Black

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"What the hell are you doing to me here, Black?" Colleen's voice crackled over his earpiece as he neared his office. The urge to have a cigarette was almost overwhelming, but Black bit back the impulse. Perhaps now would be the beginning of an entirely new phase of his life, where he eschewed boozing, smoking, chasing women...

Or maybe not. But he would wait at least ten minutes before succumbing to temptation.

"It wasn't meant to be. He didn't want me to help him - he wanted an errand boy. I don't play that," Black explained.

"You couldn't have found a way to work with him? He's really in trouble, from what I can tell."

"No disagreement there, but it wasn't in the stars. Look, I could use the money, but I'm not going to take an assignment where I have no hope of success. And this is a losing proposition the way he wants it to work. So, pass."

"He called me after you left. Not a happy man."

"He didn't strike me as happy when I got there, either, so perhaps it's more of a character trait than a response to me."

"Hunter can be difficult to deal with, but he's good to have in a clinch."

"Super. Then you cozy up to him. I'm out."

"You're making me look bad."

"That's not my intention. But the way he wants to run things, as in hyper-control-freak mode, isn't my thing, Colleen. You know that."

"Hey, it's your funeral. I was just looking out for you, thought I'd throw you some biz. Hunter knows everybody - a positive outcome would have guaranteed a thriving career."

"I hear you. Thanks for thinking of me, but this ain't my dance."

"Will you at least do me a personal favor and nose around, see if you trip over anything obvious? He really believes someone's out to get him with this whole paparazzi thing."

Black turned the corner and began scouting for a parking place on his block. "Sure. I can make a few calls. But other than that, there isn't much I can do without spending a lot of my time...and money I don't have."

"Anything you can do, I'd appreciate, doll face."

"You guilt-tripped me into it. I'll let you know if I hear anything."

Black spotted an opening fifty yards from his shabby office building and coaxed the Caddy to the curb like a reluctant mule. The power steering howled beneath the hood, and he made another mental note to have someone look at the belt.

Roxie looked up from her monitor when he opened the door and grinned at him winningly - always an ominous sign, he knew from experience.

"What? Did my doctor call and say the polyp was malignant?"

"Worse. Your parents are in town. They called a few minutes ago and want to get together with you."

"You're kidding. With no notice?"

"I told them you had nothing on your plate. Was that bad?"

He sighed. Of course she'd provided no cover for him. That was her way.

"No, that's perfect. And I still have the rest of my day to contend with. Maybe a piano will fall on me or something. Or a meteor strike. A man can dream."

"There's always the aneurism to hope for - I know older guys have to worry about that sort of thing." She paused and regarded him. "I'm guessing that your big meeting didn't go well? So I better stock up on ramen for dinner?"