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While it was possible he had no idea who was behind my father’s death, he was celebrating the man’s demise. He also hadn’t realized I’d been ready to take over. Smirking, I lifted my glass. “Excellent performance, Rutherford. You don’t mind me calling you by your first name since we are going to be family.”
“What is it that you want, a portion of my company?”
“Well, perhaps, but we’ll start with the truth. Did you have my father murdered?”
He chortled then glared at me. “Why would I do that? Even if your father had managed to steal some of my business, his success would have been short lived. We weren’t friends but there was no need to be enemies.”
“Heartfelt. Surprising. What about siccing the Feds on the family or threatening my mother?” Now I was more than curious as to his reaction.
He cocked his head, as if something odd had come into his mind. “I don’t know what my daughter told you, but I’m not an evil man. Have I crossed a few lines in my life? Of course I have. Just like both you and your father have done, but threatening a grieving woman? I’m not that crass.”
“Okay. I’ll keep that in mind. You are a consummate actor if nothing else.”
“What have you done to my daughter? What do you think you have on her? She would never consider marrying a man like you. While she’s made some imbecilic decisions in her life, marrying you wouldn’t be one of them. She knows I’ll disown her.”
“First of all,” I hissed, hearing the discord in my tone and doing what I could to back it down, “she is likely the smartest member of your family. Second, she is a formidable woman in her own right, which is something you never gave her credit for. And third and most important, we care about each other.”
“Talk about a performance. You almost had me believing that your little tryst is anything but what it is.”
“And what is that?”
“An attempt to extort money from my estate. That will never happen.”
I laughed, amazed he would think such an egregious thing. “I think you are likely aware I don’t need money.”
“Power. Isn’t that what all men hunger for in our positions? If you take a portion of my business, you’ll have more power than almost anyone in the world. That would be worth killing for.”
He believed he had me over a barrel somehow. Or he was simply accusing me of being the bad guy.
“Power is best gained with truth, Rutherford. Don’t you agree?”
“What are you getting at?”
“It’s very simple. I am marrying your daughter. And as a wedding present, you are giving her one third of the company. That is what she deserves and you know it.”
As soon as he burst into laughter, I bristled. “You’re fucking out of your mind. She has no clue what it would take to run a company. And if you think I’m going to allow you to get your hands on it, you’re wrong. My attorneys will ensure that never happens.” Now we were playing a game of wit and will. I was beginning to enjoy it more than I should.
I took another sip of my drink, swirling the scotch in the glass and enjoying the moment. I could already tell he was starting to sweat. “Your daughter will be CEO of the company. Period. She will run the day-to-day operations, which will include combining our hotel and winery operations, including purchasing new vineyards and expanding our supply chain.”
“You’re fucking out of your mind. I won’t go into business with your organization. It’s dirty. Drugs. People dying.”
“And yours isn’t, Rutherford? I assure you that I’m well aware of your dealings in South America as well as other foreign countries, ignoring certain trade embargos. I also learned of your methods of extortion and money laundering. I will give you credit. You’ve been very clever in maintaining a fairly squeaky-clean organization. Kudos.”
He was befuddled, his jaw clenching. “You don’t know shit and can prove less. I run a tight ship.”
“Are you certain about that? I have information that if leaked would ruin you. I doubt you want that to happen.” I was bluffing for the most part, although I’d learned enough to see all the signs. He wasn’t so clever after all nor was he hiding anything effectively. That was because of his heightened level of arrogance. Perhaps I needed to get my hands on Suzannah’s little black book.
“You’re bluffing. You’ll be hearing from my attorneys.”
I was enjoying the moment, allowing him to sweat. “I assure you I rarely bluff or jest about business activities. Prudence has made me a wealthy man. Just think of it this way. We’ll be creating hundreds if not thousands of job opportunities in our endeavor. And I’ll even allow you to have all the credit. Now, I don’t want to take the thunder away from Suzannah. She’s suffered enough by being born into the wrong family. At the meeting she has planned with you, she’ll go over the remaining details, including about your impending retirement. However, I do have one requirement that is non-negotiable.”
I watched as a single bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face.
He was already having heart palpitations. “What the hell else do you want from me? Blood?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“Do not tempt me. I watched the light in my father’s eyes leave on a hot day in the middle of a goddamn golf course. I have no doubt you were involved in his death. I had to be the one to tell my mother that he wasn’t coming home. And last but not least, I watched terror form in my sister’s eyes just seconds after she’d been threatened. You will do everything that I say or so help me God, I’ll strip away everything that’s precious to you. Every dollar. Every trinket. There won’t be any mistresses or visits to the kind of kink clubs that would disgust most people. You won’t have the opportunity to steal money from your investors or hide your earnings from the IRS. Do you fully comprehend what I’m saying to you, Mr. Warrington?”
I’d played more than one game of poker in my life. I’d become an expert at it. As the color drained from his face, I realized that he had no ability to retort because my instincts had been spot on.
