‘Anyway, I need to take something back to my people,’ Brent went on. ‘Do we have any dirt on Common Way yet?’

‘Upstairs,’ Walter repeated through gritted teeth.

‘Oh, hell, you think this girl can hear a thing we say?’ Brent raised his voice and called to her. ‘Hey, sweetheart, rock me on the floor, okay? Man, that ass of yours could stop traffic.’

‘Jesus, Brent!’

‘Forget her, she’s in her own world,’ Brent told him, and he was right. The girl couldn’t hear anything except Rihanna. She danced as the elevator ground upward. ‘So?’

‘Fine, we got nothing so far,’ Walter said. ‘I told you this was going to take time. We’ll turn up something we can use, but we need to keep a low profile. If Common Way catches us spying, it’s game over.’

‘Were you able to get someone inside the campaign?’

‘That’s my business, not yours. And it’s better for you if we keep it that way.’ He added after a pause: ‘Remember, Ogden Bush works for them now, not us. You don’t want him connecting the dots. He knows me.’

‘Bush. Fucking turncoat.’

‘It’s politics. We screwed him, he screws us. Sooner or later, we’ll want him back on our side. In the meantime, sit tight, and let me do my job.’

‘When do you plan to deliver? After the election? That won’t do us much good.’

‘We can’t make shit up out of thin air. It’s got to be legit.’

‘Well, we’re paying a lot of money, and we expect results. Something needs to happen soon.’

‘What’s the rush?’ Walter asked.

‘Our boy is watching the needle sink. He’s not happy. He’s about to make some decisions that none of us want.’

Walter took a moment to grasp Brent’s meaning. ‘Are you saying he’s thinking of dropping out of the race?’

‘Better to bow out than to get beaten. Live to fight another day, you know? He’d rather see Diane win than Ramona Cortes.’

‘When?’

‘Depends on Chayla. He doesn’t want to announce until we see what happens to the storm. Plus, we’ve been thinking that you’d be able to dig up something that would be worth sticking around for. That’s why we called you, Walter. So what do you want me to tell him?’

Walter rubbed his grizzled beard. ‘Tell him to hang tight. Don’t do anything stupid.’

‘What if there’s nothing to find?’ Brent asked.

‘There’s dirt,’ Walter insisted. ‘These guys made a mistake somewhere, and we’re going to throw it in their faces. But it won’t make any difference if he’s already out of the game.’