Trust him.
Could I trust him?
I thought about the way he'd looked at me when he admitted his submission wasn't penance. The raw vulnerability in his eyes, the fear that I'd reject him for wanting something selfish. He'd stripped himself bare and handed me the weapon to destroy him, and he'd done it without any guarantee that I wouldn't use it.
That wasn't the action of a manipulator. That was the action of a man desperate to be seen.
"Twelve hours," I said. "I want updates every thirty minutes. If the board makes a move, you call me immediately."
He nodded firmly. "Yes, sir."
"And Maxime?" I caught his chin, tilting his face up to meet my eyes. "If Patterson tries anything while I'm gone, I want to know. I don't care how small it seems. You tell me everything."
"I will."
"You're not going to go soft on me? Start feeling guilty about playing hardball with the board?"
His smile turned sharp enough to cut. "I'm going to walk into that boardroom and remind them exactly why you made me your second in command. By the time you get back, they'll be so terrified of what I might do that they won't dare move against you."
That shouldn't have aroused me. We were in the middle of a crisis. My company was hemorrhaging value by the minute, and my rival was escaping with my stolen prototype.
But the predator in Maxime's eyes, the cold promise of violence wrapped in a perfectly tailored suit, made my cock twitch against my trousers.
"Good." I released his chin. "Now help me dress. If I'm going to Vancouver, I'm not doing it in yesterday's clothes."
"Of course."
He moved toward my closet without hesitation, already pulling down the suit I'd wear into battle. His hands were steady, his movements efficient. The man who'd been shaking and broken an hour ago had transformed into the lethal weapon I needed him to be.
I watched him work, and I thought about trust.
He'd betrayed me once. He might betray me again. I couldn't know for certain that the man arranging my cufflinks wasn't already planning his next manipulation.
But I could know that he wanted to be here. Maybe that was enough. Maybe it had to be.
"Algerone?" He'd turned back with my shirt in his hands, watching me with something uncertain in his expression.
"What?"
"Thank you." His voice came out rough. "For letting me do this. For trusting me with the board."
"Don't thank me yet." I took the shirt out of his hands. "You haven't won."
"No." His eyes met mine, the predator visible again, hungry and ready. "But I’ll win the battle while you go win the war."
The diamond boardroom claimedthe northeast corner of Spade Tower's fortieth floor, its floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing Cincinnati's sleeping skyline. At three in the morning, city lights traced the Ohio River's curves and climbed distant foothills, countless tiny stars marking territory Algerone had claimed through decades of ruthless ambition.
I arrived at the appointed minute, my navy suit flawless, every detail exact. Platinum threads woven through the fabric announced my status as subtly as any crown.
Five board members waited around the polished obsidian table, with two more joining via the screens mounted along the far wall. Patterson occupied the head position Algerone usually claimed, silver hair disheveled from being dragged out of bed, fingers drumming against his leather portfolio. Morrison flanked his right, sweating despite the cool air. Hendrik and Foster sat opposite, while Walsh's face glowed from the left screen, his home office visible behind him. Brennan and Kovacappeared on the right screen, Brennan still in what looked like a bathrobe hastily covered by a sport coat.
Rebecca Marchand from Legal occupied the corner nearest the door, tablet ready, her presence a reminder that everything said tonight would be documented.
None of the men present stood as I entered.
"Took you long enough," Patterson said. "Some of us have been here since one."
"Some of us were managing the actual crisis rather than convening meetings about it." I approached Algerone's usual chair, and Patterson's jaw tightened when he realized he'd claimed a seat he had no right to occupy. I didn't ask him to move. I didn't need to. "I trust you've all seen the Journal article."
