I get dressed in a suit but skip the tie. Looking at myself in the mirror, I make sure I look every bit the part of the future president of CRC.
When I walk out into the living room, the corner of Falcon’s mouth lifts. “Dressed to kill?”
“You’ve got that right.”
Lake comes out, struggling with his tie again. “Mace, help.”
I walk over to him and fix his tie, then pat him on the shoulder. “Good to go.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
There’s a knock at the door, and Falcon opens it. Preston clears his throat, his eyes on the screen of his phone. “I’m all set. The servers are pinging all over the place.”
“I feel I should warn you,” Lake says as he walks toward Preston. He places his arm around his shoulders, then gestures to Falcon and me. “If you make yourself irreplaceable they will never let you go. You still have time to save yourself, unlike me.” Lake pulls dramatically away from Preston. “Run, Preston. Save yourself.”
Falcon begins to chuckle, and I can only shake my head while I smile at them.
Preston still has to work on his sense of humor, because he’s dead serious when he says, “No, thank you. I’m hoping that will happen.”
“Why?” I ask, taking a couple of steps closer to him.
Preston looks down at his phone, then tucks it into his pocket. His face flushes red before he answers, “I don’t want to be known as a nerd or just another paper pusher who happens to have a brain.”
I cross my arms and feel Falcon move closer until he’s standing next to me.
“I want to make something of myself. You know? I want to be more.”
“And you think working with us will give you that?” Falcon asks.
Preston shakes his head, and then he glances at me before looking at Falcon. “I don’t think so. I know working with you will make it happen.”
Falcon moves first and goes to stand in front of Preston. He holds his hand out to him, and when they shake, he says, “Then I look forward to creating the future with you.”
Preston’s face lights up. “So, I won’t just be working on the business plan with you?”
Falcon shakes his head and smiles, “No, you’re going to help me bring ideas to fruition. When the business plan is completed, we’ll begin looking at patents we can purchase.”
“Holy cow, that’s going to be awesome,” Preston almost gushes.
“Let’s get going, guys,” I say.
When we walk out of the building, Falcon walks ahead, with Lake right behind him. I’m last, and as my eyes scan over the grounds, I notice how students stop to watch as we head to our cars.
Preston falls in next me, and whispering, he asks, “Why do you always walk like this and not next to each other?”
Smirking at him, I say, “Falcon protects Lake.”
“And you?”
I throw my arm around Preston’s shoulders. “I make sure no one stabs them in the back.”
“Right.” The words sink in, and with wide eyes, he sputters, “I-I’ll n-never do t-that.”
Patting him on the back, I chuckle, “I’m just fucking with you.”Chapter 25Mason“As a firm supporter,” Senator Weinstock pauses and jabs his forefinger at the podium, “CRC Holdings have backed me every step of the way. They have provided the much-needed funds to help create jobs.” His eyes scan over the ocean of people who are here to support him. “And today, more small businesses have been able to keep their doors open over the past six months, due to the support of CRC Holdings.”
Glancing to the Senator’s left, I watch Serena smiling brightly where she’s standing next to her mother.
My phone begins to ring, and I step to the side before I answer, “Chargill.”
“Are you all set?” Julian asks. “Do you need me to come down to the rally?”
“No, we have everything covered. Trust me to handle this.”
I went to meet with Julian when I popped into the office. He agreed to let me take his place after I showed him the proposal Dad had me look at. Lucky for me, it was from the Senator, and how he planned to expand the harbor. Also lucky for me, Preston hacked into the Senator’s home computer where we stumbled across his real plans. He would pocket half the investment from CRC. So, it’s with a clear conscience that I’m ruining the Senator’s career.
“I trust you.” I hear Julian take a deep breath, and then he says, “We should have dinner, Mason.”
“We can meet up next week.”
“That sounds great.” He lets out a relieved sigh, and it makes me feel like shit for putting a distance between us after Jen’s death. There’s a moment’s pause, then he adds, “Remember, make sure CRC comes through this unscathed.”
“I’ve got this.”
“Good luck.”
I end the call and walk back to where Falcon and Lake are.