”That’s bullshit!” Steven stood up. ”You haven’t done squat except for screw things up.”
”Shut up,” Kerry snapped at him. ”You clueless, spineless, useless piece of wannabee macho pissant.” She caught Alastair’s gray eyebrow rising across the table, and she stood up, feeling the blood pump through her. ”In fact, I haven’t seen a more useless collection of people in my life.”
”Hey, you can’t.” José stood and challenged her.
”Sure I can,” Kerry responded hotly. ”You people couldn’t find your way out of a paper bag unless Dar wrote directions on the inside of it, and you’ve got the balls to be in here criticizing a situation that’s your own damn fault.” Her voice rose to a yell, all the anger she’d been holding in for two days boiling out.
”We didn’t ask her to quit!” José responded.
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”Oh, but isn’t that what you were after?” Kerry countered, leaning forward on her hands. ”Or else why hire someone with the specific intent to go against her?” She pointed at Steven, who was seething at his side. ”Someone who had written instructions from you.” She pointed at José. ”To ’find that bitch's weak spot and put a knife into it’, wasn't that the quote?”
Silence.
”Well. You got what you wanted,” Kerry continued. ”And now the problem is everyone knows the only thing that kept the damn company running was her. You sure can’t.” A long pause. ”I can’t. After one day, I can’t imagine how in the hell she managed to put up with all this for so long.”
José stared at Mariana, who was chewing on a pencil. ”You’re going to let her get away with that?”
The Personnel VP shrugged. ”EEOC, José. I let Mr. Fabricini get away with saying worse about Dar to her face. I have no leg to stand on to stop Ms. Stuart from speaking her mind.”
”That’s just because you and she are thick as thieves.” Eleanor stated hotly. ”No wonder we can’t get anything done.”
“Yeah, you can say that again!” Steven broke in. “What a bunch of bullcrap!”
“I’ve got news for you, lady!” José stood up. “You know what I think? I think—”
”Excuse me!” Alastair barked suddenly, in a voice that was quite surprisingly angry coming from his somewhat benign appearance. “I’d really like you all to shut the hell up.”
Everyone looked at him in silence. ”Thank you.” He adjusted his tie. ”I would like everyone to excuse themselves with the exception of Ms. Stuart,” he paused, ”Now.”
In silence they filed out, avoiding Kerry’s gaze with the exception of Mariana, who patted her shoulder as she passed.
The sound of the door closing behind them sounded unbelievably loud to Kerry, but she didn’t react to it, sitting down instead and folding her hands on the table.
Alastair regarded her across the entire length of the conference table, then he stood up, and walked around to where she was, perching on the edge of the wooden surface and crossing his arms over his chest.
”That was gross insubordination, Ms. Stuart,” he remarked coolly.
”I know,” Kerry replied, looking up at him. ”I hear that runs in my department.”
Alastair McLean had grayish blue eyes, almost as striking as Dar’s.
Right now, they were regarding her with the faintest hint of, something.
”Your former boss was not known for a being a team player.”
Former. Kerry felt a little sad. ”No, it’s just that she refuses to play on a losing team,” she replied.
He nodded a little. ”I have her position to fill, Ms. Stuart. You’re Hurricane Watch
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smart, and you’re sharp. I think you’d do well in it.”
Kerry gazed at him. ”Respectfully, sir, I wouldn’t work for someone who allowed someone like her to leave without just cause.”
He cocked his head. ”I believe that’s the most politely put ‘kiss my ass’ I’ve ever heard, Ms. Stuart,” Alastair remarked. ”So you don’t want the job? It comes with a nice raise, good perks, a big advancement for someone your age and experience level.”
The green eyes glinted dangerously. ”I guess I didn’t explain myself.” Kerry cleared her throat. ”Kiss my ass,” she paused, ”Sir.”
The CEO rubbed his jaw, then got up off the desk and pulled the chair next to her out, sitting down in it so they were knee to knee. ”You know, Ms. Stuart, when you first got brought on board, I thought Dar was nuts.” He twiddled his fingers together. ”I had no idea what she was up to, but I let her go ahead with it because I trust her judgment.”
He paused reflectively. ”She’s earned that trust.”
Kerry remained quiet, merely watching his face intently.
“She’s earned that trust with fifteen years of yanking my Brooks Brothers covered ass out of some of the toughest situations you could hope to find in this bastardized business we’re in,” Alastair continued.
“I wouldn’t trade her for three billion dollar contracts and a bottle of hundred dollar scotch.”
Kerry cocked her head just slightly to one side. “Me either.”
”You think you can get me an audience with her?” Now the blue gray eyes took on the faintest hint of a twinkle.
Kerry glanced down at the table, hiding a smile, then looked up.
”Yes, I can do that,” she answered softly. ”She’s at home.”
Alastair smiled at her. ”Good.”
Kerry took a breath. ”That was a test, wasn’t it?” She hazarded warily. ”Offering me her job?”
The eyes twinkled visibly now.
”Did I pass?” she dared.
”Like a champ,” he replied, with a chuckle. ”You’ve proven a true disciple of Dar, Ms. Stuart, so take it easy.”
Kerry exhaled. ”Sorry, it’s been a really long day,” she admitted, as she got up and walked across to where a phone rested on a wall side credenza. ”Hang on.” She dialed a number, unsurprised when it was picked up before it even rang once. ”Hi.”
”Hey.” Dar’s voice was worried. ”Everything okay?”
”I think so,” Kerry told her, in a low voice. ”Alastair wants to come see you.”
”Ah.” Her lover mulled this over. ”Yeah, sure, why not?” she replied. ”You can bring him over then run Dad back over to the mainland; give us a few minutes to duke it out.”
”Gotcha.” Kerry felt a quiet sense of relief flood over her. ”See you in a few.” She hung up and returned to the conference table. ”I’ll give you a ride over there if you want,” she told the CEO.
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”Best offer I’ve had all day,” Alastair replied, cheerfully. ”Let’s go.”
DAR PUT THE phone down, and glanced at her father. ”Well.” She scrubbed her face. ”I guess I’d better go take a shower and put some clothes on. My boss is coming over.”
Andrew put his hands behind his head and stretched out his body, stiff from a long afternoon of crocodile watching. ”He all right?”
”More or less, yeah.” Dar hoisted herself to her feet and grabbed her crutches, moving towards her bedroom. ”Be right back.”
Her father scratched Chino’s head and crossed his ankles. ”Be careful now, Dardar. Don’t be slipping up in there.”
She stopped, unseen, at the doorway and gazed at him with quiet affection. Then she shook her head and moved into the bathroom, stripping off her pajamas and starting the water running. Dar waited for a moment as she removed the leg brace, then carefully moved into the stall shower. Her leg hurt a little, but nothing like it had the other day, and she was cautiously optimistic as she limped under the warm water.
It felt great. She gingerly scrubbed her body, avoiding the scratches from the trip, and carefully washed her hair around the still tender bump above her ear. It seemed to have gone down, though, and she stood under the force of the water for several minutes, just letting the pressure ease some of the tension out of her.