Fallon
No more unknown messages come through to my new phone, but that doesn’t mean Cerberus is done messing with me.
It’s been a week since the club and all I can think about is their threatening promise to see me again soon. Despite how they made me feel at the club, they also scared me, showing up at my office and chasing me like they did. Something tells me that brief visit was only the beginning.
I’ve lost sleep, which isn’t good since work has been a nightmare. As expected, my team and I put out the official statement about ending business relations with Councilman Rogers last week, but that was just the start of the media circus that is public relations. We still need to deal with the backlash from the public. I like to think of this business like a box of dominos lined in a row. When one tower falls, all the rest will too unless you create enough space between one domino and the next. So that’s what I do. Pull space out of my ass and work the public picture in Helix Enterprises’s favor.
My team monitors the social media sites and gathers a consensus of the public’s feedback so that we know how to respond. News stations want to speak with me, so I conduct multiple interviews every day from the comfort of my office. I handle each question and accusation with graceand like the boss bitch I know I am. Still, all of that on top of the lack of sleep is draining.
“I’m stepping out for some air,” I tell Cami as I pass by her desk. I spot Ganon a few desks over, and roll my eyes. He’s slumped back in his chair, headphones in, fast asleep. His computer screen shows the report I asked him to fill out this morning–still blank.
Cami gives me a smile and a nod, but doesn’t stop her typing. Did I mention I have the best assistant ever? I don’t think this week would have gone as smoothly as it has if I had been partnered with anyone else. Cami gets to the office before me and has been staying late with me every night to help with the workload. While she may not have the psychological burden of Cerberus stalking her every move like I do, I know by the three massive coffee mugs scattered around her that she’s running on more caffeine than sleep these days.
“I’ll be back with two subs from Dave’s.” I shoot her a wink and her shoulders sag with relief.
“Thank you, Fallon. I owe you!” she calls after me, but I wave her off. I take my job and my employees’ well-being seriously. I’ll never expect the people I work with to respect me if I don’t first show my appreciation for them and their work. This may be a foreign concept to people like my father who think that the people who work for you should wait on you hand and foot until they basically live with their noses up your ass. I believe treating your colleagues like human beings elevates the quality of their work.
A gust of wind hits me as soon as I step outside, making me shiver, and I wrap my arms around myself, wishing I’d brought my coat. Whatever. The sandwich shop Cami and I love so much is a few blocks away,enough to get my blood flowing if I walk fast enough. I don’t have time to linger, anyway.
I’m not sure when Axton Harbor took a turn for the worse, maybe around the time Mom went missing, but one day, the safe, clean city I grew up exploring was gone. No more performing artists at every other corner, creating music that seemed to bring the city to life. They bulldozed parks to make room for more gray cement apartment buildings. The dives mom and I used to love sniffing out are now all replaced by chain restaurants. It’s like every day, another piece of this city’s soul is chipped away. Yet another reason for me to get out of here as soon as I can.
I get to the crosswalk with the rest of the lunch crowd, trying to keep to my personal bubble of space, when the light signals for us to cross. The group of people across the street start walking at the same time, all of us weaving in a strange, yet familiar dance to get to the other side. Despite the frown I’m sporting, someone’s shoulder crashes into mine, making me stumble back.
“Hey, dick–” I choke back my words as I watch a tall, hooded figure slinking away from me. He tilts his head, a shade of bone-white peeping from the shadows of his black hoodie.
I spin around, moving as quickly as I can to the other side of the street. Surely that wasn’t Cerberus. They wouldn’t come for me in a crowd, in the middle of the day. Right?
Who the fuck am I kidding? Cerberus operates under its own set of rules. Of course they would show up to torment me in broad daylight.
On edge, I keep looking over my shoulder the entire way to the only small business sandwich shop left in town. Dave, as intheDave of Dave’sSandwich Shop, must notice my crazed state because he throws in two chocolate chip cookies in my order, free of charge.
“Thank you,” I tell him and give a shaky smile as I tap my card to pay.
Paper bag in hand, I step outside.Get it together, Fallon.It was probably just some dude in a hurry back there and I’m losing it. I’m exhausted and stressed. That’s it.
Still, I take a different route back to the office. Just in case.
I’m just finishing my reports for the week when my phone dings with a message from my dad.
Dad:Luigi’s at 7. Randy will pick you up out front in fifteen.
I glance at my watch. It’s already 6:35 p.m.
“Fucking great.” I grit my teeth, and start shutting things down at my desk.
It’s not often that I have dinner with my dad, but on the rare occasion I do, it’s never planned and always on his schedule.
For the briefest moment, I wonder what it would be like to refuse his offer and tell him how I’d rather go home and eat the leftovers in my fridge than eat at a five-star restaurant with him as my only company. The look on my dad’s face at the utter disrespect would be priceless. But I won’t do that. Even if I always leave these dinners feeling worse about myself than before, I know I’ll still show up every time. And so does he.
I step out into the cool night air, and immediately spot my dad’s driver, Randy, waiting for me by the company car parked in front of the building.
“Miss Helix.” Randy nods and opens the door to the black sedan for me to slide inside. He closes it behind me and rounds the car to the driver’s side.
I smooth my skirt and flip open the camera on my phone to touch up my lipstick. I’m wearing a deep plum shade called Velvet Seduction. Dad’s going to hate it. Better apply another coat. “Are we waiting on my dad or is he meeting us there?”
“Your father arrived separately.”
Arrived. As in he’s already there at the restaurant, waiting. Great.
