Her eyes narrowed like a cat’s. “You won’t be removed. I have it on good authority they find you too valuable to take out of the game entirely. But you will be reallocated, probably to site-manage an emerging markets facility. Bangalore. Tbilisi. Timor.”
“I suppose that should come as a relief.”
“I know things about this rebellion, Mark. It’s out of your hands. It’s over your head. I also know that Ava won’t consider the possibility of not going when they punt you. She’ll follow you there, or anywhere. I picked a good one for you. But read the signs. Obviously you were set up. You were beaten. Cut your losses and go home.”
“Where are you going with this, Katie.”
“I’m telling you you don’t get the girl this time. Leave her behind. When she offers to pack up and follow you, you aren’t going to let her. You’re going to leave her here and I promise I’ll find someone else for her. Another shooting star.”
So, that was it: she was hedging her bets. Ava still might be worth something to her.
“No deal.”
I’ve published my classic story, “A Company Man”, on Amazon today. This is for Kindle users and is a scant 22 pages (plus/minus). Priced for a buck and a half, it’s easy to read, cheap to buy.