Chapter 111 The Job Offer

Chapter 111 The Job Offer
Gyran's POV

I was in my home office going through reports when my phone rang. It was a number I didn't recognize but I answered anyway.

"Is this Gyran Volkov?" a woman's voice asked.

"Depends who's asking."

"My name is Patricia Chen. I'm the CEO of Sentinel Security Solutions. I'd like to discuss a business opportunity with you."

I sat up straighter. Sentinel was one of the biggest private security firms in the country. Completely legitimate. They worked with corporations and high-profile clients and had nothing to do with the underworld.

"What kind of opportunity?" I asked.

"We're expanding our consulting division and we need someone with your expertise. I'd like to meet with you if you're interested."

"How did you get my number?"

"I have my sources. Can we meet tomorrow? Say two o'clock at my office?"

I almost said no. But something made me hesitate. "I'll be there."

Evelyn came home an hour later and found me still sitting at my desk.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I got a weird call today. From Sentinel Security."

"The big security firm?"

"Yeah. They want to offer me a consulting job."

Evelyn's eyes got wide. "That's amazing. What did you say?"

"I said I'd meet with them tomorrow. But I don't know if it's real. Why would they want someone like me?"

"Because you're good at what you do. You know more about security and protection than most people in the industry."

"Most of what I know comes from the wrong side of things."

"So? You still know it. And maybe they want someone who thinks like the people they're protecting their clients from."

She had a point. If you wanted to build security systems that actually worked, you needed to understand how criminals operated. And I definitely understood that.

The next day I drove to Sentinel's headquarters downtown. It was a sleek glass building with a receptionist and everything. Patricia Chen met me in the lobby. She was maybe fifty with short black hair and a no-nonsense attitude.

"Thank you for coming," she said as we shook hands.

She led me to her office on the twentieth floor. The view overlooked the whole city.

"I'll get right to the point," Patricia said once we sat down. "We need someone who can think like a threat. Most of our consultants come from military or law enforcement backgrounds. They're good at following protocols but they don't always anticipate creative attacks."

"And you think I can?" I asked?

"I know you can. I've done my research on you Gyran. I know about your background and your family's business. I also know you've been trying to step back from that world."

"You seem to know a lot," I said.

"It's my job to know things. So here's what I'm offering. A consulting position with full benefits. You'd work with our team to assess client security needs and design protection protocols. The pay is two hundred thousand a year to start."

I tried not to react but that was serious money.

"What's the catch?" I asked.

"No catch. But I need to be clear about something. This job is completely legal. If you take it you can't be involved in anything that would compromise our reputation. No illegal activities. No connections to organized crime."

"That's a big ask."

"I know. But I think you're ready for it."

I thought about Evelyn and our conversations on the beach. About wanting to build a legitimate life. This could be the first real step toward that.

"Can I think about it?" I asked.

"Of course. Take a week."

When I got home Evelyn was waiting. "How did it go?"

"She offered me the job. Two hundred thousand a year. Full benefits. Completely legal work."

"That's incredible."

"But I'd have to cut ties with the family business. No more mafia connections."

Evelyn came over and sat next to me. "Isn't that what you want?"

"I don't know if I can just walk away. There are still things I'm responsible for. People who depend on me."

"What about what we depend on? What about the future we talked about?"

She was right and I knew it.

"What if I take the job and it doesn't work out?" I asked. "What if I'm not good at legitimate work?"

"You'll be good at it. You're smart and you know security better than almost anyone. This is your chance to start building something real."

I spent the next few days thinking about it. I talked to Braydon who said I should definitely take it. I talked to Marcus who was less enthusiastic but understood.

Finally, I called Patricia and accepted the job.

My first day was strange. I wore a suit and tie and went to an actual office. Some meetings and presentations and people didn't carry guns. It felt like I'd stepped into a different world.

But the work itself was interesting. They had me review security plans for a tech company's headquarters and I found about a dozen vulnerabilities their regular consultants had missed. Things like blind spots in camera coverage and weak points in their perimeter.

"This is excellent work," Patricia said when I presented my findings.

I started working regular hours. Nine to five most days with occasional late nights. It was weird at first having a schedule and answering to someone else. But I got used to it.

And the best part was coming home to Evelyn without blood on my hands. Without having to lie about where I'd been or what I'd done. Just normal work stories.

"How was your day?" she'd ask.

"Good. We landed a new client. Big pharmaceutical company that needs a complete security overhaul."

"That's great."

It was great. For the first time in my life, I could see a path to actually leaving the mafia completely. It would take time and there were still loose ends to tie up. But it was possible now.