. Why wouldn’t Hughes fund us directly?”

“Not sure about that. It could be a Glenmore idea that Hughes decided to fund, or it could be something else.”

“I’m betting something else.”

“That’s where this gets interesting.”

“How so?”

“The CEO of Hughes is a guy named Carrington Hughes. He took over a few years ago after the death of his father.”

“Okay. What’s the interesting part about this?”

“He has done a lot to cover up his company’s involvement with Glenmore.”

“It’s not strange for a company to do that. My brother has a ton of business interests that he has remained a silent partner of or invested in.”

“That may be true, but my instincts are telling me something is off, especially after I found out...” Randy paused.

“Come on, dude. Don’t be dramatic. Found out what?”

Randy came right out and said it. “Lila and Carrington dated. Not long. Maybe a year or so until his wife found out.”

Brian’s chest felt tight. “He’s married?”

“Yeah. For almost twelve years. He also has a couple of kids. A son named Ryan, who is eight years old, and another named Declan, who is five.”

“Did Lila know?”

“I’m not sure.”

Brian voiced the question of which he was most afraid. “Are they still in contact?”

“Not that I can tell.”

Relief washed all over him. “What are you thinking?”

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