Chapter 4 Collette
The receptionist continued to eye me as if I were a bug that needed to be kept under close surveillance. It was her job to guard the door, but it felt more personal. Somehow, I’d pissed her off. Was she threatened by my presence? Maybe, but I didn’t care. She wasn’t the first person who I’d ever made mad. Nor would she be the last.
I hurried through answering all the questions on the back side of the application as they ushered in a few more women. Moments later, they each walked out dejected.
I wasn’t sure how Holdt Tech normally did their interviews, but these were incredibly short for a personal assistant position.
While I technically didn’t have a job to show for all of my years in school, I interviewed well. I’d gotten call backs, but had to put them on hold until I figured out what happened to Andy.
Who was I kidding? Did I really have a chance for a job here? The pay would cover anything I needed for my bills, but was working for a killer even to get evidence the best way to go? Did I really want to work for a man capable of ending a life?
I didn’t have any other options. There were too many unanswered questions surrounding Andy’s death. Ian Holt had those answers, and I was going to reveal his secrets.
Another rejected woman walked out of Ian’s office. She didn’t meet anyone’s gaze but hurried to the elevator, eager to be gone from this place. I didn’t blame her. I wanted to get out of here too.
I crossed my legs and twisted nervously in my seat. I was under-dressed for this interview.
Thank fuck I hadn’t been wearing jeans and a t-shirt before barging into the company.
My slacks and blouse weren’t what I’d normally wear to an interview, but for today, they would have to do.
The pumps I had on today were more for comfort while driving than for any aesthetic value. I had worn them because they made less noise if I had to follow Ian Holdt down an alley.
Maybe I’d watched too many spy movies. But I wanted to make sure I was prepared.
The shoes would be acceptable in a passing kind of way. It was probably why the receptionist had given me such disdainful looks.
I was nothing like the other girls in the room. They were all young and innocent. It wasn’t like I was that much older than them, but in life lessons, I was several milestones ahead. When it came to life though, I was always ahead.
Each one had on makeup and dressy business attire meant to draw attention to their chests.
My makeup was subtler, and while I had no problem showing off my tits when the situation called for it, only the top button of my blouse hinted at what was underneath.
If I were being hired completely for my looks and not for what I could bring to the table, it wasn’t a company I would enjoy working for, anyway.
Why on earth did I care if this company cared about my brains? It wasn’t like it would be an actual job that would go on my resume for future employment options.
“Nervous?” The girl next to me gave a sympathetic smile.
I lifted my head, and smiled at her. “No. You?”
“A little. This is my dream job. The personal assistant to a CEO like Ian Holdt could be the key to opening doors for the rest of my career.” Her enthusiasm raked me like nails over a chalkboard.
“That’s your highest dream or goal? To work for some overbearing prick that doesn’t care about you?”
The woman’s mouth dropped and looked over my shoulder. I jerked my head toward the door, which was open.
Ian Holdt had heard my comments and stood there with that smirk on his face. “Ms. DeLandro?” His voice had me jumping to my feet, undermining my declaration of only moments ago. “Would you step into my office?”
I gulped nervously and walked, clipboard in hand, toward the absolutely captivating man in the doorway.
I had to keep my damn trap shut.
“Please take a seat.” He shut the door behind us and pointed toward the empty chair across from his desk.
What if he planned to dispose of me like he’d done to my brother?
At least the receptionist and the others left in the lobby had seen me enter. Then again, I was the competition in their eyes. They probably wouldn’t care if I was chopped into little pieces and my body fed to the fishes.
“May I?” He held out a hand for the application I still clung to as he propped an elegant hip against the corner of his desk.
“Um, sure.” I handed it to him.
“How did you know my name? I hadn’t given it to the receptionist.” Paranoid, I wanted to put him on the defensive.
He perused my application, not focusing long enough to actually read anything. “All possible personnel are run through a facial recognition system as soon as they enter the building. We can’t take the chance that someone with ill intentions will try to circumvent the safeguards in place.” He raised a brow as if to bring about a confession over my intentions.
“I see. Do you have a lot of corporate espionage?” I wanted answers, but didn’t want to give myself away too early.
“Not generally. We do our best to keep that from happening.” He set the clipboard on the desk as if he didn’t need to see my answers.
“Tell me, what made you want to work as a CIA in this field?”
“This field? I’m going to assume you mean as an analyst for engineering companies.” I smiled and relaxed just a little bit. This was something I could talk about all day. “Research, compare data, and then decide what is important and what isn’t. I get to bring all of the important details to the company’s attention. I know the basics of what your company does, but there are few divisions that will be new to me. I’d love the chance to learn more about them, so I can provide you with the best form of data available.”
His eyebrow lifted.
“Those won’t be something you’ll need to worry about for a while.” His deep voice had such a controlled quality, with a calming effect. I’d encountered nothing like it before.
“What brought you to San Francisco from L.A.?”
Even as he asked, it was as if he already knew the answers. I was going to have to be very careful about how I answered his questions.
“I’ve been looking for a fresh experience in my field now that I have the credentials to back up my work. Your company intrigued me.”
His gaze never wavered from mine. “This is the type of position that takes a full commitment. Few can handle the requirements and walk out the door unable to deal with the long hours. It’s a twenty-four-seven job that will last for a year and a day.” He crossed his arms as he issued the challenge.
“That won’t be a problem,” I declared. Hell, I would be out the door as soon as I could get the evidence to use against him. If I got paid in the meantime, then all the better.
“Hmmm…I see. Do you have anything tying you to L.A.? Would you be willing to relocate?”
“Yes, I’d be stupid to turn down this kind of opportunity. I’m staying with friends at the moment.” I added it as an afterthought. His words about tying me to anything made me feel as if he was going to make me disappear. He’d already done it to my brother, so what would keep him from doing it to me?
“Would you be willing to give up social media for the duration of your time with my company?”
“Um, I don’t see that as a problem. I mostly use social media as a source of information gathering about other companies and their employees.” Presumably they’d need the social media blackout for the company’s security with any ideas they wanted to keep secret. It was why Holdt Tech had been so successful. I’d have to dig hard to find anything that would shed light on the CEO, though.
“Any medical issues I should be made aware of?” His gaze searched my face intently.
This wasn’t within the realm of normal interview questions, but if I was going to be working all the time, I could see why he’d need to know if I was diabetic or narcoleptic for work purposes.
“No, healthy as a horse.”
“Good.” He nodded. “Favorite foods? Drink preferences?”
It was then I knew that he’d already decided to hire me. He was trying to find out what I would need to be kept happy. Or maybe he wanted to take me out on a date. The connection in the elevator had felt electric, and if he hadn’t been a murderer, it would have tempted me.
“I prefer a protein and meat-based diet. Pasta is my absolute weakness, but I rarely indulge. I do socially drink alcohol. I had enough during high school and college to realize that I wouldn’t get ahead in life by consuming large amounts regularly.”
“Good girl.” His words made me want to squirm. I hadn’t done anything that needed to be praised. “You take care of your health properly.”
This was getting a little creepy, but I assumed that a man capable of murder should have some details explaining his inner demon.
“Any hobbies or obligations that would keep you from starting today?” He tilted his head in a controlled manner that I found endearing while also annoying in a different way.
“No.” I didn’t want to tell him that my hobby as of late had been my driving goal to put him in prison. No need to share that at the moment. “There aren’t any other prior commitments.”
His smirk reappeared. “One last question: do you have a boyfriend or significant other that is going to come looking for you?”
I shook my head no as my mouth went dry. Come looking for me? What the actual fuck?
“Good. We’ll get started then.” He rose and walked around the desk. He pressed a button, and a door in the bookcase opened. An imposing stocky man appeared in the opening.
“Rossi, this is Collette DeLandro. She’ll be my new assistant for the next year and a day.” He straightened. “Rossi is my chief security officer. He’ll take care of all the HR paperwork and escort you to where you’ll be staying if you agree to all the details.”
Ian held out a hand. “I look forward to working with you. I hope you’re agreeable to everything.”
When our hands touched, shivers went up my arm. If I hadn’t been focused on finding justice for my brother, I’d have been ready for him to have his wicked way with me.
While this wasn’t my normal type of man, something about his commanding presence made me want to fall to my knees in front of him.
A chuckle filled the room, and I snapped my attention back to his face.
“Ms. DeLandro.”
Tongue-tied, I stood there as he put a suit coat over his arm and walked out of his office, leaving me with Mr. Rossi.
“Ms. DeLandro, these papers are going to need your signature. Please read them carefully before signing them.” He pushed a stack of papers toward me with a pen.
He stood back, eyeing the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing possible.
Certain that I would find the answers I needed with this job, I filled in a few of the blanks with my full name and signature with only a quick glance at the contract. It mentioned the year and one day clause, but not the reason for it.
At least contractually, he wasn’t planning to have his goon Rossi off me until it was over.
A fairly normal non-disclosure statement followed by a few other papers and a W-4 finished off the pile.
He held out a hand. “I’ll need your phone now, ma’am.”
“My phone?” I only had a burner phone on me for emergencies. I’d kept the actual phone with all of my information on it out in the car. I hadn’t wanted it to fall into the wrong hands.
Eh, well. I shrugged. He’d figure out soon enough it wasn’t my actual phone.
Lifting the flap on my purse, I took it out and placed it in his hand.
“Thank you. Now, if you’ll follow me.” He turned to the still open bookcase.
A hidden elevator would give the CEO a way to escape without leaving through his main office lobby.
It was now or never.
I took a step toward the elevator and held my breath as I passed Rossi.
His presence encouraged my theory that Andy had been forcibly taken to his death.
The door opened to the private garage, where an SUV was sitting—similar to the one Andy had gotten into in the video.
This time, there wouldn’t be any footage for Ingrid to find. I could disappear and no one would be any the wiser.
It was eerie, but I was committed to my cause—even if it killed me.