Takeover: The Complete Series

by Lana Grayson

  Nicholas didn’t smile. He didn’t scowl. He pulled a contract from his suit jacket and pressed it on the table before him, pen in hand.

  “You all know Sarah Atwood stands to inherit a considerable interest within the Bennett Corporation,” he said.

  The board nodded. Darius squeezed my hand to make me gasp.

  “What you don’t know is that my brothers and I agreed to sell Sarah Atwood our personal and professional shares of the company to assist in a hostile takeover of this board.”

  What the hell was he doing?

  He’d kill us both.

  “Sell to an Atwood?” Bryant said. “Why, Nicholas? For Christ’s sake, you’re the successor!”

  “For the same reason the rest of the board sold to Mark Atwood and his sons. This company doesn’t need an Atwood to destroy it. My father is doing his best to bring it to the ground.”

  “Enough, son,” Darius said. “Haven’t we aired enough grievances for one day?”

  “This isn’t a grievance.” Nicholas pushed the contract down the table. “This is an agreement. A solution to the problem. A way to ensure the Josmik Trust never steals what rightfully belongs to the Bennett Empire.”

  I couldn’t handle a second betrayal.

  Not in the same day that Nicholas already stole too much of my confidence and strength.

  He didn’t look at me. Whatever he planned was in motion, and like the last three months of my life, I was helpless to stop it.

  “This is a contract of sale,” he said. “An agreement between Sarah Atwood and you gentlemen, the loyal members of our illustrious board.”

  I forced the question through reluctant lips. “What sale?”

  “Your inherited shares, granted through the award of the Josmik Trust.”

  “Why would I sell my shares?”

  Nicholas nodded to each of the men seated around me, the ones all too eager to end my life.

  “We will secure the amendments to award the trust to you before you turn twenty-one. You will then sell your shares to the remaining board members, dividing the stock equally and selling for an exceedingly reasonable price.”

  Darius studied his son. “And what does she get in return?”

  “Her life.”

  I couldn’t breathe.

  Nicholas was an unbelievably cunning bastard.

  I expected a rescue, but I imagined what he and my step-brothers attempted during the night, with guns and leather, motorcycles and darkness, stealth and hostility.

  But Nicholas was a Bennett. A true Bennett.

  He wouldn’t debase himself with violence. Not when he could destroy his enemies with the power he cultivated from his name.

  Money stained more than the spread of blood.

  Darius grinned, reading the contract with a sick pleasure. “Son, you’ve forgotten one important measure. What do you gain from this?”

  Nicholas stilled. “Ten minutes with Ms. Atwood. Alone.”

  “Ten minutes?” Darius laughed. “Nicholas, you are awarding a vast amount of shares to these men, men who support me. If we sign this, you will never hold a majority. You won’t have the power to seize control from me. And you are doing it to earn ten minutes with her?”

  Oh, no.

  “Nicholas, don’t,” I whisper. “Please.”

  He ignored me. Damned me. Lost me.

  Nicholas offered me a way to survive, but, in doing so, he lost any chance at ever deposing Darius. He left the head on the snake. What good was my life if Darius had the power and means to end it?

  Or worse.

  We couldn’t escape him. We couldn’t defy him. Nicholas would never assume control of his inheritance, and he did it to protect me with a momentary freedom.

  We survived the knife-fight only to stare down the barrel of a gun.

  “Sign the contracts, gentlemen,” Nicholas said. “Once Ms. Atwood is awarded the trust, she will immediately transfer all rights of her stock to you. The Bennett Corporation will be safe from outside interference, and you will have no reason to interfere in our…” He stared at his father. “Family matters.”

  The members of the board silenced. They looked to Darius for guidance.

  And, finally, Nicholas held my gaze.

  I’d never survive it. He bargained away my life just so my relief and pain and confusion would end in his arms. My heart broke too many ways to fix, and yet, he’d try.

  He sacrificed everything to mend the shattered pieces.

  He couldn’t fit them back together as they were, but his love would heal me. Make me stronger.

  He gave me that chance, even if it existed under the threat of his father.

  “Sign it,” Darius said. “This is how it should be. What happens to Sarah Atwood stays within the walls of my home.”

  The pen clicked. Signatures released me from the board’s hold.

  Nicholas stood, taking my hand and pulling me from his father.

  “Now the meeting is adjourned,” he said. “You have your company.”

  Darius folded his hands. “And she has a ten minute head start.”

  I couldn’t run. The asthma wouldn’t let me. We wouldn’t even make it out of the building before Darius would chase.

  Nicholas said nothing. He hauled me from the board room and helped me to the elevator.

  He didn’t push for the ground floor. Instead, he took us to the roof.

  I wavered on my feet, but Nicholas knew. He always knew. He pulled the inhaler from his pocket and tucked it in my hand.

  I ignored it and sunk into his arms, seeking safety in the embrace of a man who, only hours before, trapped me within sorrow.

  He kissed the tears on my cheek.

  “I’m so fucking sorry for what happened,” he whispered. His kisses didn’t stop. Comforting, loving, warm. I clutched at him and ached for every crest of guilt that darkened his expression and lashed his confidence. “I’m so sorry, Sarah. I’ll never ask your forgiveness. Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

  “I’m okay.”

  “Did he…?”

  The cough stole my words, but I shook my head. “No.”

  Relief, for both of us.

  The elevator opened, and Nicholas guided me into the hall, pressing a fob against a locked door to let us out into the daylight.

  A helicopter waited for our departure.

  A man paced near the door, his dimpled grin a warmth I didn’t deserve.

  Reed.

  He pulled me into a hug and squeezed until I wasn’t sure if it was the asthma or his grief that punished me. I searched over his shoulder, recognizing the pilot in the helicopter.

  Max?

  Nicholas didn’t let me speak. He held me close, touching my cheek.

  “Do you trust me?” He hardened as I hesitated. “Sarah, for once in your damned life, do as I say. Max and Reed are going to take you away from here. They’ll make sure you’re safe. I’ll handle the rest.”

  “What rest?” I squeezed his arm. “What are you doing?”

  “Finishing this deal.”

  “Why?”

  Nicholas’s grip tightened on me. Reed shouted, and they pitched me behind them.

  I should have expected him if only because Darius understood his son as well as I did. He knew where Nicholas was, what he planned.

  “He wants to save your life, my dear.”

  The monster approached, but only so he could face his son.

  “He’s going to hide you from me,” Darius said. “He thinks he can save you.”

  Nicholas didn’t flinch as Darius released the gun from his jacket pocket. The barrel pressed against Nicholas’s forehead.

  “Don’t make me do this,” Darius said. “This is a messy business, and neither of us are meant for it.”

  “Then lower the gun.”

  “Give me the girl.”

  Nicholas didn’t move. “It won’t happen. You won’t take Sarah. You won’t kill us.”

  “You’re so sure?” Darius flipped the
safety off. “I thought I raised an intelligent son. You’re nothing but a coward. Too weak to protect your family.”

  “You and I have a mutual interest in Sarah’s survival,” Nicholas said. “But we have more business than the girl. Without Josmik, the directors have no cause to kill her. But the board you created won’t tolerate the leadership of a man who refuses to do as they say. This family faces a greater threat than Sarah Atwood. The dissention on the board will destroy the Bennetts far easier than one little girl.”

  Darius nodded. “Money corrupts, son.”

  “You need an ally.”

  “Do I?”

  “You give me Sarah Atwood, and I’ll give you my unconditional support. Every vote you require, every decision you make. No matter the conflict with your partners, the vote will always sway in your favor with two Bennetts in agreement.”

  Darius lowered the gun. He studied his son.

  “And the heir?” He asked.

  Nicholas shook his head. “Forget it.”

  “You see, son, that’s where you and I are different,” Darius rested a hand on his shoulder. “Investors and board members will always be a thorn in our side. But an Atwood? They are the true enemies. Do what you want with the trusts and the girl and company, Nicholas, but know this…”

  I shuddered under his attention, pierced by hatred and every reserved aggression he meant for me in an untasted lust.

  “I don’t care if the company burns to the ground, if the estate is turned to ash, or if each of my sons betrays me and ends up dead on the side of the road.” Darius pointed to the helicopter. “Take her, son. Go on. Hide your little whore.”

  His words were filth, and he stared at me with dead obsession and violent intent.

  I stepped backwards, forced into the helicopter by Reed. He followed me inside.

  Nicholas didn’t move. Didn’t look. Didn’t even attempt to say goodbye. Not while he faced the threat of his father and did all he could to free me from my captivity.

  “I will have Sarah Atwood’s heir,” Darius said. “Not because it benefits the company or the family or protects our interests. I will have it because I want it. I want to destroy her. I want to hurt her. I want to claim every inch of her body and mark her as mine, and son?” He smiled. “When she swells with my child, I want you to remember this moment. Remember how foolish it was that you let her live instead of killing her to spare her the suffering.”

  Darius pocketed the gun and grinned, bidding his sons a farewell with arms raised in momentary surrender.

  “And Nicholas? She will suffer and suffer greatly.”

  20

  Nicholas

  “Your office, Mr. Bennett.”

  The secretary offered more than just a tour of the corner suite. She leaned against the door, her fingers toying with the lock.

  “Anything else I can get for you?”

  I wasn’t interested in blondes.

  “Yes, call my father and ask him to join me. I’d like to thank him for the office.”

  Her scowl wasn’t nearly as endearing as the treats she offered. She pouted but heeded orders.

  My father didn’t knock. He entered unbidden, shaking his head.

  “Nicholas, I hoped you’d enjoy your new office.” He was not subtle. “And the secretary.”

  I laughed. “I can find my own women, Dad, thank you.”

  He smiled. “Serves me right for match-making. Though, forgive your father. You might begin thinking of finding someone.”

  “Part of the business plan?” I sat at my new desk. “Job. Presidency. Wife?”

  “Child. What did I tell you were the cornerstones of success? Power and…?”

  “Family.”

  My father nodded. “Exactly. You’re a young man, but one day, you will be responsible for this family and company.”

  “Maybe I should work a full day before I start the search for the future Mrs. Nicholas Bennett?”

  “It isn’t the wife that’s important,” my father said. “It’s the legacy. This company is our future. One day, it’ll be your turn to ensure its safety.” He held my gaze, formally welcoming me to the Bennett Corporation with a handshake.

  “I hope you’ll be as proud of your son as I am of mine.”

  I was not a man who tolerated being ignored.

  Not my calls, not my correspondence, and not my invitations to lunch.

  Roman Wescott tried my patience, and he would lose.

  I would not allow my company’s decisions and business interests to be controlled by another, especially one outside the family. I worked too hard, sacrificed too much, and spent too many nights alone to allow a stranger to rule over us.

  I worked only to ensure her safety.

  And a month was far too long a wait for me to suffer.

  Max bounced his good leg as we idled outside Wescott’s office. He saw through it all, even my solemn silence.

  “You sure you want to do this?” He asked.

  “Yes.”

  “And you want to do it my way?”

  “That choice was made for us.”

  Max didn’t believe me. “You really fucked this up, Nick.”

  No. I did exactly what I needed to do.

  I protected Sarah, first and foremost. Whatever else happened was inconsequential.

  If that meant the board ordered me to do their bidding like a damned whipping boy, then fine. If it meant serving my father and parroting his every word for the past month, all the better.

  If I was the target of their cruelty, then I was the bastard they’d punish. They wouldn’t target Sarah for Roman Wescott’s refusal to sign the amendment freeing her from the board’s sights.

  But the board’s patience was limited.

  And I had no other options but to engage Wescott in a more…unprofessional manner.

  “This is what we have to do to save her life,” I said.

  Max pointed through the windshield, toward Roman Wescott’s office and the last obstacle preventing me from trading Sarah’s trust for her life.

  “What if he doesn’t sign?” Max said.

  “He will.”

  “We could keep moving her.” Max offered solutions I already imagined and rationalized as too dangerous. “Just shift her around until the trust hits on her birthday. That’s only what, seven months? There’s plenty of little cabins in the Poconos where she could hide.”

  “I’m not taking that chance. I want her free from the board.”

  “Just because she’s kept alive doesn’t mean she’ll be safe,” he said. “Dad will find her.”

  Like the thought hadn’t kept me awake for nights on end, imagining what would happen if we slipped, if somehow he discovered where she hid. What little sleep I earned ended in nightmares of her death and the celebration of those in the Bennett Corporation who lived only to watch her die.

  The days passed. Then weeks. Then the month.

  Protecting her meant hiding her, even from me. I hadn’t spoken to her since the day I rescued her. My brothers stole her away, exchanged helicopters for planes and planes for cars and crossed the country in record time to deliver her into strict isolation.

  She was alone.

  She was scared.

  But she was alive.

  And, for the moment, that pleased both my father and me. He made an unfortunate ally, protecting Sarah for his own perverted reasons. However, for the purposes of securing the company, I could think of no better partner, mentor, or veteran in a war against our own board.

  What should have become my board.

  I sacrificed my interests to save hers. My life, my future, my empire—gone. Destroyed by an Atwood, just as I knew would eventually happen.

  And I would have signed my life over again.

  I’d never regret a moment of her safety.

  “This is more than earning his signature,” I said. “I need to know why Wescott is denying her.”

  Max snorted. “And while you’re asking all these questions
, what am I doing?”

  “What you do best.”

  “And what’s that?”

  I didn’t look at him. “Helping the family.”

  His smile chilled me. “You mean, doing what I’m told?”

  “Yes.”

  “And how does bruising my fists help the Bennetts?” Max exhaled. “How does this make what we’ve done any less repulsive? Do you think Sarah will ever forgive you for that night?”

  “No.”

  “You think this will make her safer?”

  “No.”

  “Then tell me why you’re asking me to crack this asshole’s skull just so you can give Sarah’s inheritance to the board and hand the company right back to that fucking bastard.”

  Easy.

  It was the easiest decision I had ever made.

  “Because it means I’ll see her again.”

  The last memory I had of Sarah was her clutching at Reed as my father threatened her virtue. I didn’t say goodbye. I didn’t tell her how I planned to save her.

  She peered down at me from the helicopter, hand pressed against the glass, and then escaped from the danger that I forced upon her so many months ago.

  I had to see her, to know she was okay, to earn her forgiveness.

  If only to end the nightmares.

  In my sleep, my love for her twisted into heinous lust, and the things I did and the ways I hurt her satisfied a barbaric and primal part of me. My nightmares made me more like my father than any decision I made for the corporation, sacrifice I chose for the family, or evil I committed to avenge our name over our enemies.

  I would spend my billions, surrender my company, and abandon my future success for only one minute with the woman I’d betrayed, if only to ensure I hadn’t lost the one chance I had for happiness in this world.

  I didn’t wait for Max. I buttoned my suit and entered Wescott’s offices—a series of laboratories the entrepreneur financed with the billions he earned from his own ventures and trusts. A secretary texted on her cell as we approached, greeting us without looking up. I ignored her, and Max unplugged the console phone as she protested our entry into the office looming behind the oaken doors.

  Roman Wescott laughed from behind his desk, ending his call with a widening smile.