Page 57 of Call Sign: Thunder
This room was as sparsely furnished as the waiting room had been. A metal utilitarian desk with two uncomfortable looking chairs — one on either side of the desk — was the entirety of the room’s contents. No windows. No file cabinets. Not even a computer or a fucking file folder for that matter.
He couldn’t resist.
“I love what you’ve done with the place,” he joked. Since he’d already decided coming here had been a fool’s errand, he might as well have some fun.
For the first time the man glanced in Zach’s direction. With the mirrored sunglasses still on the guy’s tan face, it was hard to read his expression, but after the man looked him up and down, Zach got the feeling he was as annoyed as Zach.
“Sit.” Another order.
Zach’s “Yes, sir,” may be respectful words, but his mocking tone made it clear his own patience was wearing thin with this little adventure.
When both men were seated, Zach expected the interview to begin. He may not have a lot of experience in job searches, but he knew this one was not going well.
Even with the mirrored glasses, he felt the man’s intense glare. It reminded him of going through interrogation training and that’s when it clicked.
“Did you bring a resume?” the interviewer finally asked.
“Does it matter if I did?” Zach asked, not yet reaching for the leather portfolio he’d brought along with his resume inside.
Instead of just telling Zach to leave as he’d half expected, the guy finally reached up to slowly take his sunglasses off, letting Zach get his first real glimpse of the dangerous man in front of him. Steel blue eyes silently sized him up and down before locking eyes and asking, “Exactly why are you here?”
“I was sent for a job interview,” he answered obtusely.
“That’s not what I asked. Why did you come here today?”
Shit, this guy was intense.
He had several options available. The safe answer was to say something normal like, ‘to further my career’ or ‘to expand my experience.’ Instead, Zach went with the raw truth.
“I fell in love with a woman that will require me to change my career path.”
For the first time since his arrival, the mystery man who looked to be in his late thirties or early forties broke a small smile making him seem a bit less intimidating.
Zach wasn’t fooled.
“Love… it’s an interesting motivator, isn’t it?”
Zach suspected there was a story there, but was smart enough not to ask.
The man instead wiped the smile away and went back to his interrogation. “How do you know Walter Benson?”
Zach’s chuckle sounded out of place in the small room. “Unfortunately, it’s his daughter I fell in love with.”
A surprised whistle preceded, “You have my sympathy.”
With that assessment, Zach started to warm up to the guy. “Thanks. I appreciate the sentiment.”
“As sorry as I am for you, I’m afraid banging a senator’s daughter isn’t really the most important job skill we’re looking for around here.”
“Yeah? Well no offense, but I don’t know what the fuck it is you actually do here.
“The sign says Zebra Printing, but you waltz in with a football on your wrist while I’m being surveilled by no less than a half-dozen hidden cameras. Everything about this place on the surface screams 1970, but the exits are fortified with concrete blocks and your receptionist sits behind bullet-proof glass. So… like I said, I don’t know what kind of jobs you have open, but my guess is my resume might fit in better than you might think.”
The man sitting across the table hadn’t taken his gaze off Zach throughout his long rant. After a pregnant pause, the guy pressed for more information.
“Exactly what did Senator Benson tell you.”
“He wouldn’t tell me jack shit, and honestly, I’m beginning to think he just sent me on a wild goose chase to piss me off. He’s made it crystal clear I’ll never be good enough for Allie in his eyes, anyway.”
