Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 68166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Except, with my choice, I’d made this hire complicated.
Taliyah was going to be anything but easy. I already knew it.
Joyce looked shocked when I told her the new girl would be in the following Monday and she could show her the ropes. She glanced at the résumé, her eyebrows high.
“Twenty-eight? Younger than your usual secretaries, Mr. Grayson.”
I wanted to run my finger under my suddenly tight collar, but I refrained. Instead, I straightened my shoulders. “She was well qualified, and I decided to go in a different direction. And she could start right away.”
“So, I’m relieved of my duties next week?”
“I’ll pay you until the end of the month. You can have a few extra days to plan your trip.” I offered with a smile.
That worked. She beamed at me. “You have been a most generous, kind employer, Mr. Grayson. I’m sure the next woman will think so as well. Such a gentleman. So thoughtful.”
I glanced at my watch, trying not to laugh. I doubted the man I’d shot through the head last week would consider me kind and thoughtful.
She had no idea. Neither did any of her predecessors. I planned to keep it that way with Taliyah.
“I have a meeting. I’ll be gone most of the day.”
“Oh, a new client?”
“Yes,” I lied smoothly.
“Wonderful. I’ll lock up when I leave.”
“You do that.”
I headed to my office and grabbed my props. My briefcase, coat, and cell phone. I checked that everything was locked and in place. The chances of Joyce even coming into my office were slim. She knew I was intensely private and preferred my office not be entered if I wasn’t there, but on occasion, she left mail or things for me to sign on my desk. She never touched anything or appeared to be even curious, so I trusted her.
I hoped the same would hold true for her successor.
I waved as I left, heading for the stairs at the end of the long hallway. Or at least Joyce thought I was. Instead, I stopped at the locked doorway marked Utilities. I pressed my thumb into the hidden scanner. The door beside the large closet opened silently, and I slipped in, shutting it behind me.
Inside, my other office waited. A huge desk, a wall of monitors, and a large table where I met with my men of Hidden Justice, as we’d been named, took up most of the space. My desk held three more computers, all run from the office in the basement. A server room, second to none, was housed there and run by Damien, one of Marcus’s old team members. The building was constantly monitored. Every business inside the building was part of the agency. On the second floor was the counseling office, the doctor’s office beside it, both taking up the majority of the space. The top floor was where I ran the security company.
The main floor was rented out to two commercial businesses that had access from the outside. One was a small café, the other a convenience store. Both prospered here, the café busy all day with customers from the businesses both in the building and others surrounding it. The convenience store came in handy and did well in the evenings for last-minute items. I kept their rent low to keep them open. There was a small area on the main floor where packages were dropped off, other items delivered, maintenance men signed in and escorted to the right areas. No one outside the organization was allowed to roam the building unescorted. The men who staffed the front desk were all older ex-agents. I paid them well and kept them happy. In turn, they kept the building safe. The one exception to it all was Leo. He had been one of Marcus’s men and had been badly injured in a situation gone awry. He was listed as the building’s manager, and he worked with Damien a lot of the time. He had a private office on the main floor, and he kept the building going, helped us when required behind the scenes, and never had to pick up a gun again. He was a favorite with the tenants and had come a long way from the beaten, broken shell of a man left to die on the floor. His wife and baby helped, and secure employment gave him focus.
I had bought the building years ago and built it around the agency. When Marcus left the organization and his team disbanded, I brought Damien on board and switched roles. I no longer oversaw only one team. Instead, I looked after several smaller ones. I was like the chess master, moving pieces around as needed. Various teams going various places all over the country. I worked with all their leaders, assigning roles and operations best suited to the team they ran. And there were times I stepped in and was part of the team. I needed that connection, and I had to admit, I still craved the edge of danger it came with.