Chapter 40

*****

"Richard, would you be free for lunch tomorrow, as we discussed?"

"I'll make sure I'm free for it. You've spoken with Kirstie, I assume?"

"Yes, we had quite a long talk. I didn't tell her everything of course, but she understands that she would be our eyes and ears and report directly to me."

"Does she understand the nature of the people we're dealing with?"

"I think so, yes. I told her that an attempt on Charlotte was behind the attack on the old offices. But I didn't go into too much detail."

"And she's still happy to do it?"

"Yes, I've spelt it out. It's not her job to get involved in any way. Simply to watch and raise the alarm at anything out of the ordinary."

"So, your next move is… what?"

"To get the measure of the man that Kirstie may feel she answers to. If there is any question of divided loyalty, I want to know what I'm dealing with."

*****

When Elizabeth and I arrive for the lunch, James, Michael and Charlotte are already there, along with the tall, dark-haired girl I recognise now from the front desk. And she is accompanied by a man I assume is the Dom James mentioned.

She's an attractive girl, but not in a conventional way. Her features are strong, almost sculpted. Her nose is a little over-sized. She isn't classically feminine. However, she holds herself well and has a firm gaze….

Yet James says she's a sub?

So, what kind of Dom has she attracted and accepted?

James calls the pair across. "Richard, this is Kirstie Jamieson, who recently started as concierge in the main building reception. I was telling you about her the other day if you recall…. and this is her partner, Ryan Dougherty, who I invited here today to discuss a possible tender in which he may be interested…."

He holds my eye as he emphasises 'partner'….

The man Kirstie has given her submission to….

Can you answer to two Masters?

?

Charlotte does….

"…. Kirstie, Ryan, this is Richard Haswell, CEO of the Haswell Corporation, and his wife Elizabeth."

Dougherty appears to be a man who would attract women easily; tall, dark slightly wavy hair and a Mediterranean cast to his colouring….

Kirstie offers her hand to shake, then abruptly her gaze jumps between Charlotte and Elizabeth and everyone breaks into laughter. Somehow, it never stops being funny….

Michael rescues her from embarrassment. "Don't worry about it," he says. "Everybody goes through that the first time they see the two of them together."

"Are the two of you twins, Mrs Haswell?" asks Dougherty. "Or sisters?"

Elizabeth exchanges a glance with Charlotte….

Treasures to each other….

Charlotte's first blood family….

"No," she says, "we're not. But Charlotte and I believe we are related at some level. It's something we're working on; to find the family link…. and it's Beth."

"Lovely to meet you, Beth." Dougherty shakes her hand, but his eye moves between the two women until James invites him to the next seat at the table. He has a large envelope with him which I know represents the 'bribe' he intends to dangle as his test of the man; an invitation to tender for work. The two drop into some geek discussion that doesn't interest me too much. My Technical Director knows what he's doing and I'm entirely happy to let James get on with his job.

It's what he's paid for….

Instead, I listen in on my lovely wife, setting the very newest and most junior of my employees at her ease.

"So, Kirstie," she's saying. "How are you finding the work? Are you enjoying it?"

"Oh, very much. I love it." She beams.

Sounds sincere….

Michael is sitting next to Charlotte, his hand holding hers….

Does he know he's doing that?

He holds that calm silence I have come to recognise as Michael with his antennae wired.

Listen, absorb, assimilate….

Unspeaking, he listens in to the conversation on both sides. Charlotte also says little, simply nodding an occasional agreement to something Elizabeth says.

James turns from Dougherty who is reading the contents of James' envelope. "Kirstie, have you considered what we were discussing the other day?"

Giving her the opportunity to back out?

Only fair….

She nods. "I have yes, and I'm happy to go through with it."

Dougherty looks briefly up from his reading but doesn't seem too interested.

Has she said anything to him?

"Good," says James. "Thank you. I'll have a feed from the outside security cameras sent to your laptop as well. That way you can keep an eye on the whole of the building surroundings, not just the front."

Kirstie cocks her head. "Doesn't Security do that anyway?"

He huffs a sigh. "In theory, they do, yes. But I notice that thus far, it has been you that has alerted them to the problems and not the other way around."

She pinks a little at that. "Who are these enemies you want me to watch for, James?"

Dougherty looks up, his gaze suddenly pinning on Kirstie, then James.

James hovers. "I don't think I want to tell you that, Kirstie."

Ice in her voice suddenly, "Why not? You trust me enough to do your dirty work, but not enough to tell me why?"

Dougherty's papers slap down on the table-top, and he stiffens in his seat, his stare like a searchlight on James who, head lowered, is considering Kirstie. "Fair point," he says. "In fact, I do have a level of trust in you, bearing in mind that I do not, in fact, know you very well."

Her eyes narrow. "So…?"

James speaks slowly, with gravitas. "I prefer not to tell you because I don't want to frighten you."

Kirstie blinks, her head tilting. "You don't want to frighten me? You can't say something like that and not finish it off, can you? Do you imagine you can tell me anything that's going to frighten me any more than what you just said?"

Dougherty is glaring now, his hands fisting.

James stands, pacing the room. "Sometimes you know, life leaves you that you can't do right for doing wrong…."

Isn't that the way of things….

"…. Alright, Kirstie…." He turns, facing her square on. "Charlotte's enemies are traffickers…."

Michael's hand, still resting on Charlotte's, squeezes a little. Her fingers lace with his.

Dougherty jolts back in his seat. Kirstie's mouth falls open. She's blinking hard. "Traffickers?" she demands. "People traffickers you mean? Slavers?"

"Exactly that;" says James. "Slavers. They had her when she was a child, but she escaped…."

Kirstie swallows, licking her lips then turns to see the nod Charlotte gives her.

James is still speaking. "…. Now they know that she can identify them, and they would like to…."

"As a child? But how?"

Dougherty interrupts. "Hold on. What's going on here? Are you dragging Kirstie into something dangerous? Because if you are, I'm not having it."

Kirstie starts to speak. "Ryan…"

But he turns on her, stabbing a finger towards her. "Don't even think about it, Kirstie. I'm not having you endangered. Your duties are as a concierge. I'm quite sure that this was not in the job description." He glares at James.

James colours up. I step in. "No, of course it wasn't. But we are not endangering Kirstie. She's down there anyway and is showing a definite talent for keeping an eye on things."

Dougherty turns a gimlet stare on me. "This comes from a man whose last offices were burned to the ground? And what does Kirstie get out of this?" She tries to speak, but the finger snaps back to her and she subsides.

Accepts his authority then….

James leans back against the wall, his voice lazy. "My eternal gratitude."

Dougherty stands to face him, his face furious.

Dangle the bait….

Measure the man….

"It is worth pointing out," I say, "that James' eternal gratitude could be worth quite a lot to Kirstie. He's in a position to do her a lot of favours. And you…." I indicate the papers lying abandoned on the table.

"I don't give a fuck about James' favours," he hisses. "What is this? Some kind of conspiracy? If you think I'm going to be bribed into allowing you to endanger her…."

Good man….

James briefly locks eyes with me….

That's what he wanted to hear too….

…. then holds up a pacifying hand. "Ryan, I would say exactly the same were our positions reversed. I give you my word that I am not getting Kirstie involved." He pauses to let his words sink in. Dougherty is listening hard, looking calmer but unconvinced. "I am simply asking that she does exactly what she is already doing as a normal part of her job; watching the comings and goings of the Haswell Offices. The only addition is that I have requested that she reports directly to me."

Dougherty's voice is flat, his face equally so. "And what does that involve? This reporting?"

"She simply hits a button under the counter of her desk, and it sends an alert to me and a number of other people."

Some of the heat draining from his voice. "Which people?"

James gestures around the room. "We're sitting at this table, plus Richard's PA, Francis."

Dougherty eyeballs him. "And that is all you are asking of her?"

"Yes, all. And I might point out that she already has another 'panic button' under her desk to call Security if she has any kind of trouble down there."

James pauses, waits. Dougherty stares at the ground for a moment. "I will agree to this," he says, "but on the condition that you add me to your list of alerts. If Kirstie spots trouble, I want to know about it too." He looks up at James, then to me. "Yes?"

Fair enough….

James cocks his head to me, raising a brow. "I don't think that's unreasonable," I say. "Any of us would demand at least the same…." Dougherty relaxes. "…. On a related point, I want to add another to the list myself. I'd like the alert to go also to Ross."

"Ross?" says Kirstie, sounding startled. "Your driver?"

"Ross is rather more than just my driver. He wears a number of other, less obvious duties buttoned under his jacket. Among other things, he is Elizabeth's bodyguard. If that alert goes out, I want Ross to be in a position to know that he is to get Elizabeth away from here."

She nods slowly, her mouth making an 'O'.

Dougherty turns to Michael, still with the ghost of aggression in his voice. "And what about you? You don't have much to say for yourself."

Michael stretches back, locking hands behind his head. "That doesn't mean I wasn't paying attention."

"So, where do you fit into all this?"

"Charlotte is my wife."

Escalation?

James steps in. "Alright, calm down. We're all pulling in the same direction here. I'll make sure that Kirstie has everything she might need, and that all concerned receive any information that I do. Agreed?"

Everyone nods agreement except Dougherty. Instead, he looks to Kirstie who meets his eye, then lowers her gaze. Then he nods also. "Agreed, but…." He raises a hand. "…. I am giving my consent to this, but understand, that consent is provisional. I reserve the right to withdraw my agreement if I deem it appropriate. Understood?"

James faces him, arms folded, legs akimbo. "I would have been surprised had you said otherwise."

*****