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I stare at it long enough for Lena to send me a screenshot of the same article with a single message underneath.
Lena: That appears to have gone badly for him.
I smile and lock my phone.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Bane
OCTOBER 3RD
Theo shoves his phone across the back seat before the SUV clears the block, and I catch it against my thigh before it slides into Emma. “You need to read that.”
I glance at him in the passenger seat. “Your recommendations have a poor success rate.”
Emma reaches across me and takes the phone before I can hand it back. “I’ll risk it.”
Her other hand rests against her stomach as she reads, and the smile that appears halfway through tells me Theo has chosen well for once.
“He was right,” she says, passing me the phone.
Theo turns around in the passenger seat. “I’ve spent three days being right without receiving the recognition I deserve.”
Emma laughs. I ignore him and look down at the article.
The photograph at the top belongs to Daniel Mercer, one of Wolf Shield’s first investors, and the headline beneath it leaves very little room for interpretation.
EARLY WOLF SHIELD INVESTOR REJECTS CHARITY EXPLOITATION CLAIMS
I start reading and traffic carries us toward the event venue.
Daniel explains that he heard about me through a nonprofit board member after I’d spent months assessing shelters and replacing security equipment they couldn’t afford.
He originally contacted me because one of his companies needed a security review, which led to a contract and eventually several more. The article quotes him describing our first investment meeting.
According to Daniel, I spent most of it trying to explain why I didn’t need an investor and he spent most of it explaining why I clearly did.
Emma leans into my shoulder to read the last paragraph with me. “I like him more now.”
Theo looks back again. “My favorite part is where he calls the accusation idiotic.”
“Claire’s going to hate that.”
“Claire already called him. She described it as an unhelpful editorial choice.”
Emma smiles. I keep reading.
Daniel never mentions Nora or any of the women connected to Celeste’s work. He sticks to what he personally knew: the nonprofit board, the security work he saw, the commercial contracts that followed, and the investment he made after deciding I was better at security than business planning.
It’s exactly the kind of account we needed because nobody asked him to give it.
I hand the phone back to Theo. “How many others?”
“Five former clients have spoken publicly since breakfast, and three shelter directors have given interviews. Two more statements are waiting on legal review.”
“And Spencer?”
Theo’s expression changes into the kind of satisfaction he usually reserves for closing impossible deals. “His day has declined considerably.”
