“Sure. I wanted to go over some things with you and—”

“It’s a great idea getting these tax breaks, but it won’t help with our capital problem,” he cut in. He handed Liza the thick portfolio. He smiled, and Liza was happy to see he had spinach or broccoli in his teeth.

Liza flipped through the packet and noted all the red lines through the writing. “You’ve cut a lot.”

“Just the portions that involve a lot of red tape.”

“These are the portions that ensure financial oversight,” Liza corrected. “How do we know that the money goes where it is supposed to go?”

“Our organization has its own oversights,” WIC said smoothly.

“And that’s the Black Israelites, right?”

“Liza, of course.”

“It’s just I’ve called everywhere, and no one has heard of this fundraising effort.”

“Okay, Liza, why are you calling around behind my back? What exactly are you accusing me of?”

“Not accusing you of anything. Just can’t seem to map out your connections.” Liza saw the anger flash quickly in his eyes. She was glad to be in a public place. She brought this on herself. It was due diligence she should have done months ago. She wanted him to be right, and she just filled in the gaps along the way. She’d turned him into a knight by sheer force of will. He’d validated her feelings about Dorsey, and she had lapped it all up like a puppy.

“Oh, I know what this is about.” His handsome face twisted in a scowl. “You let Money Bags hit it, didn’t you?” He let out a mean laugh.

“WIC—”

“And he fed you some sob story about his thirsty-ass sister. But answer this. Gigi is a big lesbian. How did I lure her into some trap?” he said. He was offering up information Gigi hadn’t mentioned. It was all the evidence she needed.

“WIC, before this meeting goes off the rails—”

“You’re damn right it’s off the rails. Give me a proposal with these hoops to jump through. Do you know how many lawyers and accountants you need to even make this profitable? This is useless to me.”

“WIC, this was a lot of work. I was recently let go at the radio station, and—”

“Were you hoping to get paid?” WIC let out a guffaw. “For this?”

Liza held her face together. “My time and expertise are worth something, WIC.” She hated the shaky tone in her voice.

“How much, Liza? Maybe I should give Dorsey a call, because I have a feeling ol’ boy knows exactly what you’re worth.” He opened his jacket. “But I’m fresh out of Tiffany necklaces.”