Page 8 of Left of the Slash
“If there are any,” I answer. “I told her I'd be glad to help her out on the low, but if Jon finds out, I'm fucked. I might already be, honestly. He can't stand the fact that he didn't get to become CEO. It fucks with his ego, but I think the fact that a woman is running the show has him and his boys in shambles. They haveto answer to her and it’s tearing them up. By supporting her, I'm going against them.”
“Jon has always been an asshole,” Rob says, which is one hundred percent true.
I sigh. “Well, he's the asshole who gave me a promotion thinking I would jump on his hate train. He didn't know I don't get down with that misogyny shit. As soon as she starts acting like the boss that she is, they start calling her a bitch and an ice queen. I can't believe he thought I would ever be that corny.”
“Damn. Who would've thought it’s that cutthroat at the top?” Rob asks rhetorically.
“It’s like that at my job, too,” Marcus adds. “Those guys at the top crave power, and it’s in their DNA to grasp it by any means necessary. They don't give a damn who they have to cut. To them, the leader has to act andlooka certain way, and we all knowexactlywhat I mean.”
Rob and I slowly nod, because we definitely do know. We've always known.
“Well, I for one am glad you're up there,” Rob says, raising his glass of Crown to me like a toast. “But I'm sorry you have to deal with the dumb shit already. I got you on the investigation, but if you need anything else just come down the hall or shoot me an email. Now that you're in the executive wing, we can't let you slide back down. You're representing for all of us, bro.”
I lift my Hennessy and smile. “I appreciate that, man, because it’s already looking shaky. On one hand, I have the guy who promoted me asking me to either be down for his cause or stay out of the way. On the other hand, I have the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen asking me to have her back and go against the grain. I just started and I already have shitty options to choose from.”
The room goes silent for a moment. All three of us bring our drinks to our lips and sip like the answer will be found atthe bottom of our glasses, but when I lower mine I only find remnants of my liquor.
“All jokes aside,” Marcus says. “You're in a tough spot, Q. I don't envy you, bro. But the real question is—considering how trash your options are—what are you gonna do?”
I knock back the rest of my drink and lean back on the couch, looking up at the white ceiling. It’s a shitty situation to be in, and while I know it’s a risk going behind Jon’s back, there is something inside me that can't sit back and watch him and his friends attack Olivia. I also can't allow Obsidian to crash and burn because of this breach. I love my job and I hate men like Jon. So, I guess that makes the answer easy for me.
“Fuck Jon,” I say, repeating the words Olivia said to me in her office. “Olivia wants my help, and I'm in a position to do the right thing for a woman who has no support at the top. She's swimming in shark-infested waters.”
Rob chuckles. “And you want to swim with her?”
“Nah,” I answer, looking him in the eye. “I think I want to kill the sharks for her.”
SEVEN - Quinn
My mind is in a frenzy when I climb into my car this morning. I've only had a few sips of coffee, but it feels like I just downed the entire carafe before stepping out of my house, because I'm twitchy with anxiety as I step on the gas. Thoughts of how things ended with Linda recently, and how my future will play out bounce off one another like bumper cars, and those thoughts crash against my concern about the Judge Knight breach and my work relationship with Jon. I've got plenty to worry about as I pull into the Obsidian parking lot and find my way to the line of spaces with the nameplates. I park in the spot for the CSE, but if there was one for a nervous wreck, I’d fit right in there, too.
Inside, I find the same hustle and bustle that's always taking place. Cell phones and landlines ringing constantly, people moving from place to place like they're in a rush to get anywherebut where they are, zombies sitting at their computers with steaming cups of coffee next to them as they stare at their screens, noses nearly touching the display. Obsidian is humming so loudly that you would never know the company is inching its way toward losing clients due to one breach, and that we’re on the verge of needing a hail mary just to keep the doors open.
Instead of staying on the path that leads through each section and ends at the executive wing, I take a detour today and stop in my old department to talk to Rob. I nod at familiar faces as I make my way to his office in the back, and find him sitting with his feet on the desk and an Eagles travel mug firmly in hand, his black beard glistening from the oil treatment he must've applied this morning.
“I knew I would find you in here not doing a damn thing,” I joke as I walk in without stopping in the doorway. I sit down in his lone chair and try to make myself comfortable in it, but the wood is old and hard against my ass.
Rob takes an oversized hand and smooths out the top half of his navy blue button up. “Man, it is too early in the morning to be in here stressing out. I have people beneath me for a reason, and if I remember correctly, you used to do the same shit before you got elevated to God status by Jon. Hell, you used to hack the system just to test the security protocols. So, don't come in here hating when my coffee mug is still this full.”
“Shut your Oscar-the-Grouch-looking-ass up,” I joke. “And don't worry about what I used to do. You know the old saying—do as I say, not as I do .. or as I used to do … or whatever. Worry about yourself.” Rob and I laugh before I sit up straight and get serious. “But for real though, I meant what I said last night about keeping me in the loop on the breach. As soon as you find something out, I need you to send it to me, and if the guys down here can't crack it, me and you might have to put our heads together and see what we can see. ”
Rob nods. “I got you. We’re just getting started. So far, all we know is that the hacker used a DAV on the server.”
“Yeah, I already figured that part out. I need to know how and then trace it to who. Have somebody dialed into IP addresses.”
“I already assigned somebody to that,” Rob says. “Stop stressing, man. I know how to do this shit, too. I’ll let you know when we’ve got something, or we can work together if you want faster results. For now, go to your new office and be a boss, all right? I got you.”
Nodding, I exhale to try and relieve some of the tension I feel tightening my muscles. Rob is my best friend and I know he’ll take care of this for me. I just don't want to let Olivia down, and I want to solve this riddle about the breach before anybody else can. Maybe I’m crazy, but I sort of want her to smile because of me. I want her to know that I'm the one who took care of the situation when she needed it handled. I don't even know why I feel this way, but I find comfort in knowing I can depend on Rob the same way Olivia can depend on me.
“All right, bro. I appreciate you,” I say, standing up and approaching the desk so I can dap him up.
“It’s all good, man. We’ll talk soon.”
“Cool.”
I leave Rob’s office feeling at least a little better about the situation at hand, and once I hit the pathway again, I'm focused on performing my new job. I want to be impressive now that I'm up here, and I want Jon to know that I'm not some young asshole who didn't deserve the promotion. I'm here because I'm great at what I do, and I'm going to prove it to everyone.
My confidence reaches its daily peak just as I pass through the double doors of the executive wing, and then comes face to face with its first test of the day as I bump right into Olivia. My shoulder slams into hers and she nearly topples over. I haveto reach out and wrap my hands around her waist to keep her upright.
