Wouldnt you like to take Mr. Smith with you? he asked hopefully. After all, there are Indians up there. Grizzly bears. Mountain lions. Crazed Winnebago drivers.
She laughed. Mr. Smith is worth his weight in gold, and hell take very good care of Blake. Theres no need to have much contact with him, since he disturbs you so much. He didnt look convinced. Blake loves him, she reminded him.
Blake isnt old enough to realize how dangerous he is. Meredith, I know hes worth his weight in gold, but you do realize that hes a wanted man?
Only by the state police in that South African country, she said. And that was a long time ago. Mr. Smith is forty-five if hes a day, and we did commandeer him from the CIA.
Are you sure it wasnt the KGB? He threw up his hands. All right, Ill try to keep watch. But if I were you, I wouldnt have that animal of his near me.
Tiny lives in an aquarium, she said defensively. And shes very tame.
Shes a giant iguana, he muttered.
Iguanas are vegetarians, and shes not quite that big. Yet. Besides, hes still grieving for Dano.
Dano was a five-foot iguana, he said. He actually petted the horrible thing. I think it ate my dog, that day you and Blake visited me and he brought the vile thing with him.
Your dog ran away. Iguanas dont eat dogs.
And hes raising a replacement for it, he moaned. Cant he put it up if I have to come over here?
Ill ask him. Its just for a few weeks, until I see to Great-Aunt Marys property and organize a way to get those mineral leases away from the Hardens. Ill have to do some scouting first, she added. I want to see how the Hardens are placed these days. Her face darkened. I want to see how hes placed.
He probably knows who you are by now, so be careful.
No, he doesnt, she replied. I made a point of finding out. Henry was very protective of me at first, so he never told people anything about me. Since he always called me Kip, theres very little likelihood that Cyrus Harden has any inkling about my connection with Tennison International. He only knows me as Meredith Ashe. If I leave the Rolls here and dont flash my diamonds, he wont know who I am. More important, she added coldly, his mother wont know.
Ive never thought of Cy Harden as a mamas boy, he mused.
He isnt. But Mama is a prime mover, a secretive manipulator. I was eighteen and no match for her shrewd mind. She got rid of me with ridiculous ease. Now its my turn to manipulate. I want Harden Properties. And Im going to get it.
He opened his mouth to warn her but after a second thought gave up. Shed known Cy Harden as a man, even as a lover. But she knew nothing about the business head on those broad shoulders, and if she pursued the takeover bid, she was going to find herself in over her own head. Others had tried to take on Harden, to their cost. He was a formidable foe, among the most ruthless of businessmen. He and Henry had butted heads several times. Probably Harden didnt know
why Tennison hated him so, or deliberately tried to foil deals for him. It had been a shock to everyone when Henry was invited to sit on the Harden Properties board of directors. Harden had engineered that move so that he could keep an eye on Tennisons business deals, but it had worked to Henrys advantage as well, so hed accepted. Naturally Don went to the meetings, and Merediths name was never mentioned.
You dont think I can do it, do you? she asked, narrow-eyed.
No, he said honestly. His is a family-based company. He holds forty percent and his mother has five. That means you have to get his great-uncles ten percent and the fifteen percent held by his directors and the remaining shares from his unrelated stockholders. I dont think any of them are brave enough to go against Cy, despite the financial rewards.
By the time their next board of directors meetings rolls around, I expect to have those proxies, she told Don firmly. And is Mr. Harden due for a surprise when I show up with them, and you, in his boardroom.
Just be careful that your surprise doesnt backfire, he cautioned. Dont underestimate him. Henry never did.
Oh, I wont. She stretched lazily. Whats on the agenda for this afternoon? I have to do some shopping. She indicated her expensive suit. Little Meredith Ashe could never have afforded anything like this. I dont want anyone to think Ive prospered.
O what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive, he quoted dryly.
And hell has no fury like a woman scorned, she shot back. Dont worry, Don. I know what Im doing.
He shrugged. I hope so.
DONS MOROSE TONE haunted Meredith all day. As she packed her new clothes that evening in Mr. Smiths borrowed secondhand suitcase, Blake sprawled on her queen-sized bed in their Lincoln Park home, frowning.
Why do you have to go away? he muttered, his little face dark and sullen. Youre always going away. Youre never here.
She felt a twinge of guilt. Her son was right. But she couldnt afford to give in to that stubborn determination of his. Blake was as formidable in his young way as she was.