Page 89 of Crimson Love

I assumed boardrooms were classier than fucking and ass. It seems this isn’t anything different than a tanker or mess tent. “Go ahead. Explain your stakes.”

Warner acts inconvenienced and spews a quick list of facts with no supporting evidence. “This contract will triple net profit. Valuations will skyrocket.”

“I guess I’ll just take your word for it without any supporting evidence,” I drawl. “My unqualified bio and I looked over the documents last night. The way I see it, this contract ties us to Helix Dominion, a company with an opaque revenue stream and legal exposure in at least four countries. I assumed shareholders appreciated transparency on where the money comes from. Maybe investors aren’t as finicky as I thought. I won’t even get into the magnifying glass the U.S. Government would put on us.”

A few board members stiffen on the sticks shoved up their asses.

Warner’s tone deepens and I can tell he knows I know what I’m talking about. “When it comes to Helix, those are only allegations.”

Patrick jumps back in the conversation. “The same allegations that half of us are concerned about.”

I lean forward and glance around the table as I continue. “I dabble in more than bunkers and camels. I can craft a government contract in my sleep that’s so clean, Congress will rubber stamp that thing faster than the next sex scandal to hit Washington. Before the vote, I want to request an independent audit on Helix’s current contracts and clientele.”

A woman to the left of me bristles. “No. That would be catastrophic to everything that’s been done to get us to this point. They’d kill the contract in a heartbeat.”

Warner agrees. “They won’t have it. It would destroy the deal.”

“Or it will save this company.” I shrug and throw a hint of sarcasm at him. “But we’ll never know without an audit. It’s called transparency and oversight, Lex. The internet says shareholders appreciate stuff like that. I Googled it last night.”

“You have no fucking idea what you’re doing,” Warner thunders. “There is no time for an audit. No one benefits from putting this on hold. If we don’t strike now, Helix will find someone else to partner with, and we’ll miss out on becoming the next global powerhouse. Our name won’t even need to be translated into other languages, for fuck’s sake.”

“We’ll see what the shareholders think about this in the court of public opinion.” I turn to Chrissie. “When is my interview scheduled with The Daily Market Report?”

Chrissie frowns but plays along. “I’m waiting on a call back from my contact.”

“It’s before the vote though, right?”

“Of course. It’s the big story this week. They plan to lead with you on prime time. You know, right after the big bell and all the hoopla.” Chrissie proves she’s competent performing a tap dance of lies.

“And this is why he belongs in this room,” Patrick goes on. “I hope you’re happy. Half of you demanded this farce to intimidate Jett. Now you know he’s not going anywhere. Unless you want to make another trip across the country, I suggest we vote via video conference and make it public for the shareholders.”

“I second that,” I echo. “In the spirit of transparency.”

Lex Warner juts to his feet, and his chair topples over behind him. He looks like he’s about to blow his lid or implode. Either way, it’s not good for his complexion. “Fucking insane. If you want transparency, I’ll find every airwave who will listen to share the fact you’ve padded the board with your unqualified offspring. All your daughter knows how to do is give away the money that we bring in, and that guy is some love child from decades past that just showed up out of the blue.”

Harlow finally has enough. “This again? I’ve proven for years that I can hold my own and have even questioned my own father.”

I don’t care what they say about me—there’s no way I’m going to sit here silent and let anyone shit talk Harlow. “Speak about my sister like that one more time, and I’ll put up a vote to have you removed from the board for good. And in case you’re wondering, I read every word of the bylaws from front to back, so I know it can be done. I’m thorough like that.”

“Fuck this,” Warner growls and points across the table at me. “Do not threaten me, Cross. I’ve worked too hard and for too long to let some no name come in and fuck up my hard work.”

I narrow my eyes. “It sounds like you’re threatening me.”

He doesn’t back down. “Consider it a warning. You can spew all the shit you want, but you do not belong here. I’ll make sure of it.”

Interesting.

He’s on his way out of the room when I call for him. “Warner, one more thing.”

I’m surprised he stops, but he turns to glare at me with disgust and abhorrence.

“Just for your information, I’ve never killed a camel. Men, yes, but no camels.”

“Fuck,” he mutters and storms out.

The rest of the board members stand. Patrick shakes hands with every single one, even the ones voting against him.

Harlow comes straight to me and whispers with wide eyes, “You didn’t tell me about the interview with The Daily Market Report.”