Page 68 of Scream (Duchess & Devils #1)

Maksim.

"Mr. Giordano, we weren't aware you were coming to this meeting." Suits and ties all around.

I take the hand of the older man in front of me.

His handshake is loose, but instead of letting the disgust show on my face, I let a trace of a smile grace my lips.

I blink at my father-in-law. He may not have been able to get us into the shareholder meeting, but he was able to get us into the building.

Sixty fucking floors of nothing but different departments.

The elevator took longer than the fourteen minute drive here to Park Avenue.

I pull my hand away from the white-haired gentleman that looks too old to still be working.

I take a look around the room. Yeah. A lot of wrinkled foreheads, age spots, and a few wheelchairs.

In the center of them all, is the man of the hour.

Jaxson Prescott - major shareholder of PresCorp.

PresCorp, to anyone who knows them and what they actually do, fund about sixty percent of any and all major retail chains.

They are behind the scenes in so much more.

I know this because they’ve tried to purchase the Romanoff Deli connected to Eden where my office is, from me.

Multiple times. Sending a different face each time.

I shake hands and take a seat beside David around the light oak conference table, large enough to seat at least twenty.

Parker is standing by the door inside of the room with us, hands clasped in front of him.

I fist my hands under the table when the door behind me opens, and a familiar English accent hits my ears.

I have to remind myself that soon, I'll have this motherfucker in my torture chamber, hopefully, with Sasha’s icepick in one of his eyes.

Kane Burton dances around, greeting everyone by name, shaking hands, even getting a little too friendly with David.

I shoot my father-in-law a glare. Fucking traitor.

David clears his throat, as if finally recognizing the actual threat I am.

I stand, square my shoulders, and tilt my head back just a bit to look down my nose at the fuckin English badger-lookin fuck, then hold out my hand for him to shake.

I know we’ve met before, and I know I’m a tall man at six-foot-six, but when he has to look up at me, it’s fucking satisfying.

Especially when he takes a slight step back, his smile falters, and he has to fix himself before sticking his hand in mine.

“Kane Burton.”

Oh, look at that.

My wife has a firmer grasp during her handshakes, and her hand is tiny compared to his.

I am very pleased Sabrina is my wife.

I don’t hide the way my upper lip lifts in disgust. “Maksim Giordano.” I drop his hand just as his hazel eyes shift to someone else in the room, and he scurries over to kiss more ass.

The good thing here is that not every person in this boardroom is a member of the Syndicate.

I can appeal to their nature as businessmen, and not a way to “ keep it in the family.” While owning a good share of PresCorp would not only be good for my image, but to gain a bit more access into their world would help me… and Maverick.

While they have their own agenda, their own vendetta against the brotherhood, they hurt my wife. Even though it was only one man, they all need to pay.

“Mr. Giordano, you’ve surprised us by attending this meeting. Can we… ask what this is about?”

“Gentlemen, I won’t take much of your time.

I know I’ve intruded, and I do appreciate you letting me into this meeting when you could have thrown me out.

” I take a stand, walk over to the large windows overlooking the city, and turn.

“It was brought to my attention that PresCorp will be going through a few changes, and I was thinking bringing fresh eyes and a fresh mindset would help bring about those changes. While I understand I’m not a part of a few…

organizations that make up parts of PresCorp, I do know this city like the back of my hand.

I know the ins, the outs. I know how to turn a…

flailing business into a thriving one. You should know, you’ve tried to purchase the Romanoff Deli from me quite a few times over the years.

Not to mention, my clubs generate the highest revenue in the states they’re located in. ”

Honestly, I’m talking out of my ass. But I'm talking to their wallets. Not them. “I understand this meeting is about a lot of things. So, I’ll be speaking to Mr. Prescott directly.”

Eyes like crystallized glaciers meet mine.

Red-rimmed. Pupils slightly blown. The guy’s high.

Prescott makes a motion with his hand that tells me to continue.

Of course he does, he’ll probably slur his words if he speaks.

Then again, Niko did warn me the man has blown through quite a chunk of their fortune.

“You’ll be bringing an outsider into your business – someone who not only has never lived in the states but does not know how this city works, how it beats. He’s a child compared to you and me.”

“Oh please, he’s a fucking mobster!” I hear from the furthest side of the table, proving my point.

“A mobster with a doctorate in business administration, Mr. Burton. A mobster who knows the market, knows the streets, knows what could rake in more money by listening to the people and tweaking it to see profit and fill pockets.”

“Then go for bloody Mayor.”

Hmm. Not a bad idea. There are worse people in office that don’t know their asshole from a hole in the ground. With my wife by my side, I know I could easily take office.

I keep my eyes on Prescott’s. “I have carried the weight and burden of four generations and turned profit after profit. I’ve seen what works and fixed what doesn’t, acquiring billions instead of thousands, even in this economy.”

Prescott's jaw works, freaky pale sky eyes scan over me, and finally, “Tell us how you’ve managed to do that.”

I grin. “I would, Mr. Prescott. But… I don’t work for free. If you can hold off on selling to Mr. Burton today, you and I can speak privately.”

“This is ridiculous! I am a fresh set of eyes! I am a new mindset! My father-”

Again, I keep my eyes steady on Jaxson. “That’s right, your daddy sent you here, Burton. You sit on old money, and I create new . Hush now, the men are speaking.”

Seconds tick by in the deathly silent room as Prescott seems to weigh my words. Then, ever so slowly, he nods and rises to his feet. “I’ll have my assistant reach out to you.”

David and Parker rise as Jaxson makes his way around the table, and we meet halfway. He shoves his clammy hand into mine, and we shake. “Do you have time for a coffee in my office?”

I dip my chin. “That works for me.”

“Meeting adjourned!” he shouts over his shoulder, then leads us through the hallways to what I assume, is the late Stephen Prescott’s former executive office. He shuts the door behind us.

An hour later, as soon as we step out of the PresCorp Tower, Niko is waiting for us by the curb, biting into a hotdog with a grin as we all watch David practically run to the black Lincoln Town Car waiting for him and hops in.

“Take it things went well?” Niko says around a bite, his aviator shades covering those big blues of his.

I laugh, “I have no idea why he’s running away. The meeting went better than we thought it would… up until Prescott tried to serve us ‘fresh’ blow. I think he scandalized my father-in-law.”

Parker starts laughing. “It was in a candy dish. It had a spoon . It was like watching that scene in Scarface.”

Niko chuckles, walking around to open the driver side door. “I love that movie. ‘First, you get the money…’”

Parker chimes in to tell him he’s quoting the movie wrong while my phone starts ringing. I take it out of my pocket to see Jonny calling me. “Yeah?”

“Hey Boss…” His voice is in a low whisper, and he sounds clutched. It takes us no time to pile into the bulletproof SUV, my Bluetooth immediately connecting so we can all hear Jonny.

“Don’t mean to alert you or make you drive faster, but uh… your wife is here.”

I lift a brow. “What do you mean my wife is ‘here?’ Where is ‘ here?’”

“She’s here, at Eden. At the bar…”

I look over at Parker, who’s staring at me – now wearing almost the exact same Ray Bans and Armani suit as Niko. Parker just has more mass. “My wife doesn’t drink, Jonny.”

“I know, Boss. That’s why I’m technically not alerting you, I’m just…:”

“Alerting me?”

Niko starts the SUV and merges into the traffic.

“Yeah, she’s just… sitting there. Not drinking. She ordered a glass of that Argentinian wine, and she’s been staring at it. Like, really hard. Jonas is freaking out.”

I look at my watch. “It’s barely noon.”

Jonny sighs sassily.

“We’re around the corner. Don’t let her leave.”

“I’m pretty sure she’s merged into the barstool.

She hasn’t moved in twenty minutes, Boss.

I don’t think she’s blinked. But yup, I’ll be here.

Not like I have anything else to do today with the fight happening tonight.

I don’t have a million other things to prepare for whatsoever.

Not like I haven't told you to get another assistant.”

“You’re very sassy today.”

“I’m sassy every day. Be happy I love Sabrina, Maks,” he replies, hanging up on me.

“Is that a thing now?” I ask Niko.

“What?”

“The hanging up on me thing?

He laughs. “You tend to hang up first. No kiss goodbye. No ‘I love you.’ Just click .”

“Shit.” Parker grunts. “I have six missed calls from Jonas.”

“Call him back.”

“Don’t need to. I got double the amount of missed texts from him, too.”

I grunt in response when he parks in front of an empty Eden, and we all get out.

Jonas opens the door to greet us, apologizing, and we follow him up to the bar on the second floor, where Sabrina is still staring at a glass of very expensive white Argentinian wine.

The bartender, Mike, darts his eyes to me, then leaves to give us privacy.

Sabrina rubs her thumb over the condensation, her fingers wrapped around the stem of the glass, just… lost to whatever is going on in her mind. I put one hand on the bar, the other on her shoulder. “Duchess?”

She flinches, only to blink and lean into my touch – but she still doesn't look at either of us. “Hey.”

“Are you okay?”

She shakes her head. “I haven't had a drop of alcohol in three years now. This was my favorite wine.”

“Wanna tell us what happened, baby girl?”