Page 22 of GAF Factor

“Why him?” Eli barked.

“Yeah, no offense, but I don’t want to have to fill out a spreadsheet for every job,” Thumper muttered.

My lips twitched in amusement at their outrage. “Did you want the job?”

“No,” Thumper grumbled.

I turned to Eli. “You?”

He scoffed, shaking his head. “Are you kidding? I want less work. You just gave us more.”

“That’s what I thought.” I glanced at Jack and Chase in case they wanted to put up an argument, but they both seemed content. “I figured you wouldn’t want the position, Jack. Office life doesn’t seem to suit you.”

“Not even a little.”

“And Chase, you just got your team back together. This isn’t the time to rework things.”

“Agreed.”

“So, now that we’re all in agreement?—”

“Hang on,” Max muttered, stumbling to his feet. “What about me?”

My jaw dropped as I took in the pink Hawaiian shirt, the straw hat, the cigar he wasn’t supposed to be smoking in the building, and the obvious reek of alcohol. He was doing better with not drinking, but he wasn’t ready by any means to lead the company.

“What about you?”

“You didn’t ask me.”

“There was a reason for that.”

He puffed out his chest, looking quite adorable as he pretended to be hurt by his exclusion. “Not that I want to run this company, but you could at least ask.”

Biting back a grin, I put on my most serious face. “Max, the company is in trouble. Will you lead us through these dark times and carry us through to the light?”

He tore off his sunglasses, revealing his bloodshot eyes. “I’m gonna have to respectfully pass. But I would like to put in a request for a new plane.”

“Request denied.”

“Figured,” he muttered, sitting down. “Should have taken the job. I could have gotten whatever fucking plane I wanted.”

“Now that we’re all in agreement, Lock, I would like you to take the lead on rebuilding the clientele. I think we all know Cash pushed aside jobs recently. We need to get back on track with that. Max, since Fox is in the hospital, your team is out of the rotation for now. Maybe work on…not being drunk all the time.”

He saluted me and leaned back in his chair, puffing on his cigar.

“I will be leaving for about a week to head to Pennsylvania. I’m hoping I can enlist the help of Knight and persuade him to find Cash and get him to work his shit out.”

“If Fox failed, what makes you think Knight will be able to do it?” Jack asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t know. He’s his brother. Even if they don’t know each other, maybe he can do or say something…”

Jack raised his head slightly, his eyes narrowing on me. “You didn’t ask any of us to do it.”

“Because you all worked with Rafe. Cash wouldn’t listen to you. If anything, he’d be more angry that you haven’t given up everything to go with him and take revenge. I doubt it would do any good.”

“But you know he’s right,” Jack continued, shocking the hell out of me.

“Excuse me?”

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