Trigger Read online

  She smiles at Franklin.

  “Why does Simon want this? It isn’t anything he needs.” Franklin is puzzled.

  She calls for Charles and tells him everything. Part of her P.A. training is a promise that they are included in everything that goes on. It’s also insures that the best want to work for her. Their first requirement is to hire their own assistant.“You, Franklin and I will build scenarios now. Everything else can wait.”

  It’s five-thirty when she pulls into Herbert Wade’s parking lot. She sees him getting into this car. Big Boy whips in next to him. Mr. Wade jumps back and she’s out the door in a second.

  “Sorry Mr. Wade. I didn’t mean to scare you. My car has a mind of his own sometimes.”

  She’s at least three inches taller than Herbert Wade and that intimidates some men. She doesn’t want to intimidate him. She wants to be his friend. She slowly walks around Big Boy and stops three feet in front of him.

  “You’re rethinking our deal.” She keeps her voice soft and calm.

  He’s startled and then looks at his feet.

  “I understand Mr. Wade. It is your responsibility to do what is best for your company and employees. I respect that.”

  She waits exactly ten seconds during which he opens his mouth and then closes it.

  “I’m sure Simon offered you everything you wanted and more. But you know that as soon as he is in control, he’ll merge what he wants into his own company and sell off the rest. You know that I won’t. Please tell me how I can help you.”

  “It’s not just me, Judy.”

  The light goes off. This news has even blindsided DeShaun. Shockley wants to sell too. Simon has put together a two for one deal.

  She’s not big enough. Buying out Mr. Wade will stretch Stalwart Company the max, there’s no way she can leverage Shockley too. If she tries, she’ll be vulnerable and Simon will wipe her out or force her to sell to him and then he’ll make her work for him. She’ll be at his mercy.

  That thought triggers deep anger and resentment. Her knees try to buckle. Thank God for Steven’s relentless training.

  “Mr. Wade, do you want to sell to me?” She leans a tiny bit toward him.

  “You are my first choice Judy . . . but I have to think of what’s best for everyone.”

  She doesn’t have any friends, never did and doesn’t want any that aren’t part of her business, but she understands loyalty. She doesn’t trust it, but she understands it.

  “Give me time, Mr. Wade. Set up a meeting between you, Mr. Shockley, me and Franklin. Will you do that much?”

  He hesitates.

  “Since our arrangement was nearly finalized, you owe me the chance to try and work this out. Simon isn’t going to back down on his offer. It’s me he’s after, Mr. Wade, not you.”

  She’s seen plenty of fights break out with fists flying intending to hurt and smash someone’s face in. What she remembers most vividly is what a face looks like as it gets smashed. That’s how Mr. Wade looks right now.

  In her softest voice firmly in control, “It’ll be all right Mr. Wade. I’ll make it all right.”

  “I’ll set up a meeting.” Herbert Wade gets into his car, buckles up and backs out and leaving her standing and watching. She nods a thank you as he glances at her and drives away.

  Texting DeShaun’s personal cell: Call me on a secure phone and away from your office.

  She’s sure Simon already knows she’s onto him. She’s also sure he’s paying attention. Protect the information. She needs to be extra careful.

  Franklin and Charles are waiting for her in the parking garage.

  Chapter 5. Hard Choices

  “Judy you don’t have that kind of money and even if you did, we’re not set up for something this big. It’s insane to even consider it. Let’s drop it and find something else.” Franklin is such a dear. He really wants to see her succeed and not get hurt.

  “Franklin, if we let Simon do this, do you really think there will be something else to find?”

  “We’ll be picked to pieces.” Charles nearly yells. His bright blue eyes light up in revelation.

  “Very good, Charles, I knew you had potential.”

  “But why does Simon Perry want to do this? I’ve been checking Perry out while you were gone. We’re way too small for him. We don’t have anything he could use. I don’t understand Miss Mason.” Charles looks like he’s eight years old and was just told there isn’t a Santa.

  “He asked me out on a date and I told him no.”

  My cell rings, it’s DeShaun. She puts the call on speaker and tells him everything. He didn’t take it well.

  “He was here when you texted me. Simon Perry was here. How did you know? I’m supposed to be preparing our financials to turn over to Simon. He’ll tear us apart Judy. Rosie and I will be out of jobs along with everyone else.”

  He groans. “To get this chance to talk to you, I had to call Mom and get her to call me and say I was needed at home. I have to go back to work in a little while to finish the financials. What do I do?”

  “Do what you’re told and do it well. I expect nothing less from you. Don’t say anything, not even to Rosie. Be the executive I trained and do your job. Mr. Wade will be calling Mr. Shockley for a meeting with me. Let me know if a problem comes up about it. I need that meeting. Also you can use your free time to think of a way to resolve this in everyone’s favor, including Ben’s. I’ll be interested to hear what you come up with. You are always very clever.”

  He laughs. “Where are you Judy? You sound like you’re in a tunnel.”

  “I’ve moved my office to the parking garage.”

  “Smart.” He hangs up.

  “Who was that?” Charles asks.

  “DeShaun was a former P.A. He moved up quickly in the Shockley organization. He’s Ben Shockley’s finance manager and he really likes working for Ben.”

  “Isn’t that unethical . . . spying?”

  “He’s trying to save the company he works for and his job. I don’t see anything unethical about that. Do you?”

  Judy squares up to face Charles. Right here, right now, he makes it or doesn’t. He’ll either cross the line to be someone significant or he’ll blend in with all the others who are afraid to be special and successful. They are the wanderers in this world, who are hollow with empty lives and lost dreams. It happens to all of us, whether we want to be successful business people, or a ballerina or a cashier at grocery store. We all have to choose.

  She knows his fear. She waits with Franklin.

  “No.” Charles voice is firm and sure.

  Franklin puts his hand on my shoulder. “You always pick good people, Judy.”

  “I know. I picked you Franklin.”

  “Wait a minute. I picked you Judy.”

  “Well, okay, if that’s what you really want to believe.”

  Chapter 6. Synch

  She kicked Renzo’s butt in her nine-thirty Kempo-Karate class. She marked the date and time in her head because she’s never beat him before. Usually she’s the one who is bruised and sore for the next twenty-four hours. Her motivation to take it up a notch was easy to figure. She saw Simon’s face plastered over Renzo’s.

  She said goodnight to BB and set the alarm in the garage rents two blocks from her flat. The elderly couple, who didn’t use it because it was falling apart, was surprised when she knocked on their door asking if she could rent their garage. But they happily accept her money and she visits with the cute couple for awhile when she pays the monthly rent in cash.

  She had to mostly rebuild the garage, replace the barely hanging wooden door with a modern automatic door and broke her budget installing a killer alarm system. BB’s home is more secure than her own. It doesn’t matter. She can take care of herself, but BB is vulnerable.

  Her flat is grubby and usually it doesn’t bother her. That’s how she grew up, but tonight a Mom vision looks up from the two burner stove top and she can’t bear it.

  Mom, Dad,
two older brothers and she shared a two bedroom flat. It was a horrible apartment and horrible people lived in it. Her flat is close to the old neighborhood because rent is cheap and she only spends money on Stalwarts, BB and her training. But the Mom’s vision smile sparked too many unwanted memories

  Stuffing her feet quickly into her running shoes, she straps on her ankle holster, grabs her gun, carry permit, driver’s license, cell phone and she’s out the door.

  Time to think through the pending acquisition that was supposed to build her company would be good, but running in this neighborhood is not the place to let her mind wander or her guard down. It’s a dangerous place in daylight, let alone in the dark. Usually she runs here at dawn the safest time because most of the seriously dangerous people are sleeping off a night of havoc and mayhem.

  But she needs this run. Even with her Kempo class, her mind is whirling in a million directions. Between the Wade/Shockley buy, her Mom and Simon Perry, she’s too keyed up to sleep and only sleep will bring her a calm head to face tomorrow.

  She runs faster than usual. Vigilant and on full alert to danger, she runs. She changes course numerous times to avoid groups of boy gangs and older boy gangs, a few hookers, and a big black limousine with three men arguing into a back window. Dark windows hide the person inside but the voice – hard and threatening – carries to her feet. She’s gone.

  She runs until she feels adrenalines weaken and that delicious bone tired feeling begin to take over. Her brain and body are in synch. She doesn’t have to think. Her feet fly. Her brain is clear. Jumping easily over a fallen garbage can, Judy startles to see a black car pass her. It’s the second time and it slowed both times it was near her. All danger signals fire her brain and her legs. She grinds out a higher gear and her feet and long legs fly upward to warp speed toward home.

  As she gets through the front door the car passes again nearly coming to a stop at her apartment building. Flat against the inside wall she peaks out, memorizes the license plate and quickly runs the four flights of stairs to her flat. That wasn’t good, someone was cruising her, “that’s so not good.”

  She’s lived here since she was sixteen and a month after her Dad beat her Mom to death, but she doesn’t know anyone in the building and they don’t know her. If she hears someone in the hallway, she waits until she hears a door shut or the sounds of footsteps on the stairs before she goes up or down the stairs.

  Quietly, she closes the door to her apartment and throws the locks. She pats it. She had it installed a few years ago. It’s steel and if the building falls down that door would still be secure. She paid for door and the work and the owner of the building actually raised her rent. It’s time to leave this place. Clearly it’s not going to be renovated into a fusion neighborhood anytime soon. She was going to buy a nice condo in a tall building as soon as the deal with Mr. Wade was done. She’s got to make that happen.

  She’s thirsty, hungry and now physically exhausted. She falls on her futon fully dressed and she’s asleep.

  Chapter 7. Nightly Nightmare

  “Baby girl wake up, it’s time to get ready for school.” Mom is smiling at Judy, but it’s hard to smile back. She has a black eye and a swollen and cut lip.

  “He beat you up again?”

  “Shhhh. Your Daddy is asleep. I’ll help you get dressed and I made you breakfast this morning.” Mom whispers.

  She feels her anger rage. She’s angry at her psycho Dad and brothers, who probably helped beat her up, but she’s more furious with her mother. How could she let them do this to her.

  The image floats away. Mom always moves gracefully like a dancer. She’s gone and Judy is walking home from school when she sees a familiar flowered dress in the alley. She’s sure it’s like Mom’s. She wears it all the time. Cold fear strikes her. She’s rooted to the sidewalk. The dress isn’t moving. Judy has to see if it’s Mom’s.

  “Mom?” Her voice is so low she’s not sure if she’s speaking or thinking. Her left foot moves first and her right has to follow so she won’t fall over. Again and again they move against her wishes. It’s Mom’s dress but the face is bloody and misshapen. She can’t tell who is under the blood. The hair is the same color as Mom’s, but it’s the ring that tells her what she needs know. She screams and screams and screams.

  She’s on the floor and choking. She can’t breathe. Judy doesn’t know where she is until she sees her running shoes still tied on her feet. She throws up.

  Chapter 8. Tiger Tights and Ankle Holster

  As the elevator reaches the floor of her office and dings arrival, Charles comes bounding out of his and toward her with her mug of coffee and startles her.

  “Good morning Miss Mason. It’s a beautiful day isn’t it?”

  She smiles trying to think. It’s Saturday right? Maybe she’s still having her nightmare. Charles looks real and she remembers driving BB. She reacts instinctively. “Yes it is a beautiful day. Good morning Charles. Why are you here?”

  Franklin yells out from down the hall and quickly walks toward her with a big smile. “There you are. We thought you’d never get here. Everyone is here and Charlotte brought in a breakfast buffet.”

  “It’s seven. It’s Saturday.” She feels stupid because that’s the only thing she can think of to say. She’s always here on Saturday morning, but no one else is.

  “Yes it is Saturday, isn’t it?” Franklin laughs. “And to prove it we’re all wearing jeans and sneakers.”

  She looks at him from head to toe. She’s never seen Franklin in anything but a suit. “You look good.”

  “That’s what Evelyn says. She says I look sexy in jeans.”

  “Turn around.”

  He does and she hears a giggle. Judy doesn’t giggle, but there’s no one else around except Charles, and she doesn’t think he would giggle. “She’s right you do look sexy.” Her mouth speaks disrespectfully to Franklin all by itself.

  Still holding her coffee, Charles opens the door to the conference room and she’s greeted with “good morning” times ten.

  “Did I call a special meeting?” She’s confused and knows it shows, but she can’t help it.

  “Franklin did. Now come and get breakfast before Chad eats it all.” Charlotte pushes her to the long table that sits quietly under the far windows. She never used that table for anything. It came with the table and chairs.

  She stands in front of food. The last thing she ate was Steven’s green/gray sludge yesterday after her lunchtime workout. She stares at all the food, not having any idea what she wants or if she wants anything. The nightmare and then she vomited. Can she eat? It looks good . . .

  “We haven’t got all day, Miss Mason.”

  Charlotte grabs a pretty pink and flower pattern china plate and starts loading it up with pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon and a biscuit. “Grape or strawberry?”

  “Grape,” Judy’s mouth speaks.

  Charlotte adds a huge pat of butter to the pancakes and covers them with a dark liquid from a green can that has the word “Vermont” on it.

  She shoves the plate at her. “Go eat. I bet you didn’t have dinner.”

  How does she know?

  The conversation is animated and friendly. Everyone seems happy to be here. The terrible nightmare, throwing up at the end of it, she drinks the entire mug of coffee without stopping. She remembers drinking it, but when she looks down, it’s full.

  Franklin is staring at her. Concern is written all over his face. Judy realizes she must look awful. She brushed her teeth and washed her face. Other than that she’s the same as when she finished her stupid and frightening run last night with a black car stalking her.

  Franklin takes over the meeting and she’s left with nothing to do but look down at her plate and try to pay attention. Charlotte is watching to see if she likes it. She doesn’t want to upset a very nice and thoughtful woman, but she’s not sure she can eat.

  Her Mom’s battered and bloody face is floating in and out of the shiny Vermon
t syrup. She decides to start with the eggs. They taste good and Mom’s not there. She looks up. Charlotte smiles and turns her attention to Franklin.

  She’s been half listening but now mostly eating. She doesn’t really remember the last time she had an entire meal. A cookie here and there, a piece of candy from an employee’s desk, a sandwich from the kitchen vending machine and of course, Steven’s green/gray sludge, is all she remembers having eaten recently.

  Her plate is empty except for the pancakes. Mom’s still there. She flips over the top pancake with the syrup on it and she disappears. Judy eats both and finishes her coffee. She’s not really sure, but her mug has taken on magic properties. It has an endless source of fresh coffee in it. She drinks it all. Looks down and it’s full again. If she can figure out how this works, she could make millions . . . billions even.

  As a test, while Bill and Franklin are discussing something about space requirements. They sound excited and frustrated. She drinks all of it and slowly puts it on the table. She’s going to watch it this time. Charles grabs the mug like lightening and then puts it back. It’s full.

  “Thank you.”

  He smiles and nods.

  She thinks about Charles and the endless mug. Another lost opportunity, there’s no way she’ll sell Charles and his incredible gift.

  Charlotte takes her plate away. She misses it instantly. She hasn’t been included in the discussion because they were letting her eat. Now she has to pay attention. She was going to deal with Shockley and Wade today, but she was expecting to have to figure it out by herself.

  “So let’s look over these financials that DeShaun brought over this morning.” Franklin’s voice is firm and in control. She hears it in his voice. He’s already decided on a direction.

  “DeShaun was here?” She looks up at Franklin. She’s back.

  “He couldn’t reach you, so he called me. I met him at the coffee shop on the corner about midnight last night.”

  Where as she? Running. She checks her cell phone. It’s still on vibrate. A cell phone ring while running in her neighborhood alerts deviates that someone with a cell phone to hock is nearby.