Chapter 5 Episode 5
1640 Words
“Call someone to come help,” she practically begs. “Like…like Georgia. She’s your friend.”
“She’s my coworker.” The admission feels embarrassing. Ireally need more friends. “And no. I’m doing this alone. Can Itrust you to stay here while I’m gone?”
Elise huffs, pouting her lower lip out. She looks so much likeour mom when she pouts, but with her dad’s reddish blondehair and green eyes. It makes me shiver every time.
“What am I supposed to do for food?”
I pull a twenty out of my purse and leave it on the TV stand.“You can walk to the bodega on the corner and then backagain. No further.”
She snatches the money off the table and shoves it in her backpocket.
She tosses me a mock salute. “Sir, yes, sir.”
I hate leaving things like this. I hate that I have to play the roleof her parent. That we can’t be normal sisters who fight overclothes and watch movies together.
But there isn’t time to sort through any of that. I’m alreadyrunning late as it is.
“Good. I have to go.”
I grab my purse and toss my phone, a water bottle, and mylaptop inside. Then I hurry out the door.
Just before I close it, I pop my head back into the room. “Ilove you, E.”
Elise sighs. “Love you, too, B.”
For now, that will have to do.
I’m finally standing in front of the building that housesZhukova Incorporated. Sweaty and panting, but here. Nothanks to the New York City Transit Authority or the millionsof yellow cabs that drove right past my waving arms.
My phone rings. I answer it in an exhausted daze.
“I can’t talk right now, Georgia,” I mutter, shoving the phonebetween my ear and shoulder as I dig through my purse for anapkin or scrap of paper to dab the sweat from my forehead.
“Then why did you answer?”
“Because I… s**t, I don’t know.”
“Is it because you’re having a heart attack?” she asks. “Areyou delirious?”
I decide a panty liner is as good as anything and mop up myface. “I don’t know how subways work. Or how to wave downa taxi.”
“Roger has been to New York a million times. Why didn’t youask him for help?”
“Because I don’t see how he’d be any help from Aruba.” Thewords come out exactly as bitterly as I feel.
The line goes silent, and I wait. Finally, Georgia hisses into thephone. “That asshat is in Aruba? What the f**k? He’ssupposed to be on this trip with you!”
“I know. He called this morning and bailed right before I goton the plane.”
“s**t,” Georgia says. “So you’re handling this project alone?”
“Unless you want to hop on a plane and come help me?” I’mjoking, but just barely. I’d love Georgia’s help.
I was being honest when I told Elise that Georgia is just acoworker. But she’s still the closest thing to a friend I have.I’ve only been in Oklahoma City for eight months, two ofwhich revolved around getting Elise settled in my apartment.My social circle is less of a circle and more of a dot.
Georgia cackles. “I’ve done my time at Zhukova Inc., thankyou very much. That’s probably why Roger bailed for anisland vacation. The owner is a hardass.”
“I wish everyone would stop saying that.”
“It’s true. Most of these places want to butter up to theaccountants, you know? They cater in lunch and stop by tochat, show you pictures of their kids or whatever. But Zhukovais run like a military base.”
I look up at the silver building. It gleams like a bullet,disappearing into the bright blue sky above. “Have you metthe owner?”
“No. When I was there two years ago, I spoke with the VP.The owner wouldn’t deign to see me. He just issues writtenmemos from his office. Like he’s a villain in a Bond film orsomething, lurking in the shadows.”
“Mostly telling me to hurry up,” Georgia snorted. “Apparently,I wasn’t moving fast enough. He ended up sending down someof the in-house accountants to help out and rush me along.”
I frown. “That kind of ruins the integrity of the audit, doesn’tit?”
“When you get in there, you’ll understand. Whatever it takesto get done fast, do it. Then come back and tell me all about it.When you get home, we’ll go out for drinks, okay? You’llneed ‘em.”
“Yeah, definitely.” I smile and then hear the church a fewblocks down chime the hour. “s**t. It’s three o’clock already.I’m so late. I have to go.”
“Good luck and godspeed,” Georgia says.
I hang up with her and hurry into the building. The firstelevator is crammed full, so I wait three more minutes for anopen one and then zip up to the thirty-fifth floor.
As soon as the doors open, I’m facing a rounded wooden deskwith “Zhukova Incorporated” emblazoned on the side in goldletters. The woman behind the desk has sleek black hair and along, narrow face with impossibly high cheekbones. She lookslike she could have a second career in modeling.
“Appointment?” she asks in a flat voice.
“Oh, um… Yes. Well, no.” I smile awkwardly. “I’m here to dothe audit. My boss, Roger, was supposed to be with me, but—”
“Belle Dowan,” she interrupts. “Follow me.”
She stands up, her fitted pencil skirt hugging her skinny waistand closely following the swell of her hips. The woman isstupid gorgeous. I have a hard time keeping up with her as shesashays down the hallway.
Finally, she stops outside of an office door and raps herknuckles against the wood. A second later, she opens the door.
“Arnold? Belle Dowan is here to see you for the audit.”
If someone told me the woman was a robot rigged with alibrary of pre-recorded messages, I’d believe them. She soundslifeless.
An equally lifeless “Enter” sounds from inside the office. Thewoman waves me into the room and then closes the doorbehind me.
I have to blink against the sudden gloom. It’s like stepping intoa dungeon.
“Sorry,” Arnold says. “I’m sensitive to light.”
I hear a chair spin and then I’m blinded a second time withpiercing white light as he pulls the cord for his windowshades.
“You’re here for the audit, then,” he remarks.
It’s a statement, not a question. I stumble into the room, myeyes still trying to adjust.
“Yes.” I grab the back of a leather chair and maneuver aroundit. “I’m Belle. A colleague, Roger, was supposed to be herewith me, but due to… unforeseen circumstances, I’ll behandling this audit alone.”
Considering Roger is probably sipping on cocktails beachsideright now, I’d say yeah, he’s fine.
“He is.” I force a smile. “Thanks for your concern.”
Arnold clears his throat. “You won’t suffer the sameunforeseen circumstances?”
“We expect punctuality. Dependability. Loyalty.” His eyesseem to glimmer on the last quality, lingering on me for amoment before he turns his attention to a stack of papers insudden need of straightening on his desk.
I nod. “I understand. Absolutely. I know I’m running latetoday, but this is not standard for me. My flight got in thismorning and then I couldn’t get a taxi. I’ll be better the rest ofthe week.”
I can’t tell whether Arnold is convinced or not, because herefuses to look at me. He grabs the stack from his desk andswivels around to tuck it in the filing cabinet behind him.
“You’ve worked on the audit prior to arriving here today,correct?”
I nod and then clear my throat. “Yes. I was one of… of manywho participated in the early stages of the auditing process.”
This isn’t entirely true. Actually, it’s not even a little bit true.Roger kept all of the files in his office. He let me work onsome smaller clients, but he kept Zhukova Incorporated forhimself. Today will be my first time seeing any of thepaperwork or numbers.
“Great.” He rifles through the folders in the file cabinet,pulling some out at random. “Then I’ll need the finishingtouches on this nonsense completed in three days. No later.”
Thankfully, he is no longer looking at me because my jawdrops. “Three days?”
“That was the previously agreed-upon arrangement.”
“Yes,” I admit. “I know it was. But—”
“You’ve had six weeks prior to this with our documents,”Arnold continues. “Did you do your job or not? I was underthe impression that the week spent here was just puttingfinishing touches on everything.”
“We did our job,” I rush to explain. “It’s just that… thetimeline was set when my colleague was going to be here withme. Now, I’m working alone.”
Arnold turns around and glowers. “That does not change theparameters of the job we hired you to do. Three days. It’s not anegotiation.”
I feel overwhelmed tears burning the backs of my eyes, but Irefuse to cry in front of this man. Not on my first day.
“Arnold—sir,” I correct, “I may have misspoken slightly. Mycolleague handled many of the documents related to this audit.I’ll need at least a day, maybe two, to review the informationhe has put together. To familiarize myself. Then I can beginthe process.”
- Writer
