Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 77309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“That’s not everything.” Lisa shifts foot to foot. “Allison’s smart. She’s really smart, and extremely focused, but she only wants to do things her way. She basically terrorized my team every day. And finally, yesterday…” Lisa clears her throat.
“Someone exploded,” Isabel guesses.
“Yes, finally someone couldn’t take it anymore. I won’t say who, but Allison deserved it. I had a talk with my team member and we’re all good, but I’m afraid maybe Allison took it to heart. She’s very sensitive.” Lisa’s staring at the ceiling when the elevator reaches Allison’s floor. I stalk over to her room, knock twice, then use my master key to get inside.
It’s still barren. Most of the breakables are gone. But now there are little touches everywhere: throw pillows, blankets, paintings on the walls, fuzzy slippers in the corner. I stare around, surprised. Isabel wanders in after me, running her hand over a stack of books, a pair of headphones, framed photographs of a younger Allison and her friends.
“It looks like she moved in,” I say with genuine surprise. “Nobody told me about all this.”
“Nobody knew until Damon came in here earlier.” Lisa remains near the door. “She’s not around. Trust me, he checked.”
I turn to study her, considering. “How many guys does he have on this?”
“A lot. I didn’t count.”
“And there’s no word from her? Nothing?”
“Nothing. Conlan, honestly, I’m so sorry, I did my best to keep her happy without letting her destroy the place, but—”
I hold up a hand to silence her. I take a deep breath and let it out, calming myself. It won’t help anything if I drag Lisa over hot coals right now. “It isn’t your fault.”
She seems dubious. “I mean, maybe, but—”
“You are not a babysitter. It’s not part of your normal job description to deal with someone like Allison. You did the best you could.”
“Thank you.” Lisa seems taken aback, like she never expected me to understand.
I’m a hard man. I live to the fullest, enjoy having a good time, but at work I don’t take bullshit. I have a difficult reputation among my staff, which is probably why Lisa’s so surprised right now.
I’m also fair. I don’t punish employees for little mistakes, especially ones that weren’t their fault. I demand a lot, but I give a lot in return.
Lisa isn’t at fault here.
No, if anyone’s to blame, it’s me.
“Go back to your office. Leave early if you need to. I’ll handle this from here.”
“Right. Okay. I’d be happy to help though—”
“You’re not in trouble, don’t worry. You’ve been a huge help already.”
“Sure.” Lisa glances at Isabel, bemused, and heads out.
I turn in a circle, surveying the room. I should’ve been more on top of this instead of leaning on my subordinates. I won’t make that mistake again.
Isabel studies me from across the room like she’s not sure what to make of all this. “Stop giving me that look,” I say.
“You were nice to her.”
“And?”
“I expected you to rip her apart.”
“I meant what I said. Lisa’s not a fucking babysitter.” I glare at Isabel. “Stop giving me that look.”
“You were kind. You handled that well.” She laughs and comes closer. “I don’t think I ever pictured the day. I’m proud of you.”
“I can still fire her.”
“You won’t, you big softie.”
I roll my eyes and bat her away when she tries to give me a condescending hug.
Once she stops goofing around, I gesture at the room.
“This isn’t the space of someone that plans on running away,” I say, trying to put this mess together in my head. “All her stuff is still here.”
“That’s what I was thinking too.” Isabel picks up a book, some romance novel with a mark halfway through. “It’s like she moved in and planned on staying for a while.”
“Then why disappear today of all days?”
“I don’t know.” She chews her lip and tosses the book aside. “Lisa mentioned a fight. Maybe that’s part of it. But are you sure she did disappear?”
“Explain.”
“If Allison hated it here and she wanted to leave, she had a million opportunities to make our lives a living hell, and even more to run away.”
My eyebrows raise. “You’re telling me she hasn’t made life difficult already?”
“Honestly, I think she’s been on her best behavior.” At my look, Isabel grins. “Her best, anyway.”
“What is this, then?”
“I don’t know.” Isabel paces across the room. “But look at this place. Have you ever decorated a temporary hotel room before? She plans on being here for a while, so why would she run away?”
I grunt, not really convinced. Allison’s like a wild horse: push too hard, move too fast, and she bolts. That fight with Lisa’s subordinate might’ve been all the encouragement she needed to escape.
“This is just distraction.” I gesture at all the stuff. “She’s clever. That girl knows what she’s doing, and this is what she wants us to think.”