Professional Restraint

46 Favours

Liam

A single look is all it takes for Declan to catch on. He taps Emilio on the shoulder, nods to me, then the others. The two of them step in, covering for me as I slip away with Todd. The moment the doors shut and we're out of earshot, I turn to Todd.

"What is it?" I demand.

Todd flinches back and lowers his gaze. "I'm sorry sir, I tried to turn him away, but he was insistent."

I quirk a brow and frown. "Insistent? Since when has that ever been an issue before?" I grit out.

My skin crawls, trying to keep my temper at bay. Todd has been my personal assistant for years. That he's this shaken. Something big must be a foot.

"Start from the beginning." My phone vibrates and a quick look shows a text from Declan. Our guests are on their ways home, safe and sound.

"Bates is with him... they came Friday afternoon, but you'd already left." Todd tugs his tie, straightening his already immaculate clothes. "He insisted, and if it wasn't for Bates, I would have thrown him on his ass."

"Who?" I snap more forcefully than I mean to.

"Russel Renford."

"That pompous shit?" I gape at him. "The fuck does he want?"

"No doubt something big, but he's only talking to you."

The look on Todd's face does nothing to quell the pit growing in my stomach. I stride out the elevator doors the moment they open and march down the hall.

Every step I have to remind myself that this is no doubt a game. He's trying to provoke me, and with how I'm feeling right now, I'm likely to fall right into his plan.

"Liam?" Todd calls, stopping me from opening the doors to the conference wing.

I can see the regret and concern in his eyes sobering me instantly. "Yeah?"

"Bates... I've never seen the man this uncomfortable before." He pauses, letting his words sink in before opening the door. "Be careful."

My frown deepens. Bates is an old-school corporate lawyer, well respected, which is saying something in that profession. Hell, even we used him early on before we grew big enough to have an entire legal department.

Part of me wonders why he would even associate with someone like Russel, but that's an answer in and of itself. Russel needs credibility, the kind of credibility a man like Bates can give. But what would Bates get out of this? He sure as fuck doesn't need the money.

Seeing how many pitfalls surround me now does wonders to quell my temper and sharpen my focus. I can't help but think back to our last encounter, where he promised to take what I cared most about.

Losing Renford's has practically ruined him, though. He doesn't have the resources to go after our company, not even in a roundabout way. We've made sure to keep a controlling stock interest, and have hand selected the board... for all intents and purposes, Trenton Tech is untouchable.

I head to the end conference room, seeing the lights shining through the glass. Each step feeling heavier than the last. Not wanting to prolong this, I take a deep breath and open the door.

The oversized conference room is better suited to a full sitting of the board instead of a meeting with two people, but that's his point. My gaze narrows as it lands on Russel, sitting in Declan's spot.

He's dressed in a suit, ready for work but slouched in the CEO's spot with far too much comfort. To his left is Bates, clutching his briefcase like a shield and looking anywhere but at me.