“You can have one on each coast.” He chuckles.
“Don’t you think Priscila will know the difference?”
“Oh, she won’t care. I’ve seen to that with a nice donation to her personal bank account.”
“What?” I hiss, shocked that the seemingly innocent woman would be in on this.
He laughs. “Did you really think a woman who looks like that would be mooning over you? She could have anyone she wants, boy. This is about money and freedom. You’ll marry, stay that way for a few years, she gets enough to do whatever she wants with and stock in the company, so she can be a lady of leisure.”
Any compassion I held for the woman is squashed.
“Everyone has a price. Remember that as you move forward.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think I will, Mr. Alby.”
“What are you on about?” He frowns.
“I don’t think I’ll be moving forward with this company. I’m going to retire, effective today. You’ll pay me my severance and give me glowing referrals, or I’ll destroy you.”
He laughs. “You think you’d stand a chance?”
“Every word you spoke to me in this room has been recorded.”
His eyes bulge. “What have you done?”
“What you taught me to, sir. If you want this deal with Scott, you’ll have to make it yourself.”
He slams his fist onto the table. “I’ll ruin you and your whore. Do you hear me, boy?”
“If she gets so much as a parking ticket, this conversation will find its way to some very public places.”
“This isn’t over.”
His yelling continues, trailing me out of the room. I’m lighter than I have been in years. I want to warn Scott about his daughter, but it’s not my place. I’ll bow out gracefully and clear out my office before Alby returns. It’ll give me a chance to make sure the family lawyer is up to speed on everything that happened. I’ve just thrown away the future I imagined for years. I pack in autopilot.
Knock. Knock.
Freezing, I stare at the door. The knocking continues. I walking over, look out the peephole, and find Mr. Scott. Sighing, I open the door.
“Hello, sir.”
“I’ve just been informed that you are being taken off this project indefinitely?”
“Yes.”
He looks at me with interest.
“There’s someone I’d like you to meet.” He gestures to someone in the hallway. A stocky, black man with close-cropped hair, intense dark eyes, and a black suit appears beside him.
“This is Agent Pilot.”
My stomach drops. “Oh.”
“May we come inside, Mr. Rogers?”
“Y-Yes.” I step aside to let them in. “I ... Do I need to contact my lawyer?”
“We just wanted to leave a card with you, and urge you to place a call if you find yourself with any interesting information you’d like to share,” Agent Pilot says. A knowing gaze passes between us.