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Interesting word that—“trust.” It was like the words “truth, justice, honor.” There were shades to it. “I will of course vouch for you, Prime Minister.”
“Hmm. Can I count on that?” The implication being the last time Halsey had vouched for him, he’d been ripped off to the tune of 155 million dollars.
“As I mentioned, I’m distressed about what happened. We will get a resolution, but it’ll take time. As a further consideration, I have a proposal to make.”
Cookie Jar gestured to the plush seat opposite, and he sat.
“I can offer you a place in my latest cryptocurrency investment round. Unfortunately, that round closes today, and we’d need to do the deal now.”
Cookie Jar gave him a look of distaste. “I would not do such a hasty deal with you.”
Halsey put his hand to his forehead, a signal to interrupt. Within seconds, his youngest sister, Tresna, dressed like Sherin in a black suit with a lapel pin, was at his side. “Excuse me, Prime Minister. Mr. Sherwood, we have a call from Mr. Trusk for you.”
“Please tell Elton I’m unavailable.”
“Mr. Trusk said you might say that. He said to tell you, he has called your cell phone five times already, and you’re holding up a rocket launch and the future of the planet depends on you letting him invest in this round.”
Halsey shook his head as if that was an enormous bother. “Put the call through to one of the private conference rooms,” he instructed then focused on Cookie Jar, coming to stand as he said, “If you’ll excuse me, Prime Minister. I believe our business is done. Enjoy your membership. I will keep your office in touch on the investigation, and I hope to see you again.”
?
?I’m sure your Mr. Trusk and his rocket ship will wait for you.”
Inside, Halsey’s smile was bright enough to chase shadows away. What he’d learned screwing up his encounter with Easton Bradshaw, he’d put to good effect with Sonny Ozols. He’d pushed Easton into wanting to punch him. He’d encourage Cookie Jar to the edge of a cliff, suggest he jump, and do nothing to break his fall. Lenny would have this victory if nothing else from their time together.
Outwardly, he frowned. “With all due respect, I have no interest in negotiating with you, and I don’t have a shortage of investors.”
“I want in, and I accept your terms.”
If this were a game show, the moment Halsey sat again would be when the set transformed into a party with balloons and streamers dropping from the ceiling, music blaring, and lights flashing. Instead, it was a quiet moment where the corrupt tyrant of a struggling new nation bankrupted himself and gave his political opponents the ammunition they needed to see him disgraced, replaced, tried, and jailed.
When the paperwork was complete, when Sherin gave him a signal to say Cookie Jar’s investment money had been received, Halsey stood again, shook the prime minister’s hand, and as soon as the man was outside, used a burner phone to call Baiba.
“It’s done.”
There was a silence heavy with inarticulate murmurs of relief at Baiba’s end, and then she said, “I trust you and Miss Lenore will visit Ossovia soon. I look forward to showing you all the progress we’ve made.”
It wasn’t until he tossed the cell phone in the crackling fire that the room erupted into applause.
Balloons might well have dropped from the ceiling, a brass band marched by. He’d have traded every congratulatory thump on the back and high five, every cheek kiss, hug, and hand pump, as well as the knowledge that Cookie Jar’s corrupt reign would soon be over, for one more chance to hold Lenny in his arms.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Lenny eyed the banana that Mallory had smashed onto toast, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, and slid across the kitchen counter to her. “Are we out of cereal?”
“You want cereal instead of this masterpiece?” Mal waved her hand over the breakfast she’d made. “Are you dying?”
Halsey had fed her to-die-for banana hotcakes with maple syrup on their last morning together. “I can’t cope with banana this morning.” She hadn’t been able to cope with getting out of her pj’s, and she’d even gone off eating Lic-Lac chocolates. Such was the depth of her misery.
“You raise money for women who might actually starve to death, and you can’t cope with banana.”
At least it would look like she was down because of Easton and listing her apartment, and not about the fake boyfriend who could do wonderful things in the kitchen with bananas, who’d caused her to dump him in a spectacularly wrenching public fashion that inspired Delilah Schwartzman to feel sorry for her and pledge a large donation.
“You know I’m not angry. I’m okay about everything. The counselor helped heaps,” Mal said. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
She ducked away as Mal tried to ruffle her hair. It was heartening to know her sister was so resilient, when her own ability to snap back was decidedly lacking in elasticity.
She’d done several exhausting rounds of meetings with lawyers, and there was little they could do for Easton. The evidence against him was solid, and without the grace to plead guilty, things would go badly for him. It was obvious now he’d wanted her to finance his drug lord ambitions, and he might’ve continued to pressure her if Halsey hadn’t chased him off. Things could be much worse. Easton wasn’t going to be a problem from behind bars for a long while.
