“Sparkles, can you bring in the new contract that was faxed over a few minutes ago and head into Jackson’s office?” Mark pauses at my office door and then rushes away.
I grab the papers and head over to his office. It’s been two weeks since I’ve been working here and so far it’s been great. They realized quickly I was definitely overqualified and I’m now handling all the scheduling and mission preparation.
“Hey,” I say as I walk in. Jackson and Mark are laughing at God knows what.
“Hey, come in,” Jackson instructs and he slaps Mark. “I need to see how many guys we have open to send if we get the Africa mission.”
I nod and hand over the papers I brought with me. The way Jackson was able to start this company and handle complex missions is seriously impressive. They’ve been getting more requests and aren’t able to fulfill them all due to staffing. Apparently Aaron handled recruiting and they’ve not filled his position.
“I think you guys need to do a recruiting session or something. There have been a lot of inquiries and you’re turning clients away,” I suggest and they both glance at me with a pensive look.
“Lee,” Jackson says with caution. “I know you just started, and let’s face it, you’re doing way more than what we hired you for. I need someone who’s smart, who can read these guys, and get some new blood in here. I’ll turn away business before I’ll send anyone unprepared or understaffed.”
“Are you offering me another promotion?” This is by far the fastest anyone has ever moved up in a company.
Jackson nods and Mark laughs. “I’m sure you’re bored out of your fucking mind answering a phone that rings once every hour. Besides, dickface leaves in a few days and I need someone with a brain.”
I look out into the office where there are others who’ve been here for a long time. They bust their asses and have been dedicated to the company far longer than me. “What about the others?”
Mark glances over, and for the first time, looks serious. “There’s a lot you don’t know regarding what they do. They aren’t administrative.”
“Okay,” I say confused, but I let it drop. “What all does this entail? I mean, I have Aarabelle and I didn’t even want to come back to work.”
Jackson stands and heads over to the wall of pictures. “I would never let this take away from Aara. Mark and I will make sure of that. You just have to be honest with us and let us know.” He rubs his hand down his face. “If you take it, there are going to be some background and clearance things I’ll need you to do.”
Mark kicks his feet up on Jackson’s desk and gives a taunting look. “Don’t make Muffin suffer too long. He’s already starting to go grey.”
“Fuck off.”
“Do I get to referee you two?” I ask and slap Mark’s leg.
Mark laughs and drops his legs. “I always win.”
Jackson scoffs and walks behind us, slapping Mark in the back of the head. I swear these two are like children. It’s some kind of genetic tic they all have.
“Okay, if you think I’m the right person, Jackson, I’ll do whatever you need.”
Both of their demeanors shift slightly. I can feel the tension from both of them. “Lee,” Jackson says drawing my attention to him, “You’ll have access to a lot of information and files. Things that are locked on your computer now because of your clearance. When we do this, you’ll no longer be locked out.”
“Ummm, okay?”
“I don’t have any doubts you’ll get the clearance, so I want to tell you about one.”
Mark puts his hand on my shoulder, “It’s about Aaron.”
“What about Aaron?” I ask hesitantly. What could they possibly have in a file that I don’t know about? It was an IED . . . there’s not much else to have in a secret file.
Jackson sits on the edge of his desk and the serious look in his eyes scares me. “We’ve been investigating the attack on his vehicle. I think it was targeted.”
“Targeted how? I mean, who would target him?”
He grips the bridge of his nose and exhales. “Not him. I think they wanted to attack me. I don’t know. At this point, we don’t have much info, but there’s a file and I didn’t want you to find out about it from someone or some other way.”
“I don’t understand,” I say conflicted. I was told his death was just that—a death. It doesn’t make any sense as to why they’d be looking into it.
“Natalie,” Mark calls my attention to him. “No one kills a member of this team without us following up. There were issues with our supply drop. Aaron went out there to investigate and then he died. Then, we go out and Muff gets himself shot. It doesn’t add up.” The tone of his voice is commanding and yet still the Mark I know.
I should’ve known they weren’t going to let this go, and honestly, I’m glad. These are good men, honorable men who won’t let someone’s life go without having answers. However, this isn’t going to be easy for me. I’ve started to feel again, to live, and then this thing with Liam. Hell, I don’t even know if it is a thing.