Page 39 of Extradition (Mobsters + Billionaires 1)
* * *
An hour later,we’re well-prepared, dressed to the nines, and riding up in an executive elevator I’ve never been in. I’m sweating buckets, trying to act confident as we head to the top floor of the Wolfe Athletics building.
When the elevator doors open, I let out a breath, grateful for the familiar warmth of Sherry sitting at her desk.
“I’ve missed you two,” she says, making her way toward us. Where she promptly straightens my collar and smooths down my tie. “You look good in a suit.” Her eyes narrow as she eyeballs my shoulders. “Especially one that fits you.”
“Thanks, beautiful. It feels a little too fancy for a dock worker, you feel me? You’d think an athletics place would be a bit more casual.”
“I don’t think the elder Wolfe understands the concept of casual,” she says, gesturing to her posh, office-appropriate attire. Switching subjects, she asks, “Have you thought through what you’re going to say to the board? Do you have your ideas well in mind?”
I nod and hold up the portfolio I pilfered from the guest room office. “Rand and I chatted through everything this morning. I bulleted my ideas and identified potential avenues to pay for them.”
She beams and flicks away another invisible speck of dusk. She seems nervous for me, and I can’t tell if that’s sweet or slightly terrifying.
“Good, good. Normally I’d have you shoot that over to me so I could create some slides, but we don’t have the time.”
I adjust my tie. “I appreciate that. If this is part of what I’m going to be doing from here on out, I’d like to come to you for help if you don’t mind.”
“Of course you can come to me.” She smacks my hand and re-straightens my tie. “I just fixed that for you. Don’t be nervous. Don’t fidget. Don’t give them a single foothold to discredit you. That passion you showed in the meeting? That’s your superpower.”
“You sure about that? Pretty sure that’s what got my ass kicked to the curb the first time.”
“No.” She gestures her finger in a circle. “This is exactly the kind of weak language I’m talking about. You didn’t get your ass kicked to the curb. You took a stand and told the truth on purpose, regardless of the consequences. You made a decision, didn’t you?”
I nod. “I couldn’t stay quiet.”
“Exactly. These guys don’t listen to anyone. Any. One. It’s going to feel like you’re beating your head against a brick wall the first couple of times, but don’t give up. They’ve spent years locked in groupthink, leaving us with a whole raft of blind spots. Our sales for the last two years have been soft.”
“Yet they’ve increased their profit at the expense of the workforce,” I say, lowering my voice. “Working through all those competitor sheets, it was easy to see that we weren’t keeping up. Hell, I’d started looking at job openings. I’m not surprised we’ve lost as many people as we have.”
“Exactly. And don’t you forget it. More importantly, don’t let them forget it. They’d be damn fools not to listen to you.”
She shifts and looks Rand dead in the eye when she says that last bit. I am again impressed with his willingness to let her speak the truth. I wonder—no, scratch that—I know that if more people like her were on the board, things would be so much better.
“Are you ready?” Rand asks, straightening his shoulders as he looks toward the boardroom.
He’s pulled on his game face, and I gotta say…that’s a neat party trick. I mimic his posture, the length of his neck, the barely perceptible snarl of disdain on his lips, and we walk in the door.
* * *
Sherry called it.This meeting has been a shit show, pretty much from the beginning.
“Your ideas aren’t even remotely sustainable. What a farce.”
Finding the old, beady-eyed jackoff with the stupid opinion, I fix him with a glare. “That’s not true. I spent the last six months looking at our competitors, and we are the only people in this space not offering these options to our employees.”
Another guy, two seconds from shuffling off his mortal coil, scoffs. “Which is why our profit margins are so much better than theirs.”
My lips snarl as I shake my head. “Those numbers are the most propped up piece of shit I’ve ever seen before in my life. You can lie to the investors all you want, but don’t lie to me. Don’t treat me like I’m stupid.”
Ford, snazzy dresser and Rand’s one friend on the board, lowers his chin. During a break, Rand explained that as the investment genius of the group, Ford knows I’m telling the truth. He’s been quiet, but I hope he’ll jump in at some point and back me up.
Wolfe Sr., however, plows on. “Oh, yes. Please tell us all about the numbers. I’m intrigued by all the insight you must’ve gained from your time on the docks.”
Oh wow. This absolute piece of shit. I don’t let my inner mobster out to play, like, ever, but I’m about to rip him a new one.
“Look here, you motherfucker…” I start, dropping into my Brooklyn.
