Читать книгу Hard To Tame - Kylie Brant - Страница 11

Victor Mannen straightened one tailored suit sleeve and suppressed the rage throbbing at his temples. Control was the true mark of breeding, and above all else he considered himself well-bred. The battle, however, was difficult. There were few things more infuriating than incompetence.

When he returned his attention to his phone conversation again, he made certain that nothing but polite interest sounded in his voice. “You disappoint me, Robert. You’ve given me nothing new.”

Special Agent Robert Thorson’s tone was entirely too casual for Victor’s liking. “There’s nothing else to tell. And believe me, I put my ass on the line keeping you updated.”

Mannen thought disparagingly of the man’s ample form. “A substantial danger, to be sure, but you are compensated for being accurate and in-depth. This information is neither.”

“I can appreciate your concern, sir, but if there were anything else to tell, I’d know about it. Nothing happens in the Department of Justice without coming through my office first. Like I said, they’re close to shutting Golden Enterprises down. We’ve got agents tugging at every string they can find in your operation, and if nothing else, they intend to keep you tied up fighting our lawyers. If you can liquefy, you should pull your money out now.”

Bringing the seventeenth-century wine flute to his lips, Victor sipped from the fine crystal and resisted the urge to snap its slender stem. If incompetence was offensive, stupidity was intolerable.

With practice, he kept his voice smoothly melodious. “How gracious you are to offer me the benefit of your advice. You can’t imagine how I value it.”

Wariness threaded the agent’s words. “Of course, you know the police are looking to pin the Delgado murder on you. But as far as I’ve been able to discover, they’ve got nothing solid to trace him to you.”