Page 111 of Relentless

“No, thanks, Caro. We’re fine,” Piper said as the assistant opened the office door.

“Piper and her friend are here, sir.” Caro stepped back and allowed them to pass, then closed the door behind her as she left.

“Come in.” Gino motioned to the sitting area with leather furniture. “Have a seat. Let’s talk.”

By the time the meeting and tour of the business concluded three hours later, Piper’s head hurt and she felt overwhelmed with the responsibility of keeping afloat a corporation the size of Galactic Games. One thing she’d realized during the tour. Piper needed people who understood the gaming business inside and out.

She waited until they were seated inside Liam’s SUV before she asked the question that had popped into her head near the end of the company tour. “Would Zane know people I could trust to advise me in running Galactic Games?” One thing had become clear as the tour progressed. Gino’s employees would do and say anything to protect their own best interests. Those interests didn’t necessarily coincide with the best interests of Galactic Games.

A slow smile curved his mouth as he started the engine. “I’m sure he does. Let’s ask him.” He activated his Bluetooth and called his friend.

“What do you need?” Zane asked when he answered the call.

“Tell Piper what you do in your spare time for fun.”

“I create video games. What’s going on, Liam?”

“Gino Romano is leaving Piper his company. She’ll need management help, someone she can trust.”

A soft whistle from the other man. “Sweet. Galactic Games is a fantastic company. How can I help?”

Relief swept through Piper. Maybe Zane could help her figure out how to run this titanic corporation and stop criminal activities she felt sure most of the workers knew nothing about. Piper was also beginning to wonder if Gino knew about the suspicious activities. “I need a list of names of people who’d be willing to serve on an advisory council at Galactic Games. Know anyone?”

“Several people. How many do you want?”

“Seven. Eight if you’re willing to serve.”

“Are you kidding? I’d love the chance to help. Your uncle’s company bought my black ops games.”

Even better. Piper drew a deep breath for the first time in hours. “Fantastic. Give me a list of names of people you trust and can work with, Zane. Most of the advisory work will be done online. The council should plan on meeting at least once a quarter. We’ll work out the best time which will coincide with Liam’s leave times.” She wouldn’t return to this viper’s nest without Liam by her side.

“I’ll get back to you with my recommendations along with their resumes. Thanks for asking me to participate.”

“You sure you have time, Z?” Liam asked. “You don’t sleep as it is.”

“I’ll make it work.”

“Thank you, Zane,” Piper said. “Any words of advice to get me started?”

“I know you asked for a full list of advisers to fill out the council. The wisest course of action might be to create a council of eight members, half of them in-house, half of them outsiders. That way you have the best of both worlds.”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“When will the council begin work?”

“Not sure. The doctors have given Uncle Gino three months or less to live. The council needs to be in place by that point, but they won’t be active until my uncle passes away.”

“Understood. When I talk to the people on my list, I’ll tell them the probable timeline. What else can I do, Liam?”

“Nothing right now. Later, Z.” Liam ended the call and glanced at Piper. “What do you think?”

“He’s a life saver. I’ll send him the list of candidates my uncle recommended along with their resumes and let him weigh in on the Galactic Games team members.” She was silent a moment, then said, “I’ll also ask HR for a list of first-line supervisors and their employees and pass those names to Zane as well. I’m not sure how much I trust the list of executives my uncle compiled. The supervisors and employees are less likely to be involved in questionable activities.”

A slow smile curved his mouth. “Excellent idea. Are you hungry?”

She nodded.

“Let’s eat dinner before we pick up your uncle.”

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