by Tim Adler
"Has anybody spoken to Sir Ronald?" I said. "Is he aware of what's happened?"
"As acting chief executive, it's up to you to make the call," said Rosenthal drily.
"Fine," I said, determined not to be rattled. I reached for the phone in the centre of the table. "I'll wake him up."
I punched in Dad's home number and listened to the dialling tone. After four or five rings, Eliska's sleepy voice answered.
"Eliska, it's Hugo. May I speak to my father, please?"
There was mumbling in the background, and I pictured their bedroom in Berkshire with the dialysis machine next to the bed. My father's voice came out over the speakerphone.
"Do you have any idea what fucking time it is?" he said.
"Dad, you're on speakerphone. I'm in the boardroom with Brian and Nigel. We've had some bad news."
I found myself standing up as I went over our predicament. How many times in the past had I felt my kneecaps dissolve as Dad eviscerated me in this very room over the loudspeaker? There were moments when the boardroom had felt like Hitler's bunker, with the generals glancing nervously at each other while the Führer raged. This time, however, there was silence. What I couldn't understand was why Dad had gone ahead and reinsured Dutch Marquez on our own, ignoring the usual protocols. Then again, you could never underestimate how rapacious Dad was when it came to money. He was like a shark in that he had to keep moving, always searching for the next deal. For him, the deal was the thing; I don't think he had ever had a self-reflective moment in his life.
Finally Dad said, "Well, there's no choice, is there? We'll have to go out to our investors and get the money from them."
I turned to Rosenthal, who was listening intently with his fingers steepled. "Nigel, you're going to have to be the one who writes to them. How will this go down?"
"We only called on them last year to help us mop up the damage from Hurricane Nora," Rosenthal said. "In my opinion, this is going to wipe out many of them completely. Some are going to lose everything."
The gloom in the room deepened.
Ronnie's voice came over the speakerphone. "If God had not meant them to be sheared, he would not have made them sheep."
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About the Author
Tim Adler is an author and commissioning editor on The Telegraph, who has also written for the Financial Times and The Times.
His debut self-published thriller Slow Bleed went to number one in the US Amazon Kindle psychological thriller chart. Its follow-up Surrogate stayed in the Top 40 psychological thrillers for more than a year.
The Sunday Times called Tim's most recent nonfiction book The House of Redgrave "compulsively readable" while The Mail On Sunday called it "dazzling". Adler's previous book Hollywood and the Mob – an exposé of how the Mafia has corrupted the movie industry – was Book of the Week in The Mail On Sunday and Critic's Choice in the Daily Mail.
Tim is former London Editor of Deadline Hollywood, the US entertainment news website.
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Thrillers by Tim Adler
A missing son
A kidnapper who's dead
Nobody believes her
Nothing will stop her
When Doctor Jemma Sands' five-year-old son goes missing, only she believes that a vengeful patient has stolen her child. How do you convince police to search for a dead woman? As her world falls apart, Jemma realises she is the only one who can save her son. If somebody took your only child, how far would you go to get him back?
What the critics say about Slow Bleed:
"A tense and gripping crime read ... Slow Bleed grabs you by the throat." Raven Crime Reads
"One of those books you can't put down ... a great medical thriller." Book of the Month, Crime Book Club
How much is your child worth? That's the question Hugo and Emily Cox must answer when they get a ransom demand for their child – from Alice, the surrogate mother they paid to carry their baby. The police are helpless. No law has been broken – the baby belongs to their surrogate. And Hugo has a secret he's keeping from his wife that makes their search even more desperate.
Now Hugo and Emily must find their missing daughter ... even if it costs them everything they own. Fans of Elizabeth Haynes, Sophie Hannah and Mark Edwards will love this gripping and fast-moving thriller.
What the critics say about Surrogate:
"A fantastic read ... wonderful plot twists." Thriller of the Month – E-thriller.com
"A great read ... if you loved Gone Girl, try this." Crime Reader
"Very readable and intriguing thriller ... a good choice for a summer holiday read." Raven Crime Reads
"An exciting new author ... engaging and deliciously dark." Northern Crime
Urbane Publications is dedicated to developing new author voices, and publishing fiction and non-fiction that challenges, thrills and fascinates.
From page-turning novels to innovative reference books, our goal is to publish what YOU want to read.
Find out more at urbanepublications.com
Go back to Contents
Table of Contents
Books by Tim Adler
Friday
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Saturday
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Sunday
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Monday
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Tuesday
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Wednesday
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Thursday
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
One week later
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Acknowledgements
Excerpt from Surrogate
About the Author
Thrillers by Tim Adler