Gilbert Bracewell, Ph.D.
Director of Research
'You can't scare me, Two-Watt.' Orchid crumpled the crisp sheet of stationery in one hand. 'I'm so tough, I hang out with a real psychic vampire these days.'
She tossed the letter into the trash.
Immediately, she felt much better.
Chapter 7
'Take it easy, Al,' Rafe said. 'I've got everything under control.'
'Under control? Under control? Is that what you call it?'
Alfred G. Stonebraker's frosty gray eyes glinted with the sort of fierceness that made hardened business executives and ruthless competitors alike tremble. He thumped the top of the small garden table with an exasperated fist. 'Stonebraker Shipping is teetering on the top of a cliff, about to be pushed over the edge by that conniving little twerp, Culverthorpe, and you tell me you've got everything under control?'
'Yes.' With the ease of long practice and natural inclination, Rafe ignored his grandfather's icy glare. Alfred G. was a businessman of the old school. He did a lot of yelling when he was not happy.
His own techniques were different, Rafe thought as he stretched out his legs and crossed his feet at the ankles. Much quieter.
He lounged back in his chair and contemplated the elaborately terraced gardens spread out before him. From his position on the terrace he could see all the way to the arbor.
As a child he had spent a lot of time in this horticultural fantasy land. His parents had brought him here often to visit his grandparents. Some of his earliest memories were of exploring the maze and sailing small boats on the pond.
He and Alfred G. had been good buddies in those days. That, of course, had been during the period when his grandfather had blithely assumed that Rafe would follow in his footsteps.
The rift between them had not occurred until Alfred G. had tried to coerce Rafe into joining Stonebraker Shipping. Rafe had known from the beginning that he could never work for his grandfather. Intuitively he had understood that they were too much alike. Besides, Rafe did not take orders well. Alfred G. was very fond of giving orders.
The ensuing battle of wills between the two had been watched from a wary, respectful distance by the various members of the family. No one, not even Rafe's parents, had dared to intervene, much less tried to mediate.
As Rafe's mother had wryly pointed out, a smart person did not step between two quarreling predators.
Fifteen years ago, there had been only one possible conclusion to the confrontation. In crude terms, Alfred G. had still been the alpha male of the clan. Rafe had understood that. He had packed his bags and left for the Western Islands.
When he returned he had been seasoned by several years of living on the edge of a jungle and by the violent episode known as the Western Islands Action.
Rafe had staked out his own territory in New Seattle, careful to avoid trespassing into his grandfather's realm. But he had kept tabs on the family firm and he had watched with brooding anger as Alfred G.'s old-fashioned business methods led Stonebraker Shipping into perilous waters.
The day had finally come when Alfred G. had accepted the fact that it was time for him to step down. He had summoned Rafe to a warrior's summit, prepared to hand over control of the faltering firm to the only other member of the clan who could save it.
Unfortunately, he had waited a little too long.
What Alfred G. had not realized until too late was that his ambitious nephew, Selby Culverthorpe, had been biding his time, awaiting a moment of weakness. With the savvy, stealthy cunning of a hyena-jackal, Selby had slipped past Alfred G.'s guard.
Working behind the scenes, Selby had laid the groundwork that he hoped would enable him to steal the prize of Stonebraker Shipping from under the protective paws of Alfred G.
Overnight, the orderly transfer of power which Alfred G. had envisioned was transformed into a desperate, secret effort to save the company. The threat to Stonebraker Shipping had united Rafe and Alfred G. as nothing else could have done.
Alfred G. picked up a knife and sliced a muffin in half with a slashing motion. 'As far as I can tell, you haven't made any progress at all. The annual board meeting is less than two months away and you haven't even found yourself a wife, damn it.'
'I'll have one lined up by the time the board meets. Everything else is in place.'
'Humph.' Alfred G. looked unconvinced. 'Did you convince Taylor and Crawford to back off until you take control of the company?'
'Yes. Steve Taylor worked for me for a while in the Islands. We came to an understanding a few weeks ago. He gave me his word that Taylor and Crawford will wait until after the board meeting before they respond to the proposal to spin off the container division.'
'Well, that's something at least. What about the distribution problems at the New Portland warehouse?'
'The problem has been resolved.'
'How?'
'The new inventory control system had a glitch. It's fixed. I've also had a talk with Kimiyo Takanishi at Ta- kanishi Freight. I convinced her that she would get a better contract from me than she would from Selby.'
'She'll wait until after the board meeting to negotiate?'
Rafe picked up his cup of coff-tea. 'She'll wait.'
Alfred G. sank his teeth into a slice of muffin. His eyes narrowed. 'Why can't you find yourself a nice young woman like Kimiyo?'
Rafe grinned. 'Mrs. Takanishi is old enough to be my mother. I'll admit she's very charming and a brilliant businesswoman, but even if she was willing to marry me, we'd have a small problem with the fact that she's married. It wouldn't be easy to get rid of Ray Takanishi. He's as tough as you are.'
'True.' Alfred G. glumly munched his muffin. 'Has that damned marriage agency sent you out on any dates yet?'
'Back off, Al I told you, everything's under control.'
'Sonovabitch, Rafe. Time is running out. Haven't you got a single possibility lined up yet?'
Rafe hesitated. 'As a matter of fact, I have.'
A hopeful look gleamed in Alfred G.'s predatory gaze. 'Why the hell didn't you tell me?'
Rafe braced his elbows on the arms of the lawn chair. He steepled his fingers and regarded the maze in the center of the garden. 'Because it's far from being a done deal.'
'Why not?'
'We don't have much in common. And apparently she's as difficult to match as I am.'
'How do you know that?' Alfred G. asked sharply.
'She's been registered even longer than I have. A full year, in fact. She's only had one date during that time.'
'Sounds to me like you both have more in common than you think.'
'What the hell do you mean?'
Alfred G. chuckled. 'Neither of you can get a date for Saturday night. Tell you what. Bring her to my birthday party. Let me have a look at her. I'll tell you whether or not she'll suit.'
Rafe tried to envision Alfred G. and Orchid socializing here in the gardens at what was considered one of the city's most important social events of the year. 'Serve you right if I did bring her.'
Alfred G. stopped smiling. 'You are coming to the party, aren't you?'
It would be the first time he had attended since he had walked out on his heritage fifteen years ago, Rafe reflected. It would send a signal to his cousin that he could expect a fight over Stonebraker Shipping.
