“We were just talking about you.”
Vibrant in an emerald green dress and a colorful scarf, she brightened the modern white and glass reception area, filling the small space with her energy alone.
Acutely conscious of Lucia beside him, he frowned at Jessica and the rest of the administrative staff crowded around her desk. “Why is no one working?”
“It’s my fault,” Zara said. “I wanted to get a feel for what kind of employer you were so I asked Jessica if I could talk to some of the staff. They had some great stories to share.”
“What stories?” It had never occurred to him that his staff might gossip behind his back. Not that there was anything to tell. He arrived at work promptly every morning at seven and left every night at ten. Except for his lunchtime squash games with Elias and his evening workout, he rarely left the office.
“Don’t worry about it.” She held up a clipboard. “I’ve got all the notes right here. I’m kicking it old-school with the paper and pen because I can’t take good notes on my phone.”
Jay introduced Lucia and she shook Zara’s hand. “It’s nice to see you again. I enjoyed meeting you. I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”
“You know each other?” Jay asked.
“I interviewed at Lucia’s firm,” Zara said. “You’re in good hands. She’s the best when it comes to corporate litigation. What’s the case about?”
Jay had no hesitation sharing the details. The case was a matter of public record. “One of our biggest clients suffered a data security breach. We provided physical security for the building. They’ve sued both J-Tech and their cybersecurity provider, alleging that someone broke into their office and downloaded the virus into their system. There’s no way that happened. We’ve been through the security footage and my men are solid. Lucia was at court today trying to get the case against us dismissed but the judge wouldn’t buy it.”
“Maybe it was an inside job,” Zara said offhandedly. “My roommate’s ex-boyfriend Jimmy used to infiltrate companies to steal their confidential information and then sell it to the highest bidder. He’s the reason I was so flustered at the interview.”
“I did wonder,” Lucia said. “You seemed a bit . . . distracted.”
Pain flickered across Zara’s face an instant before she smiled. “It was a bad day. My roommate, Parvati, had just broken up with Jimmy and had eaten herself into a food coma when he showed up at the door drunk. I had to act as a go-between until the police arrived.”
“My goodness.” Lucia raised a perfectly manicured brow.
“Jimmy was in the Mafia.” Zara shrugged as if Parvati’s Mafia ties were no big deal. “I didn’t feel safe after he pointed at me through the window and did the I see you with his fingers and then drew a line across his throat. The whole horse-head-in-the-bed thing . . .” She shook her head. “I wasn’t up for that. I had just bought new bedding and you know how hard it is to get horse blood out of sheets.”
Lucia didn’t miss a beat. “Actually, I don’t.”
“It’s not easy,” Zara said. “So I called my cousin Aamir. He works with the South San Francisco Police Department, and he and his partner came to deal with Jimmy.”
Should he shut the conversation down? Surely she didn’t want to share fabricated stories with the senior partner of one of the top firms in the city. But what if it wasn’t fabricated? What if Parvati really did have a boyfriend in the mob and Zara was familiar with the difficulties of getting horse blood out of sheets? He had to know. “Then what happened?”
Zara heaved a sigh. “Jimmy’s on the run now. I think he’s living in Florida. He and Parvati sorted things before he left. If he hadn’t cut off Aamir’s partner’s fingers, everything would have been fine. Anyway, by the time I’d cleaned up all the blood, it was late, and I had to rush to get to the interview, which is why I wasn’t at my best . . .” She trailed off when Lucia grimaced. Jay took that as a cue to step in for the save.
“I’ll just see Lucia out and then we can have our meeting.” He moved toward the door but Lucia didn’t follow.
“Where did you wind up after interviewing with us?” Lucia asked Zara.
“Cruz & Lovitt.” Zara launched into a jingle with a jazz-hands finish. “Sound familiar?”
“Yes.” Lucia’s lips curved at the corners. “You have the tiger mascot.”