“You’re actually trying to fire me?” She stared at him as though the man had lost his mind.
“No, not trying, Iamfiring you. I have other plans for the place. Big plans. Big goals. Goals that you have not accomplished, or so I was told. . .by someone. Which is the only reason I’m here.”
Now Mirza did not look so confident. She said, “I. . .I was unaware of—”
He cut her off. “Neisha, at this level, you always need to be aware. . .of everything. If you’re not, things don’t tend to end well.”
“I was told that—”
“There has been a changing of the guards. I’m sure you’ve been watching the news. Steers is probably dead.”
Mirza looked like she might be sick. “I did see that, but I didn’t think—My God.”
“God won’t help you, unfortunately. You need to help yourself. Starting with leaving here. Quickly. Before certain other people show up.”
Alarmed, she glanced around her office. “But. . .I. . .my things.”
“I’ll have them packed up and sent to your place. We appreciate your service.” He stepped forward and put a hand on her arm. “And Neisha, this is not something you need to talk about to anyone. In fact, doing so would be very unfortunate for your. . .survival. And, reading the tea leaves, if I were you, I would get on a plane and fly as far away as possible as fast as possible. And if you’ve ever fantasized about becoming someone else, now would be a good time to realize that fantasy. I don’t have to give you this warning. In fact, I’m taking a risk doing it. But I’ve been in your shoes before and I know none of this is fair. But such is life. Hell, if I didn’t have to be here, I wouldn’t. Unfortunately, I don’t have a choice in the matter.”
She paled and grabbed the edge of the desk to steady herself. “But—”
He gripped her arm harder. “I will take care of everything on this end. But if you don’t do as I say, I cannot guarantee your safety. And I don’t say that lightly, Neisha. You know the lay of the land. And when these people are displeased, it is not good for the target of their displeasure. And, like I said, I would not be back here if I didn’t have to be. But I have a new boss. And I can tell you that his wish is for you to disappear off the face of the earth, because you were hired by Steers, who he probably had killed. What I’m offering you is a way to disappear, on your own terms. But the grace period is limited. Twenty-four hours. Think you can manage it?”
She grabbed her purse from a desk drawer, fled past him, and raced down the hall.
A few moments later he walked slowly back to Fixx’s office; she was standing in the doorway. “What did you say to Mirza? She just hauled ass out of here.”
“I just told her I hoped the criminal investigation against her wouldn’t be too tough.”
“Wait, what? How do you know there’s an investigation?”
“Because I was the one who filed the complaint. Now, I want you back in Walt’s old job.”
She looked askance at him. “So you’re promoting me after demoting me? Twice?”
“Third time’s the charm. Pack your stuff. Now go.”
After Fixx sped out of the room Temple walked back to his office and sat down in a chair. His bravado was hiding more than a little anxiety. His conversation with Nash and Steers had been, to say the least, eye-opening. He was in serious trouble, he knew that. And it was coming from the law on one hand and Connor Lord and the Chinese on the other. The former could land him in prison for life. The latter could propel him into a grave for eternity.
He pulled out his phone and looked at the number. He drew a deep breath and made the call. The phone rang, and Temple waited for someone to answer.
Okay, here we go, killer.
CHAPTER
81
MR. TEMPLE, WELCOME,” SAID CONNOR LORD.
They were at the latter’s estate in Malibu, standing around the same patio table as had Steers and Lord on her trip there with Nash.
“Thank you,” said Temple. “Nice to meet you.”
“I was curious as to why you wanted tomeet,” continued Lord after the men had sat. “I thought you had removed yourself from the business. At least that is what I was told.”
“I tried to remove myself, but it kept calling me back.”
Temple knew this was the biggest business pitch of his life and if he screwed it up, he was dead. But instead of filling him with anxiety, the challenge actually calmed him.
