Page 23 of Every Broken Piece
Chapter twenty-three
Gabe
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: URGENT
Please provide all the information you have on the umbrella company of TaskGenius
Gabriel Strong
CEO
Strong Sterling Enterprises
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: URGENT
I will have that information to you by the end of the day.
Sincerely,
Jacob Davis
Virtual Assistant
TaskGenius VA
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: URGENT
I’ll need it within the hour
Gabriel Strong
CEO
Strong Sterling Enterprises
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: URGENT
Yes, sir. I’ll have it within the hour
Sincerely,
Jacob Davis
Virtual Assistant
TaskGenius VA
L et Ms. Mary Vaughn read that email and sweat.
I head toward the large conference room when what I really want to do is hop on an airplane and fly to Tess even though I have no idea where in Ohio she lives. The waiting is killing me. I feel like I’m too big for my skin, that this nervous energy is too much to contain.
Every Monday morning Jack and I meet with our department heads to listen to concerns, answer questions, brainstorm, whatever they need from us. I never miss unless I’m out of town, so skipping today would be noticed. Besides, I need something to distract me until I can find Tess.
I’ll make this right if I have to move her to Denver so she can be my assistant in person.
I pause halfway through the door of the conference room. A strange flutter in my heart region has me pressing a palm to my chest. What the hell’s wrong with me?
Someone slides past me, but I don’t move as I massage my heart. I haven’t felt this way since...
No. This isn’t like Cara. None of this is like Cara. The strange feeling in my chest. The fear that I haven’t heard from Tess when I should have.
This. Isn’t. Cara.
Jack knocks against my shoulder when he enters, shooting me a warning look that says get your shit together .
I force my feet to move and take my usual seat at the head of the conference table.
I open my notebook because I’m an old school notetaker with pen and paper.
Yet, when I look down at last week's meeting notes, all I see are squiggly lines and I jerk a panic look at Jack. My biggest flex is that I can easily compartmentalize but today I can’t put two words together, let alone lead a discussion.
Jack calls the meeting to order while I pretend to take notes without hearing a damn word anyone says.
Words are coming at me, muted like sound underwater.
My leg is bouncing beneath the table until Jack kicks my shoe and shoots me a warning glare.
I keep glancing at my watch, the minutes ticking by so slowly that I’m convinced time has stopped.
Does she blame me?
She has my email address. It’s not that difficult to remember. Why hasn’t she emailed?
Because you got her fired. She hates you.
I’m losing my shit, spiraling down a path I can’t afford to go down. This has to stop, but I don’t know how to stop it.
Finally, people push away from the table and stand, gathering their laptops and notepads and coffee mugs, talking about spring break plans and their kids' sports as they filter out of the room.
Jack closes the door behind the last person and leans against it. “What the hell’s your problem?”
“Have you found her?”
“No.”
“What the fuck are you waiting for?”
He spreads his arms wide. “I don’t know, Gabe. Maybe because I have work to do? A meeting to lead since you didn’t seem inclined to lead it?”
I slam my hand on the table. “This is more important.”
He tilts his head and studies me. “Why is this girl so important?”
“Because I got her fired. I need to fix this.”
“So you keep saying, but are you sure it’s not more than that?”
I look away because I can’t let him see what I really fear.
“You like her.” It’s not a question so I stay quiet, but I hear him move closer. He’s on the other end of the table, palms flat on the surface as he leans forward. “You like her.” His grin slowly widens as he shoves off the table. “Thank you, God. I never thought this day would come.”
“It’s not like that. And what do you mean you never thought this day would come?”
“You’ve lived like a hermit for eighteen years. It’s time you came out of your cave to live again.”
“I’ve been busy raising Pax—”
“He’s twenty years old, practically already raised.”
I close my notebook and line my pen with the edge of it. “It’s not like that. She’s...”
Sweet and innocent and kind and far too young for me. We talk about books, and our lives.
Except now that I think about it, I’ve talked about Pax and Jack, but she’s never talked about herself. I know she has a friend named Amelia. She likes books, and she wants a cat. That’s it. That’s all I know about her.
“She’s what?” Jack asks.
I stand and gather my pen and notebook. “She’s too young for me.”
“That’s just an excuse. She’s not that young. Besides, she seems older than thirty. Like she has an old soul.”
I ignore his comment because I don't want to admit he's right. “I need to know where she lives. When will you have that information?”
“I have my best man working on it. As soon as I know, you’ll know.”
His best man? “Damn it, I expected discretion, and you brought someone else into this?” I can’t have people finding out I was fraternizing with a subcontracted employee and got her fired.
“Relax. My best man is Pax. He’s working on it as we speak.”
Are you fucking kidding me? “Pax? You have my son hacking into databases?”
Jack grins again. “He’s good, brother. Really good. Almost better than me.”
I check my watch. I have three minutes to make my next meeting with the fraud division. “We’ll discuss this later.”
While in the meeting I receive an email from my new virtual assistant, which pisses me off because I don’t want to see Jacob Davis’s name in my inbox. I want to see Theresa James. However, Mr. Jacob Davis has interesting news for me.
It seems TaskGenius is a subsidiary of Virex Global Industries, owned by Vivian Rexford, a friend and former client.
At one time Virex was on the verge of collapse.
Vivian called, begging me to help. I uncovered some shady business dealings that her husband was engaged in.
She divorced her husband and on some of my suggestions turned the company around.
Today it’s a multi-billion-dollar corporation and Vivian is now a good friend.
I mentally file this information away as I conclude my meeting and head back to my office to find Jack waiting for me, his perpetual goofy grin gone.