Page 6 of Boss

Chapter 2

Born and raised in oil-rich Texas, Tarek Marshallhad a lifestyle to be envied. Men wanted to be him. Women begged to be fucked by him. And his father’s ruthless business tactics molded him. Tarek felt entitled to everything.

Today he was entitled to his anger. His brothers had decided to join forces against him. It didn't work. The deals he made for his father, were ones they could not stop, but they’d waste money and his time in trying too. Now he would have to teach them a lesson for their treachery.

Tarek stopped pacing in front of Henry’s door. His temples pounded thickly. His throat was dry. That old atom bomb of resentment rose within him. He knocked with his knuckles twice. He stepped to the side so his brother could not see him from the peephole.

“Who is it?” Henry asked.

Tarek did not respond.

The door opened only a fraction of an inch. Tarek shoved it open with so much force Henry was knocked flat to his ass. Tarek slammed the door. Henry shook his head no.

“I didn’t tell him. I swear. I swear!” Henry flipped over and tried to crawl away but Tarek grabbed him by the back of his neck. He dragged his brother to the open door of the bedroom.

“Please Tarek! I swear! I didn’t tell him anything!”

Tarek flipped up the lid to the commode and shoved Henry’s face inside. His brother gurgled, choked down the toilet water. He then snatched his head up.

“What does he know!” Tarek snarled.

“Nothing!”

Tarek dunked Henry’s head into the toilet water again. His brother thrashed and fought to get up. But Henry was weak. He was born weak. He would die weak. He failed. Tarek pulled his head up once more. His brother gasped and wheezed down a few breaths.

“What did you tell him?”

“That you have started the Campos Basin project. That you’ve got the shareholders ready for the vote. That I was going to vote with you. But I was... afraid.”

Tarek let him go. Henry scrambled away. The bathroom wasn’t big enough for an escape. Tarek began to pace and think it through.

“So the board won’t vote my way?”

“No. Dale has already met with them. They are going to vote you down. I was hoping, we could talk. Like brothers. Stop this war. I’m on both your sides. I swear. I just want us to find peace.”

“Peace?” Tarek asked. He stared down at his brother who gasped for air. His face was flushed red. And his eyes were blood-shot from the lack of oxygen to his brain. “You want peace. I’ve just declared war. You tell him that.”

“I'm tired of being caught between the two of you and this never-ending war. If you just let us see father. If you’d lift the hold at the hospital Dale will back off.”

Tarek walked out flexing his fist. They would not see him. Not now. Not ever.

1.

Kassidy called Daniel and told him she would meet him at the airport. The whole ordeal was a waste of her time and energy. With nothing more than her carryon bag, she left the hotel for her Uber. She saw several cars waiting. But one man stepped forward. He was short white guy, that looked to be in his early twenties like her. His mousey brown hair was short and tapered at the sides, but he had long bangs to the front like some Canadian pop-star. He tossed his head slightly and the bang flipped from his face to the side of his neatly combed hair.

“Kassidy?” he asked, with his hands shoved down into the front of his zipped up leather jacket.

She nodded. “Thank you, I only have this.”

“I'll put it in my trunk,” he said.

She nodded and stepped to the door. And then, for no particular reason, she looked over to the right. A limo driver was on the sidewalk. He stood by a car. And then he opened the door. None other than Tarek Marshall came out of the rotating hotel doors. He was speaking on his cell phone. He got in the car without a single glance.

Kassidy got inside the car waiting for her.

“Is it possible to make a detour?” she asked.

The driver glanced back at her. “Detour? I thought you wanted to go to the airport?”

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