Page 53 of Stick to the Plan
The single word sounds like a gunshot in the empty office. Richard flinches as if shot, his face turns an unhealthy red and his breaths come inangry pants. He leans over the table where I sit, trying to intimidate me with his size. That won’t work anymore.
“No? You have the nerve to tell me no?” He is practically screaming. Spit flies from his mouth.
I stand from the desk and look him straight in the eye, letting my professional mask slip enough to show the hatred I feel. “Fuck this, and fuck you. I’m not lying to save your ass. You’re crazy if you think I’d actually agree to this. I quit, effective immediately. Good luck, Dick.”
Richard collapses into a chair, sputtering. I snatch my few items and storm off, slamming the door behind me.
Barely three steps from the door, Stan is by my side, his long legs keeping up with my furious pace. “Brianna, what the hell happened? Also, how the fuck do you walk so fast in heels?”
Not slowing, I dump my stuff on my desk and look through my drawers for a bag. “I quit.”
“You did what?” Stan steps into my path and puts his hands on my arms, forcing me to stop and look at him. His eyes shine with concern as he searches my face. “Why did you do that? What did that asshole say to you?” His voice is so husky it’s nearly an angry growl. The fact he cares about me is evident.
Sighing, a little of my anger fades. Placing my hand on Stan’s arm reassuringly, I look up at my friend. “He offered me the promotion if I said Colin is the mole. I refused.” Stan’s eyes widen, and he lowers himself to my desk, swearing under his breath. “It’s fine, Stan. I can’t sell my soul for this place. I have the restaurant and I’ll find another project management job. Really, I’ll be OK.”
He looks crestfallen as he gazes up at me. I’m really going to miss him. Stan stands and pulls me into a hug. “This sucks, kid. Promise you’ll call me.”
I sniff back sudden tears. “Yea, I’ll reach out when I settle somewhere.”
With one last squeeze and a sniffle of his own, Stan heads back to his office, head hung low. I watch him walk off and fish out my cell, clicking Colin’s name. The call goes straight to voicemail. Dammit, he must still be flying. “Colin, it’s Brianna. Call me back as soon as you get this.” I toss my phone in my purse and get back to packing. The first drawer isn’t even empty yet when a shadow crossed my desk. Looking up, I find my favorite IT specialist, Gabe Diaz, standing over me. One of his eyebrows cocks as he surveys my packing.
“Hey, Gabe. Glad you’re here. I just quit and I don’t trust anyone else with these.” I hand him my work laptop and tablet.
“Uh, if you quit I guess you won’t be wanting this.” He holds up a USB drive.
Don’t do it, Brianna. Not your job anymore. In the end, my curiosity wins out. “What’s that?”
“You were right. The trail to McLeary was a red herring. I found a bit of malware installed on his PC. The trail went cold until a few days ago when there was an unusual log in late at night. I traced the IP addresses and discovered someone accessed the files and emailed them from a secondary PC assigned to the temp pool. The executive admin temp pool.” He pauses, letting that sink in. “If you quit, though, I’ll just turn this into legal.”
“Wait.” I grab a pad of paper and a pen and write off two quick notes. “Please, make a second copy and send them to these people with these letters. I’ll buy you dinner at Pop as a thank you.”
Gabe takes the papers from my hand and purses his lips in thought. “For you, Queen B, anything. Take care of yourself.” With a nod, he leaves me to my packing.
Fifteen minutes later, I’ve cleared all personal items from my desk. It’s surprising security hasn’t come to throw me out yet. Maybe Richard is still having a meltdown in Colin’s office.
I juggle my purse on one shoulder, a canvas tote on the other, balance a box on one hip, and hug a potted palm to my stomach. Damn fronds keep hitting me in the face. It is slow going, but I manage to only stumble twice on the way to the elevator. How the fuck am I going to hit the button? Didn’t think this one through, did you, Brianna? Just as I am blowing the frond out of my face for the hundredth time, and contemplating balancing on one high heel to shift the items, a voice calls out behind me.
“Here, let me help.” Masculine hands take the box and plant from my hands. I’m surprised to find Johnson standing next to me. I hit the elevator button with a quiet thank you as I try to think of what to say. At the bing, he jerks his chin to indicate I should go first. We descend in silence, which continues as he follows me to my car. After I’d belt the plant into the passenger seat, I turn back to Johnson.
He stands with his hands in his pockets, looking down at his feet awkwardly. “Brianna, this isn’t right. You’re the best project manager they have. I’ve learned so much from watching you work. I may not know you well, but I know there’s no way you had anything to do with the leak.” His words ring with certainty as his face pinches with unhappiness.
His sincerity surprises me. True, we’ve worked in the same department for almost four years, but we’ve never interacted outside of staff meetings. In fact, this is probably the longest conversation we’d ever had. Impassioned outrage I can see from Stan and Gabe - we’ve spent countless hours together on different projects. This unwavering trust from Johnson is touching.
My lips quirk into a smile, and I rest my hand lightly on his shoulder until he looks up at me. “Thank you, Johnson. It’s for the best. I should have quit a long time ago.”
Still looking conflicted, he pulls a card out of his pocket and gives it to me. “When you land somewhere running a project office of your own, give me a call if they’re looking for more project managers. I would be honored to work for you.”
Eyes widening, I take the card and read it: Leslie Johnson, Project Manager.
Leslie?
I look back up but Johnson is already walking back into the building. I give the doors of C.A.E one last look and get in my car, pull out of the parking lot, and don’t look back.
Chapter thirty-six
What Happens in Vegas
Brianna
