Page 35 of Fool’s Gold

“Jesus Christ.” Matt closed his eyes and fought against vertigo. He didn’t know if it was the medication, blood loss, or glaring stupidity that was making the room spin. Maybe it was all three.

“The other board members involved were Ellis Walmsley and Sven Heinonen. They’re in custody. The judge denied them bail on the grounds that all three are extreme flight risks. That hearing was this morning.” He looked away. “Ted Astraukas, the board chairman, is holding off on issuing a statement until we’ve spoken. The remaining board members are pretty repulsed, as I’m sure you can imagine. They’re doubling your payout. And they aren’t asking you to come back.”

Matt’s mind went blank. He didn’t even realize it until he noticed the rapid beeping sound from his heart monitors. The door to his private room swung open, and a team of nurses swarmed in, followed by Jack.

“You’re okay.” Morales patted Matt’s hand, like a dog. “You’re okay. I know it’s a little shocking. But please calm down.”

“They’re firing me for what, surviving three attempts on my life? Four? What are we up to now?” Matt took a deep breath and tried to force himself to relax. “I can’t believe this.”

“Yeah, well.” Morales looked away. “They wanted to make sure you didn’t hear it from social media or the news first, you know? I suppose that’s decent of them. And you’re going to be recovering for a long time. They didn’t want—or theysaidthey didn’t want—you to have to face coming back to work in an environment that had already caused you trauma.”

“Yeah, okay.” Matt shook his head in disgust.

He hadn’t been fully aware that Jack’s hand was on him, but he felt the cold as Jack pulled away. The standoffishness hurt. He didn’t know if he was reading into things. Hell, he was still out of it. He shouldn’t let the situation get to him, even though he didn’t feel like he had a choice. His emotions were getting away from him, but they were prone to do that after a major trauma. He’d read that somewhere—or was that after Norah’s last surgery?

“Would you seriously want to? The company lied to people.” Morales leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “You were willing to try to make things right, but my God, three members of that board looked you in the eye and hired you on while going behind your back, investing in your failure, and then financing your murder when that investment backfired. The remaining board members are perfectly happy to keep collecting a pay check and never look you in the eye again while you sit here with a hole in your gut and metal rods in your leg because of them. Do you really want to ever lift a finger again to bring them money?”

Matt took a breath. It wasn’t easy. Those broken ribs were miserable. “I’ve never taken a vacation. Even when I changed jobs I went straight from one job to another. I’ve worked since the day I turned fourteen, Agent. That’s just the way things have always been. I’ve never been fired either. I’ve always left on my own terms. I’ve neverfailed. I failed here. And it’s not a great feeling.”

Jack winced, but didn’t step closer. “You haven’t failed, Matt. You were never supposed to succeed, but you did. You’ve already implemented the programs you intended to create. You’ve restored public trust and you’ve set things up so Besse can’t ever pull off a mess like they did with R&D. You created a model for research controls that people will be talking about for decades if not longer. That’s not what the board wanted. They wanted to be known for profits, not ethics, but they hired you for ethics.”

Matt let out a little huff. “Nah. They hired me for show. It is what it is.” He closed his eyes. “I suppose this means your contract’s at an end.”

The nurses, satisfied that Matt wasn’t about to keel over anytime soon, disappeared. Morales cleared his throat. “I’m going to go make a phone call.” He fled after them.

Jack shifted. “We don’t need to have this conversation right now.”

Matt exhaled slowly. A regular sigh hurt too much. Shouting probably would too, even if he kind of wanted to shout loud enough to be heard all the way at the nurses’ station. “I suspect we do, if we’re going to have it at all. It’s not like Five Star is going to pay you to sit around and wait for me to get out of the hospital.”

“Probably not.”

Matt waited for him to say something else. When Jack didn’t, Matt shook his head. “Would you have even said goodbye? Or would I have just gotten home to an empty apartment?”

“That’s not fair, Matt.” Jack turned away.

“Isn’t it?” Matt closed his eyes again. He hadn’t moved, he hadn’t done anything at all, but wave after wave of fatigue washed over him. He had no idea how it was even possible. “Any idea where you’re going next?”

“Doesn’t matter. Our services are supposed to be confidential.” Jack edged closer to the door. “You’ll be safe though. I mean, now that you’re not going to be associated with Besse you won’t need me anymore anyway, right?”

Words bubbled in Matt’s throat like a fountain, but he pushed them back. What was the point? People left. They didn’t always have a choice. Matt’s last long-term partner had left because he got a long-term on-site position in New York, and Matt couldn’t leave Norah. Matt’s mother had left in handcuffs, over and over, until she presumably left in a body bag.

He’d begged the police not to take his mom, and he’d begged Luke to reconsider, and words had done him no good. He’d never been good with words anyway. Numbers were more his thing, but he wasn’t about to pay Jack to stay.

Somehow he didn’t think it would work.

“I suppose not,” he said, instead ofI’ll always need you. “If I’d known that last night would be our last time, I’d have tried to be a little more adventurous. Give you something to remember me by at least.”

Jack did turn around and frown now. “The hell is that supposed to mean? I’m hardly going to forget you, Matt.”

Matt just closed his eyes again and signaled for the nurses. “Sure thing. Listen, I’m fading here. Sorry—it’s not the company. If I don’t see you before you go, thanks for everything.”

Jack turned back to the door. “Yeah. Thanks. I guess I’ll see you around.”

Matt heard him as he walked out the door. He supposed it was a courtesy, since Jack usually moved pretty quietly. He’d be thankful later, but right now all he wanted was rest.

Fortunately for him, the nurse seemed to understand. She checked his vitals, gave him a sleeping pill, and turned out the lights. Whoever was guarding his room would make sure the PR shitstorm passed over him.

It wasn’t his problem anymore. Nothing was.

---