“Is it that obvious?”
“Well, I mean, yeah. You are never this quiet, so there has to be a storm brewing in that thick head of yours.”
“That is probably truer than you will ever know. I have to tell you something, and I don’t know how you are going to take it. I have been trying to figure out how to word it right, but I think any way I say it, is going to sound bad.”
“Well, just spit it out. It can’t be that bad.”
He looked at her dubiously and it made Cassandra wonder if she was going to eat her words. Maybe it could be that bad.
“Let’s just say that one of my clients has gotten some bad news, and they are looking to attack me because of it. I need to either fire you or put you into hiding for a week or so. Maybe more. I don’t know how long it’s going to take for things to calm down.”
She paused and then looked ahead. Cassandra had been expecting many things, but not that. More danger? What was it with this guy?
“Are you serious? I mean, I thought you dealt with people’s money.”
“I do, and sometimes I lose their money, and they are not happy with me about it.”
“Wow, I never would have thought that hiding out from a client was something that you’d have to do. I don’t know what to say.”
He chuckled, if not a little bitterly. “Trust me, I know how you feel. I didn’t know what to say about it, either. I don’t know what to do. I could just pay you and you don’t have to come in. You can do it all from your home if you want.”
It was everything that Cassandra thought and even said that she wanted, but now that it was available, of course, she didn’t want it. She wanted to be with him, get closer to him, and she didn’t like the idea of breaking away from that. However, how could she just go along with him? Obviously, it would be strange, and she couldn’t agree to that, either.
“I guess I will work from home. When is that going to start?”
“Maybe the rest of the day. Although, I have some errands I have to do first. Would you mind staying around for a few minutes, so I can run out, and we’ll lock up when I get back?”
She looked unsure when they got back to the office. “Are you sure you want me to stay here, after what you just said? I mean, you have me wondering if I will be okay here alone.”
“I am working on an abundance of caution, but I figured you would want to finish that article you started earlier. It’s up to you, Cassandra.”
She agreed to stay on for a while, though she felt exposed when he left her there alone. Cassandra didn’t quite buy the full story, but that was all she had to work from. Something was going on, but Cassandra didn’t know what it was. She didn’t even have a guess. There was a lot of arguing on Antoine’s side when he was on the phone. Maybe that was who he had pissed off. He talked like he ran more than just a small finance company. Cassandra hadn’t believed that from the get-go.
Once he left the office, she did feel weird being alone, but it was his warning that did it to her. She heard several cars pull up, and though it was for the building next door, she could have sworn that it was bad guys that were coming for her. Antoine made her paranoid and Cassandra didn’t like the feeling of that at all.
The next time she heard the door slam in the parking lot, she didn’t get up to look, figuring it was just someone for the other place. When the door opened suddenly, she physically jumped. It was the man from the tow truck that had helped her before. He wasn’t in his uniform this time, though. Instead, he was dressed in a suit. He looked like a businessman, maybe even one that worked for the mob. He was wearing gold and diamonds around his neck in the shape of a flame. She didn’t know what to think, but Cassandra wasn’t given time for all of that.
“Cassandra, we’ve got to get out of here.”
“What?”
“They’re coming?”
“Who, the ones that are pissed at Antoine?”
Nathan looked confused for a minute. “No, they are my enemies. Come with me now. I thought that Antoine was here, but it’s just you?”
She agreed and he grabbed her hand. Cassandra wanted to take the rest of her stuff, but she wasn’t allowed. Nathan had her get in the car and then he raced off, telling her not to look behind her. Of course, Cassandra looked. She couldn’t fight the temptation, and she didn’t know what to think. It was getting darker earlier, but there was a large shadow and then a fireball that used to be the office. She was standing there only a few moments before, and now the whole place was engulfed in flames. A cold shiver ran through her, along with the realization that she could have been killed.
“Wow, you really saved my ass.”
“I can’t believe that Antoine left you there alone. He knew this was going to happen.”
“He knew that they were going to burn his office down?”
“No, I mean, he should have known that they were going to plan something. I thought he was going to fire you.”
“He said that he wanted to, but then told me that I could work from home. You can just take me there.”
