Page 103 of Due Dilligence (Takeover)
Are you okay?
Yes and no. Tell me the truth. Do I still have a job?
Yes. Of course.
I yelled at Sam.
So I heard. He’s fine. He’s forgiving in that respect. And he does understand.
I need to call a cab.
Yes. Get out of there.
He needed to, because the adrenaline was wearing off. He pulled up a taxi app, punched in his info, and got his confirmation. Ten minutes.
Only thing left to do was text Todd.
I’m done here. Getting a cab to the Marriott. Call me later.
Fazil slung the strap of his bag over his shoulder. If he were lucky, they’d leave him alone and just let him walk out. But no, on the other side of the door, Sandra and a security guard waited.
Really? He handed Sandra his access card. “Do you need to search me, too?”
“No.” She was drawn and pale. “This is for your protection, not ours.”
Well,shit.He headed for the exit. “I’ve already called a cab. I’ll wait in the building lobby.”
Even after they’d passed the office door, they stuck with him, riding down the elevator and standing in the lobby while he waited. His protection.Sure.
“Dr. Kurt, I wish things hadn’t turned out this way.”
He tightened his grip on his bag and his phone vibrated in his jeans pocket. “As do I.”
“For what it’s worth, your work was exemplary. I told Mr. Anderson that.”
“Thank you.” He paused. “You have a serious problem. You know that, right?”
Her lips thinned out as she pressed them together. No words, though.
“I think you know who their next target will be.” He certainly did. Another buzz from his phone. Probably a text from the very man he was speaking about now.
She met his gaze. “There are issues there.” She cocked her head. “Some of whichyoucaused, Dr. Kurt.”
True. And false. “I think you’ll find there were quite a fewissuesbefore I ever stepped foot in Seattle.”
She shifted but said nothing.
Outside, his cab pulled up. “Men like Nathan and Ryan... I’d watch your own back, Dr. Jackson.” He didn’t even wait to hear her response, but pushed through the door and climbed into the cab.
“You said the Marriott, right? Town Center?” Accented. A foreigner.Like him.
“Yes.”
The driver eyed him in the rearview mirror. “Where are you from?”
Fazil snorted. “To be honest, I’m not sure I know anymore.”
That wasn’t the answer the cabbie had expected, he was sure, but it meant he left Fazil alone. He kept his cell phone tucked into his pocket, even when it buzzed again. The moment he read Todd’s texts, he knew he’d lose it, so he sat and stared out the window. The sky was gray and misty and there were no mountains in sight.
