The unsettling grin on her face intensified.
‘After what I’m about to show you, I think that’s going to change.’
***
Ms Hutton took a tentative sip on her coffee, and then without changing the cool expression on her face she extended her arm out horizontally and poured the steaming liquid out onto the ground. Her PA, a chubby Congolese girl with large, soulful eyes that dominated her plump face, looked as if she were about to burst into tears.
‘That is revolting,’ Hutton snarled, her voice cold with contempt. ‘Make me a decent cup of coffee Beatrice; it’s not that hard, is it, even for an imbecile like you, surely? I wrote down the instructions on exactly how to make it, yet you still managed to fuck it up. Well done. Well fucking done. Now bring me another cup, and if it’s not done exactly to spec this time, I’ll throw it in your fucking face. Oh, and I’ll fire you too.’
The girl nodded, biting her quivering lower lip, and scurried out of the office. As Ms Hutton was about to get back to her laptop, though, her satellite phone started buzzing. She rolled her eyes with frustration and let it ring for a while, hoping that it was a call that she could ignore, but had a look at the number nonetheless. As soon as she saw who it was, however, she dropped her pen and scrambled to answer the call.
‘Hutton, you there?’
‘Mr Deveraux, sir, I apologise for the delay in answering. I—’
‘Never mind. Listen, are the colonel and his men there? Have you debriefed them?’
‘I have, sir. Everything is on track.’
‘Good, good. They’ve been primed on how paramount the need for absolute secrecy is, have they not?’
‘I made that extremely clear to them, sir.’
‘Excellent. I’m handling the situation on this end as well. If this all pans out right, things will work out very well for the both of us. I can tell you that with absolute certainty.’
‘I’m glad to hear that, sir.’
‘Remember how high the stakes are here, Hutton. None of the rest of the Huntsmen Board knows about this situation, not even the Big Man himself. Mr Ma is totally in the dark with regards to what’s happening out there, and I aim to keep it that way. And I know you will too, sugar, ain’t that right?’
‘You know how seriously I’m taking this, sir; the complete secrecy of everything here is guaranteed. I’ve got the colonel and every one of his men securely in my pocket. They know that we’ve got them all by the, er, by the balls, sir.’
Deveraux chuckled lightly on the other end of the line.
‘By the balls indeed, Hutton! You’re one stellar fuckin’ Yankee, I’ll give you that. And you know that if we can pull this off, everything changes. Everything. I’m excited as all hell – but also nervous, I’ll admit.’
‘As am I, sir.’
‘I know how badly you want a spot on the board, Hutton, trust me. I was once where you are. And I proved myself, and that’s how I got to where I am now. But getting onto the board was only one more rung up the ladder for me; there’s still a higher spot I’m aiming for. Once I’m Head, once I’m the man with the plan, you’ll be on that board in a New York minute, I promise you that. You’ve served me well, and you deserve a substantial reward.’
Ms Hutton’s palms were clammy, and her pulse was racing with excitement.
‘I’ll – we’ll, we’ll – we’ll get there, sir. You don’t know how much I want this.’
‘Oh I think I do know, Hutton, because I want what’s coming to me just as bad. So make sure you keep me totally updated on the situation; I need to know every detail, every minor thing, however microscopic it may seem. We’re playing this chess game, with you and I on one side and the rest of the board on the other … and we’re about to pull a checkmate manoeuvre. We just have to play it cool and maintain absolute secrecy, and hold back the pieces until the time is just right.’
‘I understand, sir.’
‘I know you do. Now keep ‘em lips sealed nice and tight, yes, nice and tight. Oh and don’t call me for the next three hours unless it’s a genuine emergency. I’ll be front row at my granddaughter’s ballet troupe performance. They’re doing Swan Lake, and that’s not something I care to be interrupted during, for both my lovely granddaughter’s sake and mine. I enjoy Swan Lake quite immensely, I say.’
‘Yes sir, anything you say. Relax and enjoy the performance sir; you can rest assured that I have everything under complete control here.’
‘Good. When do the troops head into the jungle?’
‘Tomorrow, an hour before dawn, sir.’
‘Excellent, excellent. Listen sweetie, I know you’re putting up with some horrendous conditions over there, and I know how much of a personal sacrifice you’re making for the sake of this company. Your loyalty and dedication will be rewarded appropriately. They will, I assure you, so don’t you fret too much over there, you hear? All right anyway, that’s it Hutton, the limo is pulling up to the theatre so I gotta go. Speak soon, and take care out there.’
‘Thank you sir, I will. Enjoy Swan Lake.’
‘Damn straight, damn straight!’ the old man said, his voice thick with genuine enthusiasm. ‘I love it, I say, I sure as hell do! And my granddaughter is gonna shine tonight, shine with the brilliance of the Evening Star itself, I just know it, oh I do, I do. Goodbye for now, Hutton.’
‘Goodbye sir.’
Ms Hutton hung up the call and smiled. Everything was falling into place quite nicely, despite the recent setbacks at the mines. She brought up a picture of a man’s face on her computer and blew it up to full screen. The resolution was grainy and pixellated, but his features were clear
