Everybody in Seattle knew the former UW running back. His name opened doors.
Together they built one of the most successful firms on the West Coast. How many people worked for them now? It had to be close to four hundred.
Harry had been a good managing partner. The firm prospered under his leadership, but now that he was gone. What did their future look like?
When they drew up the partnership agreement, all those years ago, Harvey had thought about this day. He prepared for it. Cast it in stone. There was no way to deviate from the path the three had set down way back then.
“Ben, good to see you.” Harvey rose from this chair. Walked around his desk and extended his hand to his partner.
“I thought it was appropriate to take a few days off, in view of what happened.”
“Come on in.” Harvey turned to the wet bar on the side wall. “Can I get you a drink?”
“That would be nice.” Ben lowered himself into the reddish-brown love seat on one side of Harvey’s glass-topped coffee table.
“The usual?” Harvey looked over his shoulder to catch Ben’s nod.
“We have some heavy decisions to make.” Harvey walked over to the coffee table and handed his friend the drink. “Glenlivet on the rocks, right?” The twenty-one-year-old whiskey was as smooth as you could get.
“Thanks, Harry. . . I’m sorry. I meant Harvey.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve been doing the same thing myself.” Harvey seated himself on the love-seat at a ninety-degree angle to Ben. “We need to decide who’s going to be the new managing partner.”
“There are only two choices really, you or me.” Ben took a sip of his whiskey.
“I agree, but the managing committee may not. Whitefeather has some supporters.”
“Harvey, that’s not going to happen. We took John in as a bow to diversity. He has too many radical ideas. He’d lead the firm down a slippery slope.”
Harvey leaned back on the love seat, crossed his legs and took a sip from his glass. “We can’t let it happen. We have to keep the firm moving forward on solid business principles. We can’t let some crusader destroy what we’ve built.”
“Speaking of crusaders,” Ben tossed back the last of his drink. “What are we going to do about young Hardwick? A large block of the managing committee is going to vote how he and Candace tell them.”
“I’ve been thinking about that. They’re both trouble. Don’t want to play by the rules. This younger generation thinks they have all the answers.” Harvey got up and walked to his windows. Sixty-five stories below him the bustling city crept from the shores of Elliot Bay through a series of hills and to Lake Washington to the east. Beyond the Bay, Harvey could see Bainbridge Island and the Olympic Mountains in the distance. “They’ll get in the way. They’ll want to keep Harry’s presence alive.”
Ben started to say something.
“I know, Ben. We both loved Harry. He was a great leader. But you have to admit, he did some things that neither of us liked. We have the chance now to recast the firm. Keep all the good things, get rid of the bad things.”
“I guess you’re right.” Ben looked down at his shoes. “It feels like it’s too soon to start making changes, you know, out of respect to Harry, but this is a crucial point in the future of the firm. Maybe now we can expand into other markets. Harry always resisted that.”
“We also need to get more into the defense industry. With one of the country’s largest defense contractors just down the street, we don’t have any of their business.”
Ben stood up and walked over to Harvey. “Okay, what do you propose?”
“We have to get rid of Chris and Candace. They’ll always be bringing up how Harry did things. They’ll be a thorn in our sides.”
“All right, I hate to say it; I love Chris like a nephew and who wouldn’t want to have Candace in the office to look at every day? But you’re right. They have to go.” Ben looked up into his partner’s eyes. “How are we going to do it?”
“Don’t worry. Leave it to me. I have it all planned out.”
“Then what do we do about Whitefeather?”
Harvey put his hand on the shorter man’s shoulder. “I have a plan for that too, come on, let’s sit down and I’ll fill you in. . . .”
****
“So, to wrap up our conversation about Aldonza,” Maria kept her speech slow so that the class would understand her elegant Spanish, “you have to remember that Don Quixote was written in 1605. What you may consider clichés today, were fresh new ideas back then.”
Maria enjoyed the freedom she felt in America. In Mexico, she would have either lived with her parents, or, as when she was in Mexico City, been under the close scrutiny of family and friends. Tight jeans or a short skirt would cause a major scandal. Here she could dress as she liked, go where she wanted and sleep with the man she loved.
A smile trickled across her face as she thought of Ted. His handsome good looks, his body, built like Atlas, and his gentle touch in bed were all big plusses, but it was his mind and soul that she loved. He had a huge heart. He dedicated his life to helping people that can’t help themselves.
The bell rang.
“Okay everybody, good discussion today. For Wednesday, you need to read Don Quixote, pages one-fifty to two-twenty-five.”
The class got up and began shuffling out. As always, a group of students, mostly male, gathered around her with inane questions.
Maria was only a few years older than most of her students and she knew these boys were madly in love with her.
Oh, well. Enjoy it while it lasts.
“Professor Gonzales . . . Maria,” a tall thin young man asked, “what do you think about the fact that Aldonza is a whore and Don Quixote thinks she’s some kind of elegant lady?”
Just then her cell phone rang. She looked down at the screen. “You’ll have to excuse me. I have to take this.”
She walked away from the crowd. “Hi, Mom. What’s up?” She had a shaky feeling in the bottom of her stomach. Mom would never call during school hours.
“Maria. You have to come home.”
Maria heard the tears in her mother’s voice.
“Your father is missing.”
Maria almost dropped her phone. She knew the dangers of being a wealthy family in Mexico. Kidnappings, robbery and worse happened all the time. The drug cartels were out of control. They ruled the country.
“Mom, what happened?”
“Ricky drove into town this morning. They found his truck parked outside of the post office. I know he stops at that carnitas stand all the time. I try to keep him on a healthy diet, but every time he’s out of my sight, he goes crazy.”
Kids were beginning to wander in for the next class. Maria moved into a corner for more seclusion. “Mom, what about Dad?”
“He’s just gone. I asked Flaco to look for him. He found the car.” Flaco was the foreman on the rancho and the head of security for Ricky’s enterprises. “We have feelers out all over the city. No one will say a thing.”
“The cartels!” Maria almost spat those words. “Everyone is so afraid, they wouldn’t say anything if you offered them a million dollars. Have you called the police?”
“The police?” Maria could hear the scorn in her mother’s voice. “Who do you think you’re kidding? They probably kidnapped him. They’re all owned by one cartel or another.”
“Mom, I can’t come home. I’m right in the middle of a term . . . Ted . . . Mom, Ted asked me to marry him.”
“Sweetie, you have to come home. I need you here . . .” Theresa broke down into another fit of tears.
“Okay, Mom, I’m on my way.” Maria hung up.
Ricky was not a flamboyant businessman. He drove an old pickup truck. They didn’t dress in fancy clothes when in La Paz. Everyone in town knew him, knew he was rich, but he never showed it off. He contributed to the Church, schools, he looked out after orphans and widows. He was a fucking Robin Hood.
W
hy would someone kidnap him for a ransom? Or was this more nefarious? Did it have to do with his other businesses?
What to do? Do I stay with Ted, do I give him a ‘yes,’ or do I go home and help my family?
Maria knew her mother wasn’t a business woman. She couldn’t deal with running the businesses and negotiating for her father. But could Maria? Could she hold it together while they found her father?
An icy chill ran down her spine. Find her father? She knew Mexico too well. The chance of seeing her father alive again was next to nothing.
I have to take over for him. I have to run his business, for the family. Oh God, what does that mean? I have to give up my life here in the States? Ted. Ted will never understand.
Can I even do it? Will these men work for a woman? Am I putting my life and Mom’s in jeopardy by even contemplating it?
I have to go home. I can’t turn my back on my family.
But what about Ted? Should I just give him an answer? How can I explain that I can’t marry him? He sees everything in black and white. He was brought up in a whole different world. He won’t understand the family business. He won’t see that Dad provides employment for hundreds of people, attracts lots of business to the city.
What happens when he finds out who I really am? Is he strong enough to accept me as I am? How will he react when he finds out how long I’ve waited to tell him?
Her head spun. Did she bring Ted into her world? Would he accept it? Could he even survive it?
I can’t face him. I love him so much. I can’t do this to him. If I go, I go . . . there’s no coming back.
But she had to do something.
She looked down at the phone in her hand and made a decision. She opened her messaging app and typed a note to Ted.
I have an emergency at home. I have to go right away. I’ll call you when I get there.
Chapter 10
Thai One On was Chris’s favorite Thai restaurant within walking distance of the office. Candace occasionally joined him for lunches there, but more often he ate with his friends from work.
Chris enjoyed being popular. In high school he was the leader of the in crowd. In college he attracted the intellectuals. At the firm, he was surrounded by young women who worked as legal secretaries, paralegals and all the other office positions. Dad never hired ugly women. Candace used to tease him about being a kid in a candy store.
That changed when he met Hope. Well, got reacquainted with her actually. He made a couple of trips to East LA with Ted during breaks at college and met Hope when she was in high school. But it wasn’t until her brother and father disappeared in Mexico and he and Ted had to go after them that he got to know Hope.
And he liked what he discovered. A lot.
He felt a loneliness sitting in the booth waiting for his family. Hope should be here with him. She was practically family. Maybe he should make her family.
He knew his dad didn’t have a prejudiced streak in his body, but Chris always worried if Dad would accept a Mexican daughter-in-law. Well, that’s gone now. Nothing was stopping him.
“Hi, Chris.” Sarah came through the door. “You ordered yet?”
“No. I thought I’d wait ‘til everyone’s here.”
Sarah slipped off her jacket and slid in next to Chris. Instead of her usual sweat-shirt and jeans, she was dressed in a classic black Ann Taylor suit that emanated an aura of power. The skirt stopped a few inches above her knees.
“Wow! You sure dressed up for the occasion.”
“I thought I should be presentable. I have to wear suits for work all the time, so I thought I’d bring one with me. Nothing too flashy, you know, just enough to convince the powers that be that I’m a force to be reckoned with.”
Chris laughed. “You’ve been Hurricane Sarah since you were a little kid.”
“Hi, guys.” Candace walked up to the table. “You seem to be having a good time.”
Chris could hear the sadness in Candace’s voice.
“Just reminiscing old times. Sit down.” Chris waved towards the other seat. “You heard from Mr. . . . Ah . . . Harvey? Is he going to be here?”
Candace smoothed her skirt as she sat. “I guess so. I haven’t heard anything different.”
Harvey Bernstein used that moment to make his grand entrance. He swept through the door like a conquering hero. His gray pin-stripe suit hung off his slim body just so. His shoes were shined to a gloss that hurt the eyes. A quarter inch of white sleeve showed beneath the cuffs of his suit jacket.
“Candace, Chris, Sarah.” He flashed a broad smile. “It’s so good to see you again. I’m so glad you all could make it.”
Chris stood to shake Harvey’s hand.
“Is this an order at the counter type of place?” Harvey asked.
“No, they’ll come to the table.” Chris waved the server over. “Susie, we’re ready to order now.”
They chatted while their food was being served, nothing important, just small talk. Each told carefully sterile stories about Harry as they ate. No one was willing to become overwhelmed with emotion.
“You know why I called this meeting,” Harvey said, as he wiped his mouth with a napkin, then folded it and placed it over his plate. “There are issues, legal issues, about Harry’s partnership that have to be addressed. I hate to bring this up so soon, but it’s in the best interest of the firm.”
Chris felt a cold front move through the room.
Harvey spread his million-dollar smile. “As you should know, the path of succession is spelled out very clearly in the partnership agreement.” He pulled his briefcase onto the table and took out a folder. “I will try to make this as comfortable as possible.”
Candace cleared her throat, then thought better of it and said nothing.
“If a partner dies, or leaves the partnership, he or his heirs must sell their share back to the partnership. A partnership in the firm cannot be handed down.”
Chris made a growling sound, but kept his mouth shut.
“You may know that we have an insurance policy on the partners. Ten million dollars each. We agreed many years ago that if one of us died, that insurance policy would be used to buy the heirs out. I think it’s a generous number.” Harvey cleared his throat. “As Harry’s heirs, you would split the proceeds three ways.”
“Bull.” Chris couldn’t contain himself. “What if we don’t want to let Dad’s partnership go? Can’t Candace just take his place?”
Harvey took a minute to compose himself. He expected something like this. “I’m sorry, Chris, but the partnership agreement is very clear on this. We can’t break a written contract.”
‘Okay,” Chris put on his negotiator’s hat. “How about if you offer Candace a partnership and she can pay for it with the proceeds of the payoff? No money even has to change hands and we all go away happy.”
Sarah just sat and watched the ball being tossed back and forth from court to court.
“Chris, I don’t want to make this hard on you, on any of you, but you have to realize, that in spite of your relationship with our managing partner, you’re just employees of the firm. You have no say in management issues.”
The room closed in on Chris.
Candace took a sip from her Diet Coke, brushed back her long black hair and spoke. “Harvey, what does this mean for our practices? Chris and I are building healthy practices for the firm. Will we be able to go on?”
Harvey looked at his gold wristwatch. “I’m sorry, but I think it would be very difficult for you to work at HB&J under the circumstances.”
“This is just bullshit!” Sarah screamed at Harvey. “This is Dad’s company. He built this firm. I don’t have a stake in this. I’ll go along with whatever Chris and Candace want, but this is just dumb. You’re going to let two promising lawyers go, just kick them out on the street, because they were related to Dad?”
“Sarah,” Harvey said in a comforting voice. “I don’t think you understand these things.” He turned towards Candace.
“The managing committee has authorized me to offer you a fifty percent bonus if you will resign your positions. That’s an extra five million dollars.”
Candace took a long breath. When she finally spoke, it was with the authority of a dowager empress. “We can do the math, Harvey. We’ll think about your offer. We need to decide among ourselves what we want to do, but for now, I think you should leave.”
Chapter 11
What to wear?
Catrina paced back and forth in the bedroom of her century-old house on Capitol Hill with a bath towel around her body and one wrapped around her head. Her king-sized four-poster was covered in dresses, skirts, blouses and shells.
She held a pale-blue, frilly blouse up to her chin.
No. Too girlie.
She wanted to give the impression that she was a mature woman, totally in control of herself.
Why was she so nervous anyway? Harvey was just one of Harry’s friends. They were only getting to know each other. Nothing was going to happen. Why did she accept this date anyway?
How about the Liz Claiborne dress?
Too casual, made from a spring-like floral print. It would be right for a picnic or a trip to the zoo, but not for the symphony.
Her eyes fell on a pair of black leather, thigh-high boots.
That’s it. They say power and class. And a little bit wild. I’ll build my outfit around those boots.
No, that wouldn’t work. The boots said sexy. You just didn’t wear that kind of thing to the symphony. Okay, then how about a cocktail dress?
Catrina dug around in her closet and pulled out three slender cocktail dresses. She held the red one up in front of her and looked in the mirror. It was always her favorite dress, with a low cut neckline and thigh-high slit, but it was way too flirty. Besides, the last time she wore this dress, she ended up arresting a dangerous criminal. It really restricted her ability to chase him.
The purple dress reminded her of her grandmother. Why did she ever buy that anyway?
The Cartel Strikes Back: The Ted Higuera Series, Book 5 Page 7
