Elliot spent the next day shadowing Maya Callahan. When he followed her into the conference room, he caught curious glances in his direction.
“Maya, who is this?” a man in a three-piece suit with a balding hairline and a pot belly asked as he sat down at the table.
Maya looked up from her tablet and back toward him. “This is my associate, Elliot Sawyer. He’ll be with me for the foreseeable future as we work on a special project.”
“Related to the IPO?” another man asked. The panic on his face was instantaneous.
Maya laughed. “So much for trying to be subtle. No, he’s my personal security officer. A few weird things have happened recently, and I’ve taken precautions to ensure nothing stops this offering. We’ve worked too damn hard to let anything knock us off our footing.”
“Are you in danger? Are we?” the first man asked.
“Absolutely not,” Elliot said from where he was seated. “I’m here to be seen. A physical reminder of the wealth and power Ms. Callahan wields. A deterrent to cowards who hide behind juvenile attempts to divert her attention at this critical time in the schedule.”
She turned to look at him and spoke directly to him. “Thank you, Mr. Sawyer, but I can andwillspeak for myself.” He nodded in deference, returning command of the room to her.
Maya turned and stared down the table of suits. “Are there any other questions that need to be addressed that don’t pertain to the tasks at hand?” She looked at each person in turn. When no one said anything, she started the meeting.
Elliot watched each person in the room. Jessica was in and out of the meeting, acting as a gopher and messenger and entering tasks as Maya assigned them. He watched as the tablet in front of Maya updated with items Jessica put into the document. The woman worked silently but efficiently. More than one person turned to her to ask questions. Jessica would glance at Maya and speak quietly in response. That gut feeling niggled again. Something was off about the woman, and he couldn’t put a finger on it. He’d keep an eye on her.
Maya Callahan was, quite frankly, a force of nature. She recalled details others had to look up and verify. People scurried to keep up with her. He often wondered what Jason King was like while working. In the secure environment of Guardian Headquarters, Elliot never had to provide security, but he couldn’t help but think Maya Callahan was a female version of Jason. There was no give in the woman. She had standards and expectations, and people who failed to meet those expectations were held accountable. Excuses were not permitted, and Elliot could see she ruffled feathers in all the meetings. She did not run her business to make friends, nor did she ridicule or scorn the people who did not meet her expectations. She stated what she wanted, when she wanted it, and waited for them to confirm they understood her expectations.
Maya worked through lunch. Jessica moved over to him during the lunchtime meeting. “You want a sandwich? I can get you one.”
He shook his head while keeping an eye on everyone in the room. “No, thank you.” He’d eat when Maya did, or he’d go without.
Jessica gave him a blank stare, then shrugged and waited until the meeting was over before exiting the conference room. Maya gathered her tablet and files and looked over her shoulder at him. “Ready?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He stood and straightened his jacket.
“Jessica, no interruptions,” Maya called over her shoulder as they walked into Maya’s office.
“I have lunch being delivered,” she told Elliot before sliding out of her heels and walking barefoot to her desk. “What did you think of the meeting just now?”
Elliot shot her a look. “As in?”
“As in, I want your evaluation of the personnel in the room.” She curled her legs under her as she sat in the executive chair behind her desk.
“Competent and engaged, for the most part. The marketing director was not informed of your requirements and was playing catch-up.”
“Those requirements went out last night. I watched Jessica type the email.” She glanced at her watch. “He’s had four hours to devise a game plan and hasn’t. This isn’t the first time this has happened. It can’t happen again.” She leaned forward and pushed a button on the phone bank on her desk. “Jessica, schedule a meeting with Mr. Folk for today at 4:45 p.m.”
“Okay. Did you order lunch? There’s a delivery man here.”
“I did. Please bring it in.”
Elliot went to the door and met Jessica. “I’m supposed to bring it in,” the woman said, and she wasn’t happy about being blocked.
He looked at her until she looked away. “I’ve got it. Thanks.” He took the bags from her and turned, shutting the door behind him.
“You don’t order your own lunch?”
“I usually have Jessica do it, but I’m capable.” She stretched in the chair. “I slept well last night. For that, I thank you.”
“I’m glad I was able to put you at ease. Are you going to fire him?” Elliot asked as he took the food over to a smaller conference table on the far side of the room.
“My marketing director? Oh, you mean my PR manager?” she asked.
“Yes.”