Robert Ludlum's the Bourne Evolution - Brian Freeman Page 0,43
with the legal team at Carillon to acquire Prescix. We’ve been quietly accumulating a large holding of stock under multiple surrogates. And we’ve made an outreach to the company’s COO, Kevin Drake, to support our bid and get a majority of the board to back the takeover. If that goes forward in the next day or so as we expect, then Gabriel will be out, and as the next CEO, Kevin has promised his enthusiasm for joining our group. Prescix will shortly be one of us, ladies and gentlemen. I guarantee it.”
Scott’s announcement won smiles from the others at the table. In the wake of that news, Priest stood up next to his protégé. “This seems like a good time to break for the evening. We’ll reconvene at breakfast. I’m sure you can all find productive ways to spend your night on the island.”
As the CEOs began to disperse throughout the estate grounds, Priest leaned closer to Scott. “Have you confirmed with Kevin Drake that everything is on track?”
Scott nodded. “Kevin’s in Las Vegas. He’ll be breaking the news to Gabriel tomorrow. We’ll shortly have majority support on the Prescix board. It’s a done deal. Gabriel’s gone.”
“Excellent,” Priest replied. “Nelly, have you arranged some company for Kevin while he’s in Sin City? I understand he’s rather particular.”
Nelly had the smile of a woman who knew men. “Oh, yes. I reached out to a very reliable agency. Kevin should be very pleased.”
“Well done.” Priest’s deeply lined face flushed with relief. “I don’t need to remind the two of you of the stakes here. Prescix isn’t simply another social media site. It’s the most sophisticated tool for behavior modification that I’ve ever seen. If Medusa gets their hands on that code, there’s no limit to what they can do.”
*
THE nighttime fountains of the Bellagio casino danced to the music of Frank Sinatra doing things his way. Kevin Drake, COO of the Prescix Corporation, got up from the desk where he was working on his MacBook and stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows in his penthouse suite. Thirty stories below him, hundreds of tourists crowded the sidewalk on the Las Vegas Strip to watch the water show. From up here, he also had a panoramic view of the rainbow lights of Paris, Aria, and the Cosmopolitan.
Kevin sipped a shot of Clase Azul Ultra tequila, each little taste just enough to wet his lips. His doughy body was wrapped up in a Versace silk robe that felt as smooth as butter on his skin. Everything else that he needed for the evening had been left for him on the marble bar in a gold-leaf box. Cologne. Body oil. Cocaine. Cialis. He hadn’t always been a fan of Miles Priest and Carillon Technology, but he couldn’t deny that they had impeccable taste in perks, and perks were what made the world go around. Once you had a few hundred million dollars in the bank, life was no longer about money but about finding the best experiences that money could buy.
The chime sounded on the suite door. Hearing the bell shot a twinge of excitement through Kevin’s body. This was another perk. The best kind.
He padded across the plush carpet in his bare feet and opened the door. There she was. He’d expected gorgeous, but the woman in front of him was a vision. Jet-black hair tumbled to her shoulders and made a few wispy bangs across her forehead. She had blue eyes that looked unusually pale against her ebony hair. Her narrow face curved to a sharp V at her chin, and one little freckle on her jaw gave her the smallest imperfection that made everything else even more perfect. She was much taller than he was and even taller in gold stilettos that matched the shimmering gold of her skintight spaghetti strap dress. A black leather purse dangled from her shoulder.
The raven-haired woman grabbed the thousand-dollar shot of tequila from his hand and downed it in a single swallow. Her lips curled into a smile, showing snow-white teeth.
“Are you Kevin?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not an ordinary companion, Kevin. Was that made clear?”
“It was. I—I asked for someone like you.”
“I have rules for my appointments. Are you a man who follows the rules?”
“Definitely.”
“Then let’s be clear on what I require. You will address me at all times as Miss Shirley. Any deviation will result in punishment. Is that understood?”
Kevin blinked. “Yes.”
The woman’s hand flew like a streak of lightning across his face, and her sharp nails drew blood. “Is