Everlyn #2
I smiled when I noticed Martin’s office door was open. That meant he was on the premises. His assistant wasn’t here yet. I went to the open door, peeked in, and saw him at his desk. I briskly knocked on the door. Martin’s head came up. He chuckled.
“Come in, Everlyn. I knew you’d be in early and eager to hear how we coped without you. Nothing went terribly wrong, but we missed you,” he said as he rose to his feet.
I entered and took the chair he was pointing to, but only after we shook hands. Martin sat after I did. He was a man with manners.
“So, everything is on track and nothing alarming happened?” I verified.
“Yeah, overall.”
“What does overall mean? How did the hired security guards do without the Grave Prowlers?” I asked.
He sighed. “They did fine, but honestly, those bikers do a more thorough job. I watched the security videos from the other night, when we had two of your bikers here and only the paid security staff afterward. The latter made fewer rounds, and they didn’t seem to look in all the places your friends do.
I reported to their boss on Friday that they need to be as thorough as your biker friends.
He wasn’t happy, but assured me he would tell them.
I was watching last night’s footage. They haven’t done more.
And their patrols, when they do them, are predictable.
Anyone trying to break in or cause trouble knows when to do it.
They came highly recommended, but so far, I’m not impressed.
“But enough of my bellyaching. You let me worry about it. There were no other issues reported. A minor injury was treated, and the worker was released to return the same day. The cleanup is coming along well. Give it another week or two at the most, and we’ll be able to call this project finished.
The city council refuses to hear our proposal to replace the other aged pipes that are in danger of rupturing like this one.
We can’t force them, I know, but I’d like to pound some sense into them.
Bishop Reeves is influencing them,” he muttered darkly.
“Has he remained quiet?” I asked.
“Yes, and that worries me. When he’s running his mouth, at least we know where he is and what he’s up to. When he’s silent, I grow anxious about what the man is plotting.”
I wanted to reassure Martin there was nothing to be concerned about, but I couldn’t. The reason was that I agreed with his evaluation of Bishop. He hadn’t given up or hidden to lick his wounds. Bishop was plotting, and God help us when he put it into play.
“Martin, I agree. He concerns the hell out of me, too.”
“Unfortunately, there is nothing more we can do but stay alert, have the security guards, and work to get the job done.”
“I have a question. It’s none of my business since I’ll be leaving, but if more of those pipes go like we know they will, do you intend to work for them to repair and clean up the mess if they ask you?”
Martin remained leaning back in his chair, with his hands steepled under his chin for a good minute and a half before he answered. During the delay, I noted his facial expressions. He was thinking hard.
“As much as I hate to lose customers and hate more when the environment is contaminated, I’ll have to pass. You warned them three years ago. And even with evidence that you were right, they only see the short-term picture.”
“I think that is the correct move. Unless they come to you and are willing to follow my plan for the replacement of all of them, I’d tell them no,” I agreed.
I sat there, getting a rundown of other business.
Martin let me see part of the security video he had been watching.
I agreed with him about the regular guards.
After about thirty minutes, I excused myself to go to my office.
As I left, I saw his assistant at her desk.
We smiled and said good morning to each other, then I kept heading down the hallway to my office.
At my desk, I dealt with two messages left on my office phone.
I hadn’t had it forwarded to my cell while I was off, like I usually did.
My emails were a mixture of updates, inquiries, and complaints.
It was no shock to find the city council had emailed me, demanding I work faster.
It took me until noon to deal with all the messages and inquiries I could resolve immediately.
When I was finished with them, I texted Zephyr.
Me: I’m headed 2 the site.
Zephyr: I’ll meet u there. Drive safely.
Me: I will. And u ride safely. Have u had lunch?
Zephyr: No, have u?
Me: No, want me 2 pick up something?
Zephyr: No, I will. Anything u want? Or make it a surprise?
Me: Surprise me.
Zephyr: OK, see u soon. Stay alert.
Me: Thumbs-up.
With that taken care of, I left the building and got into my car.
The drive gave me a chance to think through my game plan for when I got there.
The site was buzzing with activity when I arrived.
I parked next to the trailer and got out.
First stop was to see if Liam was in the trailer.
If not, then I’d walk the site until I found him.
Not finding him inside, I began my trek. I messaged Zephyr again.
Me: I’ll be outside, somewhere. Have to find Liam & talk.
Zephyr: I’ll find u. Be careful. Take ur friend.
Me: My friend is with me.
My friend was my gun. It had been returned after my freakout.
He was careful not to mention it in a text, even though I'd been told Fenrir had so much encryption on their phones and computers that no one could get in.
I had a date when I got done today to go back to the compound and not only put in my fingerprint and retinal scans, but also let him work his magic on my cell and laptop.
I found Liam working on the far end of the open trench. He was talking to two workers, pointing to a blueprint, then down into the opening. I hurried over to see if there was a problem.
“Afternoon. I’m sorry it took me so long to get here. Stopping at the office first was a mistake,” I said as a greeting.
Liam smiled and waved the two men off. I said hello as they left.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” I told him.
“Oh, you didn’t. We were done. I was just going over it again to be sure they understood. They’re new.”
“I didn’t recognize them. Are they extras you brought on, or did we lose someone? Martin said there was a minor injury, but the worker returned the same day. Was he wrong?”
“No, that’s true. As for who those two are, they’re extra. I’m trying to finish this. If one more council member comes out here to ask stupid questions or to tell us to get it finished, I’m going to bury them in the trench, boss. I’m sorry, but it’s about to happen.”
Liam and I had worked together long enough that he was comfortable being himself with me in a way he wasn’t with others. I chuckled.
“Not if I beat you to it. Any sightings or words from you-know-who?” I asked.
“No, thank God, or I’d be bald. Don’t take this the wrong way. I think you taking a few days off was long overdue. But when I cover for you, I can’t believe the things you deal with in a day. I don’t know how you do it and look so calm.”
“It helps if you’re already crazy. And that you are anal and have to know the ins and outs of everything. Don’t stress it. Everything looks good. Thank you. You did a great job. Anything you need to update me on?”
He thanked me and then gave me an overview of what the team had done. It was a lot. They were as motivated to get the hell out of here as Liam and I were. He and I walked back to the trailer together as we talked. Zephyr pulled up as we arrived. Liam grinned.
“It looks like your shadow is back. I wondered where he was. He’s sure protective of you. I like him for that alone. He’s a good guy. Hell, all the Grave Prowlers I’ve met are.”
“They are, and I’m very lucky to have all of them in my life. They give me more family in addition to Allegra,” I admitted.
“I made it. Hey, how are you, Liam?” Zephyr asked as he reached us.
He carried a large bag in one hand while he extended the other to Liam to shake. After the handshaking was over and Liam shared that he was doing well, Zephyr made his offer.
“You want to join us for lunch? I brought an extra sub. I know you like the turkey from that one time. And I figured you haven’t eaten just like her.”
Liam was startled at first. “Oh, uhm, you don’t need to do that. I’ll grab something later.”
“Nope, that’s not good enough. You need fuel. And I bought one for you. If you make me eat it on top of mine, you’ll make me look like a total pig to her. I can't have that. Don’t make me force-feed you this damn sub, Liam,” Zephyr growled playfully. His attitude surprised me.
Liam laughed, then nodded. “Alright, you’ve persuaded me with that eloquent speech. Besides, I can’t give boss lady a bad impression of either of us.”
Walking inside, we all joked before sitting down to a lunch composed of a delicious sandwich, a bag of potato chips, and a chocolate chip cookie. My man sure came through.