by SUE FINEMAN
Blade returned to the study and looked up the office phone number for the CEO of Banner-Covington. He dialed the number and asked for Joseph Grafton.
“He’s in a meeting right now. May I ask who’s calling?” asked the woman.
“This is Blade Banner, Edward Banner’s grandson.”
“One moment, please.”
Grafton answered immediately. “Mr. Banner, this is a pleasant surprise.”
“You didn’t expect to hear from me?”
“Actually, no, I didn’t. Colin said you had no interest in the business.”
“Colin was mistaken. I’d like to sit in on the next board meeting, but I’d rather not let anyone know I’m going to be there.”
“A surprise visit? I can arrange that, Mr. Banner. Your grandfather was a good man, and he is greatly missed. We were all disappointed that you were unable to attend the memorial service the employees held for him here at company headquarters.”
“I didn’t know about the memorial service, Mr. Grafton.”
“But Colin said—”
“From now on, I’d appreciate being informed directly about these things.” Blade gave him his cell phone number and post office box number in Gig Harbor.
“I assume you’ll be voting your grandfather’s shares from now on.”
“As soon as I can make an informed decision on the issues. Other than the information I pulled off the Internet, I know nothing about the company. Would you ask someone to send me a packet of information before the board meeting, including the voting records of the board members?”
“Of course. The meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday morning at ten in the board room here at company headquarters. I’ll have my secretary get a package off to you this afternoon.”
“I appreciate that, Mr. Grafton.”
Blade ended the call and leaned back in his grandfather’s leather desk chair. Jacobs had told him the next meeting was in mid-May.
There were things Jacobs didn’t want him to know.
And Blade intended to find out what they were.
Chapter Ten
Work on the house continued. There were three suites on the third level, one for each of Edward Banner’s sons. Father Michael’s room had a big crucifix on the wall over the bed. His personal things had already been packed.
Blade motioned to the boxes in the closet. “We’ll have these things shipped out and store them in Harley’s room until I can go through them.” He had a feeling that room would be too full to hold the bike. There were a lot of things in this house that needed more than a cursory glance, and his uncle’s life was one of them. He could go through them more thoroughly after he and Maria and the kids settled into the new house.
Maria checked out the room, looking for anything that might have been missed, but aside from routine cleaning, this room looked like it had been untouched for decades.
Matthew’s rooms had been more recently occupied, but his things had also been packed. Blade and Maria checked through the closets and drawers to be sure there was nothing of importance left behind. There wasn’t.
They stopped at John’s rooms last. “I came in here after my grandfather’s funeral,” said Blade. “I don’t have any desire to know about my father’s past. Every memory I have of him involves pain. The other members of this family may have gone to heaven, but this Banner is undoubtedly burning in hell.”
The only other room on the third floor was a big playroom. “Oh, look at the train set. I always wanted one of these.” Blade removed the plastic dust cover and examined the winter scene someone had built, with tunnels, trestles, trees, a small town, and a train depot. “It looks like the kids built it themselves. We have to take this home.”
He crawled under the table. “The legs are bolted on, so they’ll come off for shipping. The kids will have fun with this.”
“Especially the big kid.”
“Hey, it’s my turn for a childhood.”
“You have a Harley. That’s your childhood.”
“Aw, come on, Maria. A guy can never have too many toys.”
Maria smiled. While she’d been excited over the exquisite furnishings in the house, Blade grew excited over the toys. If they married, she’d have four boys instead of three.
The if was turning into a when in her mind, because the more time she spent with Blade, the more she wanted to give him the childhood he’d missed.
Bridget produced a box and packing materials, and Blade packed the train set himself. The playroom closet was filled with games and sports equipment and toys, and Blade packed them all. Maria wanted to tell him that they could buy all this at home, that they didn’t need to pay for it to be shipped, but she couldn’t burst his bubble. He looked happy packing the loot he’d found, the toys his father and uncles had played with as children, so she didn’t say a word.
<>
Fred’s parents brought the boys home and visited with Molly. Fred didn’t come with them. Sophia liked Fred’s parents, but she couldn’t stand to look at Fred. His mother seemed relieved that the week had ended, and the boys were glad to be home. Daisy’s tail wagged like crazy. She’d missed her boys.
“Where’s Mommy?” Jimmy asked.
“She’s still working in New York, but she should be home in a few days,” Sophia told them. “Blade’s grandfather had a big house.”
“Did she get to see the Statue of Liberty?” Robbie asked.
Sophia shook her head. “I don’t think she had time.”
After Fred’s parents left, Angelo and Teresa came down for dinner. Sophia loved having them down the street, because she could see them more often. Teresa was such a sweetheart and she treated Angelo like a king. Sophia loved all her son’s wives. Nicky’s wife was like her own daughter, and Gina had married a good man.
Maria was the one Sophia worried about. She was vulnerable right now, and spending this much time alone with Blade could get her in big trouble. Her daughter had enough children to take care of without having another baby at this point in her life. If Blade got her pregnant, would he hang around or leave her to support the baby by herself?
Sometimes it was hard to keep her mouth closed and stay out of her grown children’s personal lives. She’d been the best mother she knew how to be, but she couldn’t make their decisions for them, and she couldn’t live their lives for them.
<>
Blade took Maria shopping for clothes to wear to the Banner-Covington Board Meeting. She seemed reluctant to spend his money, but when he told her what he wanted her to do, she agreed to buy an appropriate outfit and come along to the meeting. He needed her at that meeting, needed her insight and unique talent.
She chose a dark red silk suit, and he bought a summer-weight black wool suit with a tie that matched Maria’s suit. Her skirt was short enough to show off her legs and long enough to be discreet. She had great legs.
They spent the rest of the day in the attic, a catch-all place with lots of hidden treasures. Maria found diaries belonging to Mary Beth Covington, and she put them in one of the trunks Blade had decided to keep. They didn’t have time to read everything and make decisions about what was important. If Blade ever had children, some of these things could be of interest to them someday. The entire history of the Banner and Covington families was here, in their private papers and diaries and photos. The photo albums in the library and the diaries and jewelry spoke of privileged lives, the kind of life that had been denied to Blade.
Every member of this family had been raised in luxury. They’d been well educated and socialized with other elite members of society. Blade had fought his way through life alone, but he’d gotten himself educated along the way. Someday he’d take over as Chairman of the Board of his grandfather’s company. It might not happen this week, but it would happen.
<>
A courier brought a package of information on the company from Joe Grafton, and while Maria and Bridget finished digging through the treasures in the attic, Blade scoured profit an
d loss statements, minutes of past board meetings, and a report of the past general stockholders meeting. He studied his grandfather’s notes on board members and realized that most of those notes were made years ago. Two of the members of the board were relative newcomers, both women. One was Elisa Williamson, Edward Banner’s former private secretary, and the other was Vanessa Milhauser.
Scanning Williamson’s voting record on previous issues, Blade was impressed. She supported her boss’s issues right down the line. So did Joe Grafton and Gordon Phillips, the CEO and Chairman of the Board. Edward had chosen his replacements well.
Colin Jacobs had supported Edward’s issues until three years ago, after Edward had stopped attending the board meetings. He’d apparently been ill for some time, or maybe he’d just gotten too old to keep on top of things. He was in his nineties when he passed away.
Two members of the board, Baker and Adler, voted at the last meeting to relax the stringent safety standards in the interest of company profits. Jacobs voiced his support of that view, and since he had Edward Banner’s power of attorney, his vote was in the majority.
Blade swore under his breath. The quiet, unassuming attorney had something going under the table.
<>
The buyers called Monday morning and asked if they could bring their daughter by to see the house again. Blade said, “Come on over. The house is a mess with all the sorting and packing going on, but I’m sure you understand.”
“Of course we do,” the man said. “We’re moving, too.”
Blade and Maria spent nearly an hour with them, and using the appraiser’s report as a guideline, he negotiated a price for the furnishings and artwork they intended to leave behind. The painting in the master bedroom was worth over two million, and Blade refused to take less than the appraised value. The buyers agreed to pay the price. Blade figured they really wanted that painting.
They wanted the contents of the library, and Blade flatly refused. Some things were negotiable.
The library was not.
<>
Monday afternoon, the private investigator brought copies of the reports Blade had requested. Blade handed him five hundred in cash. The thick envelope he’d brought contained information worth ten times the going rate.
After giving the PI another assignment, Blade sat down at his grandfather’s desk and opened the envelope. One look and he grabbed the phone to call Joe Grafton. “Does the company have an attorney on staff?”
“Yes, sir. Is something wrong?”
“Is it too late to schedule a brief meeting with the attorney right before the board meeting? It’s important or I wouldn’t ask.”
“If you’ll hold on a minute, I’ll check with her right now.”
Blade waited several seconds before Grafton came back on the line. “She’s clearing her schedule for tomorrow morning.”
One more call to Gerry in Gig Harbor, and the fax machine churned out a copy of Edward Banner’s will. Jacobs had known about Blade’s life in detail, including his reluctance to form any close attachments. He’d put the marriage requirement in the will because he didn’t think Blade was capable of finding a woman to marry.
Blade could contest the terms of the will, but if he said his grandfather didn’t know what he’d signed, the entire will could be thrown out and he could lose it all, including the money he’d already been given.
Over dinner, he talked with Maria about it. “Malcolm said my grandfather could no longer read, so he would have believed whatever Jacobs told him. The PI gave his reports directly to Jacobs, and the guy didn’t share all his information with my grandfather. He knew where I was three years ago. He knew where I lived, who I dated, how I made my living, everything down to the name of the guy I bought my Harley from and who carried my car insurance.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I could take it to court, but if I do I could lose everything, including the money I’ve already been given, and the whole process could take years.” The company would be in limbo with those shares tied up in court.
“Jacobs thought you’d be satisfied with what you have?”
Blade nodded. “If I fight him, I could lose everything, and if I don’t, he’ll take control of the company.”
Maria finished her salad before she spoke. “What if we stop in Las Vegas on the way home? There’s no waiting period there. We’ll keep it secret and wait to see what Jacobs does.”
He cocked his head. “You’d do that for me?”
“It would mean keeping it from everyone, Blade, including my family. If we don’t keep it quiet, he could find out.”
“Keep it hidden for how long?”
“Until Jacobs shows his hand and you get control of the company.”
Was she talking about a real marriage or one in name only? Either way, he’d have the company, but would he have her? What about after?
She gazed into his eyes. That’s up to you, Blade. You know what I want.
He wanted to give her what she wanted, but he didn’t know if he was capable of being a good husband and father.
<>
Their lovemaking was intense and passionate that night, and Blade knew Maria loved him. No matter how much money he offered her, she wouldn’t have agreed to marry him if she didn’t love him. He wanted to tell her what she wanted to hear, that he loved her. Maybe he did, but he couldn’t say the words unless he was sure. He didn’t know anything about love, but he knew he wanted to be with her, and he had to stop Jacobs and his buddies from taking control of Edward Banner’s company.
After Maria went to sleep, Blade pulled on his jeans and walked down to the library to study the papers again. Some were personally wrenching. His natural mother had left him in his father’s care while she went on a shoot in Mexico. While there, she became ill, and several weeks passed before she’d recovered enough to come back home. She’d connected with Sunny, who said that John had moved on and taken her two-year-old son with him.
Deanna Benjamin had tried several other times to find Blade. She knew that John had died, but she didn’t know what had happened to her son. Deanna married and had two daughters, and she now lived in Dallas with her husband. Her grown daughters also lived in Dallas.
Secrets and lies. Blade’s entire life was based on secrets and lies.
And greed.
He read the will thoroughly, and although he didn’t understand all the legal terms, he understood that Colin Jacobs had intended for Blade to fail. Jacobs was listed as Executor of the estate, therefore he would be the one to handle the sale of Edward Banner’s company stock. The money, minus a hefty percentage to Jacobs for his time and trouble, would be donated to the charity specified in the will.
No doubt Jacobs already had a buyer lined up for that stock.
How long had he been waiting for Edward Banner to die?
<>
After breakfast, the limo delivered Maria and Blade to Manhattan, to the company headquarters of the Banner-Covington Shipping Corporation. Maria was nervous about attending the meeting, but she’d agreed to go for a purpose. Blade wanted her to see if she could hear anything of interest at the meeting.
Maria looked out the window at the city. It was her first time in New York, and she didn’t want to miss a thing. She felt almost elegant in her new suit, the most expensive clothes she’d ever owned.
She glanced at Blade, his head bent over his papers, preparing for the most important meeting of his life. There was more than money at stake today. The policies his grandfather had insisted upon to ensure the safety of his employees and the environment were at risk.
The first time they met, he wore a pair of faded jeans and a black T-shirt that hugged his strong chest and arms. He smelled of sweat and motor oil, and he was still the sexiest man she’d ever met. Now, dressed in his new suit and tie, with his hair styled just so, he presented a polished, professional image to the world. And he was still the most appealing man she’d ever met.
He nudged her s
houlder. “What are you smiling about?”
“I’m wondering what these high-powered business people would think if they’d seen you and Daisy in the garage that day.”
“You think they’d like my Harley?”
She smiled. Are those allowed in Manhattan?
Honey, Harley wouldn’t like it here.
Ten minutes later, they were shown into the office of the President and CEO of the company. Blade introduced Maria as a potential investor, Maria Donatelli. “She’s here to observe today.”
Joe Grafton shook her hand and welcomed her.
Potential investor?
What am I supposed to say, that you’re my lover? My secretary? My fiancée? You’re not wearing a ring, honey, and I don’t want to give anything away here.
The company attorney, Martha Nettles, a pleasant looking woman a few years older than Blade, shook his hand and sat behind her desk. Threads of gray sprinkled the dark hair at her temples, but her eyes sparkled with intelligence and wit.
After Grafton left Blade and Maria alone with her, Blade got right down to business. Maria listened quietly to their discussion. At first the attorney remained non-committal, but when she heard the full scope of the problems, her entire demeanor changed. She scribbled furiously on a legal pad and asked her assistant to make copies of the papers Blade had brought with him. Maria realized that Blade could have hired an attorney and fought Jacobs on a personal level, but he wasn’t the only one who’d been harmed by Jacobs. Going at it from this direction, he’d have all the resources of the company behind him.
“Do you attend the board meetings, Miss Nettles?” asked Blade.
“On occasion. Would you like me to sit in today?”
“Absolutely.” If this ever gets to court, we’ll need someone on our side.
Maria picked up some vague thoughts from the attorney, some professional and some personal observations about Blade’s physique. She liked Blade, liked his honesty, and appreciated him coming to her with this before the company got in trouble with the Securities and Exchange Commission. If anyone was going to get in trouble, it would be Jacobs, Adler, and Baker.
