“Fuck off!” Both men laughed for a second.
“OK, so this guy you gotta turn your back on, he ever done you wrong?” Carl said spinning the ring on his finger.
“Never,” Jim said. Carl paused for a second.
“It’s a tough one, but these guys know the deal, surely they are half expecting you guys to leave them high and dry at some point.”
Jim smiled. Looking at his reflection in the glass he noticed he was still in his suit, he seemed to live in a suit and couldn’t remember the last time he wasn’t wearing it.
‘’Carl, it doesn’t work like that, when you’re in this business you have to have trust, we never leave each other high and dry, as you put it, if one of the tradesmen gets stuck or needs extraction we haul ass and get them out of there, we don’t turn our back, that’s for the gangbangers and hoodlums, not for a professional group like Dino.”
Carl listened to every word; it was further insight into Jim’s world. He held a somber face and looked down at the upturned wool sleeves of his knitted grey pullover.
“Wish I could give better advice, Jim, but I’m fresh out of ideas on this one. In my heart, I don’t see how you can turn on one of your guys, not after what you’ve just said. I never realized there was such an element of trust, like a small family, you can’t betray family.”
Jim stood up, steadying himself slightly. He looked towards Carl who stayed sat in his plush leather office chair behind the desk.
“Yeah, thanks for the talk anyway Carl, you know I’m the only contact these guys have with Dino, it makes it more personal to me than the rest of the guys there.” Carl nodded and Jim continued, “Anyway I’m glad you see how difficult the situation is, all I’m getting in the office is talk of Christmas bonuses because of how much this job will make for Dino…anyway cheers for the drink, I’ll settle the tab next time I’m in.” Carl rose from his seat.
“Forget about the drinks tonight, they’re on the house, a man with your worries needs a good bit of ‘medicine.” Carl smiled enough to show his white teeth, then added, “But you can still settle the rest of the tab next time you’re in.”
Jim chuckled and extended his hand out to Carl, the men shook hands firmly and Jim walked out. Carl stood staring out at the dance floor, the time was 10.55pm and it was starting to get crowded as the students packed in ready for cheap drinks.
Jim woke up at 4am; his head was spinning, after four hours sleep he felt drowsy. A minute after his eyes opened the stress hit him. The same stress that had led him to do so much drinking was causing him to struggle to sleep and made him feel a tight knot in his chest. He walked to the bathroom and retrieved a selection of pills and a glass of water. He really should have gone back to bed and rested his body and mind, but he was already frantic and so stepped into the shower and ran cold water. After two minutes he began to feel fresh, relative to how he felt when he woke up.
He dressed – in a suit again – and headed for a local diner that he knew opened at five, it would be a fifteen-minute walk in the sub-zero early morning weather. Jim arrived at the office at 5.45am after having eaten at the diner. He sat in his office sipping his second cup of coffee when the phone rang; it was Lindon.
He listened intently until he heard the words he had been hoping for but equally dreading. Lindon had taken another job in London, he appreciated the job offer but wasn’t ready for it. Jim made a weak attempt to change Lindon’s mind. After two minutes the men had nothing further to say, Lindon once again thanked him for the job offer and asked that he be kept in mind for future work. Jim explained that of course he would let him know next time but both men had a faint feeling that this may be the last time they would speak to each other. Lindon was beginning to feel like he wanted to leave this life behind and Jim knew that after the company had not secured their biggest contract ever because of this tradesman they would be very reluctant to use him again. Jim hung up the phone.
The stress he had been experiencing immediately lifted but it was replaced by a new worry, the reaction from the office; but what could Jim do, the tradesman turned the job down? Jim sat waiting in his office, watching the sun rise over another frigid morning, the sky was cloudy with gaps big enough for Jim to see the sun and blue sky turn from dark blue to light blue. It was a cold Toronto morning. He sent off an email to all involved in Client 714’s latest job request, he called a meeting at 9am and wrote that the job had been turned down. It took exactly three minutes for his phone to start ringing. Kirt was annoyed; he got a few words in before Jim slammed the phone down.
Chapter 12
Warren waited outside Bill Stanfield’s office. For the past few days Warren had been digging through files, trying to unearth anything he could. He had achieved little, and knew nothing more than he already did.
Ben Svenonsson was now calling himself Lindon Scott; he was a vital link to the project. This was as much as Warren could find out. Warren had run through his memories of the project over and over again. The professor had been very secretive and kept Warren from Lindon throughout the project. Warren had stared at Lindon through the observation glass of the professor’s workroom but was always kept at a distance. Warren was young and eager to please when he was assigned to the professor’s project. He had done as he was told and not asked questions. The last day Warren worked on project ‘Parasite’ he had looked back and noticed Lindon had his eyes closed and was sitting back relaxed in his chair. Warren was desperate for answers to the questions he had never asked and now he was the last person in the world who could identify Lindon.
Bill walked down the hallways and immediately noticed Warren.
”Morning,” Bill raised his palm as he spoke.
“Morning sir, would it be possible to speak to you?”
“Yeah, no problem.” Bill unlocked his office door. “How are the guys doing watching over you?” Bill asked.
“Yeah fine, they don’t say much and insist on coming in the house every hour to check everything is OK, but apart from that they sit in the car outside and aren’t too much of a nuisance.”
Warren was tiring of being watched but was conflicted, as he liked knowing that if anyone was out there looking for him, he wasn’t alone. He hadn’t slept well for nearly a week and there was no chance of having Alicia stay the night when armed men checked the house every hour. She had probably fallen out with him again anyway; she hadn’t answered her cell phone in a few days. It might be time to buy himself that BMW to get her attention, Warren thought to himself.
“Well they’re there for a reason,” Bill reminded Warren, who nodded.
Bill planned to provide a third guard in the evening to stay in the house with Warren so he could sleep uninterrupted. Warren rolled his eyes and the conversation moved on. Warren explained to Bill that he wanted to know more. He had dealt with so much of the coding and encryption for ‘Parasite’ but he had no idea what information he had actually stored. On a normal project this wouldn’t bother him but with his life in danger and the recent concentration on the program, he felt he was due some more information.
Bill searched his mind for a moment; Warren made a valid argument. Bill explained that at the moment all he knew was that Lindon was a man of interest and that there appeared to be someone trying to kill people who knew about the project. At first the professor’s death looked like a simple suicide, now things were becoming more complicated, but at the moment that’s all he knew. The most important thing right now was finding Lindon. Warren couldn’t believe they hadn’t found Lindon; surely they needed to find him ASAP and should have every available member of staff on looking for him.
“Why don’t we get his picture on the news?” Warren said.
He was quickly shut down by Bill who slammed the desk and said, “We don’t want anyone else finding out about this. The last thing we need is to push him further underground by putting his face on the news. Then have every news reporter in the country digging.”
Warren quickly realized B
ill was right. Warren left the office. Bill had told him that they were still unclear about the deaths of the professor, the lady from the White House and the Navy SEAL but it was looking more like foul play than it was before. Warren suddenly felt more welcoming to the agents looking over him and checking in every hour. Next time they knocked on the door he would offer them a coffee and a muffin instead of giving them the cold shoulder.
As Warren walked out to the parking lot he noticed two men sat in a black government Ford. He jumped into his Nissan Altima and turned the key. The V6 engine coughed into life, one of the cylinders wasn’t firing properly. This reminded him to text Alicia about looking at a BMW with him. He got his phone out but decided not to message her, not for now, maybe in a week. One of the agents got out of their car and walked over to Warren. He knocked on the glass. Warren lowered the window.
“I’m gonna ride with you, my partner will follow.”
He wasn’t asking. He walked to the passenger side and got in the car. Warren put his phone back in his pocket and moved the gear selector into R. He reversed out of the space and moved the selector into D and drove to the barrier. The black car followed. Warren felt safe, at least for now.
Jim sat in his office fiddling with the nib of a pen. Since his morning meeting at 9am no one had disturbed him. It was a welcome break after the past few days of constant bombardment from everyone, especially Kirt.
The whole floor was quieter than usual and morale had dropped. Losing the big job wasn’t going to mean anyone would lose their job. But it meant the extra sweetener on top of the Christmas bonus for great performance was gone. Kirt spent the morning swearing loudly in his office. At around 1pm Casper wandered in and told him he should go home, cool down and come back tomorrow. Kirt was hesitant to leave but eventually agreed with Casper.
The short walk through the office alerted Casper to just how low morale had dropped. He had spent the morning speaking with others in senior management and briefing William Kapp, the CEO. Casper was disappointed but the senior guys never got their hopes up about the big jobs. Partly from experience and it didn’t make a lot of difference to how much they earned. Senior management all agreed to pay caps as it kept expenses steady throughout the busy and quiet seasons. Casper passed by a few offices exchanging pleasantries and trying to smile everywhere he could to lift the mood, but it was futile. Eventually he reached Jim’s office. The door was closed; Casper knocked lightly, more of a tap with his bent index finger than a knock. No response. He opened the door.
Jim had spun his office chair 180 degrees and was sitting staring out of the window. He looked over his shoulder and noticed Casper. Jim continued to stare out at the Toronto’s high-rise building all around him.
“You know, Casper,” Jim paused and moved the glass in his left hand side to side, “I’m starting to see what you meant by appreciating the world a bit more, looking at the sky, watching the clouds and hustle and bustle of the city streets below. Kind of makes me want to go and move to the West coast and take up hiking in the Mountains,” he said. Casper smiled.
“Because no one lives out there?”
Both men smiled and Jim spun his chair around to face his desk. Casper took a seat; between them was an open bottle of Jack Daniels. Jim was half way through it.
“Want one?” Jim raised his nose toward the bottle.
“Yes, but after lunch. Come on Jim, let’s step out to Dannie’s.”
Dannie’s served Italian food and was only a block away. Employees from floor 62 and 61 went there, although the two never spoke. The people of 62 were advised by Casper not to act too high and mighty over the floor below but none of them could help it. Jim and Casper arrived at Dannie’s and sat in a booth by the large window at the front.
“You guys! I haven’t seen you in a month,” Dannie called out from the other side of the restaurant.
Casper smiled. “I know, lucky us.”
The three men laughed and had a short conversation about families and sports.
“I think we’ll both have a calzone today, one of the house specials, that OK with you Jim?” Casper said.
“Yeah that’s good with me.”
Dannie scribbled the order on a pad that was too small for his puffy hands. “I get you boys some coffee?” he asked. Jim and Casper both nodded. “OK be about 10 minutes for the food.” Dannie backed away as he spoke.
“No problem,” said Casper as he clenched his hands together and moved his elbows onto the table. The coffee was served by one of the waitresses, an attractive niece of Dannie’s. Both men took a moment to appreciate her figure and long black hair, although they both tried not to look. Dannie was a good friend but he would still shout “PERVERTS!” at you in front of the whole restaurant if he caught you staring at his niece.
Jim sipped his coffee. Casper tried to console him, explaining that none of the senior team was upset.
“You win some you lose some,” he said cheerfully.
Jim was rarely at this end of the deal. Kirt did most of the contact with clients and then reported to Jim, who tried to remain detached from clients so he could focus his attention on the men in the field. Jim had just opened his mouth to speak when he noticed Kirt open the door to the restaurant and look around. He looked out of breath. Kirt zeroed in on Casper and Jim and walked straight to them. Jim managed a remark before Kirt could speak.
“Thought you’d gone home?”
Kirt caught a few breaths as Jim spoke. “Guys, it’s Gold 714,” Kirt panted.
“Keep your voice down,” Casper said between clenched teeth. Kirt lowered his voice and sat down, dragging a spare seat from a nearby table.
“They just contacted me, they have the same job in London when our guy is there, they’re really keen to have us on board. They’re putting the same offer as before on the table!” This sudden shock of information sent Jim’s heart pounding. The back of his neck felt hot and the stress he had been experiencing for the past few days began to weigh down his shoulders like a heavy winter coat. Casper was much calmer.
“The same deal? Job details?”
“Practically the same.” Kirt’s answer didn’t hide his excitement. The Christmas bonus was back on the table, at least to him it was. Casper leaned in toward Kirt.
“Same outcome for the freelance?” he said it in such a low tone it was practically a whisper.
“Yep, same thing, only difference is the handover, it’s a US base there instead of being done in the city as it would have been in Washington.” Casper leaned back into the booth.
“Well Jim, the big job’s still on the table, I guess that puts you out of your misery.”
Before Jim had a chance to respond Dannie arrived with two Calzones. “There you are guys, enjoy. Oh, I didn’t do one for you Kirt, you want one too?”
Jim answered for him, “I think his work load just increased too much to be hanging around having lunch.”
Kirt knew Jim was being polite. “Yeah I’m good thanks Dannie, just on my way back to the office.” Dannie nodded and turned to Casper and Jim “Enjoy” then walked back off to another customer.
“OK, I’ll be at the office when you guys return, do you want me to send a message to the freelance?”
“NO,” Jim snapped. Kirt stayed cool and began to walk away.
“OK, give me an update when you can.”
Casper and Jim sat in silence for a minute or two. Casper was hungry and already a quarter way through his Calzone. Jim’s appetite had disappeared. He picked around the edges and nibbled small bites.
“This job’s really bothering you, isn’t it?” Casper said.
“No, I’m fine, just planning the logistics of it all.” Jim tried to sound perky and excited.
“C’mon Jim, I know this is a tough one, I feel the same. Turning on one of our own, even if he’s not an agency guy. Back when I was a young gun we had bonds. We had trust and nobody broke that. These ghosts and shadows of today, they survive by the edge of the dagger. I’m
glad I’m an old man sat in a plush office and not on the ground like these guys.”
Jim wanted to open up but stayed guarded. “Yeah, it’s tough out there these days, glad I never worked as a tradesman,” he said.
“Jim, do you think we should just turn the job down?”
Jim had been so beaten up working on this one job that he now just wanted to be open and honest and not hide anymore. “It’s not my decision Casper, but we don’t know what’s going to happen to this guy. We don’t know who he is. When he speaks to me he has to trust every word I say. Once we lose that trust what do any of us have left, in this industry our word is everything. This isn’t like the business world where everyone lies and back stabs and the only words you can trust are the ones written into contract that expensive lawyers have spent hours combing over. To us, in this game, our word is as good as that iron clad contract. To break it… it just feels wrong.”
Casper nodded. He had come to feel the same. But they all had bosses and being able to sink the biggest paying job in the company’s history weighed on Casper’s mind. He hadn’t done anything outstanding since taking his position. He had made the company steady money and secured well paying jobs but his predecessors had all strived to break a record and all had achieved it. Casper needed to write his name into the history books. To both secure his job until retirement and secure that extra sweet golden handshake when he got there. Some of the men that held his position before him dropped by the office occasionally; only two were still alive. The second question they asked after “How’s the wife?” was always the same “Hit the big one yet?” On this job Casper was conflicted. He wanted to shut them up and wipe the smug look off their faces more than he wanted the job security or extra payout upon retirement.
“Jim, I know why I want this deal to happen, I also know why I don’t want it to happen. If you secure this deal then you’re the hero of the office. A big job before Christmas will mean everyone gets a little extra bonus in the December pay. Everyone will love you because you’re the man that got it. A promotion is a sure thing and you would have been a central player in securing the biggest deal in the company’s history to date. With that on the resume you will have my job one day. But to get all that you have to do something you will never forget. I can tell you as your boss to do it, but I’m not stupid. I know we all make our own decisions and whatever I tell you, you will do what you want to do. So make a decision and don’t look back. Who knows, maybe the freelance will turn the job down again, but I can’t see why he would. He’s there anyway and this is a massive payday…. I don’t envy your situation Jim.”
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