Page 49 of Boss

“Do you have the USB drive?”

“Yes,” she said.

“Perfect,” Daniel sighed.

“I got something else. I Xeroxed contracts for Havarti again today. I still have the copies. I didn’t deliver them to his team.”

“Okay. Uhm, meet me at Busy Bee’s. I’m not far from there now,” he said.

“Okay.” Kassidy hung up. “Shit!” she cursed. She just remembered that she left the USB drive at home. She couldn’t worry about that now. She could have one of Daniel’s people pick it up. She reached for her purse and turned in her chair. Kassidy gasped loudly.

Tarek stood in her cubicle, towering over her. She looked up into his dark eyes. Did he hear her? What had she said? Oh God, did he hear her?

“Do you have a minute, Ms. Brown?”

“Ah, I’m so sorry, but, uhm, I really don’t,” she said. She turned and began to collect her things. She expected him to insist, and already had a counter explanation. The snow. The office was clearing. Texas wasn’t the kind of state that could handle a snow storm like this. Traffic jams and mayhem were certain to follow the rest of the day. When she glanced back over her shoulder, she saw him standing and watching.

“The storm... It’s coming. I think we should all leave,” she said with a quiver of uncertainty in her voice.

“Cut the bullshit, bitch. I want you in my office, Now,” he said and walked off.

Kassidy gasped. She stood. She watched him go. He never looked back. Her stomach was twisted into a pretzel knot. He knows. He knows. Daniel was right!

She was screwed. She couldn’t meet with him. She didn’t dare. It was now or never. She grabbed her purse and her things. She grabbed the black binder with the documents in it. She saw several other employees at the other end of the hall chatting. Tarek was in his office. She bolted from her cubicle and ran for the emergency exit door. Kassidy pushed it open and quickly headed down the stairs. Her heart was in her throat. Her legs were cramping from running down stairs in four-inch heels. Still she pushed on. And when she breeched the last floor she finally allowed herself to breathe.

She arrived into the lobby of the twenty story Marshall Towers building. The security guard desk housed three different guards, each seated in a direction that allowed them clear view of those arriving and leaving. She collected herself and tried to walk normal.

Security doesn’t know, Kassidy. You’re being paranoid. Just walk out and no one will stop you.She hitched her purse higher on her shoulder and kept going. When she passed the security guards, she began to relax.

“Ms. Brown!” Clifford the tall, dark skinned security guard called out.

Kassidy froze. She closed her eyes, but she couldn’t stop the frantic beat of her heart.

“Ms. Brown, can you come here, please?”

She opened her eyes and looked at the door. If he had called down to security to stop her, then he possibly called the police. The only advice Daniel ever gave her when she decided to work with him to gain leverage on the Marshalls was to deny everything, confess to nothing. But in her briefcase was enough evidence to have them both criminally prosecuted. How could she deny it?

“Ah, Ms. Brown?” Clifford said in a raised tone.

She turned and smiled. He waved her to him. He didn’t look angry. He didn’t look concerned. She prayed as she took each step toward him. The other two security guards ignored him. He reached down and pulled out a sheet of paper. He handed it her. “I forgot to give this to you. It’s the form you have to submit on your new car. Bring it when you come back with the license plate number, and we will make sure it has a decal for parking.”

“Oh? Okay,” Kassidy sighed. “Okay. Thanks.”

17.

Tarek grew tired of waiting. He would drag the conniving witch into his office by her hair if he had to. He pushed up from his desk and stormed out. Half the office was gone. The other half was headed to the elevator. He frowned. Where the fuck was everybody going?

“Tanya, come here,” he said.

“Yes, Mr. Marshall?” The marketing manager walked over with her coat on, and purse on her shoulder.

“Where the hell is everyone?” he asked.

“Early release. You saw the email right?”

Tarek’s brows lowered in confusion. “Email?”

“The storm. It’s coming in fast. Your father left ten minutes ago,” she smiled.

---