The Law of Motion (Law Series) (58 page)

             
“I trust my daughter.” He assured skimming over the first page. “You really are an amazing creature Margaux.”

             
Tink just giggled handing him the pen, Adrian huffed a laugh “You have no idea Mr. Neil.”

             
He took it from her and looked up at me. “This is something that I always wanted to share with you Alyssa, and I am more than willing to sign it right away. Just promise me that you will leave me a company to come back to.”

             
I sighed, because I wanted to run out of that room and go back to the confines of Gravity where I was comfortable, but I couldn’t. “Don’t worry, I won’t sell it, that won’t help this situation. I will gladly sign it back when this is all over.” I hesitated and then pressed my stipulation that I hadn’t discussed with anyone else. “When this is over, after we have saved your company, I would like to be removed from your will completely.”

             
Paul looked at the paper and then looked back at me, “Is that in here too?”

             
I shook my head. “No, I just want you and I to have an understanding.”

             
Paul nodded scribbling his name across the pages. “Alright Alyssa, if you don’t like the work here when it’s done I’ll make arrangements to pass it on to a different successor.”

             
When he was done, Tink carried them to me and handed me the same pen. “Sign here Alyssa.”

The pen touched the paper but I couldn’t move my wrist to form my name. My shoulders felt heavy and I felt like I was selling my soul away, even if it was temporarily.

Adrian kissed my temple and then placed a hand on mine. “It’s ok baby.”

             
For a brief moment I started to push the paper away, but I thought about the trouble Victor was probably going through for me and if he could endure his prison, I should be able to do mine. Not thinking about it anymore, I did a few quick flicks across the line spelling my name and sat the pen down.

             
“Alright, Hunter, Adrian and I will be the witnesses.” Tink noted signing her own name before passing it to Adrian and then to Hunter. “Congratulations Miss Marshall you are now the CEO of Neil Industries.”

             
I rolled my eyes at her and tried my best not to make my discomfort audible. “Thanks Margaux.” I responded sounding dry.

             
Paul hit the intercom and Sarah beeped on the other end. “Yes Mr. Neil.”

             
“Sarah, would you please contact as much media as you can gather?” He looked at me, and then back down at the intercom. “I need to hold an emergency press conference at nine am tomorrow.”

             
Urgency and concern filled the other end as she remained silent, and when she finally did answer I could detect a brief flicker of irritation that she was out of the loop. “What should I tell them, sir?”

             
“Tell them that I have an important announcement, nothing more.” He chuckled probably noticing her tone as well.

             
She was silent another few seconds before she answered. “Yes, sir.”

             
When he released the button, I stood, and the others followed suit. “Well Paul, looks like I have a press conference to prepare for.”

             
He nodded chuckling, and it was almost as if he were wishing me luck. “Yes, they’ll be expecting a lot of answers from you. I hope you’re prepared.”

             
“She will be.” Adrian assured running his fingers through my hair again.

             
Paul eyed our exchanges curiously again before nodding, “Well it seems I have an office to clear out. See you tomorrow Alyssa.”

             
“Tomorrow Paul.”

———————

              “Are you alright Alyssa?” Liam asked as I rifled through the bag of clothes Kristen shopped for to prepare me for my new role as CEO.

             
I nodded pulling out one blouse after another. “Sure, sure.”

             
Liam chuckled softly coming in and closing my office door. “You don’t seem very sure. Are you worried about your safety? Adrian and the rest of the crew will be in every major area of that press conference.”

             
“No, I trust my life with you all.” I sighed knowing that they wouldn’t let me get hurt. “I just don’t know anything about running an entire corporation. I really hope you plan on being on-call Liam.”

             
He chuckled again. “You run your own company now; the principle is the same, just on a larger scale with Neil Industries. I will get you used to corporate life, but I assure you that will be all that you will need my help with.”

             
“Just be close Liam.” My sigh, making it sound more like begging.

———————

              “You look great.” Kristen promised as she handed me a pair of black pumps to go with the pinstripe skirt and blouse she picked out for the day. She was coming on as my assistant, and was already dressed the part; looking as radiant as always with her navy blue skirt with a matching blazer, the hair out of her face.

             
I rolled my eyes putting my hair into a bun. “I look like shit, I got zero sleep last night because I had to think about what I was going to say.”

             
“I hope you perfected it, because the press will eat you alive baby.” She frowned sympathetically as she grabbed the brush to help tame my curls upward.

             
The minute her hands touched my hair I dropped my own giving her free reign. “To be honest I decided to wing it.”

             
“
Wing it
?” Kristen scowled stopping for a moment to glare at me in the mirror. Yelling at me with bobby pins in her mouth, “You’re going to wing it?”

             
“I couldn’t come up with anything.” I admitted as she pushed another four pins in my hair.

             
“Do you like your odds?” She asked sarcastically turning me around to face her.

             
I shrugged. “No, but I figured the adrenaline from the pressure will get me going.”

             
“Fine.” She resigned pinning the broach to my shirt that was equipped with visual and audio.

             
Kristen put the earpiece in her ear and pinged into Tink, who was already set up with Doc at Gravity. I didn’t get one because of all the feedback that would interfere from the press.  “Can you hear us?”

             
Kirsten nodded to her words and looked back at me, “Doc says you look cute.”

             
“Thanks Doc.” I responded dryly before Kristen was listening to someone else.

             
She picked up the pair of black rimmed glassed off of the counter and handed them to me, “Tink says put them on.”

             
I rolled my eyes taking them from her and putting them inside the pocket of my suit. “I’m pretending to be a CEO, not a naughty school teacher Tink. I don’t need the glasses.”

             
“Let’s get this shit over with.” Kristen sighed opening the door to my bathroom, to meet Macon and Adrian at the chopper in the backyard. “Sorry Joanne.” She muttered as we descended the stairs. Joanne was taking time to help us run info since Kristen was needed with me.

             
Walking into the backyard I could see Macon and Adrian beyond focused as they finished their checklist before take-off.  I did however; get the pleasure of watching Adrian’s perfect focus break to ogle me.

             
“Gawk later boys.” Kristen chided walking up to her husband. “We’re going to be late for her first day.”

             
Adrian pulled me close to him for a second and kissed me on the lips. He looked down at the broach on my clothes and realized that our private moment wasn’t so private. So instead of saying anything he just whispered a “good luck” in my ear before walking back around the chopper.

             
"Come on, ladies," Macon said, offering us a hand. "Let's get you buckled in, okay?"

"Thanks, Mack," I said as he lifted me, and then Kristen into the back of the chopper.

"How is it with him flying this thing?" Kristen chuckled nervously, as we buckled up and watched the boys ready the chopper. I realized that it was the first time she traveled via Adrian Air.

"He's...amazing," I chuckled, feeling proud of Adrian. "Like you won't even feel like you're moving."

She snickered and nodded, looking out at the house. "You scared?"

"Yup," I snorted with a nod. "You?"

"A little," she sighed, turning to me when the boys climbed in the front. "We're in good hands, though," she whispered, giving me a wink.

I looked up front, smiling as the boys put on their headsets and Adrian flipped a few switches. We'd told them to dress in all black as our bodyguards, and they had. They looked big and scary and mean to someone that didn't know them, but they were far from it. They'd do anything for us, and we knew it.

We were all about to step into a world of crime and chaos, of death and lies. The two boys up front in that chopper, as well as the dozen odd people that were already on their way, just wanted to help us get our lives back. They'd already given blood, sweat, and tears, and I wasn't sure how they found the strength to give more, but I would be forever grateful to each and every one of them.

I turned back to Kristen with a soft laugh. "Yeah...definitely good hands."



There was no way to wrap my head around the feelings that went with seeing Neil Tower again—It was called Neil Tower because it was the largest Neil Industry owned building on the country. A fucking shrine to the Neil family disguised as an office building if you asked me. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, but Kristen looked over at me, clearly hearing it over the headset. She said nothing—she didn't have to—but she did take my hand in hers as Adrian set the chopper down gently on the helipad of Paul's building.

My building.

I snorted, shook my head at that thought, and looked over where Paul, already dressed impeccably in his business suit, was coming out of the rooftop door. Hunter followed him, wearing black dress pants, a black t-shirt, and his handgun in a shoulder harness, just like Adrian and Macon. I wanted them—all of them— every step of the way. All three exuded power and no-nonsense.

Both men stood away until Adrian shut his chopper down.

Once the blades slowed down, I unbuckled my seat belt and slid the side door open, only to be met with a stern-faced Adrian, offering me a hand down to the helipad. As much as I wanted to cling to him with everything in me, I let my hand slip from his the second my feet touched the roof. After grabbing my briefcase and slinging it over my shoulder, I let him guide me towards Paul with a hand at the small of my back.

Paul greeted be with a warm smile and appeared impressed by at least my appearance, my tom-boy apparel replaced. “Kristen, lovely as ever.” He greeted kissing her knuckles before turning to Macon again.

“Thank you Paul, this is my husband,” She blushed, introducing for the first time, though Paul remembered him from when he made the mistake of thinking he was with
me
.

“Of course.” He nodded shaking his hand, Macon grinning like no tomorrow.

“Is everyone downstairs?” asked tucking a piece of stray bang back behind my ears.

“Yes,” He nodded motioning towards the roof door as we walked. “I decided to go with an illness related to stress.” He informed as we walked.

Luckily, the employees didn't have access to the roof, so Paul's personal elevator sat open and waiting for us by the time we left the helipad behind us and descended a short flight of steps. Hunter and Adrian took the far corners and Macon stood in front of us, as Paul turned to face me and Kristen.

"Alyssa, besides the...obvious," he started, sounding completely uncomfortable, "you’ll have to sit down with my chairman, COO and CFO sometime this week, too. They’re my right hands."

"'Kay," I whispered, swallowing thickly. Feeling weighted the more
real
it all became. “Kristen will arrange it. I’ll be replacing Sarah her for the duration of my control.”

"If that's what you want," he answered, with a disappointed sigh. "I left it up to you in the end, Alyssa. I’ll set that meeting up later this morning, after the press conference."

              I needed people I could trust and I was certain that she would be the least cooperative without her precious Paul there to reel her in. The elevator stopped on the first floor and I took one deep breath letting Kristen rub my arms before following Paul Neil down the hall to the press room.

             
Macon and Adrian needed to stay out of the camera’s eyes, and with a light hand to the small of my back he got my attention, and winked before breaking into the crowd beginning the sweep with the others in the room. Hunter, Kristen and I continued to the back stage area, my eyes scanning the crowd inconspicuously.