by D D Bridges
“Good to see you again, sir,” Jeff said.
Mr. Ziegler turned his attention to the young man who was with him. “Darius, Jeff, I’d like you to meet Braxton Meyers. He’s now my PA. The last time I met with you two he was only an intern. But trust me, he is highly qualified.”
“Evening, gentlemen,” Braxton said as he politely shook our hands. I gave the young guy, who was probably only a few years older than me, a partial smile, but Jeff’s expression remained serious. I took that moment to admire the briefcase that Braxton was carrying. It was made out of a fine grade of leather, and by the design of it I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a foreign make. It was different than most of the briefcases that I had seen and it looked very expensive.
“Shall we begin,” Mr. Ziegler said after a stiff moment.
“Of course. Let’s sit,” I encouraged. We sat, as I suggested, and I began to remove our business contents from the white envelope. I glanced up at Braxton and noticed that he was watching me intently with an impassive look on his face.
“Mr. Ziegler, with all due respect,” Jeff began, “Mr. King really doesn’t like to meet new people at important business meetings such as this one. He prefers that meet and greets be done at more suitable venues and times such as parties, over golf, and things of the like.”
“I’m not sure I understand why there’s a problem,” Mr. Ziegler said glancing from his PA, then to me, and then back to Jeff.
“Well, it’s just that we don’t know Mr. Meyers,” Jeff said, his tone remaining business-like and polite.
“Well, I know him. He’s my PA, for goodness sake,” Mr. Ziegler said with a brief laugh.
“I understand that, sir, but that’s just the way that we do things,” Jeff said holding his ground. Meanwhile I was just sitting back letting him handle this. One thing that I heard is that in business you can’t trust everyone. You never know when someone has been compromised and for all we knew this new guy could be a mole.
“This isn’t anything new,” Jeff continued. “Darius’s father did business the same way. And he did things that way for a reason.”
“Come on, gentlemen. It’s not like we have anything to hide,” Ziegler said, laughing a little longer this time.
Jeff was about to continue but I touched his arm and dismissed the conversation with a brief shake of my head. Jeff graciously obliged. Meanwhile I made a mental note to remind myself to have a background check done on Braxton Myers.
“Fair enough,” Jeff said before we got into the business matters that we had come to discuss.
The meeting lasted for about an hour and a half, and if it hadn’t been for the dancers being there to occasionally distract me I would have been bored out of my mind. We briefed Mr. Ziegler on our plans to increase our investment, and he further enlightened us on the main products that he was wanting us to invest in. The impressive thing about Ziegler was that he always had his numbers right. The way that he had things set up, our investments would help his company’s stock grow even if his new product didn’t sell. He was one money hungry man.
Walter told me all about the friendly competition Ziegler had with my father before he died. Walter said that Ziegler was always working overtime to make his company more successful than my father’s. Their relationship was almost symbiotic. Ziegler had definitely been benefiting from his twenty plus year business relationship with Kingdom Enterprises and his company wouldn’t be what it was without my father’s. My father on the other hand never allowed himself to be overly dependent on Ziegler’s enormous counter-investments in our company’s stock. He always balanced them out with other investments so that Ziegler would account for no more than a certain percent of the company’s shares.
We ended the meeting and all headed home for the night. Once we were outside of the club, Jeff and I stood and watched as Mr. Ziegler’s driver pulled his presidential Lincoln MKS to the curb. The driver then came around to open the door for him. Ziegler was obviously in a modest mood tonight since he was normally rolling around in Bentley’s and Maserati’s or any of his other fancy cars.
We said our good nights to Ziegler and then headed to the nearby parking garage where our cars were waiting. I didn’t know what happened to Braxton but he had seemingly disappeared while I wasn’t paying attention. That was okay though because by the end of the following day I planned to have a full report on him.
Jeff and I walked to the parking garage and arrived at our cars which were parked side by side. Just as we were about to get into our vehicles, we were startled by the sound of screeching tires. We looked up and saw five black SUV’s pouring into the partially full garage. Then a limo came in and stopped at the back of our cars. As if rehearsed, the doors of the SUV’s all swung open at the same time. Out jumped about ten guys all holding semi-automatic rifles and they started shouting something at us in a foreign language. Jeff and I both slowly turned toward them, confusion written on our faces, as we raised our hands to show that we weren’t a threat. I looked over at Jeff and he looked back at me. It was obvious that we were both trying to figure out what the hell was going on and if we were going to make it out of here with our lives. I was glad that I was with Jeff because I knew that he kept at least one gun in his car just like I did, but that wouldn’t do us any good at this point. There was no way that we would be able to get to our guns without being lit up first.
One of the men opened the back door to the limo and out stepped a very distinguished white man dressed in an impeccable slim-fit Armani suit. He was a smaller guy, only about 5’7”, with a slick hairdo and a faded goatee. He stepped toward us and smiled as if we were old friends.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” he greeted and after hearing his heavy accent I assumed that he was French.
Jeff and I kept our hands raised as we glanced at one another again. I relaxed a little bit because I figured that if this guy wanted to kill us then he would have done it by now. He didn’t seem as if he had any need to rob us so I eliminated that as an option as well. Now I just needed to figure out what this man wanted.
“I’m pleased to have your undivided attention,” the man said. “Now, which one of you is Darius King?”
We both kept our gazes locked on the French guy. We didn’t know if it was in either of our best interests to expose our identities. The French guy looked at Jeff and seemed to have decided that he couldn’t be who he was looking for. Then he looked at me and I immediately knew that he had figured out who I was.
“You,” he said definitively, almost demandingly. “You look slightly older than only twenty-three,” he said before offering a friendly smile again. “Relax, gentlemen. I’m only here to talk business.”
“Call off your goons and then we’ll relax,” I found the courage to say. Frenchy looked at me for a bit and then gave his guys a hand signal that caused them to lower their guns. Jeff and I immediately let our hands fall to our sides.
“Now… May we talk business?” he reiterated.
“Who are you and what do you want with my boss?” Jeff asked, his tone strong and confident.
“Who I am isn’t important right now,” Frenchy said and I could tell by his tone that he didn’t trust Jeff nor did he like him. “I would like to talk to Mr. King alone in my limo.”
I looked at Jeff as if Frenchy were crazy and Jeff gave me the same sideways look.
“Look, man, I don’t even know you like that. You must be out of your mind if you think that I’m getting in there with you,” I said shaking my head. “And besides, after the way you and your clan came rolling up in here with your guns and shit, that don’t make me too optimistic about doing business with you. So anything that you want to say to me you can say in front of Jeff.”
“Fair enough,” Frenchy said before giving Jeff another skeptical glance. I didn’t know why he was treating Jeff like he had done something wrong when he was the one who wanted to have secret meetings in the back of his limo.
“My name is Francisco Baptìste,” he
told us. “I was very well acquainted with your father at one time and I used to do business with him. Our business relationship became strained over the years and we eventually parted ways. But I would like to reconnect with Kingdom Enterprises. My plan is to reestablish myself here in the south and Kingdom Enterprises is the most lucrative business franchise in the south. Everybody knows that.”
I looked at Francisco and could already tell that he was a smooth talker. His words were enticing and as smooth as butter, but he wasn’t saying anything important. There were a few things about him that didn’t connect though; the guns, the goons, his obvious financial affluence, and his connection to my father.
“What exactly is it that you do, Mr. Baptìste?” I asked, wanting to know more about this man. I had to admit that he was intriguing, but I was willing to bet that there was a lot that he was hiding behind that smile.
“Please, call me Francisco,” he said, naturally emphasizing each syllable of his name. “I’m in the business of buying and selling foreign cars, as well as art. I hold auctions overseas and sometimes here in the United States, but mainly up-state in New York, Jersey, and Philadelphia. My business is very remunerative and there’s a lot of money to still be made. I would like us to be business partners.”
“Why would I want to be partners with you? I don’t know anything about cars or art,” I told him. “And besides, I don’t need your business. Kingdom Enterprises is doing just fine on its own.”
“Yes, Darius, your father’s business has continued to do well in spite of the change in leadership,” he said. “You have done a fine job of managing your father’s company. But it has become clear to me that you still have a lot to learn.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“What I mean is that some loyalties died with your father, namely that of Benjamin Ziegler.”
Once again Jeff and I looked at one another in confusion.
“How do you know Mr. Ziegler?” I asked
“Mr. Ziegler, your father, and myself have a lot of history. We used to be friends until Ziegler crossed me and then turned your father against me. He cut all business ties with me about ten years ago. I was deeply saddened to learn of his fate. I have always considered him a friend. But I have reason to believe that Ziegler is now after your father’s business and wealth. Do not let him fool you; he is a very dangerous man. His power and influence goes much further than you know.”
“We have been doing business with Ziegler from the conception of this company,” Jeff chimed in. “We have never had any reason to believe that there is any foul play on his part.”
“Ziegler is not who you think he is. If you partner with me then you can completely get Ziegler’s stock out of your company. This is the only way that you can ensure that he won’t cross you like he did me,” Francisco said as he seemed to be searching my face for something. I guess he could read my skepticism so he said, “I know that this is a lot to take in right now. So take some time to think about it. Besides, a parking garage isn’t the appropriate place for me to share my wealth of information on this topic. Let’s set up a meeting at your office. Say… a week from now?”
I pondered Francisco’s suggestion and I didn’t see any harm in meeting with him once more, especially in the safety of my own office. Besides, I was sure that Walter would know more about the situation with Ziegler and Francisco and he could advise me on the best thing to do.
“Fine. Next Wednesday at 10 am,” I responded and was met with Francisco’s approving smile.
“Great,” he said delightedly. “Until then,” he said politely nodding his head. He turned to his nearest bodyguard and mumbled something to him in French. The bodyguard then turned and shouted something in French to the rest of the goons. They all climbed back into their vehicles and were gone within seconds.
Jeff waited until they had completely cleared out of the parking garage and then turned to me and said, “What the hell was that about?”
“I don’t know,” I said as I pulled my gaze away from the exit where Francisco and his guys had just left and focused on Jeff’s questioning eyes. “My gut says that we should at least hear him out before we make any moves. In the meantime, do some background checking on Braxton Meyers. Let’s see what we can find on him.”
Chapter IX
“He’s clean, boss,” Jai reported to me. He and Jeff were sitting in my office while I paced the floor between my swivel chair and my ceiling to floor windows. It had only taken them a little over twenty-four hours to bring me a full background check on Ziegler’s new PA, Braxton Meyers. I had to admit that their news had given me a little more peace of mind in light of my unofficial meeting with Francisco Baptìste. It was some coincidence that only minutes after we left a business meeting with Mr. Ziegler, who surprised us by introducing us to his new personal assistant, Francisco approached me to raise concerns about Mr. Ziegler trying to bring down Kingdom Enterprises. In spite of Francisco’s suspicion, I was very confident that nothing and no one could bring down my company. We were just that solid.
“Yeah, Braxton Meyers is just your average white boy from Massachusetts,” Jeff continued filling me in. “Got his degree from Yale and has already been working in Accounting for five years.”
“Now he did have one run-in with the law in college for a DUI, but other than that, he’s a saint,” Jai added.
I slowly nodded my head as I continued to pace the floor. “Okay then, that’s that,” I said. “Now Francisco Baptìste. Walter gave us the rundown on him in our meeting yesterday but there’s no telling how this meeting with him is going to go down. I want to know what he’s been up to for the past ten years. Present it to me by Tuesday that way we’ll be ready by the meeting on Wednesday.”
“Will do, boss,” Jeff said as he and Jai rose to leave my office. Jai gathered his things and left, but Jeff stayed behind.
“Hey, what happened the other night got me thinking,” he said.
“About what?”
“About you,” he told me plainly. “Things could have gone really wrong. Don’t you think that maybe you should hire some protection?”
“Jeff, I can protect myself,” I told him.
“Yeah, that may be true when you’re out in the streets,” Jeff said. “But there’s not much that you can do when you got about ten rifles pointed at you.”
“Look, I can’t let anybody see me sweat. People see me walking around with a security detail and they’re going to think I’m weak.”
“No, they’ll think you’re smart,” he said. “You are too rich and powerful to not have one. Hell, get your boys to do it. They’re the ones you trust, right? I’m sure that they would have your back better than anybody else would.”
That was probably the best idea that Jeff had ever given me. He was right. I needed my own crew that would have my back from now on. I had held the crown in peace so far, but there was no guarantee that it would continue to be that way.
Jeff left my office and I was finally granted a moment alone. I came around to the front of my desk and sat on the edge of it. I used my thumb and index finger to massage the bridge of my nose. I hadn’t been able to sleep for the past couple of nights because of the nightmares. They were the same as always but they had me even more on edge now after the inopportune meeting with Francisco. Having ten guns turned on you would shake anybody.
My nights would have been filled with nothing but anguish if it hadn’t been for Natalie. She had been kind enough to stay on the phone with me until she was unable to keep her eyes open any longer. I appreciated her for that. Her sweet, angelic voice seemed to be the only thing that could cause me to relax in that situation. A part of me wished that I could’ve hopped in my car, drove to her place and spent the night with her. It wouldn’t have been all about sex. I just wanted her near me. I wanted to take comfort in holding her in my arms. But I knew that Natalie wouldn’t go for that. We were still taking things slow and I had to admit that this new pace was different for me. M
ost of my past relationships had been all about sex. There were no real dates after the initial first date, no long in-depth conversations, and no real intimacy. Natalie was now giving me everything that I was missing in my past relationships, and I was continuing to realize that it was exactly what I needed.
My thoughts of Natalie were interrupted by the ringing of my office phone. I hit the intercom button after seeing that the call was coming from Juanita’s extension.
“Yes, Juanita?”
“Sir, there’s a gentleman here to see you,” Juanita informed me.
“Who is it?” I asked curiously.
“I don’t know, he won’t give me his name,” Juanita said hesitantly as she lowered her voice a little. “He says that it’s urgent that he see you as soon as possible.”
I sighed, exasperated. I didn’t need any surprises today and nothing could have prepared me for what was about to happen next.
“Escort him in,” I instructed Juanita. I didn’t have to wait long before she came into my office wearing an impassive look on her face. The gentleman that followed her into my office was young, clean-cut, and proper looking. He wore a navy suit with a white shirt and no tie. His curly hair and caramel complexion implied that he had a mixed heritage, probably Hispanic and Black. He had a regal look, but there was something about him that made him feel familiar to me.
“Thank you, Juanita,” I said, dismissing her so that I could be alone with my surprise visitor. She nodded her reply and then left my office, closing the door behind her.
The gentleman and I stood and looked at one another for a while longer before I cleared my throat and straightened my tie.
“I’m Darius King, CEO,” I offered, hoping to break the ice.
“I know who you are,” he said dispassionately and the look that passed in his eyes sent chills down my spine.
“Okay,” I said after he didn’t offer any more information. Even though this guy was already acting weird, it didn’t concern me in any way. There was nothing threatening about him, only that intense look in his eyes. I was slightly paranoid though and I knew that if he tried anything I would be able to easily defend myself.