Illicit Craving (Bend To My Will #5) Read Online Free PDF

“What seminar?”
    “It’s being privately held, and some of the key wine distributors and importers are on the list of attendees,” Gianni said. “Normally, I wouldn’t be privy to such information, but it just so happens that a buyer of mine is good friends with one of your competitors.”
    “He told you about it?”
    “Yes, and I get the impression that something’s not on the up and up. The whole deal is kind of hush-hush, which makes me suspicious.” Gianni paused briefly. “It was a red flag to me, and it’s even more suspicious, now that I’ve confirmed you didn’t know about it.”
    “Yes, this is the first I’ve heard of it,” Jacob said. “When is it?”
    “This Thursday, in a meeting room at the Westin,” Gianni said. “Why would you be excluded? That doesn’t seem right.”
    “The short story is that Williamson Imports appears determined to put us out of business, and the effort is being led by Daniel Kenyon.”
    “The ass that tried to pull the phony wine scam a while ago?”
    “Yep, that’s him,” Jacob said. “And I have a feeling that if a bunch of distributors and importers are secretly meeting that Kenyon is involved.”
    “Are you going to crash their party?”
    “You can count on it,” Jacob said. “And I have you to thank for tipping me off.”
    “I look out for you, brother.”
    “You always have.” Jacob meant that.
    “We need to get together for dinner sometime,” Gianni said. But before Jacob could agree, he said, “I’ve got to run. Another call is coming in, and I have to take it. Let me know how things work out.”
    “Will do.” Then Gianni was gone. The mention of getting together reminded Jacob that his brother didn’t know about Vivienne yet. Or maybe he did. After all, his parents had met her, so maybe they had told him. If they did carve out time for dinner, Gianni would meet her then.
    For now, Jacob had a problem. It appeared that Daniel Kenyon was ramping up his attack, and going behind Jacob’s back was just his style. Whatever the purpose of the clandestine seminar, it wasn’t good. He pushed the intercom button. “Meg, hold my calls. I have to handle an emergency.”
    The first person Jacob spoke to was Walsh, but he hadn’t known about the meeting either. “They must have thrown it together at the last minute,” the investigator said. “Those kinds of things are next to impossible to keep secret. Rumors spread quickly, and I would have heard about it.”
    “You’re right,” Jacob said. “It’s supposed to happen the day after tomorrow. For all we know, it was set up only days ago.”
    “That’s my guess,” Walsh said. “I’ll dig into it, and see what I can find out. I assume you are going to the event uninvited .”
    “That’s the plan.”
    “I prefer that you know what you’re walking into,” Walsh said. “I’ll get back to you with anything I find out.”
    Next was a briefing with Grayson, his general manager. After hearing the news from Jacob, he sank against the chair. “How completely annoying,” Grayson said. “That asshole needs to be put in his place.”
    “My sentiments exactly,” Jacob said. “I’ll be at that seminar, and I have Walsh looking into it so I’m not going in unprepared.”
    Grayson nodded. “What do you think Kenyon’s up to?”
    “If I were to guess, I’d say that he is going to further encourage distributors to buy directly from vineyards.”
    “That’s so stupid,” Grayson said. “He works for an importer, his own stepfather. Undermining the relationships between the importers and their distributors is counterproductive.”
    “To say the least,” Jacob said. “But something else still nags at me.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Our vulnerability,” Jacob said. “I have a feeling that Kenyon has an insider, someone in our company that is a traitor and feeding him information.”
    “I know you mentioned that before. What makes you so sure?”
    “It’s a hunch, really. But the