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Mace shrugged. That’s what it did mean. Saying no meant the money and support stopped. Anderson wasn’t asking them for an opinion on hiring a new CEO, he was telling them he was going to do it.
“Mace, don’t be a fuckwit. Anderson’s right. I don’t have the experience.”
“I don’t do this without you.”
Dillon flicked the cigarette onto the asphalt where it still smoked. “That’s fucked. Of course you do. No one quits in the final round. But I can’t stay and work on sales. I can’t. I know they’d make it look like I was more important, a fancy meaningless title. I know my stake would be the same in terms of shares, but I can’t work for someone else on this.”
“We virtually work for Anderson and Jay now.”
“That’s not the same thing and you know it.”
“I don’t do this without you.” It was unthinkable, Ipseity without Dillon. His influence was all over it. They’d never have gotten this far without him. Mace would still be tinkering with software in a spare room somewhere.
“If I have to beat sense into you I will. Don’t think I won’t try. We’re sitting on the edge of making millions of dollars. We’ll be set for life. I wanted to be on the front line. I know that’s never mattered so much to you, but it matters to me. But my on-paper credential isn’t battle hardened and Anderson is right. I don’t have the experience to make it work. This part of the dream is over for me. I need to act like a grown-up and get on with it. If this works I’ll still be a rich fucker.” Dillon shrugged, “Just as a shareholder rather than an employee.”
Mace cracked his neck, left, right. “You’d better be able to knock me out.”
Dillon coughed.
“It’ll need to be a kill shot, because I still hit that bag every day, so taking me down is going to cost you.” He hadn’t hit the bag in months, and Dillon would know it. But the last thing Dillon hit was the car he rear-ended while taking a call from Anderson.
“Give it up, it’s not cute.”
“Wasn’t going for cute. Not doing this without you.”
Dillon sighed. “I’ll be around, but I won’t be running the show. Come on, a walk out doesn’t look good.” He turned to go back inside and Mace hit him; hard enough to knock the wind out of him, to make him stagger.
Dillon straightened up, red-faced and coughing. “You fucking thug. What do you think thumping me changes?”
Mace dropped his eyes to the pockmarked tarmac. His hand was numb. It changed nothing. This was a lock. If Dillon quit, he’d get his cut as a founder and the business would go on. If Mace quit too it was all over—neither of them would get a cent and Mace would lose the money from the sale of Buster’s house.
When he looked up, Dillon was gone, but Jay was there.
“What’s going on, Mace?”
“Nothing.” He didn’t know what Jay had seen. He didn’t need Jay knowing they were fighting, particularly now. But it would’ve been smarter if he didn’t sound like a petulant kid.
“So I didn’t see you hit Dillon with a right hook that would’ve laid me out?”
“You did, but it’s nothing. Minor dispute.”
“Is that how you boys do it?” Jay laughed and that was a surprise. “God, there are some guys I’d like to flatten. A couple on my own board to start with. When did business get so civilised we stopped using violence to solve our disagreements, ‘eh? I’m asking you what the problem is Mace, and I expect an honest answer.”
“It’s got nothing to do with Ipseity, nothing to do with you.”
“Don’t insult me.”
Mace shook his hand out, the blood starting to flow back into it now, bringing the sting. “Anderson told us you guys want a new CEO, someone with experience.”
“Ah.” Jay took sunglasses out of his coat pocket and put them on. “I know you want this business to succeed. A few more years and you can quit, you won’t have to work for the rest of your lives.”
“Y
ou work.”
“I do. I enjoy it. And I get that what you’re going through now isn’t much fun, but it’s the price you pay.”
“I understand.” The price was steep; sleep and health, the sacrifice of time with Cinta that he felt like a wound that wouldn’t heal, and now the loss of Dillon. At what point did it become not worth it any longer? It had to be getting close.
