AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You okay?” Ty asks. “You look a little overheated.”
“The crowd,” I say vaguely, ignoring the fact that the whole floor is kept at a perfectly controlled 70 degrees, snowstorm notwithstanding.
“Yeah,” says Ty. “Come on in. We need to talk.”
Turning into the smaller conference room, I see Kenna already sitting down with Archer Burke. At the far end of the table sits Bob Greeley.
“What’s going on?”
“Come on,” says Ty, ushering me in so he can close the door behind me. The sound from the crowd outside dulls considerably.
“Sit down, Mr. Hicks,” says Greeley.
“What’s going on?” I ask again, my stomach pitching. “Did something happen? My parents—”
“Nothing like that, Mr. Hicks,” says Greeley, shaking his head. “As far as I know your family is fine. I apologize for alarming you. However, we have something very serious we need to discuss.”
Not my parents. Okay. The fear recedes a bit and my stomach slows its rollercoaster ride, but the gravity on the faces around me doesn’t make me any less worried.
“We’ve received reports that the delayed start of the final ceremony last week might have been due to deliberate sabotage,” says Greeley.
“Are you joking?”
“Not in the slightest,” he says tersely. “That delay cost the company a minimum of six figures in advertising revenue. Let me assure you, the network takes this accusation very seriously.”
“Of course,” I say, not quite understanding where he’s going with this. “Anything I can do to help, just let me know.”
“That’s why we’re here,” says Burke. I haven’t had much reason to deal with Archer Burke. He’s Ty’s biggest competitor at the network—their fan base is almost identical, and they’ve been competing for the same time slots for at least a year, maybe longer. I know Burke’s had a major hand in getting this competition to pass with the higher-ups, but beyond that his presence right now is a mystery to me. Maybe he’s Greeley’s man.
Kenna raises a finger and Burke nods, letting her go ahead.
“Your name has come up as one of the possible suspects, Drew,” says Kenna gently.
The silence that follows her soft-spoken words is deafening.
“Excuse me?”
Ty shakes his head. Greeley stares me down like some shitty TV cop questioning a suspect. Burke doesn’t look up from his tablet.
Kenna tries again. “I told them this was a waste of time—”
“You’re goddamned right it is,” I say, shoving back from the table. I walk to the only window in the room, forcing myself to breathe before I start screaming.
“We have evidence you were nowhere to be found during the time in question,” says Greeley.
“So your evidence is my absence?” I say, not ready to turn and face him yet. I’ve worked for this company for three years. I’ve worked my ass off for these people.
“You’re not being formally charged,” says Ty. I snort. “Mr. Greeley just needs to ask you some questions.”
That has me spinning to face them.
“You actually buy this?” I ask him. I’ve supported my boss every step of the way these last couple of years. If anybody in this room knew me, it was him, though Kenna clearly had her own ideas about what was going on.
“No.” Ty and Kenna say it at the same time. Burke still doesn’t look up, tapping away on his tablet. Taking notes for Greeley, I assume.
Unbelievable.
“Do you have an explanation for your whereabouts just before the final ceremony last week?” asks Greeley. His voice is stern—more of that TV cop bullshit. If it weren’t my career, my character at stake here, I’d have laughed.
