Page 3 of Merrick

Kicking back in her worn leather chair, she raised her feet and crossed them on the desk, her coffee cup cradled in her hands. She would never admit it, but the knife had sliced her left arm and was hurting like a son of a bitch.

She had not required stitches, thankfully and the doctor had slapped ointment on it after cleaning the wound, but it was stillthrobbing like an aching tooth, which was pissing her off all over again.

She had dropped her guard for a second and that had given the sick son of a bitch to get close. Shaking her head, she finished the coffee and put away the cup. She would finish up and get out of here, before the commander came looking for her.

What she was going to do with the rest of the time, was beyond her.

*****

Merrick settled back in the soft body molding leather chair and trained his intense gray eyes on the man seated across from him. His desk was an impressive redwood with carved legs and etchings and had been especially designed for him by a carpenter who he was friends with.

The stunning view at his back was that of the town, with its spears of buildings and the backdrop of a summer blue skyfading into fall. Everything about the man was impressive and intimidating.

The fifty-five-year-old had worked tirelessly to bring his company to what it was now. A giant in the pharmaceutical world with diversified holdings including real estate, oil wells and a successful airline.

His face was lean and attractive, the pain and tragedy from his past giving it a haunting quality. His eyes were sharp and gave one the impression that he could see clearly through and into the soul. Thick black hair was heavily threaded through with gray.

His body was lean and muscular. He had shed his navy-blue jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his baby blue cotton shirt to his powerful forearms. He had also dispensed of his tie and unbuttoned the two top buttons to reveal a strong column of tanned throat.

When he was not chained to his desk or travelling for work, he was often at his private gym or working out at his club. He was trained in the art of Krav Maga and kickboxing.

His years in the service of the marines had honed his skills and given him much needed discipline. In business he was a shark with powerful reach, and nothing escaped him. But he had a weakness. When it came to family, he could not see beyond the surface.

“I will talk to him.” Maurice Pendergast was the younger brother by ten years but lacked his brother’s strength and character. Merrick had put him in a position of authority despite warnings from his board and the top management of the company. The man was steady but lacked any sort of initiative.

“No!” Merrick shook his head decisively. “I will talk to him.” He trained those intense gray eyes on his brother. “You cannot keep making excuses for him. Jason is a grown ass man who needs to take responsibilities for his actions. He keeps messing up.” Tamping down the anger and frustration, he firmed his lips.

“I did not work tirelessly to take this company to where it is for my nephew to tear it down. He has been absent from work for the past three days and messed up a negotiation of vital importance to the company. The board is recommending that we fire him, and I am inclined to agree and give into their demand.”

Maurice’s eyes, a shade lighter than his brother’s and without the intense light, opened wide. “You cannot do that. It would destroy him.”

Merrick made an impatient gesture with one hand. “I don’t want to go to that extreme, but he is forcing my hand. Michael is doing so well, and I do not like comparing the two brothers, but Jason comes up severely lacking. What the hell is going on with him?”

His brother, Maurice, hung his head in defeat. “We’re having problems at home.”

Merrick sent him a narrowed eye look. “So?”

“Janey and I have been fighting constantly.” His chin wobbled as he lifted his head to look at his brother. He had often envied the man, his tenacity and ability to make money at the drop of a hat. Merrick was the oldest, so he had inherited the company and turned it into a multi-billion dollar one.

He was also the better looking, the stronger and the one that was not afraid of anything. He was also the one that his wife had wanted and that was a constant source of unrest and argument between them.

“Jason takes it to heart.”

“What is it this time?”

“She wants a bigger house.”

Merrick’s thick brows shot up and cynical amusement curved his lips. “Let me guess - a friend of hers has just moved into a mansion and she is dissatisfied with the current living arrangement. You are living in the manor that has been in the family for decades.

I obligingly moved out years ago when you got engaged. The place has eight bedrooms in total and has been redecorated how many times in the last few years?”

“Five.” His brother held up a hand to show the amount of fingers, a bitter expression on his face.

His face hardened fractionally as he leaned forward. “That is going to stop. I approved the redecorating the last couple of times, but I am drawing a line in the sand. If you cannot control your own wife, that leaves me to do something about it.”

Maurice tamped down his resentment at the autocratic tone. “You’re not married, so you wouldn’t know what…,” his voice tailed off at the closed look on his brother’s face and he could have bitten off his tongue. “Mer, I am, sorry as hell. I don’t know…”

“Forget it.” He waved a hand in dismissal. “I am calling a family meeting to set everyone straight. The company cannot keep footing the bill for some trivial and frivolous spending that has been going on. And Jason gets one more chance to prove himself.

---