Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
He attempts to wave me off but I’m instantly at his side. I notice the beads of sweat dotted along his face. “I…I’m o...kay.”
“You’re clearly not. I’m calling an ambulance.” I place the back of my hand against his forehead. He’s burning up!
I stand to go get my phone but he clutches my wrist. “No. Just…get me a glass of water. I can…sleep this off.”
“Dad, I’m not going to take that chance and I’m not going to argue with you about this.” I snatch myself out of his grasp and hurry out the room to retrieve my phone. My father may not want to make a fuss but clearly he’s in need of some serious medical treatment if those hospital bills are any indication.
With phone in hand, I quickly call 911 and explain the situation to the dispatcher who assures me someone will be there as soon as possible.
Soon is not enough because when I return to my dad’s side he’s unconscious.
8
JACKSON
Istare at the man standing in front of me, not bothering to hide my contempt for him. I want him to read every bit of disgust I’m certain is now lining my face. I curl my lips into a sneer and gaze at him with narrowed eyes.
Beads of sweat run down his dark brown face despite the circulation of cool air from the central AC. If I stare hard enough, I recognize the familial resemblance between him and his sister. But where Langston’s Knights’ features are sharper, eyes slightly smaller, nose wider. There’s always a hint of avarice in his eyes as if he’s calculating something but now all I read is fear.
I let the silence stretch between us to rise the heighten the tension I’m certain is making his heart pound out of control. He adjusts his tie for the third time since he’s entered my office.
He’s fallen for my trap, one I’d set up so meticulously he couldn’t have possibly seen it coming. A lesser man would perhaps feel a little bit of guilt for placing him in a predicament he had no option but to fail but only a sense of triumph fills me up to know just how close I am to my goal. I don’t care that Langston Knight is on the verge of shitting his pants and that I am now the puppet master controlling his strings, making him dance to the tune I create.
“Uh, I may I have a seat?” he gestures to the seat in front of my desk.
I tilt my head to the side and deepen my glare. “No. I’d rather you stand. I’m not going to keep you much longer because I’m sure you already know why I’ve called you in.” I reach for the financial reports I’d meticulously gone over, and waved them in the air.
“Do you know what this is?”
He gulps. “I’m not certain, but I’m sure you’ll tell me.”
This motherfucker…
“Despite some of the dumbass decisions you’ve made since coming to work here, I don’t believe you’re a stupid man, intelligence wise. So do me a favor and don’t insult me by playing dumb. Now let’s try this again. Do you know what these are?”
He adjusts his tie again and at this point I can only assume it’s a nervous tic of his. Good, let his nerves get the best of him. I like seeing him squirm.
“I believe those are the latest financial reports from accounting.”
“Who is in charge of signing off on the month end reports?” I ask, drawing out this game of cat and mouse for as long as possible. Maybe I really can make this asshole shit himself.
“Ugh, well, Troy generally signs off on them—”
I slam my fist on my desk to stop his prevarication. “Do I look like a fucking joke to you?”
He waves his hands frantically. “Of course not. I was just saying that Troy…”
He trails off because I’m certain he notices my balled fists and the vein bulging from my neck. He’s right to stop because if he continued, I just might have leaped over the desk and beat him to a pulp.
Sure, I’m the one who set the trap but seeing this little weasel try to worm his way out of his predicament by stalling and trying to think of an appropriate excuse, pisses me off. It especially annoys me because I know the stress it has put on his sister.
I inhale deeply and slowly release the air from my lungs to calm down. The last thing I needed was to lose control of the situation and end up with a completely different scenario.
“Care to run that by me again, Knight?”
He shifts his weight from one foot to the other and reaches for his tie, yet again. “While Troy has been absent, I’ve been the one to sign off on the reports.”