Page 4 of Killer (Project)

“That…” Was that true? I had never admitted to such a thing. Sweat formed on my palms. I hated feeling as if I were trapped without an escape route.

“Don’t even say it’s not true when we both know it is. You took this job for that fucking crippled kid.”

Crippled kid… Don’t make him eat his words. Kill him with kindness.

“He had a name.” I forced the words from my mouth. I didn’t want to talk abouthim. His death wasn’t fair to anyone, not his family, not to me, or to him.

“Whatever, his name doesn’t matter. Not anymore at least. What does is the fact you took a job working for me, yet it seems as if you would much rather not be here most days.” I could hear his footsteps across the marble flooring, my heart beat rising with every step.

“I love my job…” I lied, trying not to stutter over my words. I hated my job, but I hated Roger and what he reminded me of more.Hurt. Pain.

A deep robust laugh filled the room. “That is the biggest fucking lie I have ever heard.” His hot breath was on the back of my neck. I should’ve turned around. I should’ve told him to leave me alone.

“Fine. I’m here for him, and one day, I will be on the team that helps find a cure for the cancer he had. He wasn’t just crippled, Roger. He was sick. He was dying.” I smarted off, openly admitting my faults as I turned around to face him not realizing how close he truly was to me. I took a wobbly step back wanting to separate us, my legs feeling like jelly.

Roger’s hand reached out and gripped my chin hard, pulling my face into his. There was a sick fire in his eyes, one that said he would hurt me if he had to. Men like him weren’t afraid of someone like me getting in their way.

“You think you have everyone fooled, that no one will discover you for what you really are.” He was seething.

What was he talking about? I hadn’t ever tried to dissect what Roger had to say only because he was wrong most, if not all, of the time. His motives were always to protect his empire or to make others suffer. He was out to benefit no one but himself.

“I have no one fooled,” I gritted out, the hold he had on my jaw growing tighter. I winced as his fingers dug deeper into my skin. His face leaned into mine as his eyes lingered on my lips before rising to my own. He wanted to kiss me. I knew it. I felt it in his stare and in his touch. He wanted me, but he knew he could never have me. No one could because I was taken. Even with him no longer here, he still lived and breathed in me… in my heart, and I would not betray him with his enemy.

“You’re right… You have no one fooled simply because they can see through your ulterior motives. Watch your back, Maggie. You might find more than just a knife in it.”

He released me, shoving me away from him. His threat lingering in my mind long after I had got my footing and walked out of his office. Rubbing at my jaw, I attempted not to draw attention to myself. That would only make it worse.

Instead, I went to my desk and kept myself busy, looking at various articles about Diesel’s cancer. He had a rare brain tumor, stage four at the time of his death. It was inoperable, meaning there was nothing they could do to save him. They had given him months to live, which turned into years. Many said it was a miracle he had held on for as long as he did. I felt there was always something else lingering under the surface. A hidden reasoning or an answer.

My fingers pounded on the keys for hours, doing my research as I did every day. This wasn’t my job, though. I was to shuffle papers in and out of Roger’s office. I was basically his assistant without the title or pay raise. My plan was to get into the labs and out of the office. There was nothing here for me and having been here for six months, I hadn’t discovered much of anything. PGI’s database was locked down tighter than Fort Knox. Codes were needed for just about everything, and I wasn’t so desperate for answers that I would sleep with someone or lie and cheat to get them. I had to do this the right way.

“Maggie,” Kandace said in a motherly tone. I looked up from my keyboard and gave her a look that said I was working and to go away.

“Kandace.”

“I saw you come out of Roger’s office earlier. Is everything okay?” Kandace had always been concerned with my relationship with Roger. He bullied me in school, and just when I thought I would be able to get away from him, here I was working under him.

“Yeah, just the typical shit that he puts me through. I can never just go into his office and give him his daily spreadsheets.” I kept my voice hushed. There were office rats all around us. People who would turn around and tell him anything and everything that took place out on the floor. They thought it would gain them more money or freedom. Some did it just because they could.

“You were rubbing at your face when you came out. Don’t lie to me and tell me it’s nothing, Maggie. If he’s fucking with you again, then I will find out and do something about it.”

I smiled to myself. God, how I had been blessed with such a great friend. Someone who would kick any and everyone’s ass if I asked her to do it.

“It’s nothing. At least nothing different from the norm. You know why I’m here, Kandace. I want to get into the labs and see what kind of cures and drugs they’re coming up with,” I whispered to her, my eyes scanning the room. One would think moving up in the company would be something relatively normal, something that could easily be talked about in the workplace. Except it wasn’t. At least not here. Moving up to a new position was never something openly discussed. If you moved up, you just quietly disappeared.

Any promotion in the company was top secret. If you ever made it out of this sector of the building, then you knew something no one else did. I had to make it happen. I had to find out what was going on. If not for the families who were suffering from death, grief, and loss, then for Diesel.

“It’s been seven years. Seven years, Maggie. It’s time to move on. It’s time to let it go. He died. He’s not coming back, and if you keep thinking like you are, it’s going to get you killed.”

Kandace’s concern was cute but entirely unnecessary. I had it all under control. Maybe if I kept telling myself that, it would start to feel that way.

“He might be dead, but I made him a promise. I told him that I would try to help find a cure for his cancer. I wasn’t lying to him seven years ago, and I’m not going back on my word now. I understand your concerns, but I’m not doing anything wrong.”

The look of shock on her face astounded me. Did she really feel as if what I was doing was wrong? That wanting to stand by my word was wrong?

“Davis.” Roger’s angry voice met our ears. Everyone turned to see what the issue was, including myself.

“Sir…” Davis stumbled over his words as he got into a standing position pushing from his desk as if he had just been told to jump.What the fuck is going on?

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