But everybody else had followed Zach’s request for a meeting and was now sitting in his living room. They had already helped themselves to drinks and were waiting expectantly for him to start telling them what all this was about.
Zach looked around. Hunter Hamilton sat casually on the armrest of a large armchair, while Wade Williams—tonight without a beard for a change—occupied said armchair¸ legs crossed. Xavier Eamon, the least talkative of his friends, sat in one corner of the large sofa, while Michael Clarkson, who was also the treasurer of the club, sat in the other. Paul Gilbert, who had resigned from the club when he’d gotten married after knowing Holly for less than three months, sat between the two.
“Thank you all for coming so quickly,” Zach started. “I hope I’m not keeping you from anything important.”
Michael grinned and jabbed Paul in the side with his elbow. “I think he means you.”
Paul rolled his eyes. “You’re just envious.”
Hunter laughed. “We all are, buddy! You’ve landed the hottest woman on this planet, and we didn’t even get a chance.” He lifted his whiskey glass to salute him, before he took a sip.
“Well, well,” Wade agreed and lifted his glass. Then he motioned to Zach with his chin. “So, what was so important to call a crisis meeting?”
Without further ado, Zach explained, “The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating me for insider trading.”
Immediately, everybody was talking over each other, huffing, cursing and making their displeasure known.
“That can’t be possible!” Michael said.
“But you’d never do such a thing,” Hunter claimed.
“Totally ridiculous!” Paul cried out.
“What’s your lawyer say?” Wade asked.
“Guys, please,” Zach tried to calm them down, so he could explain what he needed from them. His friends fell silent. “Thank you. So this is what’s happening: Somebody wants to pin this on me. The SEC doesn’t just investigate without having any suspicion. They must have received a tip, which was credible enough for them to launch an investigation. And I can assure you that I’ve done nothing illegal. Somebody is out to ruin my reputation.”
“And not only that,” Xavier claimed calmly. All heads turned in his direction. “I have the feeling somebody is out to make a grab for your company.”
Zach had already assumed the same, but before he could reply, Xavier continued, “As soon as the public knows that the SEC is investigating you, all the big shareholders will turn away from you, try to force you out as chairman of the board, and make you resign your position as CEO.”
Hunter stood up. “And they won’t even have to prove your guilt. But the longer the investigation lasts, the more likely it is that the shareholders will find out and withdraw their support.”
Zach nodded. “I’m aware of that. That’s why I need your help.”
“What can we do for you?” Wade asked.
“I have to find out who’s behind it.”
“Hmm,” Xavier mused, “then I don’t think you’ll have to look too far.”
Zach raised an eyebrow and tossed a questioning look at his friend. “A member of the board?”
Xavier nodded. “Who’s opposing you when it comes to the new project? Who’s going to vote against you? And who would try to get the other shareholders onto his side?”
Suddenly it was all too clear. “Chris Leech!” This morning, he had made his position clear: he didn’t want the company to invest in Russia.
“I can have him checked out,” Michael agreed quickly. “I have a few contacts.”
“Do that,” Zach said.
Wade jumped up. “I know somebody at the stock exchange. I’ll find out if he’s made any large trades lately.”
“Thanks, Wade.”
Paul exchanged a look with Xavier. “If I were you, I’d also check out the other large shareholders. After all, Leech wouldn’t be able to pull this off by himself. He needs support.”
Xavier nodded. “Paul is right. If Leech is behind this, then he’s probably already asked for assurances from other shareholders that they’d vote with him.” He looked at Hunter. “You sit on the board of the opera. If I’m not mistaken, a few of Zach’s shareholders are on that board, too.”
Hunter emptied the last of his whiskey. “I’ll keep my ears open. The gossip mill is churning constantly anyway. Maybe I’ll hear something useful.”