Madison secured the papers. "Mr. Wilson, you just took my personal property without permission. I'd like that included in the incident report."
"An incident report?" Richard called from behind him. "Listen to her. She's already building a lawsuit in her head. This is what happens when you let people sit around long enough to invent a payday."
Victoria joined them, leaving the reception desk where she had been talking sharply to Sarah. Katherine returned with her coffee, and Gregory paused beside the elevator, his impatience visibly deepening. Six senior executives now occupied most of the space between Madison and the doors. It was an extraordinary amount of attention to spend on a guest whose only stated offense was waiting for a meeting.
"I'm being generous," Victoria announced. "You may leave voluntarily and we'll forget this happened. Or you can continue causing a disturbance and we'll have the appropriate authorities deal with you."
"What disturbance?" Madison asked.
Victoria blinked, as if the question itself proved the point. "Your refusal to listen. Your refusal to leave. The way you're making everyone stand here."
"I am standing here because you have surrounded me," Madison answered. "I have asked for verification, and I have been waiting where your receptionist directed me to wait."
Katherine gave a brittle laugh. "Do you know how many lawyers work in this building? You couldn't afford the parking meter outside. Don't make this more embarrassing for yourself."
Madison looked from one face to another, allowing enough silence for each person to hear what had just been said. Then she asked them to state their names and titles for the record. Richard rolled his eyes. Bradley muttered that she could read the directory if she wanted names so badly. Helena called the request another attempt to manufacture a dispute.
Gregory clapped his hands once, slowly, with deliberate sarcasm.
"All right," he said. "I've seen enough. Whitman Financial has been here since 1908. We've handled bigger problems than this before breakfast. Walk out that door, or have someone walk you out. It makes absolutely no difference to me."
Madison did not move. She could feel her pulse, but she was not afraid of these people in the way they expected her to be. Their authority rested on a misunderstanding, and she already possessed the evidence necessary to resolve it. What worried her was the ease with which the same authority could be turned on a person who lacked her protection.
Helena pointed at the nearer guard. "Escort her out now."
The guard, whose badge read Tyler Reid, approached with the uncertain expression of a young employee who had just been ordered to do something he did not fully understand. He placed a hand around Madison's elbow to guide her toward the entrance. The grip tightened too quickly, more forceful than any reasonable request required. Madison felt pain through the sleeve of her coat.
She turned her head and looked directly at him. "Mr. Reid, remove your hand. I am not threatening anyone, and I do not consent to being pulled from this building. Please make certain the camera has a clear view."