Page 34 of Bourbon Kingdom
Flipping him off behind his back, I walked to the back stairs and pretended to climb them with great force. I was too curious to let him get away with tucking me away. I needed to know what this meeting was all about, especially if it possibly had something to do with Masquerade. I was a “manager” of sorts; I needed to know what I was working with.
I heard Rex greet whoever was at the door in the hallway in the fakest tone I’ve ever heard from him. A very strong male voice greeted Rex back, making me wonder who the hell he was meeting with.
Carefully, I padded across the kitchen floor and perched my ear against the door to get a better listen.
“Glad to see you had a safe flight,” Rex said. “I was surprised you contacted me, Zane. I wasn’t expecting to hear from the competition.”
“Call me, Z,” the man said back. “Shall we go somewhere to sit and talk?”
“Yes, follow me back to my office.”
The sound of their footsteps retreated across the hardwood floors back to Rex’s office. Once I heard the door click shut, I pushed past the swinging kitchen door and looked around before falling to the ground and army crawling across the floor.
As I glided along the hardwood, I made a mental note to commend Rex’s maid, Sally, on her formidable waxing capabilities, because what I thought might be a difficult task, going unnoticed while crawling on the floor, was actually quite easy.
I pulled up next to Rex’s office door, under a console table that rested in the hallway, just in case I had to do some quick camouflaging, and pushed my ear next to the crack of the doorway.
“Drink?” Rex asked.
“I’m good, thank you, though.”
The clanking of a decanter sounded off in the room as I heard footsteps retreat away from me.
“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of you coming to see me? I was surprised, yet intrigued, to receive your phone call.”
“As you know, I’ve put in a bid for Lot 17, and from the looks of it, my scheduled interview is more of a courtesy than anything. I don’t have a chance up against you and Jett Colby.”
Realization hit me as I thought about who Rex was talking to. He must be Zane Black, especially if he was the other one bidding on the property. If he knew he wasn’t going to have a chance of winning Lot 17, then why was he talking to Rex?
“Is that confirmed?” Rex asked.
“It is, unfortunately.”
“So, why are you here?”
“I want in on your club.”
Silence fell across the room, and I could just see Rex trying to understand what Zane really wanted.
“Why would I allow you into the club?”
“We both want something the other has. I know there are some city officials on your side, because of what you’ve offered them when it comes to your club. I have the other few votes to sway in any direction I want, from the connections I’ve made since I’ve been down here. I can guarantee you Lot 17 if you allow me to be a member in your club.”
“And why would you want that?” Rex asked, with skepticism lacing his voice.
The sound of leather being shifted on rang through the room before Zane began talking again.
“Two reasons, when I come down here, I have a lot of city elites to entertain, and I would like to entertain them properly, if you know what I mean. Secondly, Jett Colby needs to be shown that he can’t have everything.”
My stomach dropped at the mention of Jett’s name. How did this guy know Jett? I’d never heard of Zane Black until the Lot 17 bidding came up.
“Do you have something against Jett Colby?” Rex asked.
“I do. Jett Colby stole property from me in New York City. Stealing property isn’t something I take softly. I’ve built an empire with my real estate aspirations, and when someone fucks with me, I hold a grudge. Jett Colby fucked with one of my properties, costing me millions of dollars, and I will be damned if he gets away with it.”
Was that true? The way Zane’s voice rose with anger made it seem like what he was saying was, in fact, the truth, but Jett wouldn’t do that, would he? He always prided himself on being an honest and fair businessman. He wouldn’t screw someone over for property . . . his father would, but Jett wouldn’t. At least, that’s what I’d convinced myself.
“The man seems to get away with everything,” Rex scathed. “How do you plan on taking Jett Colby down? He has a golden reputation in this town.”
