Bradley needed a seat for him.
Three weeks before the year-end gala, Aaron’s supervisor, Kevin Marks, entered his office looking uneasy.
“Got a minute?”
“Sure.”
Kevin closed the door.
“You hear anything about reorganization?”
“No.”
Kevin sat.
“Bradley asked me to prepare role descriptions for Senior Logistics Engineering.”
Aaron frowned.
“That’s my role.”
“I know.”
“Why?”
“He said succession planning.”
“I’m forty.”
“I know.”
“Am I dying?”
Kevin almost laughed.
Then stopped.
“Aaron, something’s wrong.”
Aaron leaned back.
“What?”
“Craig asked me for your personnel file.”
“HR already has it.”
“He asked me to identify performance gaps.”
Aaron stared.
“What did you send?”
“Nothing.”
“Why?”
“Because there aren’t any.”
Kevin lowered his voice.
“I told him that.”
“What happened?”
“He said everybody has gaps.”
Aaron looked toward the floor.
Two days later, Aaron was told he had been nominated for Employee of the Year.
The timing confused him.
He called Richard again.
“I think Bradley may be planning something.”
Richard asked:
“Do you want intervention?”
Aaron could have said yes.
He should have said yes.
Instead:
“No.”
“Aaron.”
“I want to see what he does.”
Richard went silent.
“That is a dangerous sentence.”
“I know.”
“Do not turn yourself into evidence.”
“I’m already inside it.”
The gala arrived.
Aaron wore the navy suit.
Bradley destroyed the certificate.
Todd took the stage.
Three hundred people stayed silent.
Aaron left.
But Bradley was not finished.
Aaron expected to retrieve his personal items Monday through HR.
Instead, as he walked toward the hotel elevator, Craig Bellamy appeared.
The elevator doors were almost closed when Craig shoved one hand between them.
They reopened.
Craig stepped inside.
Behind him stood Derek Whitfield, Neil Simmons, and an unfamiliar contract security guard.
Aaron looked at them.
“I’m going upstairs.”
Craig pressed the lobby button.
“No.”
“My things are in the office.”
“Your things are packed.”
“I’d like to verify that.”
“You no longer have access.”
“I have company property to return.”
“We’ll handle it.”
Aaron looked at Neil.
“Why are you here?”
Neil smiled.
“To make sure you understand tonight isn’t negotiable.”
The elevator descended.
Aaron kept his hands at his sides.
Four men.
Closed space.
One security guard.
Craig’s breath smelled of bourbon.
The doors opened.
Not on the ballroom level.
Service lobby.
Neil touched Aaron’s upper arm.
Aaron immediately pulled away.
“Do not touch me.”
Neil’s smile disappeared.
“Then walk.”
They led him through the hotel service corridor.
Kitchen workers glanced up.
A dishwasher stopped spraying plates.
Aaron realized Bradley had deliberately chosen the route no guest would normally use.
Past industrial refrigerators.