Page 48 of The Criminal

I shot Quinn a smirk. Any moment now, she would owe me five bucks. It was juvenile and stupid to bet on important business like this. We knew that but did it anyway. It was fun.

John looked entirely annoyed by his client’s outburst. Kira wrapped a hand around her husband’s clenched fist on the tabletop. When John looked at her, his expression instantly softened. They were a love for the ages. The connection they shared sent a pang of icy jealousy through me. John and Kira had everything Lee and I never could.

“Mrs. Mills, if I may.” All heads turned toward Sydney O’Connor, our in-house negotiator. She was a former cop, a lawyer, and had worked for Atlas Insurance Company in the kidnapping and ransom division. “If you’d like to pressure someone and get results, go after your insurance company. They have massive resources. International resources that they could pour into this investigation. Experts from here in the US but also former Interpol agents and more scattered across the globe.”

“Listen to her, Gigi. Sydney knows what she’s talking about,” John added when Gigi looked skeptical.

Gigi’s expression didn’t change. Both John and Sydney started to speak. I had to swallow a chuckle when Sydney bowled over our boss. She tended to forget or ignore the command structure.

“I was employed by one of the world’s biggest insurance companies for a decade. They have more than actuaries working for them. And the payout they are offering to your charity is huge. It would behoove them to find those watches.”

“You think?” Gigi tilted her head as she considered Sydney.

“Absolutely. For them, it’s about money, not justice, so be prepared; they might recover the goods but send no one to jail.”

“Hmm, I have the number for an investigator at Lloyd’s. Would you help me talk to him? I have no idea what to say to really put the pressure on. Those watches were donated to me. I feel responsible.”

“I would be happy to,” Sydney answered without a glance at John for approval.

I had to give it to Sydney. When she decided to forget she was an employee, she fucking owned it. And it looked like Gigi might have a new favorite Smith Agency employee. The women were exchanging contact information and setting up a private meeting like the rest of us weren’t even there.

The meeting quickly wrapped up after that, and Gigi swanned from the room, happy to have a new avenue to pursue. Her expensive handbag looked ready to burst from the Smith Agency file stuffed haphazardly inside.

“Nice work defusing the Gigi situation.” John paused in front of Sydney on his way out of the room.

“It was a negotiation. I figured you’d want an expert.” She shrugged and shook his hand.

John and Kira exited the room. Before the door closed, I glimpsed John’s hand slipping down from his wife’s waist to grab her ass. In their fifties, raising a kid, and they still were hot for each other. That was a goal, to be sure.

“You cost me five bucks,” I told Sydney.

“I think the six-figure contract with Gigi’s husband’s firm is more important than your bet with Quinn.” She and Quinn high-fived. They complained it was a boy’s club around here, but score two points for female solidarity today.

“Don’t worry, cheap ass, you buy me a margarita tonight at Lola’s and I’ll call us square.” Quinn poked me in the chest.

“Hold up, isn’t a drink at Lola’s like twelve dollars?” Lola’s had been the agency’s regular bar for a while.

“Six bucks if we make happy hour.” She smiled too sweetly. “Noah, Steel, you guys in for Lola’s tonight?”

They both grunted in agreement, busy scarfing down the leftover bagels from the meeting.

“How about you, Sydney?” Quinn asked.

“Can’t. I’m going condo shopping. Fingers crossed these are better than the last few.” Sydney tucked her little moleskin notebook and gold pen that she brought to every meeting in her bag.

We all groaned in sympathy. The real estate market in Miami was brutal. Sydney pretended to be crying as she left the conference room, waving over her shoulder at us.

“Okay, Derek, you in? You haven’t been out with us in forever.” Quinn’s voice held a note of pleading.

I pulled my phone from my pocket; a text message had come from Lee during the meeting. She was offering to come to my place with Cuban tonight. I looked at Quinn’s eager face, but there wasn’t any way I would tell Lee no.

“I can’t.” I reached into my wallet for the five I owed her, never one to shirk on a bet.

“What’s her name?” Quinn asked, not taking her winnings. “You’ve been totally distracted, checking your phone, and bolting outta here as fast as you can most nights. It’s got to be a woman. Spill.”

I stiffened. They were all looking at me. Only Damon Brooks and Simon weren’t here—they were on a security system upgrade down in Key Largo. The rest were waiting. They’d all noticed the changes in me. And I had no fucking clue what to say to them about Lee.

“She’s… Well it’s—ugh. I’m not sure what to say.” I rubbed the heels of my hands into my eye sockets. The five-dollar bill clutched between my fingers waved like a surrender flag.

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