Page 33 of Savage Prince
“I looked you up when you wouldn’t answer my calls. No wonder you’re so completely inept at this job. COO? You’re still a glorified secretary.” His glare turns gleefully cruel. “I don’t know why I was surprised. You’re just swamp trash, which is exactly what that sculpture looked like. So you tell whoever made that piece of garbage that I’m coming after them too for trying to pass it off as mine.”
Direct. Hit.
Instead of staggering backward and letting him know he’s scored a painful point, I square my shoulders. “The mistake was innocent, Mr. Standish, and might I point out,sir, that it wouldn’t have happened if you had allowed us to move your piece, or if you had actually shown up on time, per the instructions I provided you.”
He wrinkles his nose like someone just waved a hunk of rotten gator meat under it. “You should’ve waited. Just one more example of your mismanagement. This was no innocent mistake. This was planned.”
As much as I want to shout at him and tell him it’s not in any way, shape, or formmyfault, and he couldn’t be more wrong about every single one of his conclusions, I know that screaming in the parking lot isn’t going to be helpful or productive.
I’d much prefer to shoot him in the parking lot, but prison orange isn’t exactly my color.
My brother would get rid of the body, though ...The unvarnished thought puts a bloodthirsty smile on my face.
“I’m not going to argue with you any longer, Mr. Standish. Please accept my apologies, and maybe we can both agree that Mary’s House still received a substantial benefit from the auction last night, even with the mistake. Therefore, the purpose was still served and you get to keep your piece, perhaps to donate for an even larger benefit to a charitable organization in the future.”
I’m congratulating myself on sounding poised and professional, when what I really want to tell him is if Mount doesn’t kill him for what he said about Keira, someone else surely will for being such a nasty human being.
Standish’s face screws into an evil expression as he darts forward, wrapping his fingers hard around my upper arm, his fingers digging into my skin. “Only someone so plebeian would ever think something so simplistic.”
I yank my arm free, and his nails scrape my skin.
“Do we have a problem here?”
The door slams behind Louis Artesian, the head of distilling operations, as he comes toward us.
“Yes, we have a goddamn problem,” Standish says, his lips curling.
Louis looks to me, concern edging his tone. “Do you need me to call security?”
I meet his kind brown eyes before looking pointedly at Gregor Standish. “That’s up to Mr. Standish. If he wants to collect his artwork, he’ll need to contain himself.”
“How dare you, you—”
My phone rings, interrupting whatever insult he’s planning to throw at me next. I pull it out of my bag and look down at the screen.Keira.
“Excuse me, Mr. Standish. I’ll speak with Ms. Kilgore about your concerns. If you’re able to calm down, perhaps you’ll be allowed inside the building to collect your art.”
I walk away from him as he sputters at Louis, but I don’t look back as I answer my phone. “Good morning, boss.”
“What’s going on?”
I unlock the back door, open it, and make sure to lock it behind me. “Standish is having a meltdown in the parking lot. Making accusations and threats. I tried to explain, but he’s not listening.”
“Of course not. And I’m also not that surprised because I just read the one-star review he left for Seven Sinners on every single online platform in the known universe. V and I are almost there. He’ll take care of him.”
In Keira’s world,taking care of someonemeans something different than it does to most people.
I open my mouth to ask if she’s sure that’s necessary, but Keira has already ended the call.
This isnothow I expected my day to go.
Chapter 15
Temperance
Thankfully, I don’t have to face Standish again, and I try to get to work and attempt to forget about how V might betaking care of him. I’m only marginally successful when my phone rings after lunch.
“Hi, Temperance, Valentina Hendrix. I’m hoping you can help me out.”
