Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63311 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63311 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Scary thought, right? Don’t worry. I wasn’t ready to put that one on blast. I was content to take it one day at a time. I still had goals, you know. And if the interview with the historian went well, I could envision a life in England for another year. Maybe longer.
First, I had to cut the final tie with The Horsham Group.
I’d completed my report and forwarded the file to Sanjay right away, but I hadn’t returned the keys to Deverley. They were a symbolic link binding me to a joint mission with people I now considered friends. It marked the end of something and I hated endings. Yes, I could have given them to Graham, but I wanted to say good-bye in person and assure them I was only a text message away from joining them at the pub.
So Wednesday morning, I braved the Tube and hiked across town, exiting the London Bridge station and walking with my head high into the Shard.
I waved to security guards I recognized and pushed the button to the top, alighting on what I privately called the Chaos floor. I braced myself for the rampant buzz of urgent chatter and loud, animated phone conversations, but the mood was shockingly subdued. Even Darwin seemed pensive.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Darwin shrugged. “Honestly, I dunno. We’re expecting ‘you know what’ to close this week and something’s definitely happening upstairs. We can’t tell if it’s good or bad news, babes, but it’s got everyone on edge.”
I continued on to the next floor, where Victoria and Cecil were whispering at the reception desk. I greeted them warmly and shook the keys in their plastic pouch. “I’m going to drop these off to Sanjay. Is he in?”
They shared a look I couldn’t read. Victoria finally nodded. “Yes, but he’s in a conference. Locked doors and top secret. You can leave them with me if you want.”
“No, I’ll put them on his desk and pop in to say hi to Bernadette.”
“You’re a brave man,” Victoria murmured. “If you hear anything, deliver your scoop here first.”
The executive floor was always quiet, but with a respectful air—like a library or a museum. Today it was ghostly quiet with a side of dread. Something was up, and it wasn’t good.
I headed toward Sanjay’s office, but it was locked and his secretary wasn’t at his station. I instinctively moved down the hall to peek into Julia’s office—also empty—then went on to Graham’s. I paused in the doorway at the hum of voices from a nearby conference room before turning to greet Bernadette with a friendly smile.
It faded immediately. Her face was pale and pinched with worry. “I’m afraid Mr. Horsham can’t see you now.”
“Sure, okay. I was just dropping off these keys to Sanjay.”
“I’ll take care of that for you.” She patted my arm and smiled tightly. “But I have to run to this meeting. Set them on my desk and see yourself out, love.”
I watched her walk away, a sick feeling eating at my stomach lining. I left the keys as instructed and hesitated outside of Graham’s open office door for a beat. I knew he wasn’t there and I definitely didn’t want to get caught in the lion’s lair, so I wasn’t sure what I was thinking. I picked up a pen and drew a heart on a Post-it note, scribbled my name in small print, and stuck it to his monitor.
17
GRAHAM
My morning had started out very well indeed. I’d had coffee, breakfast, and Raine…in that order before setting off to work, whistling as I strode into the lobby. I’d nodded to the security guard Raine had introduced me to last week. I couldn’t remember his name, but he’d known mine and had greeted me with a flourishing bow that had made me smile.
I’d still been smiling when I reached the main floor of The Horsham Group. I’d greeted the receptionist and headed for my office, waving to a nervous-looking man lurking in Julia’s doorway. Cecil, was it?
“Good morning, sir,” Bernadette had chirped. “You have a meeting at half eight and another at ten o’clock.”
“Thank you, Berna—”
“Sir!” Julia had called out, running toward me with a tablet tucked under her arm, her cheeks flushed and eyes panic-stricken.
“Julia, what is it?”
“Can I”—she’d pointed at my office—“speak to you?”
I’d shared a brief glance with Bernadette then ushered Julia into the adjoining room. “What’s wrong?”
She’d trembled as she’d passed her iPad to me. “This just came in.”
I’d set my briefcase on my desk and perched on the edge, pulling my glasses from my suit coat.
And just like that, my day went to shit.
Now here I was, blood draining from my face as I read,
On behalf of the board of trustees, we’d like to cordially offer our appreciation for your time and consideration. We regret to inform you that we’ve elected to accept an offer that better suits the needs of Mint and Cooperton.