Some nods, one mumbled apology.Impressive.And further proof that Baz was never wrong about people.
Well, with one potential exception, though the jury was still out on whether Sami’s silence vis-à-vis their night together stemmed from the kindness in his heart or a sense of self-preservation and a dislike for Ian.
“Thank you, Ms.Martinez.I guarantee we will do all we can to get you the best deal possible.”
Some people nodded, others asked what would happen next.Baz took his time explaining the next steps—arranging a new meeting or, failing that, getting them certified as a class and heading to trial.No one reinstated their wish for Grash’s return.That was progress.For a group of kids who had every right to be furious, they handled this setback well.
Losing had never been an option for Baz, but being face-to-face with his clients now… Between spiting Ian and climbing the corporate ladder, he had almost forgotten what,who, this was all about.He’d be damned to let these kids’ suffering go uncompensated.
Only when the spark of hope gleamed on their faces again did Baz end the meeting, thanked them for coming, and beelined for the groundskeeper: Eddie Scott, a bald, White man in his late fifties.His face was round; his pitted cheeks looked thick and swollen.
“Mr.Scott, isn’t it?”
“Call me Eddie, son.”
“Eddie.Quick question.Do you have any leftovers from the herbicide you used six years ago?”It was a long shot, but one he had to take.
Although Ian’s accusation that they couldn’t prove what caused the cancer epidemic at the club was nothing but a weak scare tactic, Baz supposed a malicious judge might agree that the high levels of TCDD in the ground were circumstantial unless he could prove correlation.A sample of the contaminated batch would be irrefutable proof he could ram down Ian’s throat.
Plus, it might earn him another impressed smile from Sami.
“Matter of fact, I do,” Eddie said.
Finally, luck was on their side.How had Grash not come up with this?
“Still got a whole stash of them,” Eddie continued.“But once I developed this nasty rash, I didn’t touch it anymore.”He pulled his sleeve up and revealed a patch of red, cystic bumps.Baz fought against the grimace his face tried to pull—he was on mission to gain trust, not spread judgment.“Didn’t know what to do with it then.”
How did that old saying go?One man’s carcinogenic poison was another man’s treasure?
“You think I can get my hands on a bottle?”
“Better you than me, pal.Wear gloves.”
Perfect.If the lab confirmed the presence of TCDD in the batch, Captain Green would have no choice but to give in to their demands or else Baz would milk the media circus so hard, every cow in the state would get performance anxiety.
He saw every single plaintiff out, shook hands when needed, smiled and nodded at people’s stories he had already read in their files.Only when the last three disappeared into the elevator could Baz breathe freely again, the stuffy air fogging up his lungs.
He sank onto the desk, circled his shoulders, hoped loosening them would ease the pounding headache the silence allowed him to notice.
Sixty people in one room were just too many.
“Well done, partner.”Aya smiled.“I think you earned their trust.”
“Hope so.”
Baz lingered even as she left; his limbs were too heavy to move.They felt glued to the table.
The sudden absence of talking was deafening.He closed his eyes, waited for his fried brain to recover, for the buzzing in his ears to recede.Breathe.No one had walked out on him, no one had said they’d take the shit deal.Everything was fine.
When his headache eased up, he pulled out his phone to check what was next on his calendar.
Two new messages fromAnnoying Stalker.What the…
my turn at being Mr Darcy
Right underneath was a picture of a completely soaked-through white shirt clinging to the soft, slightly hairy curve of Sami’s stomach.Hints of that bronze skin shone through.The photo cut off just above his perky, stubble-rich chin and that shimmering lower lip Sami must have wetted seconds before.Baz would take him over Colin Firth any day, that was for sure…
God, maintenance needed to calm down with the heating, it was boiling in here.Baz loosened his collar to let some air in.
