Page 11 of Disciplining Dana

Gary pointed to the report. “If her projections are even close, given current market valuation…”

Kurt waited expectantly for Gary to finish.

“Four to six hundred million dollars.”

“Jesus Christ,” Kurt whispered.

“Here’s the thing, though; we don’t know if this old mine is even the right spot. Dana got pulled off this project to take on the one you guys did in Bogotá, so… maybe this is all a wild-goose chase? The owner has no idea what they may be sitting on, and we sure as hell don’t want to spook them until we have more information. All we’re asking is for you guys to head there, take a look around the area, maybe see if you can get the mine owner to let you poke around inside a little closer, nothing more.”

“Mine owner? I thought you said?—”

“I said it’s a tourist trap now. The mine is closed off for all intents and purposes, but they’ve built this little gift shop and attraction around the original entrance for the guests. The bulk of the mine is officially shut down, but maybe you and Dana can get there and convince the owner to let the two of you go in and check things out without calling too much attention to what you’re actually doing.”

“Gary, you know sure as shit if Dana gets it in her head something’s in there, she’s gonna go as deep as she can.”

“I know. And your job is to make sure if she does, she doesn’t get herself hurt. No broken bones, no dislocated shoulders, nothing. I don’t want her getting so much as a wood sliver this time. Nothing that could end up on a report somewhere.”

“That’s a big ask, Gary.”

“Our options are limited. This is an opportunity for her to do good work like she always does, but without getting herself hurt or giving the C-suite people even higher blood pressure. Just… keep an eye on her. If she starts to look like she’s doing anything stupid, rein her in. Because if you can’t…”

“If I can’t. Great, thanks, no pressure.”

Gary held up his hands. “I’m just saying, this is her last chance. If we can’t buy her some time with an assignment that doesn’t end with her in the hospital…”

Kurt clenched his fingers.

“They’re gonna let her go.”

CHAPTER 3

Dana

He always picked places like this.

Dana sighed as the maître d’ walked them through the restaurant to their table. This place was fancy; rich, reddish-brown wood paneling offset with cream-colored upper walls. Small, discrete paintings she suspected were real pieces of artwork and not something bought on the cheap at Hobby Lobby hung in subtle asymmetry, all of them set in wood frames that matched the paneling. Glancing up at the light fixtures, she’d bet each of them cost more than three months of her mortgage, and there were a half dozen of them dotting the ceiling. Yeah, this place was going to be expensive, and she was going to grit her teeth for every second she spent searching for the least expensive dish they offered. Kurt knew how she felt about restaurants like this, and yet every time…

“Have you been here before?”

She stared across the table, arching her eyebrow. “Kurt. Seriously?”

He chuckled. “It gets incredible ratings. Nancy Silverton owns it.”

“And I’m sure you expect me to know who she is.”

“You… don’t?”

“No. What I do know is we passed a perfectly good In-N-Out on our way here,” she pointed out with a sigh.

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Do you mean to tell me you’d rather eat a “double-double animal style” than have a tomahawk ribeye expertly prepared by a chef who’s probably on his way to earning his first Michelin star?”

She regarded him for a beat. “Yes.”

“Oh my God… I give up with you.”

“And yet here we are.” She gestured to the elegance of the restaurant around her.

“Oh, stop. Just enjoy a good meal, okay?”

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