"That isn't the point, Riley. I'm nervous. I want to believe you wouldn't screw us over, but, hell, I don't know you as well as I should, son. Is what Josiah said true?"

"I said no."

"You know how much money Christex has tied up in compensation schemes."

Ernst looked tired and Riley went to the mini-fridge in the corner of his room and pulled out two beers. He cracked the tops and handed one to Ernst, who took it without hesitation. Swallowing half the bottle's contents in one go he then straightened in his chair. "You have to know that I'm considering withdrawing from the syndicate."

"Ernst, you've spent so long working with me to get to this stage. I can take your analysts through the entire setup to approve the figures again. Reassure you that what I am doing here is sound."

"It isn't that, Riley. You have to know that Josiah has put in a rival bid and has asked myself and the others to push our investment his way."

"Using my research," Riley said. He couldn't help the bitterness in his voice and felt the need for revenge well up inside him. Clearly the feelings inside were showing on his face as Ernst held up a hand in a gesture of defense. Riley forced himself to calm down. He wasn't angry with Ernst, it was a different target he had in his head.

"I'm not saying yes to him. But what if Helmes and Masters do? You and I couldn't pull this off on our own and I can't risk the financial exposure."

Riley considered what Ernst was saying. He was right. What if Helmes and Masters jumped ship to Josiah and then Ernst did the same. That left Riley with an unworkable bid and months of work wasted.

Holding up a hand he simply said, "Wait."

First call—his dad. Second one to Jack telling him he would be home late. Then calls to both Helmes and Masters asking them to meet. If Josiah was trying to screw with him then he had chosen the wrong man to do it to. Should they meet here? Maybe his office was too obvious? Josiah would expect Riley to call a meeting if anyone leaked details of this new consortium. They needed somewhere better to meet away from prying eyes. HayesOil had security and suddenly Riley sensed whatever happened next had to happen in the Tower. A theatrical backdrop to a dramatic impasse.

* * * *

Riley hadn't been inside HayesOil for a long time— maybe three or four months. The smooth ride in the elevator to the sixty-fourth floor was as quick as he remembered and little had changed since the days he'd worked in the map room and Gerald and Jeff Hayes played with the oil world like it was their own personal toy. HayesOil was different now. Slowly but surely the management team in his family's place was turning things around and for a second Riley stood and inhaled the scent of carpet and fresh paint. He was proud of what was happening here, proud of any legacy he was leaving for Hayley and her children. Then there was Jack—this is where it all started sixty-four floors above the city when he first really met Jack.

"Sir." A girl he didn't recognize approached him. "Your guests are in the conference room and everything you asked for has been made available."

"Thank you."

"I'll bring in the coffee in a few minutes, sir." "Please call me Riley. Thank you. Is my father here

yet?"

"No, but he left a message for you—to say he has

stopped off for something important." She read this from a

note in her hand. Riley wondered what that meant, but only

briefly as she began to lead them to the conference room. Ernst followed him into the large room and for a

while the men inside—Ernst, Helmes, and Masters—

exchanged pleasantries like the whole of the CH proposal

wasn't being flushed down the toilet.

"I assume you received the same paperwork and

informal chat from Josiah?" Riley directed his question

toward Helmes and Masters. Oscar Helmes simply sniffed

and waved the whole thing away.

"Bullshit," he dismissed. "Josiah has some kind of

bee in his bonnet about working with CH and he's left it

this late to jump ship so your proposal would be dead in the

water. I didn't believe a word he was peddling."

Bill Masters was a little less exuberant in his

dismissal of what Josiah had been proposing but he did sum

up the situation quite nicely.

"Didn't worry me," he said.

"None of you are as exposed to the market as I am,"

Ernst said. "I've put an awful lot of faith in young Riley's

company but if our offer is accepted and I don't see returns

in the first twelve months then you may as well kiss

goodbye to Christex."

Riley observed as Bill and Oscar looked at each

other. The three men, Ernst included, were what was left of

the old oil. Add to that Josiah, and Riley was pretty much

facing the only people of Gerald's generation left. Doubt

filtered through him. Why did he choose these four men to

get into bed with? Was it trying to kick Gerald's teeth? A

final 'fuck you' to the man who he had called dad for so

long?

"I'm assuming, Riley, that we are sitting here as a

new syndicate without Josiah's input," Oscar said. Riley nodded. "I'm not forcing any of you to take

the stance of playing on the CH team as opposed to going

with Josiah." He didn't need to say the obvious—that Josiah

had deliberately sabotaged the small syndicate and at the

last moment so that there would be no way of CH

recovering this ground. "The choice is yours. The original deal, based on my company's accurate and audited research, is here in this room with Josiah's name on it as a partner next to all of yours. Clearly he has an issue with that deal, and has commissioned his own studies to form a

new group of which I assume you three are part of." "He said you had changed the figures." Ernst was