"To what? Hold the line for twelve more weeks until the acquisition clears? That’s not risk, Reese, that’s the job description." She turned to the rest of them, sharp as a steel-cable whip. "I was brought in to land the plane. I didn’t build the fuel shortage. I’m just here to make sure we don’t burn up on reentry. If you want to discuss finger-pointing, I’m happy to schedule a separate meeting."
I almost laughed, watching the air leave the room. This is what most men found threatening about Eliza; she didn’t just outmaneuver, she outgunned. I admired it. I also found it obscenely attractive, which was becoming a problem.
The CEO coughed, glancing my way. "Gabriel, any input?"
"Only that Ms. Reeves’s plan is the only viable one, unless someone’s invented a time machine," I said. "If the board disagrees, let’s put it to a vote. Otherwise, let her work."
Eliza flicked her gaze to me, sharp as a glass splinter, but this time the glint said: Not bad.
The meeting adjourned, the directors scattering like prey animals. Eliza lingered, gathering her laptop, her knuckles white. I waited until the last exec had cleared the door before I stepped up beside her.
"You’re welcome," I said.
"For what? Letting me fend off a pack of corporate hyenas alone, or declining to mansplain my own plan to me?"
"Both," I said, and I grinned. "Nice work."
Her mouth twitched. "Try to keep your gratitude off my shoes next time."
"You wear the shoes, you take the spotlight," I said. "Fair trade."
She shut her laptop with a snap. "You can quit posturing. The only reason they took my plan seriously was because you sat there and didn’t contradict me."
I shrugged. "Maybe I just like the way you humiliate overpaid men in boardrooms."
This earned me a glare, but it was softer, almost amused. "Doesn’t mean I like you."
"I’m fine with being hated, as long as you save the company."
She studied me then, as if she could parse out what percentage of my motives were professional and how much was something else.
"You didn’t sabotage the pipeline data," she said. "I checked."
I let the accusation hang for a beat. "I know."
She slipped a hand into her bag, pulling her phone, already multitasking. "Calvin wants to meet. Tonight."
"Of course, he does. Where?"
"Some bar in the Mission. He says it’s neutral ground." Her mouth twisted at the memory of her brother’s drama. "I said I’d bring you."
"I’ll drive," I said.
Eliza started for the elevator, her pace unhurried but efficient. I fell in step. Her perfume was different today; sharper, spiked with something that made it impossible to ignore. It wasn’t for me. It was for her.
The ride down was silent, the tension a third party crowding us.
"You like this," she said, eyes fixed on the glowing elevator numbers. "Being in charge of the mess."
"I like fixing things. Or people."
She tilted her head, refusing to look at me. "I’m not broken."
"Didn’t say you were." I didn’t let my voice slip. "But you’re still here, even after what happened."
Her lips parted. "You want me to quit? Fire myself? That’s your angle?"
"My angle is survival, Eliza. For both of us."