The Protege

Having survived his rise to Chairman of Everest Capital, the worlds largest private equity firm, and the ferocious attempts on his life that ensued, Christian Gillette finally seems safely perched atop the financial industry.

Hes just accepted Everests largest private investment, hes poised to takeover his ex-rivals sinking firm, and hes just embarked on his firms most exciting venture to date, buying the NFLs newest team -- the Las Vegas Twenty-Ones. Plus, one of his young employees -- an ambitious deal maker named David Wright -- has caught his eye. Wright reminds Gillette of himself just a few years back, and hes drawn to the thought of teaching the wunderkind everything the ups and downs of the industry. But everything comes to a screeching halt when a shadowy man calls him to a meeting, requesting a favor and offering in return new information about Gillettes father and his still mysterious death.

Christian Gillette cant stand to be controlled, but he also cant afford to lose a chance at finally learning something substantive about his fathers death. And as he becames more entangled with the strange deal, and the frantic pace of business continues without his full attention, he feels his grip on Everest weakening -- and soon realizes his life is once more in desperate jeopardy. When all signs begin to point to David Wright, Gillette realizes that his toughest decision as Chairman lies directly ahead...