“Yeah, only I didn’t get it. Wharton was rather blunt in rejecting my
offer.”
“I’m sorry, Paul.” Sidney felt momentary guilt. “There will be other
deals, though.”
“I know, but I really thought I could do it. I really did.” He paused.
Sidney prayed that he would not ask her whether Wharton had sought her
advice on the matter. When he finally did speak, she felt more guilty
still. “I am coming tomorrow, Sid. I can’t think of any place I’d
rather be.”
“Thank you.” Sidney pulled her robe closer around her.
“Is it okay if I come directly to your house from the airport?”
“That’s fine.”
“Get some sleep, Sid. I’ll see you first thing in the morning. You
need anything, anytime, day or night, you just have to call, okay?”
“Thank you, Paul. Good night.” Sidney put the phone down. She had
always gotten along with Brophy, but she was certainly aware that under
his ultrasmooth exterior lurked a pure opportunist. She had told Henry
Wharton that Paul did not belong on the CyberCom deal and now he was
coming down to be with her in her time of grief. Well, she may be
grieving, but she didn’t believe in coincidences that big. She wondered
what his true motive could be.
As he hung up the phone, Paul Brophy surveyed the broad expanse of his
luxurious apartment. When you were thirty-four, single and good-looking
with a mid-six-figure income, New York City was a great place to be. He
smiled and ran his hand through thick hair.
Six figures that would, with a little luck, turn into seven. Much in
life depended on whom you allied yourself with. He picked up the phone
and dialed. The phone was answered after one ring. The voice was quick
and businesslike after Brophy identified himself.
“Hello, Paul, I was hoping to hear from you tonight,” Philip Goldman
said.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Frank Hardy loaded the videotape into the VCR resting under the
wide-screen TV in one corner of the conference room. It was almost two
o’clock in the morning. Lee Sawyer sat in one of the plush chairs,
nursing a cup of hot coffee and admiring the surroundings.
“Damn, business must be really good, Frank. I keep forgetting how far
you’ve risen in the world.”
Hardy laughed. “Well, if you’d ever take my offer to join me, Lee, I
wouldn’t have to keep reminding you.”
“I’m just so set in my ways, Frank.”
Hardy grinned. “Renee and I are thinking of going to the Caribbean over
Christmas. You could join us. Maybe even bring somebody else along.”
Hardy looked at his former partner expectantly.
“Sorry, Frank, there really isn’t anybody right now.”
“It’s been two years. I just thought .. · After Sally walked out, !
thought I was going to die. Didn’t want to go through the dating
process again. Then Renee happened along. I couldn’t be happier.”
“Seeing as how Renee could pass as Michelle Pfeiffer’s twin, I can see
how you must be a very happy man.”
Hardy laughed. “You might want to reconsider. Renee has some
girlfriends who adhere strictly to her level of aesthetics. And the
women go nuts over you tall, strong types, I’m telling you.”
Sawyer grunted. “Right. Not to detract from you, handsome old buddy,
but I don’t have the bucks in the bank you do. Consequently, my
attraction level has dimmed a little over the years. Besides, I’m still
only a government employee. Coach class and K-mart are about my limit
and I don’t think you travel in those circles anymore.”
Hardy sat down and picked up a coffee mug with one hand and the VCR
remote with the other. “I was planning on picking up the whole tab,
Lee,” he said quietly. “Call it an early Christmas present.
You’re so damned hard to shop for.”
“Thanks anyway. Actually, I’m thinking about trying to spend some time
with the kids this year. If they’ll have me.”
Frank nodded. “I hear you.”
“Now, what do you have for me?”
Hardy said, “We’ve been Triton Global’s chief security consultant for
the last several years.”
Sawyer picked up his coffee cup. “Triton Global? Computer,
telecommunications. They’re a Fortune 500, aren’t they?”