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“Island, to what do I owe the—”
“Sorry, sir.” The security guards barge in, gasping and wheezing. “She was fast.”
“It’s alright,” Sidney says, lifting two fingers.
The burly men leave.
I fold myself into the chair across from Sidney. “You couldn’t give me a heads-up? I thought we were tighter than that, Sid.”
“To what are you referring?” He adjusts his glasses and gives me a small, grandfatherly smile.
“The bank changed hands. Overnight.”
His eyebrows hike behind his thick bifocals. “How did you know that?”
“Is that the point here? You should have told me.”
“Not even lower management is aware that the deal went through.” His look turns assessing. “You still won’t tell me how you know?”
“Not a chance. Your turn.”
He temples his hands. “First of all, I wouldn’t have the authority to share classified information with you and, secondly, even if I did, it has no bearing on your business with this bank.”
“It does if your new owner hates me,” I mumble.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.” I straighten, fix my expression and slant him a warm, frivolous smile. “Sidney, you’re like my grandfather. Even though my gran didn’t choose you back in the day, you’ve always been there for me. I think of you as family.”
His Adam’s apple bobs. Red steals into his cheeks.
It’s no secret that Sidney was trying to court my grandmother in decades past. He never recovered when Gran chose my grandfather and, after he realized my connection to Gran, he made it his life’s mission to ingratiate himself into my life. I think he wants to somehow ‘convince Gran’ that she made a mistake.
I’m not ashamed that I’ve been using that to my advantage.
And I’m not going to feel any shame now either.
I pout and slide my hands over the desk. “Uncle Sid,” I bat my eyelashes, “is there any way we can fight this? Like, if Bolton did something illegal, we can report him, right? Once you give me a lead, I can blackmail him into—”
“Blackmail?” His eyes widen. “You know what, never mind. I don’t know what this is about, Island, but it’s sincerely beyond both of us. The owners have already exchanged hands. See?” He raises an arm and exposes the pit stain in his mint green button-down. “The transaction happened all the way up here.” He swipes a palm over his balding head. “And you and I,” he motions under the desk, “we’re down here.”
“Powerless?” I frown.
“Irrelevant.”
I flop back into my seat and scowl. Dammit. Another dead end.
“Why do you want to reverse the deal?”
“It’s a long story.”
He checks his watch. “Day’s almost over. We can discuss during dinner.”
“I’m not hungry.” I rise to my feet. Then I turn back. “Do you at least knowhowBolton could afford to buy the bank? I heard all he owns is a tiny security company.”
“Herunsan elite, highly-sought-after security company.”
“And?”