CHAPTER 4 #3
I went on to explain the night in question.
I’d been called in for a search of a suspect who’d just robbed a local convenience store.
After half an hour of trekking through a wooded area, Kano and I came upon the suspect hiding in a pile of brush.
After I ordered him to stay put or be bitten, the man had decided fleeing was the appropriate response to my order.
He ran, Kano ran. My partner tackled him seconds before a shot sounded.
“I watched Kano fall,” I explained, the pain from the memory eating away at my gut.
“I didn’t think at that point, just started to run.
My only thought was to save him.” Pain hit me square in the chest as the words tumbled out.
“That was when the suspect fired at me. He hit me three times. In the shoulder, the arm, and the gut.” Phantom pains ghosted through me as I relived it. “I shot him, killed him.”
“That fucking sucks,” Zeke bit out through gritted teeth. “Fucking sucks.”
Yeah. That about summed it up. Although the surgeons had managed to save my life, no one had saved Kano. I had mourned the loss throughout the year it had taken to recover physically. To this day, I haven’t completely gotten over losing him. Wasn’t sure I ever would.
“I decided it was time to retire,” I told them.
“Can’t say I blame you,” Ben said, his voice reflecting his sympathy. He peered down at my resume for a moment before looking back at me. “You’ve hopped around a few times since then.”
I nodded.
“Four companies in the past five years.” He folded his hands on his flat stomach. “Are you looking to settle?”
“I am,” I admitted, glancing over at Zeke. “I’ve got the experience you’re looking for. I’ve got the drive to assist in building this division. And I don’t have an issue managing people.”
Zeke sat up, placed his elbows on the table.
“I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not all that great with people.
I am, however, damn good at what I do. You’d be responsible for managing the team, hiring, firing, that sort of thing.
I’ll oversee, handle my own clients, and work with you to expand.
” His eyes narrowed. “But I need to know you’ll stick around. ”
Direct and to the point, that summed up Zeke Lautner pretty well.
“I’ll stick,” I assured him. “I think I knew I’d end up back here one day.”
“Where are you staying?” Ben asked.
“Hotel.”
“Not very stable accommodations.”
“Just temporary. Once I figure out my plans, I’ll look for something more permanent.”
Ben nodded, glanced over at Zeke.
A second passed before Zeke pressed a button on the telephone system. “Dale, come in here.”
There was no please, no polite request in his voice. A simple command.
“Yes, Sir,” Dale said quickly.
A second later, the door opened and a young man stepped into the room. He glanced from Zeke to Ben to me, then back to Zeke.
Ben was the one who spoke up. “Could you show Mr. Cavanaugh around? We need a few minutes to chat.”
“Absolutely.” Dale smiled when his eyes came to rest on my face. “Mr. Cavanaugh, if you’ll please come with me.”
There was the polite tone. I figured someone had it.
I pushed to my feet.
“I’ll catch up with you in a few,” Zeke said curtly.
Figuring I’d been dismissed and not exactly sure how I felt about it, I followed Dale out of the conference room. He closed the door behind us, then motioned toward a set of double glass doors.
“I know you, don’t I?” I asked Dale.
Dark brown eyes swung over to meet mine. “Yes, Sir.”
I grinned. “You’re Jordan’s boyfriend.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Relax, Dale. I don’t bite.”
He chuckled, but his shoulders visibly relaxed as he began giving me the rundown of how the company had recently renovated its space, expanding from one floor to two. Gave me a glimpse of the break room, pointed out the coffeemaker, and insisted it was what got him through the day.
“I don’t drink coffee,” I admitted.
He looked baffled, as though that wasn’t even possible. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“Wow.” He stopped, pointed. “Jordan and Jane occupy this area.”
Three offices ran along the left side of the hall. I gave a quick nod to Jordan when the man looked up from his computer. He offered a smile but kept talking into his headset.
Dale started walking; I kept pace. We stopped again when he pointed toward a semicircle of offices surrounding an open seating area. “Landon, Langston, and Luci are here.”
I noticed one of the three doors was closed. The two that were open were empty.
“I think they’re in a meeting,” he said with a chuckle. “The rule around here is to knock.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah. Otherwise … well, let’s just say, you have to have an open mind to work here.”
A soft cry from the office with the closed door had me understanding exactly what Dale was referring to.
“Good to know.”
We made our way down the stairs. “Mr. Parker, Mr. Snowden, and Addison are on this floor. Zeke recently took over that office.” He nodded toward an open door. “Edge’s office is there.” He pointed toward an office with the lights off. “He’s rarely here, but he has one.”
“Yours will be down this way.” He led the way past Edge’s door, stopped at the office next to it. “As you can tell, it’s a blank slate. Once you’re on board, Addison can help you get set up.”
Assuming I was going to be hired, of course.
“The private conference room is also on this floor,” he explained, motioning back toward the staircase. “They have their Monday meetings in there.”
“And Zeke’s team?” I inquired. “Where are they located?”
“Due to the need for … um … privacy,” he began, looking over at me, “they’ve decided to put most of the employees on a separate floor. Keep this more for executives, partners, and their secretaries.”
I’d been involved in the lifestyle long enough to know what he meant by needing privacy. Based on the noises coming from upstairs, it appeared these people didn’t have an issue mixing business with pleasure.
“I manage the outer office,” Dale explained as we made our way back toward the stairs. “The big bosses mentioned hiring a few secretaries slash assistants to help out, but they haven’t moved on that yet. I think they’re waiting to fill the spots.”
He went on to explain Trent Ramsey’s role, heading up their new talent division. I also learned that Case Rhinehart had recently been hired to manage the gym expansion on the second floor, as well as that Braxton McBride would be the head chef at the restaurant they were adding on the main floor.
“Do they own the entire building?” I asked.
“They do.” We continued up the stairs, down the narrow hall. “The upper floors are residential, and they lease the space on several of the lower floors to other companies. But with the expansion, they’ve been reacquiring space as leases expire.”
Edge had mentioned how Chatter was expanding in many directions.
He’d actually used the word exploding to describe the events currently taking place.
Apparently, Justin Parker was looking to take the company to another level.
Why he’d waited so long, no one seemed to know.
While Chatter PR had global offices, they’d managed to remain relatively small in structure.
When Edge had mentioned the position, he’d told me how they were focused entirely on filling positions at this point, growing in an effort to ease the strain on the top level.
We made it back to the reception area, and Dale continued to ramble, as though he was scared to stop talking. “There’s a valet out front, plus a sandwich shop on the main floor. I’m usually in the office at seven thirty, everyone else coming in around nine.”
The door to the conference room opened, and Ben stepped out. He walked right up to me, held out his hand. “Zeke would like to see you.”
“Thank you for your time,” I told him, shaking his hand.
Ben grinned, gripping my hand firmly. “In case he has a difficult time relaying the information, we’d be honored for you to come on board. He’s got the details for you.”
I smiled. “Thank you again.”
Ben turned toward Dale, giving him a rundown of clients he was expecting later that afternoon, while I stepped back toward the conference room.
Ready and willing to hop on board this train and see where it takes me.