Chapter 10
Aleks followed the ma?tre d’ to a table tucked back in the corner of the restaurant. Located on the top floor of one of Seattle’s skyscrapers, the high-end eatery was known for both fine dining and the spectacular views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Unfortunately, given the location of the table, he wouldn’t have the chance to enjoy the vistas.
“Your dining companion, Mr. St. John.” The ma?tre d’ gave a short bow, then smoothly stepped away, leaving Aleks alone with Killian St. John.
“Thank you for meeting me, Mr. St. John. I’m Aleksander Lind.” Aleks extended his hand.
St. John took it with a firm grip. “Your request intrigued me, Mr. Lind. And that was before I started receiving calls from other investors.” He released the handshake and gestured to the seat near Aleks’s hip.
Aleks hid a grimace—he hadn’t expected discretion from the people he’d met with yesterday and today—but he’d hoped for it, nonetheless. He took his seat, studying Killian St. John while he did so.
The other man was a key investor in the Tremaine Corporation. His family had invested when the company was just starting out and their wealth had grown exponentially in the decades since. Although he was dressed in a deceptively simple suit, Aleks knew that it probably cost more than he made in a month.
The moment they were both seated, a waiter appeared as if out of nowhere, offering them menus. Aleks took his with a nod of thanks.
“Your usual, Mr. St. John?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“And for you, sir?”
“Coffee, please. With cream and sugar,” Aleks added.
St. John leaned back in his chair, one arm draped casually over the back. He embodied the image of a wealthy, bored dilettante, but Aleks recognized the intelligence in his gaze. This was not a man to underestimate. His next words proved that true.
“I understand the Solveig Consortium is interested in acquiring shares of the Tremaine Corporation.”
Yes, St. John had definitely spoken with the other investors.
“My employers are always on the lookout for investment opportunities,” Aleks replied. This wasn’t the first such “negotiation” he’d completed for the company.
St. John’s lips curled in a hint of a smile. “And I’m sure this has nothing to do with Dizzie’s sudden appearance on the scene.”
Aleks studied the other man, contemplating the best way to answer. The intelligence dossier on him had primarily identified him as an investor who preferred a hands-off approach. But St. John was a longtime friend of Portia Tremaine and her late husband. And he was now the serious boyfriend of Dizzie, the missing Solveig granddaughter. Which Killian St. John was he talking to right now?
Taking a chance that he was talking to the boyfriend, Aleks said, “Yes, she’s definitely a consideration. The Solveigs would like to ensure that she’s taken care of in the future.” Aleks put just enough emphasis on those last words to convey their dismay about how she had been treated in the past.
St. John opened his mouth, then closed it, when the waiter reappeared by their table with their drinks. “Thank you, Michael.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. St. John.” The waiter beamed at the recognition. “Are you ready to order?”
Aleks hadn’t even thought to look at the menu yet—hell, he hadn’t even been sure he’d get lunch—but the other man beat him to the punch. “Bring us two of the chef’s specials.” He glanced at Aleks. “Any allergies, Lind?”
When Aleks shook his head, St. John confirmed the order. As the waiter disappeared, he said, “You really can’t come to Si’ahl and not have the salmon.”
“I appreciate the tip.” While St. John wasn’t treating him as an enemy, there was no sense in antagonizing the other man.
Aleks took advantage of the lull in service to present his case. “As I mentioned in my initial call, I represent the Solveig Consortium. The consortium is looking to expand their presence in the North American market and believes that acquiring the Tremaine Corporation is a good first start.” Aleks knew the plan sounded ridiculous—Tremaine was at least twice the size of the consortium—but he had his orders.
St. John studied Aleks over the rim of his glass, but said nothing.
Aleks plowed on with his sales pitch. This wasn’t his strength, but he turned up his charm. “With the two companies combined, the Solveig Consortium will become the preeminent player in the medical–industrial complex.”
Lowering his glass to the table, St. John asked, “How many investors have taken your offer?”
Aleks kept his gaze steady. “That’s confidential.”
St. John laughed. “Bullshit. No one has accepted your offer.”
He was right, but Aleks had no intention of confirming his guess. If it was a guess.
St. John continued. “The smaller investors are too afraid of Portia—really, Portia’s father—to be willing to sell to a competitor. You need one of the major investors—basically me or Portia—to accept first. Then the others will fall in line.” He studied Aleks. “Am I right?”
“My understanding was that Portia’s father is... out of the picture.” The news stories from the day of Dizzie’s appearance and Tremaine’s disappearance were confusing. One or two had mentioned that blood had been found in Tremaine’s office. Phillip Tremaine’s blood.
St. John, acting in Portia’s stead, had announced her father’s disappearance, but in the days and months that followed, no other statements had been made. Everyone assumed he was dead.
Aleks wasn’t sure what to think, but without a body, Mrs. Solveig refused to believe his disappearance was so... permanent.
St. John laughed. “Phillip Tremaine was a mean bastard and until I see a body, I’m not writing him off just yet.”
Aleks was shocked to hear St. John echo his thoughts. “So, is it Phillip Tremaine you’re afraid of? Or Portia?”
St. John laughed again but his mirth wasn’t reflected in his eyes. “I’m not afraid of Portia. We’ve been friends for years. But the others? Damn right they’re scared. They don’t call her the Ice Queen for nothing.”
Aleks thought back to the time he’d spent with Portia. The Ice Queen had been on display with the man who’d hit on her at the bar and in her office when Aleks had surprised her for their meeting. But every other time they’d met, he’d enjoyed the company of a flesh and blood woman. Not a block of ice in a crown.
Aleks wasn’t stupid enough to verbalize any of this. As a longtime friend of Portia’s, St. John would probably feel duty bound to defend her, and Aleks would hate to kick his ass. Portia probably wouldn’t appreciate it either. Except he’d heard Portia and St. John were on the outs because of Dizzie, so maybe she’d be okay with it.
What the hell was he thinking, worrying about how Portia would feel about his actions?
Fuck! That wasn’t a good sign. Aleks refocused on this meeting. Despite the turmoil in his head, he kept it out of his voice. “Then how would you suggest I proceed?”
“If you were smart, you’d stop making these calls and let your employers know it isn’t happening.” St. John’s words hung in the air between them.
Aleks already knew that wasn’t going to happen. He had his orders and, as dumb as he thought they were, he would obey them. “Or you could agree to sell your shares and the others would follow suit.”
St. John sat back with a huff of laughter. “I get that you’ve got a job to do here, but don’t you see how ridiculous it is? If anything, Tremaine should be the one purchasing the Solveig Consortium.”
Aleks clenched his jaw. “I believe that was tried previously. It’s why we’re in the current mess we’re in.” He spoke without thought and regretted it immediately. How much did St. John know about the merger negotiations where Phillip Tremaine had met Anna Solveig, Dizzie’s mother?
“Ah, yes. Dizzie’s origin story.” St. John shook his head and sipped his drink again. “Past relations between the two companies were a mess to say the least, but that has nothing to do with any of us. The two companies have kept their distance—mostly—for more than two decades. Let’s just keep it that way.”
“My employers won’t agree to that.” Nothing short of wiping Tremaine from the planet would stop them.
“Then they’re idiots,” St. John said. “And it won’t end well for them.”
“Is that a threat?” Aleks asked. He wasn’t concerned, more curious than anything.
“No, I’m a realist. Coming after the Tremaines in their own city is foolish. Coming after the Tremaine Corporation at all isn’t the smart play.” He stopped abruptly, his gaze focused behind Aleks.
Aleks turned to see the waiter bringing their meals.
With practice ease, the waiter slid the plates in front of them. “Anything else I can get you gentlemen?”
“No, thank you, Michael,” St. John said.
“Enjoy.” The waiter departed after another short bow.
Aleks studied the plate before him. The salmon looked perfectly cooked. He waited for St. John to take a bite before sampling his own.
Flavors burst in his mouth. The moist, flaky fish stood up well to the citrus glaze. This was the best meal he’d had in this city so far.
“So how would you do it?” Aleks asked.
“Do what?”
“Take over Tremaine Corporation.”
Another bark of laughter. “You don’t give up, do you?”
Aleks forked up another bite of fish while he waited for St. John’s response.
“I wouldn’t, of course. Don’t get me wrong. Phillip Tremaine was a bastard and I hope the man rots in hell, but the company itself isn’t a reflection of the man. I trust Portia to lead it out of the shadows.”
Shadows was such an interesting word. Aleks was sure it was doing the heavy lifting in that sentence. “What about Dizzie? Could she lead the company out of the shadows?”
The change in the other man was instantaneous. Aleks’s easygoing, laughing lunch companion had been replaced with a steely-eyed, tight-jawed man.
“Watch yourself, Lind. Dizzie isn’t a pawn to be moved around a board. When—and if—she wants to be involved in running the Tremaine Corporation or any other company, that will be her choice. She doesn’t factor into your schemes—or those of your employers. Stay away from her.”
Convincing Dizzie to meet her grandparents was his primary mission, so staying away was going to be impossible. He’d prefer not to go up against Killian St. John, but he would if he had to.
“You’d think she would be glad to see the company that held her captive go down.”
“You have no idea what she wants or doesn’t want.” St. John’s tone was pure ice.
“Does she want to meet her grandparents?” Aleks changed the subject deliberately.
This time St. John’s response was more measured. “She hasn’t decided yet.”
That wasn’t a no. Which was more information than Aleks had before the lunch. “I need to meet with her,” he said.
“I won’t push her,” St. John said. “She’ll make up her mind in her own time. Dizzie doesn’t owe you—or them—a damn thing.”
Aleks took another bite of his meal, pondering the best way to deliver the next message. Ultimately, he realized that there wasn’t one. “They won’t stop,” he said quietly, repeating the same message he’d given Portia. “It would be better for her to meet them on her terms.”
St. John dropped all pretense of civility and glowered at Aleks. “Are they a threat to her?”
Aleks leaned back and spread his hands. “I believe that they truly want to meet her and they don’t wish her any harm. But I’m afraid that they’ve never been rational about their daughter’s death or anything to do with the Tremaines. Dizzie is their last tie to her. I can’t predict what they’ll do.”
“Fuck!” St. John stood. “Damn Phillip Tremaine for his schemes and games and complete lack of morals.”
He strode away from the table before Aleks had a chance to stand. He shifted to watch Killian leave and contemplated his options.
The waiter hurried over. “Mr. St. John said to enjoy lunch with his compliments.” He gathered up St. John’s unfinished meal and glass as he spoke.
Well, that solved that problem.
“Thank you, Michael.” When the waiter disappeared, Aleks took St. John’s seat.
Now that he had a wall to his back, his shoulders finally relaxed. Aleks returned to his lunch.
He honestly hadn’t believed that St. John would sell any of his shares, but it would have made Aleks’s life much easier. The Solveigs wouldn’t take being thwarted well.
They were determined to end the Tremaine Corporation and take care of their granddaughter, no matter what.