Page 37 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
“Well, maybe I’ll spend a few years doing that. I’m flexible, and you said you would teach me your ways, but you haven’t. Come to think of it, you haven’t even mentioned a man since the bathwater guy.”
“It’s the new contract,” I offered as a quick explanation. “I’m giving my energy to things that matter and will benefit me. Right now, that’s not a man. I want things to go well, and that means putting my focus where it matters.”
While Natalie looked at me in admiration, I crossed my fingers behind my back. I couldn’t tell her a big part of the reason she hadn’t heard me talk about any other man was because of a man I wasn’t supposed to like. How could I? She looked up to me. I couldn’t let her know I apparently also had a weakness, and that weakness came with green eyes and tatted sleeves.
“You could always give more work to me. It would free you up and give me something else to do with my energy.” She sighed. “I mean, maybe you don’t want to date, but you have other interests, right?”
“You’ve been talking to Raymond, haven’t you?” I shook my head. “All those mornings he came in early, he was just getting in your head, wasn’t he?”
“Maybe.” She winked. “By the way, he will be here soon, so you two can ride to the venue together. Von said there is only one confirmed parking spot for you two to use.”
“Perfect.” I moved to sit back at the desk. “Thank you for staying on top of everything, and I promise, I will hand more over to you soon. Not becauseof Raymond, but because you deserve the opportunity to learn and grow in the company. If we continue to expand, I won’t be able to keep up with everything.”
“You’ve been saying that for well over a year now, but I appreciate the consideration,” she called me out.
“That bad?” I frowned. I could have been mad, but I appreciated the honesty. That was the kind of person I wanted in my corner, and honestly, it was refreshing to see her stand up for herself.
“I still love you anyway!” She smiled.
“You better.” I chuckled. “Head on home. I’ll see you Monday.”
Half an hour after Natalie took off, Raymond arrived. He knocked on my office door, pulling my attention from the new contract I’d just gotten from the lawyers. Business was expanding faster than I thought it would. Word was, another company was going under, and that sent clients preemptively searching for replacement providers.
“You ready to go?” Raymond asked.
I turned the computer off, and grabbed my jacket from the back of the chair as I stood. “Yes, but I’m driving. I’m not showing up in your flashy car.”
“Of course you are,” he muttered and headed out. Raymond waited outside while I locked up, and when I came out, he stood by the passenger door. “Ready when you are.”
We drove for nearly forty-five minutes in silence, only talking when it came to the details of the evening. It was simple enough: a three-hour dinner with the top seven executives, and one person only named “X”. Whoever this X was, they were the reason for the security detail.
They’d booked a suite in the hotel where X would be staying for the night to eliminate any additional travel. There was a private chef with a team of three whowould serve because X didn’t want to eat the food from the hotel and needed a controlled source.
We were to stand outside the room where they met and complete a perimeter check every half hour. It surprised me that they only requested two people, but from what I gathered, it was a direct request from X, who wanted to keep a low profile.
When I asked for more information about the mystery guest, Von made it clear it was information I didn’t need to know. They had deep pockets and were looking to invest, and that was all that mattered.
“Were you able to find out anything else about this X person?” Raymond asked as we arrived.
“No, but I don’t think it matters. This is a one-time event. Von made it sound like once this is done, this X won’t be back.”
“Works for me.”
“You run the initial perimeter check, and I’ll meet with Von to check in. We have an hour before they’re supposed to start.” I handed him the black bag from the back seat. “These are the cams. Try to get as many angles of the entrances as possible.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted me and jumped out of the car.
Raymond headed off to check the area while I went inside. I already had the keycard for the elevator that led to the top floor. Once inside, I took a deep breath to clear my head, and by the time the doors slid open to reveal Von waiting by the door, I was ready to work.
“Jericha, it's good to see you again.” Von seemed cheerful yet nervous.
“You as well.” I nodded, holding my hand out to shake hers.
“Where is Raymond?” She looked in the elevator behind me as if the man wouldmaterialize.
“He’s doing a quick check at ground level before we begin. We’ll keep our presence up top, but he’s also placing some visual aids for us to use remotely.”
“Visual aids?”
