Page 39 of Lucky Boys
“No, he is aware, sir. But Mr. Covington could use some help with a . . . delicate matter. He was told you are the person to talk to for that.”
“I’m not sure where Mr. Covington heard that, but I don’t know what kind of assistance I can give him without more information.”
“Yes, I understand, but as you can imagine, Mr. Covington isn’t comfortable sharing certain private information over the phone, so he is requesting a meeting with you.”
I frowned at my computer screen. What the fuck? “I’m not in the habit of taking a business meeting without at least having an idea of what it’s about. Your employer isn’t the only one who is busy.”
“Yes, I imagine,” Jackson replied stiffly, finally losing his infuriatingly professional demeanor. “But we would greatly appreciate if you were willing to make an exception in this case. It’s a matter of extreme importance, and Mr. Covington would make it worth your while.”
I laughed. Was this guy for real? Did he know who he was talking to? “Well, clearly you didn’t do your due diligence on me before this phone call, Mr. Santiago. Otherwise, you would know that ploy won’t work on me.”
Jackson was silent for a moment. There was a knock on my door and Maverick walked in. “Skye stayed with Brooks,” he mouthed, and I gave him a nod in acknowledgement.
“I apologize, Mr. Castellano. I did not mean offense. In any case, my employer would greatly appreciate if you would take a meeting with him so he could explain the situation in person. After that, the decision is completely yours.”
This was one of those times when I was extremely grateful for my upbringing and how my father and grandfather had forced me to sit in on business meetings since I’d been 8 years old. I knew how to deal with these smarmy assholes.
I glanced at Mav, having a silent conversation. Obviously, we were taking the meeting. There was a huge chance it was a trap, but I couldn’t miss this opportunity. Whatever he planned to tell us, it would be worth the risk to find out.
I pretended to mull it over for a while before finally agreeing. “Alright. We will take the meeting. I will have my business partners with me, and we will meet in a neutral location of my choosing.”
Jackson cleared his throat. “That is acceptable. Are you available to meet tomorrow at, say, 11 am?” A day meeting? That was unexpected.
“Yes, that would be fine.”
“Great, thank you, Mr. Castellano. If you could just forward me the details on the location, my employer will be there.”
We said our farewells and hung up. I looked at Maverick, who was already on the computer, booking a spot for us.
I came behind him and hugged him. He grunted but pushed back into my hold. I kissed his neck. “What are you thinking?”
“That you’re going to get me hard again, and I don’t think I have another orgasm in me today.”
I laughed unexpectedly and nipped at his ear. “That’s not what I meant, though I do want details later. About Covington.”
Maverick shrugged. “I give it 50/50 that it’s a trap, but it was the right call to take the meeting.”
I nodded, relieved that he agreed with me. I’d been unbalanced since Brooks had shown back up in my life, and having one of the people I trusted more than myself confirm my actions went a long way to soothing my somewhat shattered psyche.
“You’ll be there, right?”
Maverick glared. “Obviously, Luc. Where you go, I go.”
He kissed me, and for a moment, every other trouble went away and all that mattered was Maverick’s lips on mine.
CHAPTER 17
LUCA
We chose a moderatelyupscale restaurant that was nearly halfway between our offices and Covington’s main building. It was nice enough that we would be given our privacy and a discrete staff, but not so fancy that it would raise questions.
I dressed in an Armani suit, but skipped the jacket and the tie, which someone like Covington would take as an insult, but he was the one on interview, not me. I shaved, which Skye had complained about endlessly this morning, but I did have to uphold some kind of appearance.
Maverick was dressed similarly, though because of his bulk, he always looked more like a bodyguard, no matter how expensive his suit was. He played up the look with aviator sunglasses and rolled-up sleeves that showed the tattoos on his forearms.
In the end, it was decided that Skye would stay back to protect Brooks and Diego. We didn’t know what this meeting was, and if it was a ploy to get us separated, we didn’t want to play into their hands. He was in the office with them now, listening to everything. Diego had even hacked the cameras in the place, so we had eyes everywhere. If they tried anything, we’d know.
I hadn’t talked to Brooks this morning like I’d initially planned. It hadn’t been intentional, but with everything that had happened yesterday, he’d slept in, and then when he’d woken up, it was time to get ready and leave for this meeting. I’d talk to him tonight. No matter what.
