Page 7 of The Grizzly Situation
It was said without any inflection at all, so I couldn’t tell if he was trying to be funny or not. I handed the card back to him. “I don’t think I’m the right fit for you.”
He shook his head. “Why not let me decide that? I don’t make this offer lightly, you know. I’m not going to say it’ll be easy, or that you’ll love the work. We don’t take those who can’t or won’t fit in with our... eclectic group. If you choose to do this, you’d have to work twice as hard to show you can fit in with everyone else.” He reached out and closed my fingers around the card. “Keep it, and think it over.”
“Where would I have to go?” I asked, doing my best to find a reason why this wasn’t going to work. I didn’t want to get my hopes up.
“Our headquarters is in Bear Mountain, Oregon. I’d like you to come there for an initial meeting, but trust me, it’s only a formality.”
“I’ve never heard of it.”
He nodded as Uncle Dom delivered the coffee. He glanced at me, then scurried away. “Not a lot of people have. Small town charm, but close enough to a few mid-sized cities, like Joseph, that you can drive to in under an hour. The largest city near us is Boise, Idaho, which is about a hundred thirty miles away.
“Why so remote?” I asked. “Doesn’t it get... I don’t know. Lonely?”
He shrugged. “We work hard, but there are plenty of opportunities to get out and enjoy nature. It’s not for everyone. If you’re a party type, then you’d definitely want somewhere more energetic. It works out though, because we have other divisions around the country, so finding a spot you’d like shouldn’t be hard. We have offices in New York, Los Angeles, Houston. If that’s not your style, you can go to Hong Kong China, Yokohama, Japan, Jakarta, Indonesia, Delhi, India, or many other places. Of course, not all of them will have something you’d like or feel like doing. I know this is weird, but think about it, okay?”
I nodded, but the question nagged at me. “Why would you do this?”
BRENT
The breath was knockedfrom my lungs when I slammed into the wall. Peter Small—who was way bigger than his name suggested—stood over me, not even having broken a sweat.
“Get up.”
I shook my head. I wasn’t stupid. I knew that if I did, he’d just knock me down again. “I give.”
That usually worked, but not today. He drew back his leg, and kicked me hard in the ribs, which sent me skittering across the floor. “You’re fucking pathetic! You’ll always be weak. You know what you should do? Kill yourself, and save everyone else from having to deal with you.”
My eyes burned, and the tears streamed down my cheeks. Peter and his friends strode away, crowing about having beaten the wimp. Meanwhile, I sat in the locker room wondering how I was going to explain to my father about the torn clothes and bloody nose this time. The door opened, and I shrank back into the corner, fearful that Peter and his buddies had returned for round two already. Instead of Peter, though, it was Chaim Flynn, the son of one of the most respected families in the sleuth. Chaim was bigger than Peter, smarter than him too. In fact, Chaim was one of the brightest people I knew. He and Benjy Matthews were each incredible, but together they redefined amazing.
I curled in the corner, doing my best to stay hidden. Of course, Chaim heard me. He turned, dropped the books he had in his hands onto the wooden bench, and strode over to me. When he got to where I lay, he knelt down and cupped my chin.
“You okay?” he rumbled.
I nodded.
“Don’t lie to me. Are you okay?”
This time I paused, then shook my head. “Hurts,” I managed to get out.
“Where?”
I pointed to my ribs. “He kicked me.”
Cautiously, Chaim lifted me from the floor and held me to him. “Let me get you to the nurse.”
I thrashed in his arms. “No, I’m okay.”
Kill yourself.
“No, you’re not. Stop struggling.”
But I didn’t, and the pain shot through me. Chaim put me down, but held onto my shoulders.
“What’s going on, man?”
“He said... He said...” I refused to cry. I would not let Chaim see the tears fall.
Chaim wiped a finger under my eye, letting me know I had failed. “Hey, it’s okay. We’re buddies. Talk to me.”
