Chapter 17: The Next Room

Nolan Stroud sat in the dark conference room with his back against the wall and the door open one inch.

He had told himself he would not listen.

He had also told himself he would not be in the room at all, and here he was.

She had said alone, and then she had said leave the door open.

He did not know what to do with that.

He did not know if it meant she trusted him, or only that she wanted a witness who owed her.

At ten o'clock exactly, Preston Halloway came in next door.

Nolan heard the chair scrape.

He heard Dani not sit down.

"Thank you for seeing me," Preston said.

"You have ten minutes."

"I know."

A pause.

"You look well."

"Don't."

"I mean it. You look rested. You never slept when we were married."

"I wasn't married," Dani said. "I was working in a house you lived in."

Nolan closed his eyes.

"That's fair," Preston said. "That's very fair. I deserve that."

"Seven minutes."

"Dani."

His voice changed.

It went soft, and low, and cracked a little at the edge, and Nolan thought, he's good at this.

"I've been awake for two weeks," Preston said.

"I walk through the penthouse at night, and your coffee mug is still in the cabinet. I can't move it."

"Throw it out."

"I tried."

"Try harder."

"Please."

The word came out rough.

"Give me a chance to put it right. I'll fire Tatum. I'll put your name back on every screen in the building."

"Twenty percent of the company," he said. "Signed today. You can run all of it."

Nolan's hand was flat on his knee.

It was not shaking.

He made sure it was not.

"Come home," Preston said. "Please. I'll beg you, if that's what you want. I'll get down on the floor."

Next door, something small and dry broke the silence.