The meeting took place in a neutral conference room downtown, deliberately away from either company's home turf, Richard Halloway arriving ten minutes late with the particular over-controlled composure of a man who'd rehearsed this moment several times in his car beforehand.
He was younger than Elena expected, and less imposing than the shell company's aggressive maneuvering had suggested — a tired-looking man in an expensive suit that seemed to be doing most of the work his own posture wasn't managing.
"I wasn't expecting Mrs. Cole to be present," Richard said, taking his seat across the table, his eyes flicking toward Elena with poorly disguised discomfort.
"I wasn't expecting a shell company named after your own surname to be quite this easy to trace," Elena said pleasantly. "I suppo
