Winds of Change Book Two

by Melissa Good

  “They won’t let me in there, boss,” Mark said. “They pulled my creds as fast as I pulled yours.”

  “They will if Jacques tells them to.” Dar said. “You willing to do it? It’s up to you.”

  There was a long silence, and Dar endured it, keeping her eyes on the table and refusing to meet either man’s.

  “I don’t think I should, Dar,” Mark finally said. “I think they’re just looking for a scapegoat. I’ll end up being sued. I don’t have the bankroll you do to stand up to that.”

  Dar nodded. “Okay. I get it,” she said. “Leave the files in an envelope with security.”

  “Hey!” Bridges sat up. “What?”‘

  “Wait...I said I would get them to let him do this!” Jacques said at the same time.

  “Shh.” Dar held up a hand. “Hear that Mark? Make sure you write on it what the contents are.”

  “Will do.” Mark sounded profoundly relieved. “I’m gonna head back to the office. Call me if you need me for anything but this.”

  “You got it.” Dar hung up and looked at Jacques. “He won’t do it and I won’t make him,” she said. “He’s afraid, with good reason, that you’ll turn around and sue him.”

  “Dar!” Jacques threw up his hands. “Please!”

  “You have no trust,” Dar said. “I am not going to stand proxy for you and tell him you won’t do that because you know what, Jacques? I don’t know you won’t.”

  “Jackasses.” Bridges rolled his eyes. “You people make me nuts.”

  “Yes, sometimes I am and do,” Dar agreed. “But that man on the phone trusts me. That means more to me than your contracts, or threats, or your little padded green room.” She rested her elbows on the table. “So if he won’t do it then I guess I’ll have to.”

  “What?” Jacques put his hands on the table. “Now this?”

  Dar pushed herself to her feet just as Kerry pushed the door open and stuck her head inside. “Hey,” she greeted her.

  “Hey,” Kerry said. “I need to go to Herndon. I’m going to have the government hire all those people and take over the systems.”

  Even Bridges blinked. “Hey, what?”

  Kerry eyed him. “You said to solve it. Careful what you ask for.”

  “Good, because I have to go there, too, so I can fix the damn thing so when the government takes it over it works,” Dar said. “Did you say there was a Wendy’s around here?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Great. I need a cheeseburger.”

  “Wait.” Jacques stood up. “You cannot just do this.”

  “Sure they can.” Bridges apparently decided to roll with it. “I like that, Stuart. So we’re buying out the contracts and bringing it in-house? Security group’ll be very pleased. Intelligence jackass committee will, too.”

  “Taxpayer’s won’t,” Kerry said.

  Bridges smiled. “Oh, they will,” he said. “When George finishes telling them how much safer they’ll be. Good press for him.” He got up. “Get going, people. I’ll tell him you’ll be back later to show him your new whoo hah.”

  Jacques stood up. “I think I should—”

  Bridges turned serious. “No, you shouldn’t. Sit your ass down and don’t move. In fact, give me that cell phone.” He held out his hand. “I don’t trust you either.”

  Kerry had it in her to feel sorry for Jacques, in that moment. She could read desperation, fear, and an overwhelming anxiety in his face, and she knew here was a man in a very bad spot who hadn’t either expected or prepared for that.

  But then in the next moment she remembered that he and his henchman were here trying to throw them under the federal bus and she didn’t feel sorry for him at all. “C’mon, Dar.” She held a hand

  out. “Let’s go make things right.”

  Dar handed a piece of cardboard to Bridges. “Call this guy,” she said. “Tell him to take over ILS. Tell him what we’re doing. If anyone can pull their corporate head out of their corporate ass, it’s him. And tell him to call Hamilton the lawyer, who’s got a whole crapload of investors ready to back him.”

  Bridges took it. “Will do, Roberts. Now go get this crap done. I’ve got a headache from all the bitching and I don’t want to hear it anymore.” He waved them out. “Take Steve with you, he’s got credentials and shiny badges and things that’ll keep you out of trouble.”

  Dar was glad enough to escape the room and she willingly followed Kerry to where Steve and two Federal Marshals were waiting. “Okay...oh crap I need my laptop.” She turned and started back down toward the briefing room. “Be right back.”

  “I could have...” Steve started after her.

  “Kerry pulled him to a halt. “Let her go. She’s going with us to try and fix what’s wrong.”

  “Oh, really? Will we have to do all this then?” Steve asked. “I want to do it anyway. No offense to you, since you used to be in charge of all that, but I don’t trust private companies when it comes to this stuff.”

  Kerry folded her arms. “I understand what you mean, but honestly? Before this last truly Technicolor clusterfuck, ILS was very good at what it did and kept the government on the top list of its priorities.”

  “If you say so,” Steve said in a dubious tone.

  “I say so, since it was my job to make it that way,” Kerry responded with more than a slight edge to her tone. “And I don’t appreciate being accused of incompetence while I’m on my way to save your ass.”

  He lifted his hands and took a step back. “Okay, okay! Sorry!”

  “And don’t bring that attitude with you to Herndon,” Kerry warned. “What happened here wasn’t their fault. The idiot you had in that room did it, or at least was responsible for it.”

  “Okay, I get it. I’ll shut up,” Steve said. “Let’s go meet her coming back. The car’s outside that middle door anyway.” He pointed. “C’mon, guys.”

  They walked down the hall and had almost reached the door when Dar came around the corner of the hallway and headed back toward them, her messenger bag slung over her shoulder. She had her Handspring in one hand typing on it, dodging people in the hall by some sort of nerdic radar.

  Kerry pulled out her own as she felt it buzz, glanced at it, then hit the answer button. “Hey, Maria.” She took a step back and half turned away from Steve and his goons. “What’s up?”

  “Have you finished the demonstration to the government? I was just hoping it went so well, and also, that you and Dar have enjoyed the hotel.”

  “Where do I start?” Kerry sighed. “Let me get back to you, Maria. I

  think the demo went fine but everything else just went to Hell.” “Ay yi yi.”

  IT WAS A long ride and traffic was atrocious. “Last time we went here no one was on the road,” Kerry commented as she studied the buildings going past.

  “Yeah, people got back to normal. Whatever that is,” Steve said.

  Dar remained silent. She was wedged against the other window, her sunglasses on and her eyes closed behind them.

  Kerry suspected Dar was asleep and she spared a moment of affectionate envy for her ability to shut out the world that way. Her own eyes felt tired and sore. She was looking forward to the day being over in the worst way.

  Maybe this, maybe now, they’d get some closure.

  Or something.

  “So, we’re going to hire everyone and then she’s going to fix stuff, right?” Steve asked, after being quiet for a long time.

  “We’ll probably have to play that a little by ear,” Kerry admitted. “I don’t know how they’re all going to react to us showing up like this. Everything’s been pretty chaotic. Matter of fact, I hope they let us in.”

  “They’ll let us in,” Steve said confidently. “Nobody says no to the GAO and Federal Marshals.”

  That probably was true. Kerry suddenly wondered if this mixture of anticipation and dread was what Dar felt when she’d been the one to go in and give the news of never wanted change.

  She remembered vivi
dly being that person in that place, looking up and facing that change, all unaware of how much more personal it would be for her than she’d ever anticipated.

  They slowed to turn in at the gate and Kerry reached over to gently touch Dar’s leg, watching her as Dar’s eyes opened and turned her way. “We’re here.”

  “So I see.” Dar flexed her hands and straightened up and looked out the window. “Wonder how this is going to go?”

  Steve rolled down his window and was talking to the guard. He handed out his business card and indicated the back of the stretch sedan they were riding in. The two Federal Marshals were in the back of the car. The Marshals hung their credentials around their necks and checked their side arms.

  The guard at the gate bent down and looked in the window. His eyes met Dar’s and the look of relief on his face made her feel sad. She lifted a hand and waved and he backed away and gestured the way forward, pulling the gate aside rapidly.

  “Think he recognized you, hon,” Kerry said.

  “Yeah.” Dar pushed her sunglasses up on her nose and folded her arms.

  “That was easy,” Steve said, glancing behind him. “Just mentioned your name.”

  Dar got her messenger bag strap over her shoulder as they pulled up in front of the building. She opened the door and got out, stepping back to let Kerry slide out after her.

  They walked to the door and pushed it open, coming into the public entrance where two people were at the desk, already straightening up as they entered.

  The receptionist let out a gasp of recognition and her eyes widened. “Oh my gosh!”

  After a hesitant moment, Kerry took charge. “Hi, Stacy.” She walked forward and held her hand out. “Wish this was under better circumstances.” She took a breath. “Can you ask Paul to come out here please? We need to speak with him.”

  “Yes, ma’am, right away.” Stacy turned to the other woman standing there. “Go get Paul. He’s in the break room. Hurry!”

  The girl looked confused, but left, badging through the door and disappearing.

  “I know he’ll be glad to see you,” Stacy said. “It’s been horrific here this week. A dozen people walked out. It was just too much. All those screaming phone calls.”

  “Yeah, I know it’s been tough,” Kerry said quietly. “Shouldn’t have fallen on you all, though. None of this was your fault.”

  “That’s just it.” Stacy said. “It wasn’t the customers yelling. That’s part of the job. It was those people who took over from you. They were so nasty.”

  Dar removed her sunglasses and tucked them into her bag. “So I heard.”

  Stacy looked from one of them to the other. “So did you come back?” she asked, hopefully. “We heard they fired that one guy and we haven’t heard from that man who replaced you, Ms. Roberts, for a while.”

  Dar was spared from answering by the door abruptly opening to reveal a harassed looking man in chinos and a long sleeved buttoned shirt. “Hello, Paul.”

  He stared at them. “Oh lord it is you.” He looked about to collapse. “What’s happening?”

  Kerry moved toward him. “Let’s go into the conference room, Paul. We’ll explain what’s going on.” She saw the apprehension come into his face and internally winced, remembering what that felt like.

  He came around the desk though and preceded them into the public conference room, taking a seat at the table as the rest of them entered and Dar closed the door behind them.

  Kerry went over and sat next to him. “So, okay, I know things are rough right now.”

  Steve sat down across from them and the two accountants they’d brought also took a seat to either side. The two Marshals went to opposite corners of the room and stood there, not quite at attention.

  Dar dropped into the seat at the head of the table, content to let Kerry handle the meeting.

  “Rough.” Paul sighed. “Yeah.” He rested his hands on the table. “So what’s going to happen now? We all getting fired?” He looked at her. “Are you guys back with us or what?”

  “No,” Kerry said. “Here’s the deal. We know something got horribly screwed up. That affected a lot of customers.”

  Paul nodded. “All of them have been chewing my ass for days,” he said. “I ran out of things to say to them and when I called exec ops, all they told me was to shut up.”

  Dar made a low, grunting sound.

  Paul glanced her way. “They told me it was my job to handle the customers. I didn’t know what to do.”

  “Well, one of the customers was the government, as you well know,” Kerry said. “To make a long story short and get this on the table, the government ordered the General Accounting Office, which these gentlemen represent,” she indicated Steve and the others, “to terminate the contracts and take control of the systems.”

  “I guess I can’t blame them for that reaction,” Paul said, glumly. “They bringing in a team? I’m too tired to even feel bad about it. I guess I’ll get my deferred vacation now anyway.”

  Kerry rested her head on her hand. “I’ve got some bad news, and some good news. Which do you want first?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. “They have no team to take over, Paul. What they do here is very specialized and it would take months to replace the people.”

  He eyed her warily, but remained silent.

  “So what I told the government was, they should just hire all of you and let you keep doing what you’re doing.”

  “But what we’re doing isn’t the screwed up part!” Paul burst out. “Ms. Stuart, it doesn’t mean anything about what’s in here, it’s the whole system!”

  “We know,” Kerry said. “That’s why Dar’s here.”

  Paul swung around to face the figure at the head of the table. “They’re going to let you make this right?” he asked. “Because we were told under no circumstances to even talk to you.”

  “They have no choice,” Kerry said. “The government stepped in. They asked us to help get this straightened out.”

  Dar cleared her throat. “It’s not a matter of them letting me do anything, it’s a matter of you letting me.”

  “Pohsh.” Paul made a spluttering noise and stood up. “Let’s go,” he said. “We can talk about becoming civil servants later. If you can make this right we’re wasting time here.”

  He headed for the door as Dar stood up and followed. A moment later the rest of them did as well. They crossed the lobby and Paul slid

  his badge into the reader, hauling the door open as it clicked and

  standing back. “After you, ma’ams.”

  “Paul,” Stacy stood up. “Don’t they need to sign in?”

  “No.” Paul waited and followed the last of the Marshals. “Fuck it. There are no rules today.”

  IT WAS STRANGE and somewhat uncomfortable to enter the ops room where tired, frustrated people were clustered around one of the consoles, arguing.

  “Just do it, Bill! What the hell are they going to do, fire you?” He looked up as the door opened then closed. “Oh shit...”

  Everyone swung around to see what he was looking at and then everything went still and quiet for a long minute.

  Kerry broke the silence with wry irony. “Hi. Everyone want to sit down and chill out for a minute?”

  The group slowly dispersed and went back to their stations. “Someone clear space on the government side please,” Paul said. “Our clients took matters into their own hands it seems and sent some help.”

  Bill stood up and stepped back. “My station here’s on net,” he said. “Boy they sure knew who to call, huh?”

  Dar walked around the Marshals and went to the console, setting her bag down and regarding both the console and its operator. “Hi, Bill.”

  “Hello, ma’am,” he answered quietly. “I’m sorry about everything.”

  “Me too.” Dar responded. “So here’s the thing. You have two choices. If you’re a level fifteen or above, you can create me a login to make some changes. Or I can use yours. Pick.”
>
  Bill smiled briefly. “You can use mine, ma’am. No problem.” He hesitated. “Is it okay if I watch you?”

  Dar sat down. “Sure. Pull a chair over.” She regarded the green and black screen. “What were you about to do that they were yelling about?”

  He cleared his throat nervously and pulled another chair over. “Well...”

  Kerry went over to the supervisor’s desk and motioned Paul over. “Steve, why not have your folks sit down. This will probably take a while.”

  The two Marshals found convenient corners to stand in and the rest of them sat down at the round conference table in one corner. Kerry waited for them to get settled then she turned back to Paul. “So.”

  He had sat down behind the desk and let his elbows rest on his knees. “How did this happen?” he asked softly. “How did it get so bad so fast?”

  Kerry leaned against the desk, her back to the room, her arms folded over her chest. “Good question. I hope you know this wasn’t anything Dar and I wanted.”

  He shook his head. “They told us she did something.” He glanced at the console where Dar and Bill had their heads together in low conversation. “We didn’t believe it. No one here did. Anyhow we heard about all those people leaving. It was like 9/11 all over again but this time we failed.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Kerry said. “It was hard for us to believe with everything going on. But I think maybe things will turn around now. I hope so. We want to move on.”

  “I guess we’ll all end up doing that, too,” Paul said after a pause. “I thought I was going to retire with them. You know?”

  “I think Dar did, too, at one point.” Kerry glanced around. “Any chance of some coffee? I’d like a chance to go over the options with you without an audience.”

  Paul managed a smile. “Sure.” He pushed himself to his feet with an obvious effort. “Let me get our ops team in there, too. Might as well save your voice and not say it more than once.” He motioned her to follow and went to an inside door she remembered leading to the ops center break room.

  Might as well get it over with.

  “OKAY.” DAR STUDIED the screen. “That wouldn’t have done anything but it wouldn’t have hurt anything either.” She opened up her laptop and waited for the screen to come on, then clicked on the folder she’d put the files in. “So let me show you what they did.”