Double Black Diamond
Brown’s going to fire me.”“Ah, Nicole. You’ve had bad luck.”
“Yeah.” I also did almost everything wrong.
“Are you positive he’s planning to terminate your contract?”
“Sure sounded like it.”
“I’ll call him.”
“Thanks, Xene—but no. You’ve helped me so much already. If he fires me . . . he fires me. I don’t want you to bail me out.” I took a deep breath through the knife stab in my chest. It would hurt bad, but if I wanted to be taken seriously, I’d have to succeed on my own—and fail on my own, too. “I’m so sorry I blew this chance. I guess I wasn’t ready.”
That admission was the best I could do. I still had to face the truth with Brown, Veena, Mom, and worst of all, myself.
A few minutes later, I climbed under the covers. Veena washed up, turned the light out, and got into her own bed. A soft nightlight from the bathroom threw enough of an arc to make out the white cover over her.
“Are you okay, Nic?” she asked.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Okay.” She sounded a little hurt again.
What the hell. I was leaving, right?
“You asked if I had a boyfriend. I did see a guy for a while this year, Matty. He was in my training class. He’s kind of a jerk though.”
I’d met Matty Jeffers when I started my course. He was a few years older, a washout from the Marines. I’d broken up with him when I’d seen texts on his phone about meeting up with other women. It hurt, but mostly I didn’t need the distraction.
Veena wrestled with her covers while trying to turn to face me. “And you’re not dating anyone now? You’re so pretty, and with your super cool job, I thought guys would be lining up.”
I snorted. “Not exactly. I saw a few guys in high school, but I lost touch with them when I graduated.” They all went to college, and I didn’t. “How about you? Are you dating anyone?”
“I wish.” She sighed. “Anders.”
“Who’s that?”
“Anders Iversen. He rides for the Norwegian Olympic team. He’s gorgeous, sweet, and amazing. But we’re only friends—for now. Give me time in that Olympic Village, though.”
She whooped and kicked her feet up and down, frothing her sheets and covers.
I felt miserable for myself, but I couldn’t help laughing. I might not be part of Veena’s security team anymore, but I’d root for her all the way. She was just that kind of girl.
Veena was up early, texting away in bed when I woke up. She was even bubblier in the morning, if that was possible. She smiled brightly at me before she left for breakfast. Cooley texted from the hallway; he had her covered.
With a sick heart, I sat on my bed and video called Brown with my laptop. He answered right away.
What I planned to say: Chief—give me another shot. I don’t want to beg . . . but I’m begging. Let me stay. I can do this job.
What I said: nothing. My tongue was literally an ice pop in my mouth.
“You had quite the first day, Green.”
Shame bubbled through me. “I know.”
“You know? That’s it? I talked to Ice and Owl. I talked to Muth. You were a disaster.”
I took a deep breath. Whatever he had to say, I’d take it. But I’d rather have it straight. “So, I’m fired.”
Brown stared at me through the screen, head cocked. He fiddled with the collar of his shirt and looked down. When he looked me in the face again, his eyes and lips had hardened, and his jaw was set.
“You’re staying. For now. But do not have another day like yesterday.”
Seriously? Red, white, and blue fireworks exploded in my chest. I almost kissed his face on the screen. “I won’t, Chief. I promise. Thank you for giving me another chance.”
“Don’t thank me, Green. Don’t thank me.”
If not him, who? Did Xene call him after all?
He scowled. “This is a high-profile job. All our reputations are on the line here. If you fail, we fail. Am I clear?”
I hadn’t considered that. I’d been too busy thinking about my own job, my own reputation. But he was right. If I were replaced, it would look bad for everyone. A new sense of responsibility flooded through me. Time to get serious. For myself, but also for Veena. Those threats she got weren’t idle.
“Yeah, I do.” My voice was as firm as I felt.
“All right. We need to talk about the threats. After some research, they look real. Law enforcement can get the account information that they were sent from, but that probably won’t go anywhere. I’m working to see what else we can figure out. If she hears from them again, call me right away. And tell her not to delete the damned things next time.”
“She was scared, Chief.” I didn’t mean to sound defensive.
His eyes narrowed. “You learned in training that it’s dangerous for you to get too close to your principal, right?”
“Yes, sir, I did. I was only saying she’s a smart kid.”
He snorted. “Kid? What are you?”
A flush crept up my neck. If he wanted me to act like a pro, why not treat me like one? At least when he was yelling at me, I felt like part of the team.
“What did you find out about that Connor guy?” I asked.
“He checked out. He’s traveling to Switzerland with the athletes as a medic and sports trainer.”
I was relieved to hear he was legit. One less threat. Plus, he was nice about the whole vomiting on his boots thing. And he wasn’t exactly an eyesore.
“Check in later. And don’t screw up again.” Brown hung up.
I pounded on the bedspread. I was staying! I texted Xene to thank her for whatever she did.
After grabbing my backpack—I’d brought my ratty one from my own school days—I met Veena at her first period, AP American History in the Aspen Room. They’d kept the conference room names when the hotel became a school. At least I thought I