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I get to Obsidian, and I spot Franklin’s car. I’m relieved that I made it in time to not miss them. I find a spot to park, hidden behind a pillar. I will see the car when it pulls out though. I unfold a broadsheet and hold it up in front of my face, obscuring myself further from view. I peer around the edge of the pages, and I wait.
I swear the next half hour is the slowest half hour of my life. Finally, when I’m starting to wonder if I’m mistaken about Franklin’s car, even though I know I’m not, I spot them. They’re heading toward the car. I can see Elle beaming from here, and even now, I feel a rush of warmth for her. I feel a sense of pride. She obviously closed the sale.
I feel a stab of jealousy go through me. It should be me she’s with when she’s smiling like that. I should be the one making her look so happy. It should be me she high-fives as she walks across the parking lot with a spring in her step.
They get into Franklin’s car, and it pulls away. I wait for a second and then I put my car into drive and pull out behind them. I fall back, letting at least two vehicles stay between us. As long as I watch for the car exiting, I know I won’t lose them.
My mouth is dry, my hands gripping the steering wheel hard enough that my knuckles are white. If he hurts her …
I am starting to think I have this all wrong, that he just saw something in Elle. Something that told him she’d be damn good at this. He’s heading back toward the office, taking the exact route I would have taken if I were driving. I am risking everything, and it looks like it’s all for nothing.
It’s not entirely for nothing though. If nothing else, this will put my mind at rest and although I’ll never completely stop worrying about Elle when she’s out of my sight, at least I’ll know she’s safe at work.
I had the thought too soon. No sooner do I start to relax a little bit, releasing my tight grip on the steering wheel, than Franklin’s blinker comes on, and he pulls off down a dirt road. My eyes widen, and my jaw clenches in anger.
All that is at the end of that road is a long-deserted farmhouse. There can be only one thing on Franklin’s mind now. I turn onto the street. I ask myself if I’m sure enough of what’s going to happen now to risk Elle seeing me. I’m not. I pull over and debate what to do next.
The thing is, some clients operate beneath the radar. Anyone in business in this city has had one of these clandestine meetings in an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere before. We’ve all been to a meeting location where you can’t help but wonder if you’re going to land the contract of your dreams or be murdered.
It’s a slim possibility that this is the case here, but it’s a possibility nonetheless. Rumor has it that Magnet isn’t above selling hacking services for the right price, and while I don’t particularly like the idea of Elle getting involved in that, it could be part of her job. From the intel I’ve got on Franklin and Magnet, the hacking services they offer are dressed up as competitor research. It means that even if Elle deals with anything like that, she won’t be dealing with hardened criminals, just corporate executives desperate to prove themselves and get ahead of the game.
I don’t think Franklin would risk showing her the dirtier side of his business this soon, but I don’t know that he won’t. If I drive down that road and Elle and Franklin are there with a potential client, I know Elle will never forgive me. I’m certainly not going to abandon her there, but I can’t be seen. I jump out of the car, move into the trees, and start jogging along the road.
CHAPTER NINE
ELLE
I sit in the car beside Franklin, so excited at how the sales visit went. Franklin let me do most of the talking, and with the insights from Falcon, I was able to present the package we were offering quickly and efficiently, and they signed up with us on the spot.
Franklin was pleased with my efforts, and I really think he’ll be letting me out from under his wing sooner than I initially thought, which I’m relieved about. I want to text Falcon and tell him that I made my first sale, but I’m not sure about Franklin’s cell phone usage policy, so I decide to wait until we get back to the office. I don’t want to spoil my victory by ending up in trouble for sending personal text messages during work hours.
