“Giorgio Milletto,” said Tim, and the grin on his face told Kennedy he had already thought this through. “So imagine if you were to sell him your twenty. He’d have controlling interest—”
“In a business area he’s already familiar with and in which he’s already performing well.”
“Exactly,” said Tim. “And if he has any sense, he’ll merge the two companies and make a lot of investors very happy. Moreover, he’ll need to keep working, need to keep his interest going, after he pulls out of our deal.”
“Tim, you’re a bloody genius,” said Kennedy. Tim’s sharp mind together with his vast network of contacts often had Kennedy wondering exactly how far he might go, what dark and dangerous resources he could have at his disposal, if push came to shove.
“You want me to set up a call with Milletto?” asked Tim, pulling him from his thoughts. Kennedy had been wondering about his next move. Perhaps the time had come for him to do the unexpected, to take a few of the players by surprise.
“Yes and no,” said Kennedy. “Call him to set up a private meeting in his LA office for next Tuesday. Don’t use my name, but make something up and give me a title that’ll grab his attention. I’ll fly straight from Hong Kong and meet him in their office. This needs to be done face to face. Kieran, are you okay to keep yourself amused in Hong Kong without me for a couple of days? Steph and Laurie will be with you.”
“When will you get back?”
“I’ll fly straight back on Wednesday, which means arriving Thursday. So I’ll probably meet you at the airport for our flight to Bali.”
“Are you sure?” asked Kieran. “You’ll be shattered.”
“I’ll be fine. More than fine. I need to rattle a few cages. And we’ll have the final eight nights in Bali together.”
“So are you going to cancel the meeting in London?” asked Tim. “With Milletto and your management team?”
“Absolutely not. If all goes well, I’m going to see if Giorgio minds flying in and listening to everything they have to say. Before dropping his bombshell. Fuck, I’ll even offer to pay for his flight.”
“I don’t get it,” said Kieran. “This Williamson guy sounds like a royal pain in the arse. Surely the simplest solution would be to sack him? Stop him from creating problems in the first place.”
“Ah, well. That’s an easy one,” said Tim. “Sloan may be a pain, but he keeps Kennedy on his toes. And having somebody who desperately wants a piece of the pie once the company goes public can’t do any harm. He’s going to be working his backside off to make sure what’s being offered to the public is in the best possible shape. Am I right, Kennedy?”
“As always.”
“Besides,” said Tim, grinning wickedly, “there’s a whole caseload of dirt on the man, just in case he does go one step too far.”
Kennedy laughed and noticed Kieran looking between the two of them.
“You two are dangerous.”
“I wouldn’t say that, exactly,” said Kennedy. “But we’re good people to have on your side. Now, Hiro, what new toys have you brought to show me?”
While Kennedy sat at one table with Hiro, listening to him explain some of the features of the new micro security devices he had been working on, Kennedy occasionally peered over and saw Tim and Kieran chatting amiably together and occasionally laughing.
He found it strange watching Kieran interact with his associates, which at one moment filled him with a warm shimmer of fondness, and at another, scared the hell out of him.
What the fuck was he supposed to do with that?
