Page 18 of Boss

Chapter 5

“Mr. Marshall, this is the captain speaking. We are making our final descent into Tacoma International Airport. The local time is 1:56pm and the temperature is 27 degrees Fahrenheit. The plane will refuel for approximately one hour. We will adhere to our schedule to Anchorage as planned. Thank you, sir.”

Tarek pressed the bridge of his nose. Fatigue had settled in to his spine. He sat up and winced. The flight into Deadhorse would require two stops and take about sixteen hours if they continued. The next lag will be to Anchorage from Seattle and possibly a stay overnight before continuing on to Prudehoe Bay. Tarek unlatched his seatbelt. He got up from his seat and walked over to his new protégé. He’d given her space during their four-hour journey to work. Time was up.

She glanced over at him when he arrived and gave him a small smile but soon after looked away when he smiled in return. Her beauty was unmasked nonetheless. Often a woman’s inner beauty was revealed in her smile. Tarek ignored its beguiling power and took the seat next to her as a matter of business. He suspected her attempt at putting together a financial appraisal for drilling in Alaska to compete with the three top mining companies already there would be juvenile at best. Some of his best people had been working on the very same thing for the past two years and failed. But she worked in silence during the flight and now he was curious.

“What do you have for me?”

“Here,” she pushed over the laptop with had a screen displaying graphs and spreadsheets. “I have nothing for you.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing. Impressive.”

“Look closer. I ran the numbers. I can’t offer much of anything because I don’t understand what the hell MGS is doing in Deadhorse? That contract is the worse one for any new project in the region too many loopholes and penalties. You have no position to bargain with. The capital investment will cost you, your profits for the next seven years. What I’ve given you is mathematically too costly to implement but the best option if you enjoy flushing money down the toilet.”

He glanced up with stark surprise. It was indeed the worst deal ever to be made. One his brother Dale could never see through. But she had seen it all in just four hours. How was that fucking possible? He looked over her figures as the jet touched down on the runway. They were jostled in their seats. She gripped the arm of her chair and he noticed. So she did have fears? Interesting. He smiled at her work. It was a very good attempt. He glanced over at her and she kept her gaze averted away. He’d shown her a bit of the darkness he carried with him and it scared her. Well it scared him too. No matter what, he wouldn’t cross the line with her again. It was too much of a distraction.

The phone in his pocket rang. He removed it.

“This is Tarek.”

“We need to talk,” Dale said.

“Fuck talking. I will see you when I retur—”

“You attacked Henry!” Dale seethed.

“I had a conversation with our brother.”

“You shoved his head in the toilet! You fucking psycho! This has gone far enough. I’ve met with Havarti and the board. That’s right little brother. They met with me without you. I’m getting a court order to see father. And the next court order I’m getting is to keep you the fuck away from him. I’m going to stop you.”

Tarek ended the call. He glanced over to his companion. She looked over at him. “This will do.”

“Mr. Marshall, they are ready for you and Mrs. Brown,” the flight attendant said.

“Shall we?” he asked.

She blinked at the attendant with only a glimmer of curiosity. Tarek left his seat and stepped back for her to pass. Kassidy eased out of her seat. Together they debarked. The cold wind howled and snow pushed hard at them. Tarek used the large umbrella offered to him to shield her from the downpour. He had to put his arm around her shoulders to keep her close and covered. They walked quickly to the hanger under the protection he offered.

When they entered the only thing to be seen in the open large space big enough to park four or five jets was a rolling rack of coats at the center. A man and woman sharply dressed waited. He closed the umbrella.

“Care to explain?” she asked with a hint of a smile.

“We’re headed to one of the coldest places on earth. You need to be ready,” he told her.

“Good explanation.” She let go of his hand. “So I can take whatever I want?”

“Whatever you want.”

The woman and the man approached them both. “Mr. Marshall welcome sir,” said Jefferie.

“Please meet Ms. Angela Brown. She will be accompanying me. Do you have what I asked?”

“Yes sir. Hello mam,” he said with a curt bow. “This way. Mr. Marshall said you were a size six. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct,” she smiled and glanced back at him.

It turned out that Kassidy was quite good at shopping. There were an assortment of coats, gloves, jackets and boots to choose from. Tarek watched her reject several and separate the styles she would wear. He liked the white one she modeled with the oversized fur lined hood and matching snow boots. It was her final choice. His snow bunny grinned with approval. She glanced at him and he winked. Again he felt his phone buzz. He checked it and received the message he’d been waiting on. A confirmation that the meeting he requested with Yegor Kovalevsky was approved.

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