Page 125 of Inflame

“Why yes. Yes it is.”

“Are the girls okay?”

“Yes.”

“Just keep eyes on him when you can. I don’t know his motive for making the breakup so messy.”

Tyler sighs. “We all want what we can’t have.”

* * *

When six o’clock rolls around, I wait for the last nonsecurity employee to leave the building and make my way into the conference room for a chat with my staff who are under my lead. Since learning that Maxwell continues to taunt Claire, I’ve been in a foul mood.

“Here at Hoffman Headquarters, I value loyalty and honesty above all else. There are going to be some changes in positions and job status over the next week. I am passing each of you an envelope that will either state your job title and newly revised description or will contain a severance check for your termination—effective immediately. I also am normalizing salaries and following a tiered scale to help with pay increases based on living costs and job experience. Bonuses each quarter will be awarded to those who exceed the expectations and will be at the discretion of each team lead.”

I scan the group for any reactions. Everyone has the decency to keep their emotions in check. I look at my notes in front of me to make sure I did not forget anything that I wanted to say, while I have everyone in one room right now.

“If you are being let go, I hired a third party team to assist in escorting you out of the building and collecting all badges and key fobs. You have one hour to gather all personal items and exit the premises. If you are considering a lawsuit for HH forgoing any written notice of this termination, the contract has a clause that entitles any employer to exercise any firing of employees, granted that a severance package is in place.”

I try to keep my emotions out of my speech and try not to second-guess any of my decisions. It doesn’t feel good to end careers today. However, there have been two recent near break-ins to the building and that is a huge cause for concern. It would not surprise me if there is a mole among us. The way to weed him out is to cut the majority of the staff in order to completely vet my new hires and keep a better eye on the remaining employees. I do not need a ton of mediocre workers doing the job that a few high quality ones can do.

I pass out the envelopes and watch as seals are broken to reveal the verdict letters. The room fills with white noise as I exit to leave them to gripe or celebrate without me bearing witness to it.

I head to my office to email the headhunter about finding me a qualified personal assistant who also has some security background. I up the starting salary and reiterate one more time that the person must be a female and must have prior job experience. The last thing I have time for is to hold hands while someone wets their feet in my world.

I turn on the television and connect with the lobby’s exit cameras to see some disgruntled workers carrying out empty printer paper boxes of supplies. Some people may say I get off on the power, but that is false. I don’t feel good about firing anyone. However, I also know that locking the security down at this building is a priority. I check all of the motion sensors and wait until everyone leaves.

Standing up from my desk, I double-check that I am logged out of all of my devices. I shut off the televisions and close them behind the moving wall with the push of a button. I then head toward the video room, with my rolling cart of boxes that I need to unpack. I have a lot of work ahead at installing all of the new video cameras, configuring them with the current operating system, and then setting up all of the security features to prevent any malicious hacking. I am taking zero chances and starting from scratch with nearly every security feature here at HH.

I order in Chinese takeout and munch on the noodle dish while I hit the fifth-hour mark. It is after midnight and while I’m exhausted, I feel relieved knowing that I am over halfway done.

A motion alert sets off an alarm from my phone, and I access the new camera at the front door to see Claire standing outside in the dark. What the hell? Why is she trying to enter HH at this hour of the early morning?

I grab the elevator down and run through the lobby before she can walk away. I deactivate the alarm on the exterior doors and push the main one open.

“Oh hi,” she says sheepishly. “Wasn’t expecting you to be the one who—”

“What the hell are you doing alone on the streets? It is dangerous for a woman to walk around at this hour in Portland,” I snap, pulling her inside the safety of the building. I am fuming. Does she really not understand what could happen? I inwardly scold myself for not setting a motion alert on my phone for if she moved more than a quarter of a mile past a certain time. Maybe I could have prevented her from making a stupid choice.

“I left something in the office,” she says, confused. “Why are you overreacting? I don’t feel like I did anything wrong.”

I rub at the back of my neck. I need to calm down before I scare her. “You could have called.”

“Called who? It’s not like you have an operator here at HH. I thought the night guard would just let me in to grab what I need.”

“Called me.”You difficult woman!

She looks at me with confusion. “Why would I have called you, Nic? I didn’t even realize you were camping out here all night.”

I sigh. Maybe I’m overreacting. I have been known to have done that once, maybe twice, in my life. “I’m replacing all of the security features before the work shift starts in the morning. What did you forget that you need from your office?” It is an intrusive question, but based on the fact that she is here at HH in the wee hours of the morning, I get to be that nosy.

Claire glances away and then back up at me again. “Apartment key.”

“And you just realized it now?” I snap. “Where the hell have you been if you weren’t at home?”

“I don’t have a home, Nic. I’m staying with a friend.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I know this. I guess saying the word “home” was a slip of the tongue. Ugh. What a freaking mess. I should just pick her up and haul her butt to my place and demand she stay there, but commitment-phobes like me don’t do romantic shit like that. This is real-life, not some Saturday night network cable romance movie, with a guaranteed happily ever after.

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