Unmerited Favor: The Compassion and Peril of Mercy ( Un missable Series Book 2)

by Jerry Summers

  Sean agrees. “Good idea. Would you forward me all the contact information for the buyers in the UK, research them, and have a report ready for Ms. Silva in two days? In the meantime, I’ll see if any strategic alliance dialogues can be opened with these retailers in order to maximize distribution channels and profits. Bradley, relax a little bit. You are doing an incredible job. Just keep me informed of any new developments, please.”

  Bradley sighs. “Yes, Mr. Green.”

  They hang up, and Sean addresses the group and recaps the discussion.

  He grins and looks at Jessica. “Hang on to your hat, because the tempo of your production team has just gone through the roof.”

  Nate gives Jessica a concerned look while Bonnie grins. “All this is wonderful news!” she exclaims. “I told you you had nothing to worry about.”

  Nate interrupts Jess’ response. “It is terrific news, but now we have a whole new set of concerns.”

  Bonnie rolls her eyes. “That’s what she pays you for—to worry so she doesn’t have to.”

  Jessica laughs and says, “Oh, Bonnie, I pay him for so much more than that. Although he is a terrific worrier. It keeps me focused.”

  “Speaking of focused,” Bonnie says, looking at Sean, “how was your evening?”

  “Bonnie!”

  “What? Inquiring minds would like to know, since you both left the gathering so abruptly last night.”

  Before Jessica can say anything, Sean jumps in. “Last night was marvelous, beyond my wildest expectations, and absolutely satisfying to the soul. Well, at least for me.”

  All eyes turn to Jessica. She feels the blood rushing to her face, and she knows she has turned beet red. “Oh, boy.”

  Bonnie smiles. “Well then, apparently it was a good night all around. Did you break any nails, dear?”

  Jessica glances at them, expecting to say of course not, only to discover that, in fact, she has broken two.

  Blushing once again, she says, “Well, yes, apparently I did.”

  “I am so happy for you both.”

  Nate mutters, “I knew all that pent-up sexual desire would turn into wild sex of epic proportions.”

  Jessica’s mouth drops open, and Sean laughs.

  “Geez, OK. I’m glad you’ve all had your fun,” Jess says, then jerks the subject away from her sex life. “Nate, what are you and Phillip planning after we all leave today?”

  “Well, I don’t believe we’re planning to break any nails, but one never knows,” Nate replies, and Bonnie and Phillip both chuckle.

  “Oh, shut up. Really, what are your plans?”

  Still grinning, he replies, “I think we’ll just relax around the pool today and maybe do some sight-seeing later on in the week. Both of us need to unwind a bit. This place is truly out of this world.”

  Bonnie nods, and Jess turns her attention to Wendy.

  “How is your schedule looking?” she asks.

  “I have a few sessions scheduled over the next few days, but mostly I want to spend some quality time with Bonnie. Maybe this time she won’t deprive me and rush back home,” Wendy answers with a chuckle.

  Bonnie rolls her eyes. “I’ll be in San Diego with you for at least three days. Is that enough time, your highness?”

  Everyone laughs, and then they go in separate directions to pack and head to the airport. On their way out the door, Bonnie, Wendy, and Jess hug Nate and Phillip.

  “Remember,” Bonnie says, “this is a vacation. Enjoy the time you have here in Brazil.”

  They nod and shake hands with Sean, while Bonnie instructs the staff to take great care of them, as always.

  CHAPTER 12

  BEATEN

  Charlotte Evans arrives at the SGM offices at One Embarcadero Center, and she is ushered into the conference room. Fresh fruit, muffins, bagels, smoked salmon, and various meats are arranged with freshly brewed coffee. Sean tells her to help herself, then begins the meeting by outlining the agenda he has prepared. He also gives her the names of various department heads who will be brought in throughout the day as their expertise is required, in order to completely brief Ms. Evans on the most critical issues facing Global Metal Refining.

  “It’s probably going to take all day,” Sean says. “Do you need to change any of that?”

  “Oh no, thank you. I freed my entire day for this briefing.”

  Sean nods and begins the conversation with some initial background on Mark and Bonnie’s relationship, Bonnie’s hypersensitivity to eco-friendly mining practices, and the need for Global Metal Refining to be positioned as good stewards of the environment.

  Charlotte jumps in. “Wait a minute! Mark never discussed any of this with his top management team or the board. Where is this coming from? What you are suggesting could cost millions in production increases.”

  “I don’t believe I’ve suggested anything yet. I simply alerted you to the motivating factors of your largest stockholder. Mark recognized this could be a huge issue in his marriage, so he had me create the proper ‘spin’ while Global Metal Refining continued to maximize production. This is what I do here.”

  “Well, no disrespect intended here, but it isn’t working. Mother Earth Cooperative is all over us.”

  Sean gives her a look. “The campaign hasn’t been fully launched yet because of Mark’s and Ricardo’s deaths. The company was temporarily overwhelmed, obviously, and Hugo Montes was just as overwhelmed with the sudden death of his cousin.”

  Charlotte considers this. “Very well, I see your point. So what is the plan going forward?”

  He sits back in his chair and sighs. “What I’m about to tell you must remain confidential unless the FBI gets involved. Then you’ll have it to protect you and Global Metal Refining.”

  Charlotte raises her hand to stop him. “I’m not sure I want to hear it, especially if it could involve me in an FBI investigation or indictment. So before you go on, can you assure me whatever you’re about to tell me won’t land all over me if the shit hits the fan?”

  Sean chuckles. “I can assure you, you are in the clear and can act outraged if it does implode, since you had no prior knowledge of Mark’s actions.”

  She sighs. “OK, then let me have it.”

  “Mark had me design a strategic marketing campaign to deny culpability or knowledge of Diablo Mining’s mining practices in Brazil, essentially placing Hugo Montes in the center of Mother Earth Cooperative’s cross hairs.”

  “Why would Hugo agree to that when his mining practices are legal in Brazil?”

  “Money. We gave him an initial payment of one hundred thousand dollars, nonreportable, and a subsequent payment of five hundred thousand dollars, also nonreportable. However, this second amount is to be deducted from the two-million-dollar marketing campaign to reposition Diablo Mining as the innovator of eco-friendly mining and restoration practices. This way Global Metal Refining gets the gold it contracted for, Diablo Mining takes the immediate hit with the media, and then I reposition them as an industry leader in restoration practices. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.”

  “OK.” She lets out a breath. “But why the second payment of five hundred thousand dollars?”

  “Remember when Diablo Mining had five brand-new pumps shot up?”

  She nods. “Yes, but that’s a local police problem.”

  “Maybe, maybe not. It happened immediately after Global Metal Refining denied any knowledge of the issues raised by Mother Earth Cooperative. Hugo was pissed and threatened to tell Bonnie that Mark wasn’t as eco-friendly in his practices as he had led her to believe.” Sean shrugs. “Mark didn’t want or need any of that drama in his personal relationship, so we came up with this strategy. It reimbursed Hugo for his pump losses, repaid the nonreportable one hundred thousand dollars, and helped buffer some of the negative media.”

  “I know I shouldn’
t ask this question, but where did Mark get the six hundred thousand dollars to pay Hugo? Were they corporate funds?”

  “I have no idea. That was information I never wanted, for obvious reasons. It’s my belief, however, that the funds were not corporate. I think they came from Mark’s personal coffers, because he never wanted to put corporate executives or board members at risk.”

  “Well, that’s great news. I can deny any knowledge and so can our chief financial officer. There’s no paper trail because the payment didn’t include corporate dollars. How was it delivered to Hugo?”

  “It’s my understanding that Mark had the money personally delivered,” Sean replies smoothly.

  Charlotte’s look is deadpan. “Obviously. By whom?”

  “I’ve no idea. I never asked him.”

  “Smart.”

  Sean gives her a sharp smile, then begins to lay out the marketing campaign. After the strategy is fully revealed, Charlotte says, “So there really isn’t a change in Mark’s mining contract philosophy the company needs to worry about. It’s business as usual. You’re just responsible for ‘spinning’ the company’s image and positioning the organization as an environmentally sensitive organization. Is that correct?”

  “Precisely.”

  “So I really blew it with Bonnie when I said we were far too environmentally cautious, and that’s why she reacted so strongly?”

  Sean grins. “Pretty much. We will have some repair work to do there, if you still want SGM around.”

  “Even if I didn’t—which is no longer the case—you, Bonnie, and Wendy control the voting power of the board of directors. I could get rid of SGM in one of two ways: your voluntary resignation or attempting to divide the voting power by creating a rift between you, Bonnie, and Wendy. I don’t see either of those happening, and if I tried the second, I’d be signing my own termination papers. I like my job, so how can I remove my foot from my mouth and repair the damage done?”

  “Trust me, I’m really good at what I do, and I’m here to help not only you but also Global Metal Refining through these trying times.”

  Charlotte sighs and listens as Sean explains how she can get back on Bonnie’s good side without pushing too hard.

  Wendy and Bonnie are sharing a fresh pot of coffee, enjoying the view of the ocean from Wendy’s penthouse, when Wendy receives an urgent phone call from one of her clients, Nancy Davis.

  “Wendy, thank goodness. He did it again,” Nancy says, extremely distraught, because her husband, Arnold, a prominent real estate developer has just beaten Nancy and put her in the hospital.

  “Calm down, dear. What happened?” Wendy replies, excusing herself from the balcony.

  “I accused him of having another affair. I knew he was doing it, but he denied it, so I pushed and…I told the nurse I was mugged. I just couldn’t tell her the truth…” Nancy sobs softly into the phone.

  Wendy sighs. “Why do you keep doing this? We’ve talked about this. I thought you were going to report him. You’re strong enough, Nancy.”

  “I thought I was, but he made it very clear he would make sure I was ruined if I called the cops. We’ve been married twenty years. I have no skills, and I would lose everything I have if he did that to me.”

  “I’m on my way. What room are you in?”

  “Five twenty-three.”

  “OK. Give me forty-five minutes to get there.”

  There is some sniffling. “Believe me, I’m not going anywhere for a few days.”

  Wendy feels tendrils of anger at that statement and hangs up the phone. She walks back out to the balcony.

  “I’m sorry, dear, I have to go see a client at the hospital,” she tells Bonnie.

  “Oh, my,” Bonnie says, putting down her coffee. “What happened? Is everything all right?”

  Wendy shrugs. “Well, I thought we were making progress, and I really believed when her husband did this again she would be strong enough to report the abuse and leave him, but…she really needs me right now.”

  “Of course she does! Go. I’ll be fine here by myself for a while. Besides, if I need to stay another day, I can do that.”

  “Thanks for understanding. I’m not sure how long I’ll be.”

  “While you’re there, why don’t you pick up one of the doctors? Seems like you could use a good romp with all this stress in your life,” Bonnie says with a grin.

  Wendy laughs, and then she realizes Bonnie has just given her the perfect alibi if she can figure out how to get to Arnold Davis. She tucks it away for later planning. “I just might do that, if I can find a cute one.”

  “You go, girl.” Bonnie says. She lies back and tilts her face toward the sun.

  Wendy chuckles again, then heads out the door to the hospital.

  Even Wendy, who has seen many beaten women, wasn’t prepared for this. The once stunning Nancy is swollen and bruised almost beyond Wendy’s recognition. Her left eye has multiple stitches above and below. Her nose is broken, and the right side of her face is already purple. Her forearms are bruised up and down, and the two middle fingers on her right hand are broken.

  “Hey, thank you so much for coming,” Nancy says, giving Wendy a watery smile.

  Wendy gingerly sits on the hospital bed beside her, giving her a once-over. “Jesus.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Nancy says, glancing down at herself. “I guess I have to have surgery to fix the nerve damage in my hand.” She stops, unable to continue.

  Wendy manages a smile and maintains a calm, empathic demeanor while a sense of absolute rage wells up inside her, like the rising water of a tsunami about to unleash its fury on an unsuspecting coastline.

  She sits quietly, listening to Nancy relive the events.

  “You know what the worst part is?” Nancy asks, and Wendy shakes her head. “I just know Arnold is going to go out tonight and pick up some slut at a rooftop bar at a hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter. He’ll take her to our home and have sex with her. He always gets horny after doing this.” She gestures to her beaten body. “Tonight will be the best for him, because he put me in the hospital. Then, after he’s done fucking his slut, he’ll take a few Xanax and sleep like a baby. That’s how I always know when he’s been cheating on me.” Nancy shakes her head and excuses herself to go to the bathroom.

  While she’s in the bathroom, Wendy seizes the opportunity to take a handful of latex gloves and put them in her purse.

  When Nancy returns to her bed, Wendy asks, “Do you know which bar?”

  “I don’t know the name of it, but I know it’s near his office, close to the ballpark district.”

  Wendy nods. “Do you need me to go to the house and get anything for you while he’s out tonight?”

  Nancy considers. “If you wouldn’t mind getting my makeup case, it’s in the master bedroom upstairs. Here is my key, but please ring the doorbell to make sure he isn’t home. He always turns off the closed-circuit camera before he leaves on these nights, so you’ll be safe. He doesn’t want me to be able to prove he is having affairs. If he’s gone, he won’t be back before midnight.”

  “OK, I’ll go get your makeup. Can I bring it by tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, tomorrow will be soon enough. Thank you again.”

  “Of course.” Wendy gives Nancy a hug. She heads to Nancy’s house in La Jolla to get the makeup. Wendy rings the bell and waits. When there is no answer, she opens the door with the key and calls out. Again there’s no answer, so she goes inside, leaving the front door open in case Arnold comes home.

  She goes up to the master bedroom and notices Arnold’s office is in the loft adjoining the bedroom. She takes a moment to study the pictures of Arnold and Nancy in the master bedroom, and then looks through Arnold’s desk. She finds a credit card receipt to a hotel bar with multiple drink purchases. Nodding, she writes the name of the hotel on her palm, then heads into the
master bath where she steals six of Arnold’s Xanax pills. She goes over everything to make sure it’s all in order, leaves the house, and heads to her penthouse.

  “Bonnie, I’m back!” she calls when she lets herself in.

  “Hey, how’d it go?” Bonnie calls from the living room. Wendy follows her voice and finds her on the couch, browsing through a magazine.

  “Nancy is pretty beaten up,” Wendy says, putting away her purse, “but she’ll be OK. I managed to get a date. We’re going to this hotel for drinks.” She shows Bonnie the writing on her palm. “I’m not very good at dating. Could you help me with my outfit and makeup? I want to look really good for this guy.”

  “What are you talking about? You’re beautiful! But of course I’ll help. You’re going to look like a model! If he isn’t blown away, he’s either an idiot, or he lacks obvious male traits.”

  Wendy laughs. “I hope you can work magic with makeup, because that’s what it’s going to take to make me look like any of the models I know.”

  “Nonsense. You’re beautiful inside and out. You don’t need makeup to be gorgeous.”

  “Thank you for that, even though you’re a lousy liar.” She turns and heads to her bedroom, and Bonnie follows close behind. In the bathroom, Bonnie turns Wendy away from the mirror and begins the process.

  After a while, Bonnie nods briskly. “There. Your makeup is done. Now let’s see what we can find you to wear.” She walks from the bathroom into the adjoining closet.

  Wendy takes a breath and turns to the mirror. She’s stunned at how she looks and is even pleased with the look Bonnie has given her. She leans in for a closer look at the smoky eyes and vibrant lipstick.

  “Before I leave, I’m taking you shopping,” Bonnie calls from the closet. “Your wardrobe is pathetic.” She rummages to the very back of the closet and finally finds what she’s looking for. She pulls out a tight low-backed black dress with a classic V front. She looks at Wendy’s shoe collection and mutters obscenities to herself. She moves some stuff around and finds an unopened box that contains a pair of red pumps. She grins and takes the box back to the bathroom along with the dress.