The Watchman of Ephraim (Book Club Edition) by Gerard de Marigny Read Free Book Online Page B

company. Then we can be back in the air right after lunchtime and be back here in Vegas before Yvonne even knows Keith is gone.”
    “ With the way that woman gambles, I bet she won’t even know I left!”
    All three men laughed.
     

 
     
     
    Chapter 5
    Formerly Liberty Defense Contractors, now - The Watchman Agency
    Office of the President
    Arlington, Virginia
    2:00p.m., Monday, May 16, 2011
     
    “ Charley, do you have a minute?”
    The voice of Les Pastak, Executive Vice President of what had been known as “LDC,” Liberty Defense Contractors, a counter-terrorism consulting firm, emanated from the intercom of Charley Santappia. Santappia’s title was Director of Operations but no one was sure if they were going to keep their jobs after the billionaire hedge fund manager, Cris De Niro bought their firm out the week before.
    The first to go was the firm’s founder and CEO Nick Gerolitis, but that was part of the acquisition deal. All of the details of the deal weren’t known, but the gossip was that De Niro paid Gerolitis twenty million dollars for his firm. All Gerolitis told everyone - by email - was that it was an offer he couldn’t refuse and wished everyone at LDC well before he packed his things and left.
    Santappia was formerly Major Charles Santappia, a highly decorated United States Marine who joined LDC right after 9/11. Counter-terrorism firms were in great demand after 9/11 and so they all went on a hiring spree, plucking many warriors from America’s armed services, luring them with large salaries and perks, but Santappia didn’t need any luring. He was a patriot that knew his time serving in the Marines was coming to an end but decided he still wanted to “fight the fight” to defend the nation. Pastak, on the other hand was Gerolitis’s brother-in-law. A lawyer by trade, he never served a day in the military. Most of the former military men had no use for the Executive VP. Pastak had taken it upon himself to move into the president’s office the moment Gerolitis moved out of it. Since then he’d been acting like he was President though he was never appointed acting-President by De Niro. Some air was let out of his balloon-ego when he received an email from De Niro stating that he was on his way to put the new president in place. The message didn’t say that he was naming Pastak president but Pastak was convinced that no one else could be given the position. In any case, he wasn’t about to pack up his things and move out of the office. He figured that his initiative would probably impress the new owner. Charley had a feeling Pastak wanted to see him to try and get his ducks in a row.
    “ Sit down Charley,” Pastak pointed to a chair as he buzzed Debbie Lynch, former Executive Assistant to Gerolitis. She didn’t like taking orders from Pastak any more than Santappia did.
    “ Debbie, could you make me a latte and bring it into me … and I want to know the moment De Niro’s car enters our gates.”
    There was a pause, just long enough for the Executive Assistant to express her indignation - it infuriated Pastak. Just as he was about to repeat his order, her voice came through the phone speaker.
    “… Yes … sir.”
    Santappia suppressed a smile as Pastak looked up at him.
    “ Charley, before De Niro arrives, I wanted to talk to you, so we could sort of align.”
    “ Align, how so, Les?” Santappia knew it grated Pastak when anyone but Gerolitis called him by his first name. He could see Pastak’s face turning red from it already.
    “ What I mean to say is that I’m sure there are changes that De Niro may want to make in our firm. Some people will probably be let go and the rest of us may be moved around within the organization. I just think that if we show a unified front, we may be able to influence him to put the right people in the right positions.”
    Santappia tried hard not to show his anger with Pastak’s disrespectful tone whenever he uttered the new owner’s name,