“Us?”

“Charlotte, myself and Michael.”

“Right, so….?

“I’ve been quite impressed with your performance….”

Really?

“Really?”

“Yes, really. I liked the way you dealt the situation out on the street the other day, and Ben in the downstairs lobby; even, dare I say it, the situation when Ben dragged you to our home, although I’ll admit, that’s with the benefit of hindsight.”

I flush. “You didn’t seem very impressed at the time.”

He rolls his eyes ceiling-ward. “Yes, I’ve never apologised for that, have I….”

“I don’t think you have a lot to apologise for, Sir. I feel terrible about it….”

“Well, get over it. It’s in the past. I want to talk about where we go from here. It seems to me that you handle yourself rather well in awkward situations and that being the case, I have a favour to ask of you.”

What’s he talking about?

“Right…. what is this favour?”

Perhaps I look suspicious. For a moment, he meets my eyes, his gaze level, expressionless; then he says, “Don’t misunderstand my motives, Kirstie. I’m not about to go dipping my nib in the office ink. It would be horribly unprofessional of me, and also, regardless of what Ben might think, I’m a married man.”

I flush. “I didn’t mean that at all.”

“Good. But for the avoidance of doubt….”

to change the

what is

position. You see everyone who comes in or out of the building; workers, visitors, delivery men, couriers.… everyone. They all must go by you. You also see a lot of what passes by the building or happens in front of it. You spotted Ben

Choosing his words?

part of your job, but do

“To you?”

be my eyes and ears

coffee, digesting his words. “So, you

asking you to do something underhand or illegal and that’s not it at all. Really, all I’m asking you to do is something which comes easily to you, which is to watch the people around us for any kind of threat. I think you are a ‘people-person’, good at assessing them, weighing them up, gauging their intent. That’s perfect in any case in the work you are doing. But now, it will be part

crawl through my stomach. “Is this just

into consideration. Despite Marcie’s remarks to the contrary, I am not so far over the hill that I can’t handle a

sucks in a smile. “Yes, Michael did tell me what Marcie said, and it doesn’t faze me. That female has been trying to get her claws into Michael for years. It must have come as a nasty shock to her to realise that some other woman

laugh. “A

brows, laughter dancing

I watching

are…. other threats to Charlotte, much more

leaves me thinking of

“James….”

me more than that. It sounds as though you’re asking me to get

Other people, myself included, will deal with any

sort of

short, I want you to watch for anything that….” He holds up both hands in a gesture of helplessness, “…. anything

For me to report

all I’m asking

how do I

you hit that alarm,

“Which other people?

“Michael for one….”

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