I didn’t get to hear any more because my assistant popped her head into my office. “Mr. Snow, they're all in the conference room waiting for you.”
By the time I entered the room everyone was seated. Hank James, the chief of police for the state, a representative from the sheriff’s office as well as the head of the California Bureau of Investigation. Then my VP of sales and marketing sat on the other side of the table.
Hunter stood close to the door. He made no attempt to be discreet. He also didn’t pretend to not be paying attention.
“Gentleman.” I started once all the greetings were out of the way. I turned to the one woman in the room. “And lady. I think we all have a mutual interest in keeping our people in blue safe. You because it turns into a nightmare if you cannot protect your people. And me…” I wondered how far to play my hand. “Well, I stand to make a lot of money by protecting those men and women.”
Mercenary. That was what they expected from me. And I won’t lie, there is a certain rush with landing big deals like the one I was sure to land.
I was not the salesman. These people were in this room because my sales department had done their job. There was a reason they all wanted to meet with me. It was the reason I needed the head of the CBI in the meeting.
Hank steepled his fingers and pinned his wise eyes on me. “We do see the benefit of what you have to offer. But there is no denying the rumors that you have not shaken off your father’s legacy. In fact, if those rumors are to be believed, you’ve embraced it.”
I nodded in his direction. Schooling my facial expressions was something I learned early in life. Darren Snow never appreciated emotions, and he hated to see it in his children. It was a sign of weakness. That lesson came in handy now. I didn’t need Hank James to think I was rattled by the question. But I also didn’t want to give away that I knew something they didn’t. Neither of that was good for my business.
“Chief James, I have no room for rumor and innuendo.” I would not be explaining myself. “I know you have already done your due diligence and vetted us before this meeting.”
I met the chief’s gaze and narrowed my eyes. A big part of me was always prepared to allow people to think what they wantedabout the weapons distribution arm my great-grandfather started. This division was mine. The protective gear, the vests and the emergency gear. That was mine. I may not be able to undo the damage of my father’s legacy, but I could ensure it got somewhat mitigated in the future.
I didn’t want to insult the man or make him defensive. He would be a good ally to have going forward.
He nodded. “Okay… then tell us what you have.”
“Of course.” I knew he would make us go through a sales pitch. “I’ll let Mr Croy, my VP of sales, go through that with you.”
While Joel Croy repeated the pitch he had done thousands of times before, my mind drifted to the tragedy of a world without pink animals. My lips twitched as I fished my phone out of my pocket. I confirmed it was on silent mode before I brought up the camera footage from my home. I scrolled through the tiny screens and caught on the image of Maggie laughing at the poolside. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and my fingers twitched to do that for her.This is why.All the posturing, all the deals. It was just a way to build a big enough fortress to keep the people I cared about safe.
I tapped on another screen. Zoe was playing a one-on-one game of soccer on the grass with Hayden, little league soccer was a bit of a tradition in Marina De Ferrier. Both Zoe and Conner had played when they were younger, but Zoe was the only one who still played. I watched as she showed Hayden how to tap the ball from his foot to knee. Watching the two of them brought a smile to my lips.
On another screen, Connor and Maggie seemed to be enjoying a tea party with Jaycee. I watched my brother sip imaginary tea from a tiny pink cup. A pang of something hit me square in the chest. Was I jealous of my little brother? He was in that world, and I was trapped in here. I wanted to be sipping imaginary tea. I wanted to kick a ball with Hayden. Actually no,I didn’t want to do that. Zoe was the athletic one. But I had ideas for Hayden’s earthquake project. I looked forward to sharing that with him.
“All right then.” The sheriff’s booming voice got my attention. “Send us the formal proposal, and I’ll have the county lawyers draw up the contracts.”
Hank James nodded. “I will be submitting my proposal to the higher ups.”
Finally, Elise Thompson smiled and nodded. “You know we’re fully on board. We’re here to extend our contract.”
Actually, she was included to provide credibility. The CBI had already vetted us. They were also the ones working with Salinger Security on the illegal arms case. They knew the rumors about Snow Enterprises because they’re the ones who spread it.
With one last round of handshakes the conference room emptied and I made my way back to my office. “Rina. Do I have any more meetings for today?”
“Just the one with HR about the new structures they want to put in place.” She stared at her screen as if to confirm. Then looked back at me. “Yup. That’s it.”
“Reschedule that for tomorrow sometime. Fit them in as early as you can.” I knew the HR manager wanted to relook at how we do things and I promised to give her some time. “I’ll be heading home. You can put through any urgent calls to my cell.”
Her eyebrows raised enough to form several lines on her forehead. “You’re leaving now? At…” She looked at her monitor. “Three-o-two.”
“Yes.” I nodded and walked into my office.
I could understand her confusion. Usually, I stayed way past business hours. The only time I left early was if my siblings had something important happening, like a big game or something. And since Rina had my schedule she knew that was not the case.I texted Hunter and grabbed my brief case. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
CHAPTER 7
FRED
This place really was a dump.The place reeked of stale beer and cigarette smoke, not to mention the apathy of two grown men who had no idea how to run the family business. I mean it wasn’t as bad as the four-by-four prison cell I’d lived in for the last four years, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. I’d worked hard and even sacrificed four years of my life behind bars. After all that, a man like me shouldn’t still be living in the same house he grew up in on the wrong side of town. Neither should my brothers.
I turned to Charlie. “Four years. I rot in a cell and sacrificed my family for four years of my life to protect you assholes, just to find out everything fell apart when dad died.” I leaned back in the recliner that once belonged to my father. The sticky vinyl creaked as I made myself comfortable. “What the fuck have you two been up to?”
