Chapter Two
Derek Benjamin was buzzing with excitement.
His boss, Hugo Victor of Black Marlin Technologies, was scheduled to open the tech conference in less than an hour.
Once he was onstage, Derek would be on his way to his cabin for a much-needed few days of rest and relaxation.
Well, he’d get some relaxation time, but he’d also be working.
There was no such thing as time off when you took the position as Hugo Victor’s assistant.
However, it was still the first time he wouldn’t be connected to Hugo at the hip in over a year.
He glanced around the room, searching for the man he was told would meet him there, but the only other person in the room was a she.
Her back was to him, but she had long, wavy brown hair curling at the tips that hung nearly to her waist. He did a doubletake when he realized she was a child, and she must be lost.
“Can I help you find someone?” he asked, worried she was looking for her mom or dad.
When she turned, he took a step back to see that she was a woman and not a child. “I’m not lost, are you?”
“Na—no,” he stuttered, waiting for his mouth to catch up with his brain. He noticed her name badge. “Alayah. That’s a pretty name.”
“Thanks,” she said, her smile bright as her blue eyes sparkled. “You even pronounced it correctly, so points for that. And you are?”
“Derek Benjamin,” he said, stretching his hand out to her. “I’m Hugo Victor’s assistant. I was told to meet someone named Cal Newfellow here, so when you turned around, it caught me by surprise.”
She slipped her hand into his to offer a firm handshake, even though his hand easily swallowed hers. “Cal is around here somewhere. I came in looking for coffee so I can keep my eyes open for the next few hours.”
“That’s in the room across the hall,” he said, pointing to his left after he dropped her hand. He couldn’t help but think she had great energy, and he would love to get to know her better. Too bad he was leaving. “Secure Watch,” he said, reading her badge. “Is that a super-secret spy organization?”
Alayah’s laughter filled the room, making him smile. He’d expected tinkling bells but got a lilting hee-haw that ended in a giggle. “It wouldn’t be very super-secret spyish of me to walk around wearing my name on my chest, would it?”
“True, true,” he agreed, still grinning. “I’m kidding, though. I’ve heard nothing but good things about your company. In fact, I was relieved to hear Secure One and Secure Watch would be here protecting the conference.”
“We were a last-minute addition, but I assure you, we’ll do everything possible to ensure the conference goes off without a hitch. To that end, I’d better return to my station and prepare for sound check.”
He bowed and stepped out of the way of the door. “It was nice to meet you, Alayah from Secure Watch. Don’t forget the coffee. You’ll need it if you’re forced to sit through my boss’s speech.”
She laughed again, which was precisely what he wanted. “I used to work in Silicon Valley, so I’m quite familiar with your boss’s penchant for long-winded discourse. Come to think of it, maybe I’ll get a pot and a straw.”
He smiled at the image it evoked. “It would save you a trip at hour two of his presentation.” Alayah grimaced, and he laughed.
“I’m kidding. He should wrap it up in an hour and fifty-seven minutes.
There’s a reason I’m leaving for a little R and R the moment he takes the stage.
I’ve heard him speak no less than two hundred times, so I think I’ll pass on this one. ”
“Can’t blame you there,” she agreed. “Besides, there’s no better place than Duluth for some R and R.”
That was one thing they both agreed on. “Have you seen someone named Cal Newfellow? That’s who I’m supposed to find.”
“Cal should be along any minute. You can’t miss him. He’s wearing a Secure One shirt, a name badge, and is sporting some fancy apparatus.” She waggled the fingers on her right hand and then left the room.
He stared after her, still wearing a goofy grin.
What an unexpected bright spot she was on this day!
A man walked through the door, but Derek didn’t need to see his shirt to know Cal Newfellow had arrived.
When he extended his right hand, he indeed wore a fancy prosthesis to replace his missing fingers.
“You must be Derek,” he said. “I’m Cal Newfellow.”
Derek shook his hand with a nod. “I am, and it’s very nice to meet you. They told me you would be the one to take Hugo’s things to the stage.”
“Yes, I’m happy to get it set up while you attend to your boss,” Cal agreed, accepting the water bottle and other supplies he handed off.
“I appreciate it. I’m needed backstage but let me know if you have any questions.”
Cal held up the bottle with a smile. “In my old job, I drove diplomats through the streets of Kabul during air raids.”
“So, you’re saying you can handle a water bottle without question. Probably a fair assessment,” he said, laughing at himself. “It seems I’ve put my foot in it several times in the last few minutes.”
“Assumed Alayah was a lost child?” Cal asked, still not cracking a smile.
“Yep,” he admitted. “In fairness, she had her back turned to me when I walked in.” Cal was about to say something else when Derek’s name was called over the loudspeaker, asking him to return to the back of the stage.
“Looks like Hugo’s patience has run out.
Thanks for your help, Cal.” He waved and beat it out of Dodge before he put his other foot in his mouth.
In record time, he was standing backstage in front of his boss. “I think you should stay for the conference,” Hugo Victor said as he fixed his tie. “What if the office needs something and I’m unavailable?”
Biting back the sigh on the tip of his tongue, Derek reminded himself that Hugo cared about his business and struggled to hand off the reins to others.
“The board is extremely capable and can certainly hold down the fort until you can be reached.” Derek handed over the headpiece microphone Hugo would need to wear on stage for his talk.
“True,” Hugo muttered, shaking his head as he put the microphone on and waited for Derek to tape it discreetly to his temple. “But what do I do if you’re not here and I need something?”
“I don’t know, Hugo,” Derek said, stopping the impending eye roll at the last minute.
“But you’re the head of Black Marlin Technologies, so I hope that you can work the problem to find a solution.
I’ve been your right hand for quite a few years.
I’m confident you will survive without me for a few days.
If an emergency arises and you must return to the office before the end of the conference.
You know my number.” He tipped Hugo’s face to the side.
“Have I said how much I don’t like how discolored your skin is?
You need to see a doctor about this, Hugo. ”
His boss just waved him away, his opinion about seeing a doctor for his recent unusual symptoms already well known by his assistant.
Unfortunately, Derek worried there was a very real problem that he was ignoring.
Hugo had been suffering from nausea and skin discoloration for over a month but kept saying it was just stress.
Stress was the very reason why Derek was leaving the convention and heading to his cabin on the lake.
Hugo had become increasingly dependent on him to do even the most basic tasks, which put unrelenting stress on his shoulders in a way he hadn’t signed up for when he took the job.
While he appreciated everything Hugo had done for him over the years, it had become clear to him that he couldn’t continue to live this way.
Hired initially as an app designer, Derek had impressed Hugo with his organizational and problem-solving skills.
When Hugo’s previous assistant left to find greener pastures, he’d asked Derek to take the job.
Thinking it could only help him take the next step up the ladder, Derek had jumped at the chance, but it would have been better to look before he leaped.
Now, he was essentially holding the hand of a fully grown man who would no longer do basic tasks for himself.
“You’ll at least stay for my speech, right?” Hugo asked as though he needed Derek’s approval for everything he did.
With a smile on his face to hide his bald-faced lie, he nodded. “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world, but I’ll leave before you take questions, so don’t look for me afterward. I’ll already be gone.”
“Sure, sure. You deserve a vacation. What’s it been now?” he asked, as though Derek was supposed to lie about the fact that it had been over three years, so he did.
“Not so long, but I should check the cabin and prepare it for winter, so the timing worked out great.”
“But you’ll be back Sunday to drive me to Minneapolis, right?”
“I would never leave you stranded,” Derek promised, patting him on the back and herding him closer to where he’d need to be when they announced his name.
“My water bottle!” Hugo exclaimed, and Derek quickly put a finger on his lips.
“Shh.” He hushed him. “It’s already waiting for you onstage.
They’re about to announce your name. You’ve got this.
Everyone here is your target audience, so there’s no reason to be nervous.
They’re here for the sole reason of hearing what you have to say.
Promote the new app and you’ll have them eating out of your hand.
” Another bald-faced lie, but Hugo was known for his stage fright.
With a gentle pat on his shoulder, Hugo grinned. “You are good at what you do, Derek, but lying to an old man? That’s a new low even for you.”
“I would do no such thing. Besides, you’re not an old man.
Some would say you’re in the prime of your life.
” After one last check to ensure Hugo had everything he needed, Derek patted his back.
“I’m going to head out and stand in the back of the room.
Good luck!” he exclaimed quietly before he exited stage left.
He never stopped at the back of the room, knowing there wasn’t a chance his boss would ever see him in a conference room of that size, so cutting out now gave him extra time to get to his favorite place.
He hadn’t been to his cabin in too long.
It had gotten so bad, he’d started paying a local caretaker to watch over it.
Now that it was nearing the end of October, it was time to prepare it for winter with the hope that, next year, he would get to see the inside of it more often.
His cabin, just off Minnesota Highway 61 between Duluth and Two Harbors, had been a staple in his life since he was a kid.
First, his grandparents had owned it and when they’d passed, it went to his parents.
Since his dad passed away and his mom moved to Florida to live with a group of her bridge club friends, she had gifted it to him.
It was always his dream to live there year-round, but the infrastructure wasn’t there for such an undertaking, especially during the winter months.
The cool air hit him in the face when he stepped out of the convention center, and he inhaled deeply, the fresh air invigorating him.
As he pulled off his suit coat and tie in preparation for the short drive along the scenic highway, the gently lapping waves against the shore of Lake Superior reminded him why work couldn’t be his entire life.
When he pulled onto the highway, he chuckled at the thought.
He already knew that, but he was sure Hugo had missed that memo.
Derek had four days to figure out how to break the news to his boss that their time together was coming to a close.
* * *
“PLEASE WELCOME OUR first presenter. A man who needs no introduction, Mr. Hugo Victor!”
Alayah had to force herself not to roll her eyes as she motioned for Zac to cut the master of ceremony’s mic.
The dude had spent the first fifteen minutes of the conference giving the audience instructions like a drill sergeant and the next fifteen minutes introducing Hugo as if he were up for an Emmy.
Apparently, the man needed plenty of introduction.
She reminded herself that she was jaded by the years she had spent in a place full of people who thought their newest tech development made them God’s gift to the green earth.
The truth was, they weren’t any different from the last guy who had been standing up there.
While his tenure had been long, in the end, the same could be said for Hugo Victor, but she knew better than to say that around this crowd.
When he walked out onto the stage, the audience stood, giving him a standing ovation before he had so much as uttered a word.
That wasn’t the reason her gaze tracked around the room.
She was pinpointing where the Secure One agents were stationed and taking count.
She had Cal on one side and Eric on the other side of the stage, Roman and Mack in the aisle to her left, and Jonah and Lucas on her right.
Next to her sat Declan and Zac, whom she had commandeered when she was informed that she would be running all the equipment for the presentations.
She couldn’t do that alone. Thankfully, it gave Cal plenty of time to get more men to Duluth before the conference officially got underway.
“Good morning, Northland,” Hugo said from the stage, and she adjusted his microphone to subtly improve the tone throughout the room.
From there, she handed the AV equipment controls to Zac and Declan so she could concentrate on keeping the security tight for the convention center’s computer programs. Allowing anything to slip past her could open a door for any number of bad players to walk through.
Not on her watch. She had every intention of doing her part to keep the conference safe, as that would secure her job for years to come.
She glanced away from her computer to watch Hugo take another drink from his water bottle.
He’d been speaking for nearly an hour and had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand.
He walked to the left of the stage and coughed once before he returned to his speech.
With her attention focused on the checks and balances of her programs, it took her several moments to realize Hugo had stopped speaking.
By the time she looked at the stage, he was crumpling to the ground, gurgling breath sounds filling the auditorium before Zac could cut his mic.
Someone screamed before pandemonium ensued.
Cal and Roman jumped onstage while the rest of the team moved in to protect the perimeter.
“Call an ambulance,” Cal hollered, his fingers to Hugo’s neck.
Declan did just that while she turned to Zac. “What just happened?”
“I have no idea, but whatever it is, it’s not good.”
The tight draw to his lips told her she might have just watched a man die.