by R Weir
The second floor was reserved for the sales staff, the noise of all the conversations with clients and potential clients echoing through the room of more walled cubicles, nearly all of which were occupied. Included on this floor was a gym with top of the line exercise equipment for all employees to use, two TV’s to tie into with Bluetooth headphones to listen to while working out, and male and female locker rooms.
Then finally on the first floor, were several conference rooms, each with removeable walls to convert them into larger rooms, including one massive room for their staff meetings. And then another section in the lobby where anyone walking in could see via interactive monitors the type of renewable technology being offered by the company. More sales tools to draw in new clients, both business and for personal.
Keoki was impressed with the whole setup. Though he knew that they would be open for cyber theft on a grand scale with all the technology, especially if they were half-assed about their security, which nearly every company connected to the outside world was these days. No business appeared to be overly worried about breeches until it was too late, a sentiment he didn’t share. When in the military he’d seen the type of information gathering going on, with many companies doing the same, and not for reasons of only making money.
As he finished his tour and was about to head back up to the sixth floor, the head of security Jonathon stopped him. He waved him over into an open meeting room, closing the door.
“I’m concerned about what’s happening in relation to Mrs. Hawkins requiring personal security,” he stated firmly and in a demanding tone.
Keoki grew suspicious of the man. And he didn’t care for his tone either. Still he kept his cool.
“That would be confidential information I’m not able to share,” replied Keoki.
“Oh come on now. From one cop to another. I won’t tell her you said a word.”
Keoki looked over the man, wondering why he considered himself a cop. He was dressed in black suit, slacks and shoes, with a lemon tie, his white dress shirt barely holding in his midriff, as his gut showed the paunch of a man out of shape. If he’d ever been a cop, it had to been years ago, being in his mid-fifties, with slicked down black and gray hair, putting him well past his prime when it came to police work.
“Not happening.”
Keoki started walking towards the door, when Jonathon grabbed his arm. Keoki gave him an angry stare, pulling his arm away with little effort.
“Touch me again and you’ll end up on your ass!” Keoki stated firmly, but calmly.
Jonathon ignored the threat. “I don’t like the idea of you having free range to wander the halls without me knowing what you’re here for. Now tell me or I’ll cut off your access.”
The man was itching for a fight, but Keoki stood his ground. No one, including a cop wannabe, was going to stop him from protecting Paige.
“Be my guest, as it will be your last act as head of security here as your boss, Mrs. Hawkins, will shit-can you. I’m leaving now to do my job. I suggest you go about doing yours and quit worrying about me.”
Keoki walked out of the meeting room, pissed about the confrontation. He hoped to never see the head of security again. But in the back of his mind he wondered if he could be the leak. For now, he was number one on his list and one Keoki would keep an eye on.
***
Cameryn shadowed Jose around the news station, his 6’4” massive presence difficult for people to ignore. His black sleeveless Sturgis shirt exposed his tattooed arms, the black leather vest hiding his 9mm Sig handgun, his heavy boots heard with each step he took. Many got out of his way—a few glared—wondering who he was. A few women swooned at his presence, possibly even a couple of men did as well. He stood outside Jose’s office while he worked, the reporter mostly typing on his computer and talking on his desk phone. A woman from HR walked up to the doorway and smiled at Cameryn, introducing herself, her hand extended, which he shook, before she walked in.
“Hello Maggie,” said Jose, looking up from his monitor and keyboard, where he was trying to get caught up on emails.
“I got a call saying you needed me to track down information?” she asked while standing before his desk.
“Yes. We need a list of the names of people who have threatened me or my family through the years.”
Maggie’s eyes rose in concern. “Could be quite a list. How far back?”
“As far as possible. And I need it right away.”
“Any particular reason why?”
Jose frowned. “Best you do not know. But it’s urgent. If you need approval Teddy will be down here shortly and can give you the okay.”
Teddy was the station manager. A tough hard-nosed man who pushed a little too often to get the story out on the air, before having all the facts. His reasoning for that was because getting it first was the most important thing these days, a fact they could brag about on the air. Corrections could always be made shortly after, but he never wanted to finish second.
“I can get someone on it right away. Do you want it printed or is electronic acceptable?”
“Printed please. And with as much detail as possible. Addresses, phone number, place of employment; any detail you have.”
Maggie nodded, walking out of the room, her smile at Cameryn given with a glint in her eye and a shade of blush on her cheek. A reaction Cameryn noted in his own nod and a wink.
It wasn’t long before Teddy walked in, ignoring the big man outside, Cameryn following in after him making certain he wasn’t a threat. Teddy sensed him on his tail and turned to glare at him, though he had to tip his head backward as he was about eight inches shorter, feeling like David in the shadow of Goliath.
“Cameryn this is the station manager, Teddy,” explained Jose, to ward off any confrontation.
“What the hell,” noted Teddy. “Why is the beast standing at your door?”
Cameryn glanced at Jose, not thrilled with the description of him.
“Teddy I’d refrain from calling him that unless you care to lose a few teeth. He is here to protect me.”
“A damn bodyguard.” Teddy shook his head in disgust. “Is this related to the incident at your house last night?”
“Yes. And the ramming of the limousine before that.”
“I thought they were after your kids?”
“We aren’t taking any chances,” replied Cameryn, his bulging arms crossed.
Teddy ignored him. “Looks like you took a beating Jose. You’ve got quite a shiner and a few stiches it would appear.”
“Yes. But like before we need to keep this quiet. I don’t need any office gossip about the situation.” Jose didn’t care for where the conversation was headed.
“Could be headline news for us. Good publicity for the station.” Teddy’s eyes lit up at the possibilities.
Jose’s anger started to boil over. “I told you before, no fucking way. I’m not putting my family through the media circus ringer if I don’t have to.”
“Word will get out in time. We should scoop this while we can.”
Jose stood up from his chair in anger. “Teddy if you do any such thing, I will walk out of here and never return. And you’ll lose your best investigative reporter, one who keeps your ratings high. We can report on this once we have a handle on it. For now, it doesn’t leave this room.”
“And I won’t be too pleased either,” added Cameryn, who moved a step closer to Teddy, his eyes boring into him.
“Fine!” answered Teddy, both hands in the air in surrender before walking out in a huff.
“Maybe I need to bring you in next time I’m haggling a new contract,” declared Jose with a laugh.
Cameryn raised his arms and flexed his massive biceps, grinning ear to ear. “These muscles will trump any hardline negotiations they throw at you.”
Chapter 18
Spending time at the Centennial Airport office trying to get a line on the plane that would have been waiting to fly away with the two Hawkins kids, Hunt
er and Scanlon got no answer. Management were being a pain in their asses claiming a warrant was needed to release any details. Both men walked out peeved at their unwillingness to give out that information.
“I could have bashed his head into the countertop,” joked Hunter when they reached the car. “Five minutes alone I’d have all we needed to know, like we did with McNair.”
Scanlon looked at him sideways while starting the car. “Maybe in the future save that ploy for when I’m not around. Believe it or not, not all cops, like the ones portrayed on TV, work like that. I’d prefer to keep my pension.”
Hunter smirked. “You’re no fun!”
“You sound like my ex-wife. It’s no wonder why I work best alone.”
Scanlon headed his car in the direction of downtown Denver, where Hunter had a meeting planned at the Alfred A. Arraj US Courthouse. This is where the US Marshals office was located, an office several years earlier Hunter worked at and where his career unceremoniously ended.
Hunter had made a call early in the morning to a Marshal he’d worked with all those years ago. Latoya Jacobs was still employed out of the Denver office, chasing down people with outstanding federal arrest warrants and tracking down fugitives at large. Her slightly over six-foot frame was stout and strong, her attitude tough to the point of being mean when she needed to be. Her years in the Marshal service hardened her, while making her excellent at her job. For a time, she worked closely with Hunter, learning the ropes from the more experienced agent. Later, they became occasional lovers in the night, though they kept their relationship a secret. She’d been a strong supporter of his, even in his last days on the job. She loved being a Marshal, even with all of the glacial politics badgering her from all sides.
Once the two men arrived at the courthouse on 19th Street, Scanlon drove around a couple of times before finding a metered parking spot on the street. He expertly maneuvered into the tight space and waited leaning against the fender, making sure no one ticketed his car, his badge showing to ward off the meter patrol. Hunter went to an open green bench at the top of the steps outside the main entrance. About ten minutes later out walked Latoya, her face devoid of a smile until she saw him.
“Been several years,” she noted with a glow, giving him a long embrace, her scent of vanilla and frankincense evident behind her ears.
“No reason to come back after my dismissal,” replied Hunter, a flood of memories filling his head, most of them not pleasant. Though he knew no matter what he did, they were always there nagging at him.
“Not even to see me?” Latoya declared with a pout and frown.
“It was important I move on after what happened, no matter how much it would have been wonderful to see you. Besides I wasn’t certain you’d accept my call.”
“There has always been good chemistry between us. Even if it was only sex you were after. I probably would have answered and considered it, depending on my situation at the time.”
“I wouldn’t want you to think I only wanted you for a booty call. Besides a catch like you can’t still be single.”
Latoya grinned at the smooth words she always enjoyed. “You would think a catch like me would never be alone.” Her grin turned to a frown. “At present there’s no man in my life. Work has become my constant lover, occupying much of my time. Though honestly this lover doesn’t do a whole lot for my physical needs.”
Surprised at the news, Hunter pointed towards the bench where she sat down. Latoya was dressed in a beige pantsuit, her jacket open, the Glock on her hip clearly seen, a weapon she was skilled at using. Her natural loose curled jet-black hair left her forehead and ears exposed, while running along the back to her jacket collar. Both her ears sparkled with small loop earrings that glimmered like diamonds, her face lightly made up over her light brown skin. She was about six years younger than Hunter, but appeared even younger to most who saw her. Time had been kind to her, even with the rigors of the job.
“It’s great catching up, but I’m on my lunch break and you know how that goes around here,” she proclaimed.
Hunter nodded. “I do. If you got ten minutes to wolf down a sandwich you were lucky.”
“I remember you always having crumbs on your shirt and jacket I’d have to point out. A mustard stain on occasion too.” She smiled widely remembering those days, leaning towards him she bumped shoulders. “You mentioned on the call that you were trying to track someone down.”
“I’m needing to locate the ex-husband of a woman who hired me. Someone is trying to kidnap her kids. I’m not sure if he is involved since he’s been out of the picture for many years now. But I need to find him and see if he is a suspect. His name is Isiah Sellers. He went to college at CU Boulder about eighteen years ago, with no idea of where he would be now. He hasn’t talked to his ex-wife in probably fifteen, sixteen years.”
“He didn’t pay support?”
“Only for a short time. She is a successful businesswoman now and didn’t need his money.”
“And the wife’s name?”
“Paige Hawkins.”
Latoya’s eyes raised, for she knew the name. “Wow. The bigshot CEO Paige Hawkins?”
Hunter nodded. “Yes. Please keep this quiet.”
“I’ll try the best I can. What else can you tell me?”
Hunter covered as much of the background as he could, promising to send the information to her as well. As it was, he didn’t have a whole lot to go on, for all he knew Isiah could be dead and buried. But it was a place to start. Ex-husbands were always suspects in situations like this.
“I’ll see what I can find and get back to you. It will probably take a few days since I’ll need to do this quietly. The boss is always watching, hoping to catch and write me up. I swear he has the forms already filled out with my pertinent information, to quickly add what I did wrong.”
Hunter nodded, all to knowingly. “Still the same prick running the show?”
Latoya laughed. “Yes, but he was promoted, if you can believe it. He now oversees two districts. His railroading you for the death you weren’t responsible for added a lot of brownie points, which of course he used for his own political gain. Fucked up what happened. To this day I can’t believe they ran you out over a situation you had no control over.”
Hunter sighed. “They needed a fall guy. If the boss had the balls to stand up to them, I might still be working.”
“And we might still be rolling around in bed screwing our brains out. Damn shame for us both!” Latoya gave a wicked smile.
All Hunter could do was smile back, her relationship status rolling around in the back of his mind. There had been a long list of females in his life, but she cracked the top five. It was a damn shame, one he enjoyed looking back on, his vivid imagination putting her on top of him when his bed was devoid of pleasure.
***
Athena had been trailing behind Olivia moving from class to class. Her presence noticed by many passing in the crowded hallways, while others could care less. Noses buried deep in their Samsung’s and iPhones, hardly watching where they were going or paying attention to the throng around them. Safety was the number one priority, though the only danger appeared to be getting run over by a student franticly heading for their next class or the bathroom, since breaks between were only four minutes. Arriving late, Olivia explained, wouldn’t end well, the teachers plenty strict on punctuality.
Olivia received notice that the meeting with the counselor had been moved until after lunch, and after her morning classes, they dealt with the rush to get into the lunch line. She was hoping for the most selection, as the popular choices often went quickly. Athena had stayed in contact with Shen—they met up in the lunchroom—sitting together with an eye on Olivia seated with her friends and Deion with his. Both had decided on a turkey sandwich and salad. The food acceptable, though hardly first-class cuisine.
“Are you having flashbacks to your high school days?” wondered Athena.
“Some,” replied Shen aft
er swallowing a bite of his turkey. “Those days weren’t pleasant for me.”
“Were you out in high school?” inquired Athena, her interest genuine.
“Not really, though there were a few friends who knew. Rumors made my life a living hell though, especially when it came to those with zero tolerance.” Shen spoke with a tone showing more sadness than anger.
“We had a few gay people in our school, though the info came via the grapevine. Many ran from them like the plague.”
“With HIV and AIDS coming to the forefront, many feared us. It’s amazing we weren’t shipped off to an island somewhere, left to die.”
Athena nodded her head in agreement. “Internment camps like we are seeing now with refugees. Amazing how we keep making the same mistakes. Being large and tough, some figured me to be gay. I seemed to fit the stereotype.”
Shen grinned. “You’d have been a strong powerful lesbian. We’d have been proud to have you on our side of the divide.”
Athena chuckled, her mouth full of bread and turkey. “Wasn’t my thing, though I had no problem with it. For some reason I enjoyed the company of men. The problem was many of them are boys in men’s clothing.”
“Like Hunter?”
“No. He was all man. His problem was committing to one vagina and not putting his dick into any woman that would lay with him.”
Shen laughed, finishing his sandwich and started on his salad. The lettuce was mostly green, though it’s shelf life likely wouldn’t have been much longer, the brown was creeping in.
“No sign of trouble so far,” commented Athena.
“I’d be surprised if they tried to grab them at school. Too many people around, though they’ve been aggressive in their pursuit.”
“Best to stay vigilant. With all the foot traffic one could sneak in and try to grab one or both of them. There was a time when I’d have figured kids were safe in school. With all the school shootings and violence these days, you can’t say that anymore.”
