First Family (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell 4)

When Quarry occasionally stumbled over a Koasati word, Gabriel would look up and supply it. Every time he did so, Fred would laugh and offer a sip of Beam to Gabriel in reward.

And each time Quarry would hold up his hand. “When he’s a man he can drink, but I wouldn’t advise it. Does more bad in the long run than good.”

“But you drink, Mr. Sam,” Gabriel pointed out. “A lot.”

“Don’t model yourself after me, son. Aim higher.”

Later, they drove on to see Tippi. Quarry let Gabriel read from Pride and Prejudice.

“Kind of boring,” the boy pronounced when he’d finished the long passage.

Quarry took the book from him and slipped it in his back pocket. “She don’t think so.”

Gabriel looked over at Tippi. “You never did tell me what happened to her, Mr. Sam.”

“No, I never did.”

CHAPTER 25

SEAN HAD TALKED to David Hilal again, catching him out in the parking lot as the man was heading home. Tuck’s partner had not had much to add to what he’d already said. Yet he calmly answered each and every query as he leaned against his car and simultaneously read and typed messages on his BlackBerry.

When Sean brought up the issue of the buyout, however, his tone changed. He thrust the BlackBerry in his pocket, folded his arms across his chest, and scowled at Sean.

“What exactly was I supposed to buy him out with? I put all my money into this firm. I’m hocked to the limit. I couldn’t even get a loan to buy a car right now.”

“He said you made a lowball offer.”

“We talked about something like that, but the key is, it was the other way around.”

“Him buying you out?”

“That’s right. For the lowball offer.”

Okay, which one’s telling the truth?

“Why would you think of bailing out before the big contract award? Tuck says that would add millions to the value of the firm.”

“It absolutely would. If we win it. But it’s not a lock. We have proprietary technology that I think is the best out there. That’s the reason our prime contractor teamed with us. But we’re up against some big players with their own products that are very close in performance and reliability to ours. And the world of government contracting is not done on a level playing field. The big guys skirt the rules, throw the cash around. And because they usually have an inside track they also buy up the most sought-after talent and the little guys get stuck with the scraps. And I don’t want to bail out, but I’m running out of money. And if we don’t win the contract, the firm will be worth a lot less than the offer he made me. We might have the inside track right now, but like I told you before, the president of the United States’ brother-in-law having an affair with Cassandra isn’t helping matters. That gets out, we’ve got problems.”

“He said there was nothing between him and Cassandra.”

“Really? Then ask him where he stayed when he was down there. I’m sure he’ll have some handy excuse.”

“You said before you didn’t think Tuck would kill his wife, but you don’t sound like you love your partner all that much.”

“I don’t.”

“You didn’t mention that before.”

“Didn’t I?”

“I’m a great note-taker. So, no, you didn’t.”

“Fine. I’m not in the habit of trashing my partner to people I don’t even know. But it’s hard not to, to tell you the truth.”

“Why?”

“Let’s just say he’s rubbed me the wrong way.”