Scorched(28)
“I wish I knew how,” Nick muttered, fiddling with his phone. “Armando still won’t take my calls or respond to a single text begging him to just talk to me.”
“Then maybe it’s time to take the fight to him. It’s not like we don’t know where he is,” Grant offered conversationally. “We could always lock ‘em in the pool house together,” he suggested, looking toward Devil for approval.
“Not a good idea without a referee. I’ve seen Mannie nearly eviscerate both the FedEx and UPS guys when they’re late with a package. I don’t wanna think about what he’d do to Nick in a situation like this,” Devil returned. “No, I’ve got a different idea. And I hope you aren’t pissed, but I’ve kinda taken a few liberties on your behalf,” he informed Nick slowly. “Don’t worry. I’ve got a plan.”
“What did you do, Devil?” Nick asked nervously, his eyes anxious as they stared at his boss. “Please, please, please, tell me that this so-called plan you’ve concocted is Molly approved.”
“I have every faith that she’d have approved if I’d shared it with her,” Devil returned easily. Jeez, he’d managed to make Nick a fairly wealthy man in the past few years by doling out his advice to the younger man. You’d think the bastard would be more trusting now. Shrugging it off, Devil continued, “Sadly, I didn’t have an opportunity to consult with her. All her time was consumed by your fiancé last night.”
“Oh, crap,” Nick whined, rubbing his temples. “Does it look like I’m getting grey hair?” he asked Grant worriedly. “It feels like it’s greying as we speak,” he confided, toying with the still dark hair at his temples.
“Now, don’t panic just yet,” Grant soothed calmly. “I’ve known Devil almost my whole life and if I’m completely honest with you, his plans only go to shit about half the time,” he consoled, patting Nick on the back.
Eyes wide with alarm, Nick jerked in his seat. “Tell me you’re joking,” he pleaded with Grant only to be met with amused laughter. “He is joking, right?” he questioned Devil hastily.
“Nick, you’ve worked with me for several years. You know I take calculated risks, but how many times have you seen one of those risks not pay off in the long run?”
Nick stared at the man responsible for bringing him into the business world and mentoring him. “Never,” he answered softly. “I’ve never seen you take a risk that didn’t ultimately reward the investor.”
“Well, I’m sure as hell not gonna start taking asinine chances now when I’ve got two of my friends’ happiness on the line. Believe me, I know how high the stakes are. If I make an error, I may never get Armando out of my house, man. That’s clearly enough of a threat to make me assess the components of this deal very fuckin’ carefully.” Devil assured him. Relieved when he noted Nick slowly relaxing, Devil leaned forward and braced his elbows against the table. “You ready to hear the strategy I’ve developed for dealing with this clusterfuck?”
Taking a deep breath, Nick nodded. “Okay. You’re right. I know you’d never do anything to make this worse. I want Armando back and whatever it takes, I’m gonna make it happen. What’s your plan? Where do we start?”
“Oh, this plan is already in motion, my friend. It’s been rolling since you stepped off our company jet this morning,” Devil explained, rubbing his hands together gleefully. He was rather proud of himself. He’d examined Nick’s plight from every angle and decided that there was only one route to take.
Startled and beyond confused, Nick’s eyebrows furrowed as he leaned toward Devil. “What do you mean? Are you planning on hijacking Mannie and myself to a desert island until he listens to me?”
“You wish,” Grant grunted, rolling his eyes.
“Better,” Devil declared with a sly smirk. “I’m flying your parents here so that Mannie can see, firsthand, why you tried to shield him from your dumbass family. Once he sees what you were forced to live with, there’s no way in Hell that man stays angry. Hell, you’ll be getting a sympathy bang before the clock strikes midnight!”
“Oh, my God,” Nick gasped, clutching his chest as he began to hyperventilate. “You didn’t!” he wheezed as Grant shoved his head between his knees and demanded him to breathe.
“I most certainly did. The plane from Boston will land at approximately seven this evening and the limo will deliver them to a very nice hotel. In the morning, we’ll all meet and you can work this shit out. That still gives us a firm six days to fix this shit,” Devil declared, unfazed by the quasi coronary his vice-president of mergers and acquisitions appeared to be having. “By God, Enough is enough. Desperate times and desperate measures and all that other poetic bullshit. The end justifies the means, dammit. C’mon, Nick. Think of this as a business maneuver. What’s the first rule I taught you in a hostile takeover, son?”