Page 31 of Stay In Your Layne

“At least I’m getting some.”

Layne rolled her eyes, regretting her life choices this afternoon when she could have gotten wrecked by Joey in that dressing room. She could have fired a kill shot about Liam paying to get his kicks, but she was working on self-improvement and all that crap.

Before their bickering could devolve any further, Scott calmly came down the primary staircase that led into the front foyer. He was dressed in a dark grey suit with a dress shirt in an even darker shade of grey underneath. Layne noted that he appeared to be ready for a meeting, not just with his children, but he must have been expecting to meet with someone else tonight.

“Good, you’re both here. Let’s have a talk.”

Liam glanced over at Layne, clearly coming to the same conclusion as she had. This wasn’t going to be just any typical discussion. Not saying another word, they both followed after the head of the family.

He walked past his office until he came to a door painted in the same greige as the walls. He pulled on the handle, swung the door open, and began the descent into the wine cellar down below.

Liam made sure he cut ahead of Layne, following behind their dad like a loyal puppy. She was sure to pull the door shut behind her before she took up the rear.

One would expect the wine cellar to look like something out of the French countryside, perhaps musty and reminiscent of what you might find in a medieval castle. That wasn’t the case. The glass cases housed bottles upon bottles of a multitude of fine vintages. The lighting was designed to focus all the attention on the extensive collection that spanned across all four walls. In the center of the cellar was a narrow island that housed glassware underneath.

The cellar made an ideal location when one wanted isolated privacy and confidentiality. All the walls were buffered, no cameras were installed down there, and there was precisely one way in and one way out.

Scott decisively grabbed a bottle of Cabernet Franc, easily valued at a cool grand. “I wanted to speak with you both before Liam and I go take care of some business.” He selected three glasses and began to pour each of them a serving of vino.

Layne selected the glass nearest to her, taking a preliminary sip. She wasn’t a huge wine snob, beer was more her drink of choice, but she could appreciate the notes and flavors dancing across her palette.

Scott continued, “As the two of you know, I’ve been looking for a specialist to handle the very delicate situation that we have with Franzetti. It hasn’t been easy tracking down someone with both the skillset and the discretion. The last thing I want is for Franzetti to see it coming more than he already is.” He paused to taste the bold flavors from his glass.

“With that said, I believe I’ve finally found the right person. We have a meeting with his coordinator in an hour to talk specifics, then if all goes well, we will do a final vet with the specialist next week.”

“Great.” Layne swirled the red liquid around in her glass. “That gives me enough time to run back home and change.”

Scott looked at Layne, his expression apologetic. “It’s just Liam and I going tonight, Layne.”

“What? Why? I have every right to know who is going to be doing the dirty work on my behalf.” Her temper began to ignite due to the fact that he was already trying to exclude her from this.

“You don’t need to be put at any more risk than you already are.” He attempted to explain his reasoning.

She wasn’t buying it. “That’s a bunch of bullshit! I should have a say in this.”

Liam cleared his throat lightly. “I agree with Layne.”

She paused, looking over at Liam in a bit of surprise. “Not that I’m complaining, but since when do you agree with me on anything?”

Liam shrugged. “I just think that if I were in your shoes, and I wasn’t going to be taking care of business myself, I’d want to evaluate the person who is.”

Layne’s hand motioned at her brother. “See? Even he gets it.”

With her father silently staring down into his wine glass, he donned a calculating expression taking into consideration what they both had told him. It was obvious he was hesitant to backtrack on his initial decision, but once he lifted his eyes to Layne, she knew she had won on this matter.

“If the meeting tonight goes well, and we get to the final stage of the hiring process, then you can join us next week. To be clear though, if we get to next week and there is even the slightest indication that shit is going to hit the fan, you are to leave without so much as an eye-roll. Got it?”

She tried to contain the smile of victory by hiding it behind taking another sip of her beverage. “Mm-hm.”

He muttered under his breath. “God help me.”

Scott finished off what was left in his glass. “The meeting will be at Death’s Door in an hour. Liam, do what you need to prepare, and then meet me there. Do not be late.” He set his glass down on the center island and left the two of them there alone.

Layne could have picked the battle about Liam going tonight to discuss the administrative minutiae, and she should have also been involved but instead, she was more concerned about who was going to be the one getting their hands dirty. It was a strategic decision to give up one less important meeting to get what she ultimately wanted.

Giddy that she was finally getting looped back into business operations again if all went well tonight, Layne was going to be chomping at the bit waiting for next week to arrive. Until then, she would have to find a way to occupy her time.

Before she stepped away from the table to leave, Liam stopped her with a hand on her elbow. “Just because I agreed with you this once, doesn’t mean that you’re going to be in charge of the final negotiations next week.”

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