You Fired the Backbone of Detroit novel · Chapter 22 of 24

Chapter 22: The Closing Bid

The offer on the walnut table had a deadline of ten o'clock Thursday morning.

At ten, the board of Rainey Motor Works sat around it with their hands folded.

The new Garland chief executive sat across from them in his gray overcoat, patient and pleasant.

Clifford sat at the head in his wheelchair, with his glasses on their cord and a cane across his lap.

Cleo stood behind him, and I stood by the window.

The crew filled the doorway, and a few of them had brought their wives.

"Gentlemen, Mr. Rainey," the new chief said. "Two hundred million dollars, in cash."

"I'll keep every one of your six hundred jobs for three years."

The oldest board member nodded slowly.

"That's a great deal of money, Clifford."

"It is."

"The truck line is losing. We have three weeks of cash, and that was before the holidays."

"I know my own numbers."

"I'm only saying the Nine might not run in time."

"The Nine runs," I said from the window.

The board member looked at me without malice.

"Mr. Danner, with respect, an engine blew up on Christmas Day."

"It was a rod, and it's fixed. We ran the new intake for two hours yesterday at redline."

"Two hours doesn't make a company."

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