Acquiring Trouble

well."
    "Good. That’s why you have the lead. This has potential to be a big deal. I want to know everything about this company —f inancials, the ones on the record and the ones hidden. I want to know their standing in the community, who each member is , and what they grow. I want to know what the president of the company eats for breakfast and what the table he eats it on is worth. Assets, debts, deals in the works —I need all of it.”
    “That’s going to take a while, David,” Morgan told him as she typed notes into her tablet.
    “I know it is. Just do it right. I need to have all my ducks in a row for this one. Then we’ll see if you can actually close the deal,” David sneered. She could feel his squinty eyes over the phone.
    It didn’t matter that she had been doing just that for five years at Top Producers. David was still surprised she managed to drive herself to work through DC traffic in the morning, let alone actually clos e a deal. He was just a prick. Th ere was no other way to put it.
    "Of course I can. What am I working with?" Morgan asked as she took more notes .
    "The company name is Family Farms . It's this co-op type business. Pain in the ass is what it is. Just took the Kentucky Restaurant Council contract from us. All the farmers a re members in the LLC. The president of the LLC neg otiates contracts on the farmer s ’ behalf in order to compete with companies like mine. I sent the bastard an email congratulating him. I’m sure it would make him suspicious if he had half a brain, but he’s nothing but a redneck. I need all the info you can find ."
    "I can do that. What do you think it’s worth now?” Her fingers flew over the tablet as she tapped in her notes.
    "Twenty million. The by-laws require the president to take any offer to the farmers who hold a stake in the company. My guess is the majority will agree to allow him to negotiate the best deal he can on their behalf… or reject any such deal. The best is to stop him from getting that majority . I f you can't, then work directly with the president . Depending on what you find out in your investigation , I’ll give you authority to go up to thirty million if you need to. I want that company, one way or the other."  
    Boy, today was going to suck for David's executive assistant. It was Sunday at five in the morning and she could feel his blood pressure rising over the phone. She started a new section in her notes as David ranted about no- good stupid farmers with crops for brains.
    "Who's the owner and what do we know about him?"
    " A tight ass named Miles Davies." Morgan's head swam as the sudden image of her high school crush crashed upon her memory. "I can't find out too much on him besides that he went to Texas A& M and graduated with a B.S. in Agricultural Studies. Then he went on to Purdue to get his MBA in Agricultural Management. Immediately upon graduation he enlisted in the Army. When he got out he started this company. That's all I got on him. I couldn't get anything out of what he did in the Army or where he served. Although, I guess it doesn't matter. A nerd like that would be placed in some command center to play with his computers and files."
    A nerd? No, Miles' wasn't that. Yes, he was smart. B ut you could never look at a man like that and think all he did was shuffle files. Even at just eighteen he was more of a man than any of the men she'd dated since. There'd been lawyers, doctors, financial advisors, a personal trainer , and even a very flexible yoga instructor with better hair than hers . Still, Miles always eclipsed them. T he memories faded as the years passed , but the feel of that kiss never did. She'd dream of it only to be awoken by him telling her he would never date a gi rl like her. Now here she was in a luxury condo with a sports car and no one to wake up with. No one to share it with.
    "Morgan! Morgan, is the re a problem? Do I need to hand this over to Tad instead?"
    "No David. I'm fine. I was just taking notes." She refocused on her tablet and took a calming deep breath , taught to her by the flexible yoga instructor , to clear her mind.
    "Good. I want you to get started on this immediately. And Morgan…"
    "Yes?"
    "You better make this happen."
    Morgan placed the phone on her nightstand and flopped back down on her bed. Why did the mention of his name turn her into a scared self-conscious teenager again?

 
Chapter Two
     
    Miles had followed Marshall to the dirt turn off that led to