Until then, nothing will be shared.
M. Butler
Taking a sip of the hot coffee, I scoffed at his false bravado. Marlin Butler knew I had him beat. The most shares he could possibly acquire would be the ten remaining shares held by four or five different entities. That was the most, but he wouldn’t get them. I clicked on an email from Jeremy, Lena’s guru.
Jeremy didn’t disappoint. He had the answer I sought.
The remaining ten shares of Wade Pharmaceutical were owned by three entities. I was certain it was more.
Is someone else accumulating stock?
I stared at the names of the corporations listed as shareholders. One name, the owner of five percent caught my attention—Aphrodite Corporation.
Setting the coffee mug down, I shook my head and began searching, wondering if Jeremy knew the person behind that corporation.
How can he not?
If he does, why would he tell me?
My message was short.
Why tell me about Aphrodite?
I hit send.
The return message came quicker than I anticipated.
She wanted you to know.
Fuck.
I looked up the other two entities: GreenSphere Opportunities and Wolfe Acquisition Limited. They were both Special Purpose Acquisition Companies. SPACs are relatively new. Their purpose was to raise money in anticipation of buying private companies, basically taking them public without the traditional public offering.
Why are large SPACs interested in Wade Pharmaceutical?
It made less sense than my interest. There was only one possibility. Someone had leaked the information about Wade’s possibility of an Alzheimer drug.
My next call was to Aphrodite.
The call only rang twice.
“Donavan, it’s a holiday.” Lena’s tone was sweet like hard Christmas candy—sweet yet capable of destroying from the inside out.
“I received Jeremy’s email.”
“And imagine that, his email accomplished what took me numerous calls only a week ago to do.”
Lena was Aphrodite—the ancient Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty. We’d laughed when she originally set up the LLC.
“Sell me your five percent,” I said.
“Oh, I thought it would be fun to be back in business together.” Lena laughed. “I began to think about our conversation last week. You know, I also want to see the Butlers go down. And I simply detest being on the outside looking in.”
“What do you know about GreenSphere and Wolfe?”
“I know that right after I acquired the shares, GreenSphere offered me an investment opportunity. Whoever they are, they want in something fierce. Their offer was almost too good to pass up.”
Why haven’t they contacted me?
“And you don’t know who they are?” I asked.
“You want a lot of answers for a man who still hasn’t told his best friend the real reason for his interest in Wade Pharmaceutical.”
“You saw the press release.” The press release announcing Julia’s and my engagement.
Lena hummed. “Not the way I’d expect to hear that my partner in crime is engaged. Did you forget about the engagement the last time we spoke?”
Leaning back against the soft chair, I ran my free hand over my face. “You wouldn’t get it.”
“Try me.”
I’d been open with Julia. As I prepared to speak to Lena, I wondered if last night had opened some sort of dam. The difference was that Lena knew my past, all of it. She was wanting my present. “Julia is different.”
“Go on,” she encouraged.
I stood, sending my chair backward against the wall. “Fuck, Lena, I’ll say it. I love her.”
“Excuse me, put Donovan Sherman back on the phone.”
Standing at the window, I didn’t see the frozen bay but a slide show of the memories I’d accumulated over the last week and a half.
How is it possible that Julia has affected me this strongly in such a short time?
“My interest in Wade is to keep it going and make it more for Julia.”
“Oh goodness. This is simply spine-tingling. Why wouldn’t I want to be a part of that?”
In hopes of repairing our bond, I offered more details. “Butler is fucking Julia’s parents, their company, and their future. If I didn’t hate the man—fuck, the whole family—before, I would now. But as you know, I already hate them.”
Lena’s tone softened and her volume lowered. “You’re hosting my kind of party, Van. I’m always down for revenge and crude sex. I assume your fiancée is into kink or you wouldn’t chain yourself to her for the rest of your life.”
I had no intention of discussing Julia’s and my sex life. “Sell me your shares.”
“No. Introduce me to your new woman.”
There was a primal and visceral reaction in hearing that description—my woman.
“Would she be open to a three-way?” Lena asked. “I mean, as long as it’s not past her bedtime.”
I gritted my teeth. “Sell me your shares.”
“Logan called.”
The change of subject caused the small hairs on the back of my neck to rise. “You? Logan Butler called you and you answered?”
“He’s doing his brother’s bidding. He asked about you and wanted a way to reach you.”
“I’m not hiding. I received an email from Marlin today.”
“That’s interesting but not as interesting as the tidbit Logan let drop during our conversation.”
I held the phone tighter. “You have my attention.”
“Before Logan called me, it seems that he had a nice, long conversation with Phillip.”
“Fuck,” I mumbled under my breath. “Is that why Phillip has been harassing Connie?”
“Your brother is basically broke, in more than the sense of finances,” Lena said. “You knew that. You’re the reason for most of his woes.”
“He made his own decisions.”
“Desperate people do desperate things.”
“What does that mean, specifically regarding Logan and Phillip?”
“It means they’ve found a common goal.”
“Fucking with me,” I said. “That’s hardly new.”
“Introduce me to your child bride-to-be, Van. She’s going to need a female friend who understands the dangers lurking in the shadows now that she’s associated with you.” Before I could respond, she added, “Let’s say she can think of me as her big sister.”
Lena had a little sister. It wasn’t Julia.
Because you did such a great job with your own sister…I wouldn’t say that either. Lena was hardly the singular reason for what happened. She’d tried. I shook my head.
“Julia’s safe from shadows,” I said, “or anything or anyone else. I’d fucking protect her with my life.”
Lena’s cadence slowed. “And they know that.”
“Sell me your shares, and I’ll work out a way to introduce you.” Not that I’m letting you alone with Julia. I didn’t add the last part. The truth was I admired Lena more than almost anyone. That said, I didn’t trust her any more than she trusted me.