Page 6 of Power

Then she wrote another one of hers, each suggestion getting progressively more creative and, at times, concerning.

Still, I added another, letting myself get caught up in the ridiculousness of it all.

“See?” she said, surveying our masterpiece. “This is so much better than sulking. And don’t worry; nobody will ever see this.”

Famous last words. Because “nobody” was about to walk through those doors and see our revenge list in all its glory. Andthat nobody? Was the worst person, out of eight billion people on planet Earth, to see this list …

3

JACE

“You’re telling me there’s absolutely nothing we can do?” I kept my voice low, but the edge in it could’ve cut glass. The August heat pressed against my skin as I paced outside a Chicago bar, my running shoes hitting concrete that was still radiating the day’s warmth. My workout hadn’t done a damn thing to burn off this tension.

“Not until Monday,” Finn said, maddeningly calm.

“Monday is the announcement.”

“I’m aware.”

I clenched my phone harder than iPhone standards would advise and glared into the night. Skyscrapers stood with a plethora of lights still on, all of them having teams of people working until whatever hour they demanded, while here I was, cut off at the knees. And it wasn’t like it was the middle of the night. Hell, the sun hadjustset. It was eight o’clock on a Friday. No way I’d tread water for two entire days.

“Have them fire up my jet.” I turned to the direction of the hotel I was staying at during this deal.

One might argue staying at a hotel saved me commute time, and it did. But the honest answer was that when I was in the finalweekend of a merger, I always chose a hotel right next to the building for last-minute issues. Last-minute fire? I walk over.

“He’s at his daughter’s wedding.”

“If he didn’t want to be interrupted, he should have dotted his i’s and crossed his t’s before he left.”

“Jace.” Finn’s voice took on that particular tone he used when he thought I was about to do something monumentally impatient. “It’sonepage he failed to sign. Page sixty-seven of ninety-nine.”

“Might as well be all of them. The purchase isn’t legal without all pages signed. And frankly, I’m surprised I have to tell you to get worried here. With all the complications going on, this is the last thing we can afford.”

“The purchase will go through.”

“You’re presuming he did this by accident.”

“Ziegler has every reason to sell. If he doesn’t, he’s so far underwater financially, he’ll need gills to breathe.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Yeah, well,hostile takeoverdoesn’t have the wordhostilein it for decoration.” A blast of cold air hit me as someone opened a bar door, carrying the scent of beer and the buzz of Friday night freedom. “This is the most important acquisition Lockwood Holdings has ever pursued.”

Lockwood Holdings was a well-run and highly regarded private equity firm that purchased, renovated, and either sold or held the previously struggling businesses. With a fresh surge of cash and operational expertise, we turned the companies around and not only gained a hefty profit doing so, but also saved the jobs of people who would otherwise have been unemployed.

But our business wasn’t without problems. Acquiring companies in massive debt or operational chaos came with, well, problems. There was no such thing as an easy acquisition, and we’d had a string of bad luck recently that left my board of directors worried. Losing this deal, or delaying it, could jeopardize the board’s confidence in me. Freaking ironic. The boardIestablished, for the sake of expanding equity partnerships to bring in more cash, might have the power to decide I wasn’t fit for this job.

“My father’s best friend started that company before Ziegler bought it,” I added, the words tasting bitter. “My father would roll over in his grave if he knew it was about to go under.”

“Jace.” Finn’s sigh crackled through the phone. “It’s done. The deal is solid. This is a technicality. Monday, you’ll have the metaphorical keys. Until then, find a way to … take the edge off.”

“I want to see the paperwork again.”

“You’ve memorized it. Hell, you probably recite it in your sleep.”

“Why can’t he sign remotely?”

“Because he won’t sign anything without his lawyer present, and his lawyer is out of state for the weekend, probably thanking God he’s not dealing with you right now.”

“So, we just sit here with our dicks on the table,” I snapped.