Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
M aya stretched and glanced at her watch. She’d trudged through two hundred emails, validated projects, finalized a major acquisition of a production company that would double their current output of products, and dealt with a multitude of day-to-day business requirements. Payroll, HR, and IT issues an expanding company dealt with regularly. She reviewed the minutes for all her section's latest updates and smiled at the marketing briefing. Detailed, to the point, and not missing a thing. She was right to elevate Tanya to Folk’s position.
“Hey, Maya, you got a minute?” Jessica asked from the doorway.
“Sure, what do you need?” She leaned back in her chair.
“Ah, I was wondering if you wanted lunch,” Jessica asked from the doorway and looked at Rob. “I can order for everyone.”
Maya saw Rob stiffen and knew what he would say. “Actually, I’m buying for everyone today. I’ll get something delivered.” She stood, stretched toward the ceiling, and yawned. Her body ached in the most marvelous way. “Rob, would you mind coordinating that for me so it makes it through security without getting cold?”
“I’ll take care of it.” Rob nodded, and she could see that her actions allowing Guardian to order the food met with his approval. “Thank you.”
Jessica came in when Rob left. “I heard all about the shooting at the ceremony. It was on the news. You didn’t say anything yesterday. That had to be scary.”
Maya sat down and motioned for Jessica to sit across from her. “We got out without any incident.”
“Really?” Jessica’s mouth opened, and then she shook her head. “That’s such a stroke of luck.”
“Right?” Maya chuckled. “Elliot took care of Olivia and me.”
“Of course, he did. Wait, did you say Ms. Solomon?”
“Yes, she was with us.”
“Well, that’s a surprise. I’m so glad everything worked out for you.” Jessica took out her tablet. “Do you want to go over the schedule for next week?”
“Sure.” She pulled her tablet toward her. “What do we have?”
They ran down the schedule for Monday. “Tuesday, we have a visit to the new factory.” Maya nodded. “I’ll take care of transportation and set up the meet and greets,” Jessica said as she tapped away on her wireless keyboard.
“No. Elliot will take care of transportation,” Maya automatically corrected her.
“Did I do something wrong?” Jessica snapped.
Maya glanced at her assistant. “No, why?”
“You won’t let me do anything for you anymore. Not the food, the transportation, and the apartment key. I hope you’re not considering replacing me.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, no. I’m not going to replace you.” Maya chuckled. “Elliot is here to take care of things like transportation. The food is just a logistic nightmare getting through security, so it's better if they take care of it. The key is useless now, anyway. I’ll get you a new one.”
“Okay. Hey, where’s Elliot?” Jessica looked around. “He’s really handsome. It kind of looks like the two of you are interested in each other.”
Maya felt her face heat. “He’s doing something with a friend. Everyone gets time off, right?”
Jessica huffed out a laugh. “Except me. Normal people don’t work for you.”
Maya cocked her head. “That’s true. You don’t work with a normal person.”
“But he’s really cute, isn’t he? In a rugged, I want to throw you down and have sex with you type of way.”
Maya lowered her eyes. “He is handsome, but my focus is on this business and getting us in a position to have the best offering possible.”
“So, nothing’s going on between the two of you?” Jessica teased her.
“Nothing.” Maya chuckled. She didn’t know why, but she wanted what was between them to remain private as long as possible. She wasn’t willing to share the newness and intensity with employees, even long-time employees like Jessica.
“So, if someone else were to say ask him out for drinks, you wouldn’t mind?” Jessica looked down as she spoke.
“Jessica, do you have a crush on Elliot?”
“What, me? No! I’m asking for the ladies in the breakroom. They’re all swooning over him. I’m actually in a serious relationship.”
Maya’s mouth dropped open. “What? Since when?”
Jessica shrugged. “It’ll be six years soon.”
“Why haven’t you ever told me?” Maya reeled at that revelation.
“We’re not exactly friends,” Jessica said. “Why? Would you care?”
“Of course, I’d care. You could have left earlier at night. And the times when you come back in the middle of the night? What does your boyfriend or girlfriend think of that?”
Jessica stared at her. “He knows what I have to do and encourages me to do it to the best of my ability. Just like I support what he’s doing and why he’s doing it.”
“Well, he’s a very understanding man, but from now on, you leave at a respectable hour.” Maya pointed at her. “I wish you would have told me before.”
Jessica shrugged. “Water under the bridge.”
“True.” Maya could tell she didn’t want to talk about it anymore, so she shifted her focus back to the schedule. “What are we doing at the factory?”
“It's a walking tour, so wear comfortable heels. Then, there will be a meeting with the union representatives and, after that, a meeting with management. I’ve already approached the union steward to find out when the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires. I’ve sent the dates to our HR department.”
“Thank you. I’ll need a copy of the CBA, and I want our lawyers to review it. I don’t want an issue like the one we had with the electrical union.”
“I can do that,” Jessica said and started typing.
“Courtesy copy me on the email,” Maya said.
“Right, you need to see it done.” Jessica jumped when her phone rang.
Maya looked up. “In all the years I’ve known you, you’ve never gotten a call at work.”
Jessica picked up the phone. “I need to take this.”
“Absolutely.” She watched as Jessica hightailed it out of her office and made her way into the small office where she worked. The door shut behind her. Maya lifted an eyebrow. Well, whatever the call was about, Jessica deserved her own space and privacy to talk. She wondered for a moment if the call was from her boyfriend. Somehow, the idea that Jessica had someone was uplifting. Maybe it was because she had someone now, too. Her thoughts turned toward Elliot. His strength and power was undeniable, but he still had a shadow of that vulnerability. She could sense it. She could sense he wasn’t sure where their relationship was going. It was a silent communication in their glances.
She didn’t know either, but if there was a way to see where it would end or if it would last, she wanted to do that. Hopefully, he did, too. Never in her life had she had such an instant connection with someone. And yeah, she knew lust wasn’t a foundation for a relationship, but chemistry didn’t hurt. They meshed. He understood her. He actually saw her. Elliot noticed the generous things she tried to hide from the rest of the world. No one had ever called her out on it before, but then again, the only one who actually saw some of what she did was Jessica.
She cast a glance at the shut office door and smiled. Good for Jessica. Maya returned to the schedule and added notes to the appointments as she went through the program. Now that the last piece, the acquisition of the production factory, was in place, nothing could stop her company. She grinned at the tablet as she pulled up her project management checklist. Everything was right on schedule. She went down the list of items that needed to be completed in the next week and then month. It would be so easy to let her guard down and coast to the end, but that wasn’t in her DNA. She would be vigilant to the moment the Stock Exchange opened and her company was offered. If the valuation numbers were correct, the business could reach one billion dollars. That was a thirty-five percent increase over the cost of the planned offered shares, but with the marketing plan they had in place … She smiled. They could do it. Her team was nothing less than the best. She had a massive bonus planned for the key people in her organization. Jessica was at the top of the list. She’d been a rock, and Maya planned on offering her a position over the staff as her Operations Officer. It was a redundant position, but Jessica had earned the title and the respect.
“Ms. Callahan?”
She looked up and smiled at Silas. “Yes?”
“Lunch is in the conference room. Rob is waiting for you there.”
“Thank you. I’ll be along in a moment. I want to freshen up first. Go grab yourself something.”
Silas chuckled. “That sounds like a plan.”
She glanced at Jessica’s still-closed office door and debated whether to tell her lunch was available. Maya left her office, went to Jessica’s office door, and tapped on it. Jessica opened the door a crack. Her eyes were red and swollen. “Yes?”
“Oh, Jessica, are you okay?”
Jessica stuck her head out into the hallway. “Is there anyone here? I don’t want them to see me like this.”
Maya leaned back. “No, just the guard at the desk.”
“Good.” Jessica pulled out a knife and jabbed it at Maya’s ribs, lodging the tip just under her left breast. “You’re going to walk in front of me. You’re not going to say a word, and we are going to get on that elevator. If you do anything other than what I tell you, I will kill you.” Jessica slid the knife against her t-shirt hard enough for Maya to know she was serious. “Now, move, or you’re dead, you fucking rat bitch .”
Maya gasped at the hatred in Jessica’s voice. “Please, Jessica, you don’t know what you’re doing.”
The knife flicked toward her face, and Maya flinched. “I know what I’m doing. One more word, and I shove this knife into your heart.” She stepped behind Maya, and the point of the knife was in her ribs again. “Move now, or I’ll plunge this thing into your heart right here. I’d rather kill you slowly. I’ve wanted to for a long, long time. Please make my day. Fuck up and let me do it.”
A metallic click sounded behind her. “That’s the gun in my pocket. I’ll shoot anyone you alert. The knife is reserved for you.” Jessica jabbed her. “Go.” A thousand different thoughts slammed through her mind at the same time. The only one that struck her was she couldn’t put the people in the office at risk. The Guardians had accepted the risk, but the people who worked for her hadn’t. She nodded and started walking.
“Ms. Callahan, where are you going?” the guard at the desk asked.
Maya smiled at him. “It’s okay. I just talked to Silas. He knows. We’ll be right back.”
Jessica whispered, “Push the button to the garage. Now.”
Maya did. The door closed, and Jessica moved so quickly that Maya had no idea what was happening until she felt the explosion of pain in her head. As she hit her knees, she heard Jessica’s laugh. “Night, night, bitch.”