Red Hourglass (10 page)

* * *

The next few days were excruciating. I couldn’t let my mind wander into dangerous territory, so I established a routine to keep busy—read the business news, workout, eat, sleep, repeat.

I continued monitoring the career page on the Wilmar site. I must’ve refreshed it hundreds of times—I knew it was in the hundreds because every time I refreshed the page I shredded a piece of paper with my blood-red switchblade. A mountain of sliced paper covered the floor next to my desk, and my ream of paper was down to the last few sheets.

The weight of the knife in my hand gave me a sense of security. I loved the sound of the blade flicking straight out of the blood-red handle when I pressed the button. The gleaming stainless steel gave me a sense of control. I enjoyed carefully gliding the blade over my smooth skin and turning it like a spinning top on my palm. The sharp blade concealed in the blood-red sheath was just like me—a deadly weapon hidden beneath a pretty cover.

I practiced my knife skills on homemade ballistic gel that I learned to make at the Academy. The gel somewhat emulated flesh and allowed me to practice
sculpting
. I experimented with different blades—thin, thick, light, heavy, long, short—stabbing and twisting and carving like an obsessed artist trying to make sense of my art … the art of the kill.

Cutting up the ballistic gel wasn’t nearly as satisfying as slicing up my prey. It couldn’t give me the same high as cutting up my targets and watching the blood spill from their mutilated flesh as the life drained from their eyes. I especially liked looking at the expressions on their faces before they submitted to death. Each target became a heavenly masterpiece under my knife. If I wasn’t armed with my blades for some reason, a dinner fork or knife would suffice. They can both be used to pierce and slice meat. There’s no difference between slicing up animals and slicing up humans.
Humans kill animals and I kill humans.
I guess I’m over the ordeal with the mobsters
.

The phone rang.

“Hello.”

“This is Mrs. Little from Wilmar. I’d like to offer you the position of secretary to Mr. Conan Casey. Are you still interested?”

“I am.”

“Perfect. I’ll email over your employment contract. You start Monday morning at eight thirty. Please bring me a signed copy of the contract first thing.”

“I will Mrs. Little. Thank you.”

“You’re most welcome. See you Monday.” She hung up.

I have to get a new ream of paper to print the contract and I better call Vanus. The White Queen is going to be so pleased
.

First Day at Work

On Monday morning, I arrived at Wilmar a few minutes early. I went to the reception desk to get my security pass.

“I heard you got the job. Congrats,” said Peter. “Let me get you your pass. S-C-A-R-L-E-T W-A-L-T-E-R-S.” He said as he typed my name with one finger.

“Thanks Peter. I’m so glad to be here.”

“First job?” he asked. He wiped his gigantic nose with a tissue and hit return on his computer.

“Well … I interned as a secretary for a while.”

“Just stay on your toes young lady. Rome wasn’t built in a day and you’ll probably make some mistakes, but don’t ever forget that Mr. Casey has high standards.” He leaned forward to hand me my pass and whispered, “When he’s nice he’s nice … but when he’s not …” Peter made a fist and smashed it down on his other hand like a wrecking ball. “Watch out.”

“Thanks for the heads-up.” I smiled and waved goodbye to Peter as I walked to the security turnstile.
Well my pass works, that’s good
.

I stopped to give Mrs. Little my signed contract before going up to the sixtieth floor. The elevator ride made me feel like a lab rat in an experiment.

I opened the door of the security department and stepped inside. The employees were buried in their cubicles answering calls, printing mountains of documents, and carrying them from one place to another. The whole situation was foreign and unnatural, unlike anything I’d ever known. I was miserable on the farm, but at least I could run and dance without anyone watching.

None of the worker rats took any notice of me as I walked around the clinical cubicles to the far corner. I knocked on Mr. Casey’s door.

“Good morning Scarlet,” said Mr. Casey as he came out of his office and shut the door.

I still wasn’t used to my new name and I froze momentarily. He smelled manly, and with his jacket off I could see his well-defined arms.
Damn
,
he’s handsome
.
Shit
!
What am I thinking
?
I’m here on a mission
.

“Good morning Mr. Casey.” I smiled.

“This is your station,” he said, pointing at the desk outside his office. “You’ll be doing all the normal secretarial jobs … correspondence, filing, answering my calls, scheduling my appointments, and running interference out here. Don’t let anyone in my office without checking with me first, even if they have an appointment. Do you know how to use the intercom and transfer calls on this phone system?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Dial nine for an outside line, and there’s a list of internal extensions next to your phone. I generally take the important calls … don’t worry, you’ll be able to figure out when it’s an important call … and you’ll take messages the rest of the time. Each and every call is logged in our system. There’s an app for it on your computer. You have to type the caller’s name and message into the fields. That’s very important. I’ll leave a bit of paperwork in your inbox later, to help get you in the swing of things. If you’re not busy, I don’t mind if you read or go online. However, our system is pretty tightly controlled, so you won’t be able to get on any dubious sites, and no using your work email for anything personal.”

“Yes Mr. Casey.”

“One more thing … do you have any problem running out to get my lunch?”

“Not all sir.”

“Great. By the way, most people here call me by my first name, Conan.”

“Yes sir … Conan.” He seemed easy enough to work for, but he was still making me more nervous by the minute. I couldn’t lower my guard too much.

“Looks like we’re off to a good start.” He chuckled. “I want to give you a tour of the department and introduce you to some key personnel.”

Conan’s long strides made it hard for me to keep up with him without breaking into a trot. He said hello to a few worker rats as he pointed at me and told them I was his new secretary. He finally knocked on an office door.

“This is Kelvin,” said Conan as a middle-aged man opened the door. “Kelvin, this is Scarlet. She’s my new secretary.”

“Nice to meet you Scarlet.” Kelvin shook my hand with a firm grip.

“You too.” I smiled.

Kelvin was a rather large man, about twice the width of Conan. He looked like he could’ve been a champion bodybuilder in a former life, but I felt at ease with him. I suspected that he was a gentle giant.

“Kelvin’s second-in-command. If something urgent comes up when I’m not around, let him know immediately,” said Conan.

“If you need anything, just say the word,” said Kelvin.

“Thanks Kelvin,” I said. “I have a question. How big is the department … I mean how many security guards are employed by Wilmar?”

“We currently have over a thousand security guards and we’re hiring more every day,” said Conan. “They keep watch over our properties, but if anything serious happens on-site one of us checks it out.”

“Sometimes we have to rush off in the middle of the night, but we take turns being on call for that,” Kelvin said. “Of course, I don’t let the big boss go anywhere without his bodyguards.”

“Kelvin and I went to military school together. He’s my best friend.” Conan put his arm around Kelvin’s broad shoulders. “He’s got my back. Right buddy?”

“That’s right boss,” Kelvin bellowed as his muscles bulged.

“Now, buddy, if you’ll excuse us, I’ll finish giving Scarlet the tour.”

“Sure thing,” Kelvin said with a nod of approval.

Conan introduced me to the rest of the people with offices in our department. There were middle managers, trainers, and supervisors. Most of the security guards worked in teams in the different buildings, and each team had a supervisor who reported to Conan.

“Security’s a vital asset at Wilmar. We don’t outsource it,” Conan said as he pointed out the various emergency exits. “If there’s an issue or a security breach at a building, we deal with it ourselves posthaste.”

“You mentioned that the network here is locked down, if you will. So who handles internet security?” I asked.

“I’ll introduce you to him now,” said Conan as we left the department. “Oh, the
facilities
are just over there.” He pointed past the elevators to the bathrooms.

We crossed the hall and went through the door with the “IT Department” sign. The department was completely open-plan with no offices around the perimeter. They worked at desks and tables—not in cubicles—and they had great views of the river.

“This is Christophe. He’s our best IT guy,” said Conan. “Christophe, meet Scarlet. She’s my new secretary.”

“Pleased to meet you Scarlet,” said Christophe. “Welcome to Wilmar.”

He had a light complexion and a lean build, and he spoke with a slight French accent.

“Christophe’s from Montreal. He’s our resident white hat genius.” Conan smiled. “If there’s any sign that your computer’s been hacked, or if you have any computer trouble at all, report it to him. He’ll take care of it.”

“I’ve set up your account and email address,” Christophe said as he handed me a slip of paper. “Here’s your user name and password. Use them to log into the computer … and then change your password. You should have access to everything you need through the apps and icons on the desktop. It’s fairly straightforward. I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out, but give me a shout if you have any problems.”

“
Merci beaucoup
.” I took the paper and shook Christophe’s hand.

“Okay, tour’s over. Time to get to work,” said Conan with a loud clap.

Conan eyed Christophe as he slunk back to his desk. Conan’s clap had gotten everyone’s attention, but they all seemed to bow their heads as we walked past them to the door.
I guess I’m not the only one who gets nervous around him
.

We went back to our department and I logged into my computer. The phone started ringing and I spent the morning taking messages and putting appointments in Conan’s calendar.

As soon as Conan left for a meeting, I took out my notebook. I wrote down the names and details of everyone I’d met, along with some other notes.

By the end of the day, it was obvious that Conan ran his department with a top-down military command style. He was the alpha wolf. I stood up and looked over the rows of cubicles.
I’m not stuck in a cubicle, but I’m definitely one of the worker rats … or a worker wolf in Conan’s pack
.

The first day went fine. The only thing that bothered me was the fact that I found Conan so unsettling.

* * *

I didn’t tell Mimi I got the job, or which floor I worked on, but that didn’t stop her from finding me the next day.

“Hey, you got the job!” Mimi said as she walked to my desk.

She was wearing a cute miniskirt and checked blouse. Her anime schoolgirl look seemed out of place in the office. I wondered if she was suitable for the corporate world.
Our sisters in HR must’ve made sure she got the job
.

“Shh. Keep your voice down. Let’s head out before my boss sees us,” I said. Mimi was definitely not being discreet. I locked the files I was working on in my drawer and grabbed my handbag.

“Okay serious girl,” she teased.

We squeezed into the crowded elevator and went down to the lobby.

“I know a place. Come on,” I said.

We went to Café Ristretto, just around the corner from Wilmar. It was crowded, but we got our food and found a table on the edge of the patio. It was noisy enough that no one would be able to hear our conversation.

“So, how’s work?” I asked.

“A desk job isn’t my thing, but it’s fine,” said Mimi, unwrapping her sandwich.

“It’s different all right,” I said as I ate a spoonful of soup.

“Yeah. I’d rather be stalking strangers. At least your job in security is more interesting … and you can ogle the bodyguards and that big shot boss.”

“I met a good-looking French Canadian. His name is Christophe and he’s in the IT department.”

“Who do you prefer, Conan or Christophe?” Mimi asked.

“I hardly know them, but Conan has this mysterious appeal. I think he’s a big bad wolf.”

“A big bad wolf! Oh Buddha!” said Mimi in a high-pitched voice. “Be careful there or he might just eat you up.” She bit into her sandwich.

“He definitely preys on people.” I sipped my coffee. “Any hots for Miller?”

“Miller? Nah. Maybe if he loses some weight and grows some hair!” Mimi laughed. “You’d have to pay me to sleep with him.”

“You just might have to … if it’s required for the job,” I teased her.

“Oh shut up, that’s gross!” Mimi shook her head. “No way! I’d need a million dollars to do that. Anyway, he’s married.”

“You should tell the White Queen. She won’t be pleased.”

“Ha. I’m sure I’ll be able to complete my mission without resorting to that. Besides, I made her promise that I wouldn’t have to sleep with any married men.”

“What’s your reward after this mission?”

“A Zen retreat.” Mimi beamed. “The White Queen said she’ll send me to Tibet for a month.”

“Cool.” I looked at my watch. “We better head back.”

“Okay, okay.” Mimi stood up and brushed the crumbs off her skirt. “Let’s go.”

The Secretary

A week into my new life, the monotony was getting to me. I was pretty good at the job, but the routine was like being a rat on a wheel. I was easily distracted. My clear, logical thinking was being disrupted by unruly, lustful ideas.

In my other life I was a hunter. In this life I’m a secretary. Agent turned secretary
?
I think not. I’ll never be able to lead a normal life, to have a regular job. I’ll never be able to leave the White Queen.