Roger Cavanaugh tapped his pen on his desk as he processed everything he’d just heard. He groaned and let out a breath.

“This is not good, Preston, not good at all,” he said, finally. “This is all going to go to hell in a hand basket. We can’t let her meet Peter Phillips alone.”

“I know that,” Marbury said.

“Too much is riding on this,” Cavanaugh continued.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let it happen.”

“How will you stop it?”

“The old-fashioned way.”

“No… no more shenanigans. I don’t want to be part of it.”

“Can you think of something else?”

“The police will trace it back to you?”

“How so?”

“Preston, no one will buy it. It would be too much of a coincidence to ignore,” Cavanaugh said.  “Leave May Major alone. I will not go to jail over this.”

“I do not intend to harm May Major,” Marbury said.

“What then?”

“When I met Mike’s daughter at Starbucks, I had her right where I wanted her,” Marbury continued. “She was right in the palm of my hand, scared out of her mind. May Major had no desire to even enter the office building much less take over the company. Then it all changed.”

“What changed?”

“Jorge Jessup, that’s what changed,” Marbury said.  “She meets this former SEAL and twenty-four hours later she goes from lamb to lion. He’s the big problem.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Cavanaugh said. “Who is this guy?”

“I hired someone to dig up his background,” Marbury said. “He was a Navy SEAL.  He had a lot of special skills. May Major was not wrong.  When the military swept in and toppled a terrorist regime, Jorge Jessup was on point to help set up a new government.”

“So, he was the perfect guy to advise her,” Cavanaugh said. “And you let it happen.”

“I had no idea the son-of-a-bitch was listening.”

“There must be dirt we can use,” Cavanaugh said.

Marbury shook his head, “The man’s a boy scout. His record is impeccable. Besides, the meeting between May Major and Phillips happens tomorrow. There’s no time for a character assassination.  I did find something interesting though.”

“I’m all ears.”

He handed Cavanaugh a sheet of paper. He read it.

“That is interesting, isn’t it? What are you thinking?”

“We get to Jessup tonight,” Marbury said. “Without Jessup, Phillips will eat May Major alive at this meeting. She won’t know what to do. Her boy toy will be missing.”

“You think it will work?”

“May Major was a shrinking violet until he came along.  Then she becomes Joan of Arc? And when suddenly he’s gone, she’ll panic. Yes, this will work.”

“How will you do it?” Cavanaugh asked. “The guy knows how to handle himself. He made short work out of your two goons.”

“I sent those boys out to put a little scare into a defenseless woman,” Marbury said. “If I had known a Navy SEAL would be there, I’d have made an entirely different plan. Stan can handle this.  He’s itching to get that bastard.”

“The police can still trace it back to you,” Cavanaugh said. “You get caught, I get caught. It makes me nervous.”

“If that sale doesn’t go through, we’ll both be in prison for life,” Marbury said. “Besides, Jessup will be gone. The police may suspect foul play, but they will not prove foul play.”

Cavanaugh sighed again, “I hate this shit. I wish I’d never gotten involved with you.”

“You have a mansion on the beach, a yacht and a beautiful getaway home in Hawaii. Your wife is a former Seattle Seahawks cheerleader. You’d have none of that without me. Without this deal, you lose everything. You remember that.”

“I do remember it,” Cavanaugh said. “It’s the only thing that’s kept me from killing you with my bare hands.”

“If you have a better idea, now would be the time to offer it,” Marbury said.

“I don’t,” Cavanaugh replied.

“So, you’re on board?” Marbury asked.

Cavanaugh sighed. He nodded.

Marbury dialed his cell phone. Peter Phillips answered it on the first ring.

“Peter. Preston here. We are a go,” Marbury said. “Meet with May Major.”

The CEO of Redwood Timber sighed, “Listen. This is making me nervous. It had better pull off without a hitch.”

“It will,” Marbury assured.

“This kickback shit to you and Cavanaugh has me nervous,” Phillips said. “We could all go to jail.”

“That will not happen, Peter,” Marbury insisted. “Your board of directors is up your ass to get into this market. You can’t do it without Mike Major’s timber rights. We are close, Peter. I’m going to deliver 165,000 acres of prime timber rights to you on a golden platter. And you’re going to be rid of your primary competitor—all in one felled swoop. When May meets with you today, she’ll be distracted and as meek as a lamb. I’ll see to it. All you’ll need to do is push her—push her hard. Tell her the deal is off if a letter of intent is not signed before you leave. She’ll fold, I’m telling you. You’re great at that. Just do what comes naturally. She’ll fall into line, I promise.”

“You’d better be right.”

“I am. When the sale is complete, wire the funds to our offshore accounts like we planned.”

“I gotta hand it to you Marbury,” Phillips said. “Getting paid as an investor and getting doubled up on the side—that’s pure genius.”

“We all win, right?”

“As long as it goes as planned,” Phillips said.