Chapter 42

I felt the air shift as Howard sighed, frustration evident in his posture when I made no move to drink the vermouth. I caught the slightest bitter scent from the glass I held—imperceptible to humans but obvious to me. "Fine. If you don't like vermouth, how about Campari?" Howard located a bottle of the ruby-red liqueur and poured a glass, sliding it toward me with what he probably thought was a charming smile. "Now, about the deal. I can't go back to the board with an offer of fifty percent below market rate. They are going to laugh me out of the room. How about twenty?" I rumbled with amusement at his transparent tactics. Before I could answer, he continued his pitch. "I know Phoenix's at a disadvantage here. I admit, we do have some issues right now, but they are just temporary." His voice took on a wheedling quality that made my skin crawl. "We need your cash, but you need our technology. There's no reason why we can't work out a deal that's mutually beneficial." He leaned over the