Carson ran through his presentation for the umpteenth time before his scheduled meeting with Maximus and Slate. When he was confident he was prepared for any questions, he turned to the document he wrote after Cody left him yesterday. Carefully going over the points he wanted to make regarding transferring to another position within Dire Enterprises, Carson edited them, scratching out some while adding to others. Finally satisfied, he placed it on top of the documents for the meeting and left for the small conference room next door, where he waited for his bosses to arrive.
His plan was simple—get the hell out of Dodge, hopefully with a job. Carson was confident it would work, especially since he had the support of his brothers, Cody and Colton. That would help him get Jackson on his side, so now all he had to do was persuade Maximus and Slate to find him another position somewhere else in the company, preferably out of the country. Hearing the conference room door open, Carson stood, smiling at his bosses.
~/~/~/~/~
Dr. Mac Evans surveyed the operating room, impressed as he’d been with everything else Colton showed him on the tour of the hospital. He couldn’t find fault with what he’d seen, so far, but that was the problem; it just didn’t make sense. The Blackwood Pack was small, kept to itself and, other than Josiah, had no enemies so why the overkill? That was the question Mac kept mulling over.
“Any questions?” asked Colton.
“You have a very impressive set-up here,” Mac said. “State-of-the-art equipment…even an ICU for pups. Well done.”
“Steel insisted on it after what happened,” replied Colton.
“Oh? And what was that?”
“Let’s go back to Ian’s office. He can tell you more.” Holding the door open, Colton waited until his cousin exited before turning off the light. Leading the way he wondered how his cousin would react after reading the medical files Ian had pulled.
Looking up when his office door opened, Ian searched Dr. Evan’s face and, finding a quizzical look there, said, “Have a seat, Mac…you don’t mind if I call you that do you? I tend to be informal with colleagues.”
“No, not at all.”
“Before we talk, here are medical files of the current patients you’ll be responsible for and I’ve added a few others for your perusal that I think will be informative. By the way, I’ve also included Hope’s latest test results and her proposed course of treatment.”
Taking the stack of file folders from Ian, Mac flipped through them briefly, his eyes widening at some of the names. Then, glancing up at Ian, he asked, “All of these?”
“Yes,” Ian said. “Colton, show Mac his office, please. When you are through, you can do Dakota’s ultrasound.”
As he rose from his chair, Mac said, “Just want to mention I’m sorry about Kieran yesterday. If I had any understanding of what could happen, I would have stopped it.”
Ian shrugged. “As my mate pointed out to me, no one could have stopped him once he decided to help Hope. So my anger directed at you was inexcusable. Go read and then we can talk more.”
“C’mon, Mac.” beckoned Colton. “Your office is next to Ian’s.”
~/~/~/~/~
After his presentation and answering his bosses’ questions, Carson took his seat at the conference table, waiting for feedback on his grant recommendations. Outwardly, he looked calm and self-assured, but inside his stomach was doing flip- flops. If Maximus and Slate were satisfied with his work, it would bode well for him when he requested a transfer.
Closing the last grant application folder, Slate looked at Carson. “I’m impressed. I couldn’t have done better myself. As far as I’m concerned, I’m in complete agreement with your proposed course of action regarding all the applications.” Glancing at his father, he asked, “Your thoughts, Dad?”
“Same here. You’re doing a great job,” Maximus said, looking approvingly at Carson. “Is there something else?”
“Yes sir. I’ll be leaving California, but don’t want to leave Dire Enterprises so I’m hoping there’s a position I can transfer to.”
“I’m sure we can find something for you, but may I ask why you’re leaving your pack?” asked Maximus.
“It’s personal, sir.”
“I see.” Leaning back in his chair, Maximus studied Carson and, seeing the sadness in his eyes, asked, “Does Jackson know about your decision?”
“Not yet. Cody and Colton do, but I wanted to firm up my plans before I spoke to Jackson,” Carson replied.
Maximus nodded. “And having a job would make it easier to get the Alpha’s support, hmmm?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do Cody and Colton know why you are leaving?”
“Yes, sir.”
