Chapter 5: Page Four

Bentley laughed.

He actually set the doggie bag on the futon so he could laugh with both hands free.

"You can't fire me. I'm the CEO. You just signed your shares over to me."

"Come out to the floor," I said. "Everybody's waiting."

They were.

Sheree had done it in ten minutes flat.

Sixty people stood between the desks, holding coffee mugs and phones.

Engineering had come up from the fourth floor. Even the receptionist had locked the front door and come in.

Bentley walked out with his chest puffed, Breanne half a step behind him.

"What is this, a funeral?"

"An emergency board meeting," I said. "Ridgeline has three directors. Two of us are here."

I set my phone on Sheree's desk and dialed.

It rang six times.

"Easterly," said a dry old voice, loud enough to reach the windows.

"It's Torrie. You're on speaker in front of the whole company."

"Then I'll mind my language. Go on."

Bentley's smile slipped.

"Who the hell is that?"

"The third director," I said. "The Hollow Fund's seat. You met him at our launch party. You called him Grandpa Moonshine in the car."

Somebody in engineering snorted.

I held up a copy of the founders' agreement.

"Page four. I wrote it. You signed it without reading it."

"No founder may transfer shares without the consent of the board. A transfer made without it is void."

I turned to Breanne.

"The board never met about your fifteen percent. So you own nothing."

Breanne looked at Bentley.

Bentley grabbed the agreement out of my hand and flipped pages.

"Then your surrender's void too, genius. You still lose."

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