Peril

STARK

The buzzer sounded unexpectedly, and like all such surprises, it was unwelcome. He walked to the door and opened it.

“Sorry to bother you,” Mortimer said. He took off his hat but didn’t leave it on the rack by the door. “You busy?”

Stark closed the door, leaving the two of them in the shadowy light of the foyer. “What is it?” he asked.

“It’s about my friend,” Mortimer told him. “The one you’re helping out.”

“Did he give you more information?”

Mortimer shook his head. “The thing is, he’s in a bind. Complications. He’s got complications.”

Stark said nothing. Instead, he worked to conceal the raging sense of betrayal he felt in the certainty that Mortimer had lied to him.

“So, that’s what we need to talk about,” Mortimer said.

Stark faced him squarely in the foyer’s shadows. “Talk,” he said.