Bailout Read online

  Table of Contents

  ALEXA

  JAMEY

  Coming Soon…

  Cop Out

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Bailout

  OUT OF THE ATL TRILOGY - BOOK ONE

  Kimbra Swain

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Kimbra Swain

  BAILOUT, OUT OF THE ATL TRILOGY, BOOK ONE

  ©2018, Kimbra Swain / Crimson Sun Press, LLC

  [email protected]

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

  Cover art by Hampton Lamoureux @ TS95 Studios https://www.ts95studios.com

  Formatting by Serendipity Formats: https://serendipityformats.wixsite.com/formats

  Editing by Carol Tietsworth: https://www.facebook.com/Editing-by-Carol-Tietsworth-328303247526664/

  Contents

  1. ALEXA

  2. ALEXA

  3. ALEXA

  4. JAMEY

  5. JAMEY

  6. ALEXA

  7. JAMEY

  8. ALEXA

  9. JAMEY

  10. ALEXA

  11. JAMEY

  12. ALEXA

  13. JAMEY

  14. ALEXA

  15. JAMEY

  16. ALEXA

  17. JAMEY

  18. ALEXA

  19. JAMEY

  20. ALEXA

  21. JAMEY

  22. ALEXA

  23. JAMEY

  24. ALEXA

  25. JAMEY

  26. ALEXA

  27. JAMEY

  28. ALEXA

  29. JAMEY

  30. ALEXA

  31. JAMEY

  32. ALEXA

  33. JAMEY

  34. ALEXA

  35. JAMEY

  36. ALEXA

  37. JAMEY

  38. ALEXA

  39. JAMEY

  40. ALEXA

  41. JAMEY

  42. ALEXA

  43. JAMEY

  44. ALEXA

  45. JAMEY

  46. ALEXA

  Coming Soon…

  Cop Out

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  One

  ALEXA

  After placing the two prongs through the silver grommets on the belt, I looked in the mirror to decide how to fix my hair for the day. It looked especially bouncy, so I decided to leave it down. I wore a navy A-line dress with a white pinstripe and the wide, patent-leather, white belt. Generally, I stuck to pencil skirts and conservative blouses, but today I was feeling a little flirty. I heard the television click on in the kitchen. Sebastian was up. Cabinet doors opened and closed as he took out a bowl and cereal for breakfast.

  Turning sideways once in the dress, I made sure that it was long enough. The last thing I needed was to show my ass to the world. In my position, even the smallest slip up would make worldwide news, even if it were only gossip news. I was an unwitting celebrity. As the CEO of Malone Enterprises, I drew more attention than I ever wanted. The company had belonged to my deceased parents.

  It wasn't what you think. Daddy’s little girl didn't inherit the company by default. I spent 8 years at Pyramid Conglomerate working my way up to Vice President, only to return to my parents’ company when my father was diagnosed with cancer. I had made a name for myself without my parents’ money, but when family calls, you have to answer.

  Less than six months after my father's death, my mother died of pure grief. The Malones left behind me, their eldest daughter, and their twin sons, Sebastian and Damien. Kerrick Malone, my father, was the son of a Greek immigrant who changed his name from Malsakis to Malone when he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He started Malone Enterprises as a construction and real estate company, but the company grew exponentially in the hands of my father, Kerrick and his wife, Melanie.

  Malone Enterprises based its home offices in Atlanta, Georgia, but had subsidiaries in San Antonio, Cincinnati, St. Louis and most recently, Seattle. I stepped in as Vice President of operations while my parents were Co-CEOs. My mother had relinquished her office when Kerrick passed away.

  My brothers and I watched helplessly as our father was consumed by cancer, and our mother deteriorated from grief. Sebastian and Damien were muscular guys that played college football at the nearby state college. They were known as the terrible twosome. Hulking linebackers who scared opposing quarterbacks shitless. They were now the heads of security for Malone.

  Neither of them had the business aspirations that I did. Sometimes I felt like they wanted to do something on their own, but they assured me that staying at Malone is what they really wanted. I depended on them.

  “Where is Damien?” I asked. Usually, our brother was here by now.

  “Good morning to you, too, Alexa,” he smirked.

  “Morning, Bastian,” I smiled as a piece of fruity cereal fell out of his mouth. For someone so keen on staying in shape, multicolored fruit cereal was his one indulgence.

  “He went to the office early to finish up our files for the meeting this afternoon,” he explained.

  A knowing smile crossed my face as I poured a cup of coffee, “You know, I think Charity said she was going in early, too.” Charity Rimmel was my personal assistant. She and Damien had been carrying on a relationship behind my back for several months. However, they knew how I conducted business. I knew everything about everyone down to the color of their underwear. I didn't care that they were together since I liked Charity, and she was making Damien happy.

  “You should point out to them that you know,” Sebastian said.

  “Half of their fun is thinking that they are hiding from me. Why spoil it?” I said finishing off my coffee. He laughed. “How much longer?”

  “Give me 5 minutes,” he said as the television caught our attention.

  “Last night's Ravencrest Charity Ball was a huge success. Standing out in the crowd, Alexandra Malone stunned the party goers in an exquisite black Ralph Lauren gown with a black and gold feather caplet. Her generous donation will keep Ravencrest Home for Abused Children running for an entire year,” the cheeky blonde reporter explained, as a picture of me arriving at the event flashed on the screen.

  “Alexandra shows the world once again that a successful woman can wow crowds like a movie star,” the man added.

  “Turn that nonsense off,” I said.

  Sebastian clicked the television off. “You looked beautiful. Mom and dad would be proud.” He dared not approach the subject that I had attended the ball alone, but I knew he worried about me. I didn’t have time for relationships, and honestly, I didn’t trust any man to see past my company and wealth to do what was needed to make me truly happy.

  “Let's get going. Maybe we can interrupt Chat and Damien,” I said with a playful look.

  “Not a chance. I'm supposed to text him when we head out,” he laughed.

  “You are no fun,” I replied.

  Two

  ALEXA

  When I arrived at the office, I passed through the reception area as Megan answered the phones. I nodded to the receptionist and moved into the hallway leading to my office. I passed Charity’s office door which was closed. Pausing for a moment outside the d
oor, there were no noises coming from inside. A quick security sweep would reveal my brother, Damien’s location, but I decided to leave them alone for today.

  Smiling, I entered my large corner office. It was an overcast day in downtown Atlanta, and I didn’t look forward to tomorrow’s meeting. Part of being successful means that sometimes you have to help other companies out. Many times, subsidiaries or suppliers would need a bailout to keep functioning, and if the deal was mutually profitable, Malone would step in and help the company get back on its feet. Today’s meeting was the preparation for a meeting with a supplier company.

  Bright Technologies supplied most of the tech equipment inside the Atlanta offices. From copiers to computers, Bright had a hand in making sure that Malone had the day-to-day necessities to keep up in a constantly changing world. Six years ago, Bright Tech was taken over by James Elliot. The man was a formidable businessman, turning even meager businesses into gold. He’d built Bright up from a shell company into a major tech supplier in the southeastern United States. Less than a year ago, he died in a car accident, leaving the company to his son, Synclair James Elliot. The younger Mr. Elliot did not seem to have the same knack for business as his father had. Part of that was due to his extravagant lifestyle. He was used to daddy’s money. A notorious playboy who flaunted his good looks in every club across the country.

  I wasn’t interested in his exploits, but it was important to me to see that Bright stayed on its feet. Contracting out tech would become a nightmare if Bright suddenly went bankrupt or closed. Not just for Malone, but for many other large companies in the southeast. From the financial reports I’d gathered, it seemed that Bright was on the verge of folding. I’d reached out to Mr. Elliot who responded after several weeks, that he might have time to entertain a proposal to create cash flow into Bright giving it the leeway it needed to advance its technologies and lift the company out of certain downfall.

  Laying out all the information I had on Bright across my desk, I pulled up the latest financial reports and stock projections for the day. Bright was bleeding money. Recently, Mr. Elliot had purchased some small companies, liquidated their assets and used that cash to keep Bright functioning. However, it seemed that the cash he acquired in that deal was now gone. I searched through the information I had over and over, but could not find evidence as to where the money was spent or if it was used for Bright at all. I intended to ask Mr. Elliot about it directly in tomorrow’s meeting.

  A light knock on the door disturbed my deep thoughts. “Come in,” I called out.

  Charity entered with a coffee and a notebook. “Morning, Alexa. Wow, that’s a great dress.” She set the coffee down on the desk for me.

  I smiled because I knew if anyone, Charity would like the dress. “I felt like something a little fun today.”

  “Did you get laid?” Charity asked.

  I laughed. “It’s always about sex with you.”

  “Well, yeah,” she replied. “So, did you?”

  “No, I didn’t. I went to the ball alone and returned home alone,” I returned. “What about you?”

  Charity turned ten shades of pink from dusty rose to deep magenta. I lifted my eyebrows at her. “Um, no. Not really,” she replied.

  “It’s a yes or no question,” I pressed.

  “The answer is no,” Charity replied as she sat down in the chair opposite to me. Charity came to Malone just after I did, and I recruited her to be my personal assistant. She had a way of scheduling, organizing and staying on top of everything, which is exactly what I needed. We became friends along the way. It made work less like work, and more like a good girl fun time. However, when it was time to be business-like, we both knew how to turn it on.

  “Liar,” I teased. Charity turned deep red. “Anyway, do you have everything ready for this afternoon’s meeting?”

  “Yes, all the paperwork is complete for my reports. I talked to Damien earlier. He was here completing the surveillance and security reports,” she said.

  “Fantastic. Check with Asher Blankenship and see if he is joining us today. I believe he had information about Bright that he got from our tech department,” I instructed.

  “I spoke to him yesterday evening. He will give us a short report at the beginning, but has a meeting planned tonight with his department,” she said.

  “That’s fine. It will be just us, and I’d rather it be that way. I’m skeptical about this deal. I know that father would have insisted on it, but just because Daddy had a bigger heart than me doesn’t mean it’s a wise deal,” I said.

  “Well, I hear that Mr. Synclair Elliot is hot! So, maybe it’s worth saving his company just so we can look at him,” she teased.

  He was very handsome, but that wasn’t really the point. “I couldn’t care less what he looks like. I need his company to be functioning and profitable.”

  “You really need to get laid,” Charity responded.

  “Okay, Miss Rimmel, out you go. I’ve got to figure out some of these questionable financials,” I said.

  “Boy, that sounds exciting. Want to grab lunch later?” she asked.

  “No, I’m going to stay focused on this, and the other deals we have going for next week. It’s getting close to Christmas, and I want to close everything out so I can spend time at the lake house,” I replied.

  She shrugged, “If I go out, I’ll bring you something back.”

  “I’d appreciate it. Hold all my calls unless it’s an emergency,” I said as she ducked out the door.

  Turning back to the incomplete financial statements of Bright Technologies, I lost myself in numbers until after lunch when Damien knocked on the door.

  “Hey sis,” he said poking his head in.

  “We still meeting today?” he asked.

  “Yeah, what’s up?” I asked.

  “Nothing, just making sure, you’ve been cooped up in here all day. Charity has food here if you want it,” he said entering the room. I chuckled at his cautious manner. They all knew I hated to be interrupted while working on a deal, but I was starving. He sat the brown paper bag down on the desk with a bottled water.

  “Thanks. I’ll be ready to start the meeting in an hour,” I smiled at him.

  “I saw the news reports from last night. You looked spectacular,” he said.

  I shook my head. He, too, worried about my lack of a boyfriend or relationships. “It was a fun night for a good cause. Now get out, so I’m prepared for this meeting.”

  “Alright. In an hour,” he said as he left the office.

  Three

  ALEXA

  Damien plopped down on the leather couch next to Charity, and she jumped. “You idiot. My papers are going everywhere,” she protested as her reports slid off the couch and sprawled out on the floor. I looked up from my desk to catch just the flicker of a moment between them as his hand touched hers to help pick up the papers.

  “Ahem,” I cleared my throat, watching them. Charity’s face turned that deep magenta color again which made me smile and turn back to my work. Damien’s eyes never met mine. Asher Blankenship entered the room without a word. I made eye contact, and he sat down across from me in a chair. Sebastian was the last person to arrive sitting a thumb drive on my desk. I met his eyes, and he grinned a devious grin. The thumb drive probably contained pictures of our stalking of Synclair James Elliot.

  Our standard procedure when entering a bailout deal with a company included deep work-ups on their personal as well as professional lives. Mr. Elliot’s life wasn’t an open book, but I knew more about him than I cared to know, as it was. The devious look on Sebastian’s face meant that he’d found more than we knew. He reveled in knowing that he could hack anything or follow anyone anywhere. I knew his methods. They were thorough and legal. He was a licensed private investigator. Something an ex-boyfriend of mine helped him achieve in order to complete the tasks I needed without breaking the law. The last thing I needed was my brother/bodyguard in jail. Yes, he was my bodyguard, too. And yes, I need
ed one. Business can get dirty, and I didn’t know any other way to play the game.

  “Alright, Mr. Blankenship, I know you have a pressing matter to attend to, so why don’t we start with you,” I prompted as Sebastian closed and locked the door.

  “Yes, Miss Malone. I spoke with several of our head techs down in IT to inventory the machines and devices that we’ve obtained over the years with Bright Technologies. The assets were purchased outright by our company so nothing is under a lease agreement with them at this time. Even the server bank and copiers are all owned by Malone Enterprises. However, the IT guys tell me that the equipment that we’ve received lately has been subpar requiring additional set up time. They believe the downturn of Bright’s financials coincide with us receiving faulty equipment,” he said.

  “What sort of faulty equipment?” I asked. I didn’t want to extend a deal to a company who was providing shit to my company as well as others.

  “Mostly handheld devices. It seemed that the last batch of tablets that we received had to be reformatted and loaded individually by IT,” he explained.