by Matt Rogers
King said, ‘You can always talk to me.’
‘How long are you in town for?’
King hesitated. ‘That depends. A couple of days, at least. You got anything else you want to talk to me about, you tell me.’
He walked off the mats.
29
Alexis quickly discovered what it was like to poke the hornet’s nest.
‘Here’s what’s going to happen,’ Heidi said, leaning forward, lowering her voice. ‘Whatever this is…whatever you think it is, it’s going to end here. You’re going to get up and walk out, whoever you are, and you’re going to go do something else with your life. You’re going to be grateful you cut your losses while you were ahead. In exchange I’m going to forget all about that call I got ten minutes ago from a couple of very disgruntled friends in the ICU. You’ll tell whichever people you’ve got working for you to give up on this blackmail attempt. And that’ll be that.’
Her eyes burned hot, daring Alexis to reply.
Alexis did. ‘There’s no one else working with me.’
Heidi computed that. ‘Then you’re an idiot. You got some independent contractors to beat the shit out of my men?’
‘No. That was me.’
‘Bullshit. That’s the cover story they gave me. I don’t know why. Like their pride couldn’t take any more of a hit.’
‘They gave you the truth.’
Alexis lifted her right hand out of her raincoat pocket, placed it in a fist on the desktop. Her knuckles were red and raw, the skin cracked and swollen. The top of her hand was in the process of turning purple, bruising flushing its way up to her wrist. Nothing was broken — she’d know if it was — but she’d be hurting for at least a couple of weeks.
Registration flashed in Heidi’s eyes as she studied the clenched fist, but she moved on immediately. It was clearly an elite business tactic she could apply to any arena. Disregard what you can’t control, focus on what you can. ‘Okay. So you’re the Terminator. But you came here alone.’
‘Because I needed to talk to you. It couldn’t wait.’
‘You have no fucking idea what you’re getting yourself into.’
‘Don’t I?’
Heidi mustn’t have met anyone who could match her unashamed confidence. It rocked her back for a second. She didn’t physically react, but the eyes betray all. After a pause she said, ‘What exactly is going on? Mary hired an assassin twin?’
‘Mary has no say in this. I’m just someone who heard things through the grapevine and decided to get involved.’
‘If you think that’ll make me refrain from punishing her…’
‘Oh, it will. But not because of what Mary knows and doesn’t know. You won’t lay a finger on her because you’re screwed, and you’re so stubborn and full of yourself that you haven’t realised it yet.’
Now Heidi did lean back, placing an elbow on the armrest, resting her chin on a closed fist. She stayed remarkably composed. ‘Yeah?’
‘Yeah.’ But inwardly, Alexis wavered. This was a higher-stakes version of a business negotiation, and she had to admit there was a world of difference in experience there. She was no hard-charging CEO. But she’d seen the worst of humanity, and it had taught her certain things that apply not just to business but to life.
First and foremost: don’t waver. And if you do, don’t show it.
How you do anything is how you do everything, and one moment of indecision can kill.
So she pushed ahead, regardless of inexperience. ‘Mary knows more than enough about the R&D side of things to provide a comprehensive breakdown of exactly what you’re lying about. Which, from what I’ve heard, is most of it. I transcribed everything she told me and it’s rigged to blow with a button-down system. Do I need to explain to you what that means?’
‘No.’
‘I will anyway. Just in case you were under any illusions. If I don’t walk out of this building without a scratch on me, my contact off-the-grid will send every scrap of information to every major newspaper in America, not just those in the SF bubble. Something like this, with billions of dollars in the mix and your own recent celebrity status…you really think any of them will hesitate to print it?’
Silence.
Alexis said, ‘You can’t intimidate everyone into silence. It might’ve worked with all your employees, but I don’t care about you or who you claim to be. You’re a fake-gangster masquerading as a mafia don. You don’t know shit about this world and you clearly don’t know shit about business.’
Heidi mock-shivered. ‘All that bravado. I get what you’re trying to do. You don’t think I’ve heard every insult under the sun? Unqualified, inexperienced, spineless, impostor, dumb rogue bitch. All in a day’s work. Stop trying to belittle me and get to the point. Because right now you’re flopping around like a fish out of water.’
Alexis said, ‘You’re going to turn yourself in for the murder of Jack Sundström.’
No pause. ‘You’re still flopping.’
‘Try me.’
‘I will.’ Heidi inched forward again. ‘If you wanted me in jail you would’ve leaked everything already. But you know what I’m capable of. You want me walking into the station of my own accord. Which means you need something from me, which means I still have power. Because if I force your hand, and Mary’s confession hits journalists’ inboxes, you know I’ll find out about it before it makes headlines. They need time to write their stories. They need time to clear it with their editors. That’s all time I’ll spend knowing it’s the end of the road. And under all your bravado—’ she leant all the way over the desk and lowered her voice to a whisper ‘—you’re terrified of what I might do.’
‘Blow up with anger?’ Alexis said. ‘Send an army of hitmen out of spite? For what?’
‘Precisely,’ Heidi hissed. ‘“For what?” Because I can. And that’s the most dangerous thing. You know this company is my lifeblood, my whole existence, and if I’m aware that the clock’s ticking before the doors are shut, the game’s up. These puppets on the board gave me hundreds of millions of dollars to spin a fairytale. I can do a lot with that money before I see handcuffs. And you know that. So I’m afraid we’re at a stalemate.’
Alexis said, ‘I’ll leak it.’
‘You already would have.’
Quiet.
Bone-chilling quiet.
Alexis said, ‘I’ll kill you.’
‘Here? In front of twenty witnesses?’
Alexis stood up. ‘If your men so much as lay a finger on Mary…’
‘You won’t do anything,’ Heidi said. ‘You’ll come for me, sure, but brass knuckles won’t quite cut it against my protection. Don’t try to threaten me into inaction because both of us know that’s a waste of time. We’ll keep up appearances and look for openings, you and I both. I’ll do anything I want. So will you. But you won’t leak anything, not to the media or the police, because I have moles in law enforcement and the newspapers and I’ll know about the arrest warrant before it’s signed. Then there’ll be a host of dead innocents and blood on your hands, because you knew you could’ve prevented it.’ A pause. ‘You’re some sort of vigilante. I get it. But it’s stifling your options, and you’ll lose. I don’t have a morsel of common decency in my body. You’ll see where that gets you…’
Alexis walked out.
Over her shoulder she heard, ‘You came to the wrong arena.’
30
Slater spotted King heading for the young man meditating in the corner and gave them a wide berth.
Figured they’d both need privacy, knowing the truths King was capable of extracting from people. He made for the front of house, where an unblinking Frankie Booth hovered in front of the reception desk, muttering something to the guy behind it. When he saw Slater he stepped forward with that overconfident breach of personal space that insecure tough-guys think is a demonstration of their courage. They fail to recognise in their teens, when most men do, that all of life isn’t a dick-swinging contest.
<
br /> True to form, Booth half-smiled like he wasn’t aware that he was all the way up in Slater’s face. ‘Game’s up, pal. You gotta give me your real name. Or whichever name you fought under. I wanna see your record.’
Slater didn’t raise or lower his voice, not even slightly. He kept the same neutral monotonic expression. ‘I already told you. Neither of us have fought professionally.’
‘Then why aren’t you at the big athlete-factory gyms? Why haven’t American Top Team snatched you up? You should be training UFC champions, the way you hit the bag.’
Slater wondered if he’d misjudged the man. It took some spine to admit you were inferior to a coach who’d decided on a whim to show up and train fighters. Maybe the false confidence was actually excitement at the prospect of acquiring the new pair permanently.
Or, more likely, he had them in mind for…extracurricular activities.
Slater said, ‘I like San Francisco. I don’t particularly want to move. As far as I’m aware, Jason is the same.’
Something washed over Booth’s face, a vague realisation. He took a step back. ‘Money wouldn’t sway you out that way? American Top Team I’d understand. Florida’s a long way from here. But there’s American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose. You’d be training high-level pros within days. I’m sure of it.’
Slater could sense the newfound hesitation. If money wasn’t a factor, then how would Booth ever convince them to tag along for the stuff that really paid the bills?
Slater figured he’d make it easier. ‘I don’t want the…attention that would come from a position like that. The bright lights aren’t for me.’
Booth hesitated. ‘Any reason for that?’
Slater stared at him. ‘Yes.’
No elaboration.
Not here.
Booth chewed his lower lip and panned his stare around the room. Eventually he had no choice but to bring it back to Slater. He simply ran out of places to look. ‘Why don’t you and your friend come back here after closing time?’
‘Why?’
Booth said nothing.
No elaboration either.
Slater wasn’t one to cave to social pressure, though, so he let the question hang there for an uncomfortable length of time. No one came to save Frankie. Finally he rolled his eyes and said, ‘Just be here. It’ll be worth your while. Don’t be uncooperative. It’s not in your best interests.’
‘You know what’s in my best interests, do you?’
‘Yes, pal,’ Booth said, holding eye contact. ‘I think I do.’
‘Okay. When’s closing time?’
‘Last class finishes at nine.’
‘That’s when you want me here?’
A pause. ‘Make it nine-thirty.’
Booth had braced for a retort but Slater said, ‘Nine-thirty it is. Both of us, right?’
Booth nodded.
He was still expecting questions. What are we discussing? Why so late? Why the half-hour buffer? Is this about a permanent contract?
Slater didn’t ask. He gave a nod that he hoped seemed conspiratorial enough, and Booth walked away.
King came off the mats a few minutes later. Slater immediately noticed the clouding in his eyes, the unspoken thoughts that claimed his attention.
Slater said, ‘You were speaking to that young guy the whole time?’
King nodded. ‘Whole lotta lost kids out there. Makes you realise we’re detached from it in Winthrop. Don’t see it up close, all day, everyday.’
Slater tried to analyse King’s mood as they both stepped out into the sun-soaked parking lot. The clouds and drizzle had receded, but the air was still thick, steamy in the warmth. Ancient sedans and hatchbacks with dents and scratches and copious amounts of rust sat lined up in front of the gym. Budding fighters weren’t the wealthiest lot. It took a certain level of mental instability to do this profession if you had enough money in the bank to support yourself. It’s easier to push hard when it’s the only option for survival. Slater had never forgotten the boxer Marvin Hagler’s quote, not even when black operations started earning him millions: It’s tough to get out of bed to do roadwork at 5 a.m. when you’ve been sleeping in silk pyjamas.
King, on the other hand, seemed disturbed by the blight of the strugglers.
Slater said, ‘You’re not thinking about opening a gym, are you?’
King glanced over. ‘What? No.’
‘I mean…down the line.’
‘No,’ King said. Then, after a beat, he said, ‘I don’t think so.’
They got back in the rental car.
Almost immediately, Slater’s phone rang. He checked the contact information before he answered and grimaced. ‘She can’t be calling this soon to give us good news.’
King said, ‘Alexis?’
Slater nodded and answered. ‘Hey. What happened?’
‘I screwed up,’ Alexis said, her voice low with frustration. ‘I thought it’d be a walk in the park, but I think I started a war.’
31
Heidi Waters wiped her schedule for the hour after the Mary Böhm lookalike left.
Considering the state of her company, and the importance of the next few weeks as they geared up for the product launch, she may as well have announced to the whole office that there was a major crisis. She should’ve thought it through before cancelling the back-to-back meetings, because almost as soon as she told her PA in the outer office to pass the message along, John Rhames was back in her doorway.
She looked up from the surface of her desk, which she’d been vacantly staring at for the last ten minutes, spellbound by recent developments. Lost in dark thoughts that she only wished John could see, because then he might think twice about pressing her.
But he couldn’t read her mind, so he just said, ‘Heidi.’
His tone would’ve struck fear into the hearts of far more experienced executives.
She barely paid attention to him, certainly didn’t feel anything close to nerves. The game had changed now. What the board thought about the way she ran Vitality+ was so low on her new list of priorities that she could barely find the motivation to pretend she was interested.
John fixed her with that piercing gaze. ‘Heidi.’
She sighed and met his stare. ‘What, John? I cancelled your follow-up. Didn’t Raya tell you?’
‘I don’t care what you or your assistant tell me.’ He stepped inside and closed the door. ‘We need to talk about your hampering of communication between employees. It can’t wait. It’s my responsibility to ensure this company has a competent leader.’
She sighed, decided she’d give him thirty seconds before she put down the hammer. ‘We already covered this. I took your opinion on board.’
‘It’s not an opinion.’ He dumped himself in the same chair as before, the one the mystery woman had taken after he’d left. Without Frank Bolton beside him to keep the peace, he could let all his frustration out. It was just them, alone in her office, the door sealed tight. ‘It’s draconian, is what it is.’
She affixed him with a pointed stare. ‘Don’t talk to me like that.’
He made a face. ‘Let’s dispense with the bullshit political correctness, shall we, Heidi?’
‘No,’ Heidi snapped. ‘If you’re not happy with the way I’m running things around here, and you feel the need to share that with me, you do it in a way that’s amicable. Anything else and I won’t listen to a word you say.’
‘We’re past that,’ John said. ‘We’re past common decency.’
The last two words left his lips with a sinister connotation.
Heidi picked up on it. ‘You got something on your mind, John?’
‘You read about Sundström?’
‘I’ve seen the news, yes. I hope to God he’s okay.’
‘Do you?’
Her stare nearly burned a hole through him. ‘You’re way out of line. I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that and you’re going to go have a long think about what sort of accusations you’re com
fortable making.’
‘I’m comfortable. And I’m not going anywhere to have a think. I’ve already had one. So I’m here. Telling you what I think.’
‘And what’s that?’
He actually hesitated, which she imagined was rare for someone as cutthroat as he was. But he pressed on. ‘I think you’re stifling communication between employees for a reason. The board’s been hearing whispers of confusion about it for months, now, but the complaints are ramping up. It seems, as far as I can tell, that the only person who has a full picture of the technology is you. I’ve asked around, and I can’t get a straight answer from anyone about whether the brain scans actually work.’
‘Of course they work,’ Heidi said. ‘You think we’d be here if they didn’t?’
‘Every time?’
‘We’re ironing out a few bugs. That’s nothing to be alarmed about. Every company deals with last-minute hurdles. We’re going to crush this launch—’
‘That spiel will work on Frank. It’ll work on Fabian. It might even work on Hugo. Between the three of them they’ve kept you in this position long after any board member with common sense would’ve thrown you out on the sidewalk. I don’t know what you’ve done, but they’re wrapped around your finger.’ He took a breath, and if John Rhames needed to pause to compose himself, then it was deadly serious. ‘Jack Sundström wasn’t wrapped around your finger.’
‘You shut your mouth,’ Heidi said. ‘I respected that man.’
‘No you didn’t. You don’t respect anyone who impedes your progress, even if it’s for the right reasons, which is why you’re hiding the fact the engineering and chemistry departments are swimming around in the dark. No one has a clue of the bigger picture and that’s deliberate. Jack caught a glimpse of it. And now Jack’s gone.’
Something shifted in the office.
Heidi would never, as long as she lived, let anyone into her head. The computations she made were for her alone. An observer might wonder what caused her shift in body language, but she’d never share. In truth, all she’d done was look at her options, see a path through the wilderness, and take it.
