“Nathan will be in handcuffs by midnight.”

“And Hayes Development will be facing a class-action lawsuit that will wipe out every dollar of equity.”

“Including yours, Claire,” Victor added. “You’ll be broke before the divorce even gets to a courtroom.”

I looked at Nathan.

He was staring at his hands, his fingers interlaced.

He looked completely still, almost peaceful, in a way that frightened me.

“I need an answer before the board call starts,” Victor said.

“We need time to discuss this,” Evelyn said.

“You have five minutes,” Victor said. “I’m parked outside the building. I can see the lights in your conference room.”

“If I don’t get a signed agreement from you, Evelyn, the email goes out.”

The line went dead.

Evelyn leaned back in her chair, her face pale.

“We can’t cover this up,” she said. “If we do, I am complicit in the cover-up. I will lose my license.”

“And if you don’t, we all lose everything,” Diane said.

She had her hands pressed against her temples.

“Is there any way to spin the Redmond report?” I asked. “Could it have been an administrative error?”