Controlling Vulnerable

Chapter 22

Joe frowned at the numbers and shook his head at Scott, "I don't get it. We're up thirteen per cent on last year. Scott tried not to sound defensive, "Joe the market rates are up because some of the big guys have opened in Orlando, and when shit goes wrong on a release, you know as well as me we have to get it fixed quick." Joe sighed and nodded, "Yeah, I get it Scotty." He sat back, "I know this isn't what you want to hear, but the stuff Lara's doing is going to close some of this down." Scott rolled his eyes slightly and Joe said, "No listen. You know she had me review the code for the new release against the business requirements? Said I'd be a fresh pair of eyes on it?" Scott nodded and Joe continued, "I found five individual coding areas either where it didn't match or just didn't meet those business requirements. Nothing major, but that's been fixed for this release before we ever distribute the code, and that'll mean we won't need to remediate it with contractor resources." Scott squirmed and tried not to let his face reflect his dismay.

Back in his own office, Scott rubbed his face. Carlos was starting to apply pressure for him to clear his debt, but his options seemed to be shrinking by the day and he cursed Lara bitterly. He'd already exhausted his credit options and it was weeks before his next paycheck. He'd tried to sell Carlos on his annual bonus, but he knew the end of March would be too late, and the reality was he needed the bonus to service his legitimate debt. Unconsciously his face twisted as he thought back to Joe's obvious happiness with Lara. He reflected on how just a few short months ago he and Joe spent most weekends partying in glorious Florida locations, and now, not only did he hardly see Joe outside of work, but he had almost punched him at the office party. He knew it was all Lara's fault, and now she was interfering in the way he ran the business.

He typed up some details using an old bank account he kept at a regional bank in Miami. He clicked to print and called Liam from accounts payable to come see him. When he arrived he pushed a couple of paper invoices across the table and said, "Can you arrange payment for these? It's to cover some consultancy I brought in for the last release. I've got to admit, you can see the dates, I've sat on them a while so they need paying today." Liam glanced at the invoices and said, "Sure, are these new firms to Callex though?" Scott nodded, "Yeah, I like to try out new firms where we can. More diverse talent." Liam nodded, "I'll do my best, but I won't be able to make today's payment run because of the new controls. Scott frowned, "What new controls?"

"The stuff Lara's been working on. For new suppliers, we have to run D&B reports now, check they're financially stable. We also have to verify the bank details." Panic and rage in equal measure coursed through Scott's body and he managed to say, "Just leave them with me Liam, I'll figure something out with Joe." When he'd gone Scott clutched his hair in anguish. Checking his phone contacts he scrambled for anyone he thought could help. Seeing a message from Ryan he clicked it thinking he'd never agree to hand over that amount of cash. It was a picture of Lara and Joe at the charity dinner in the local paper's review of the year, and it added fuel to his fire.

The more he thought about it the more he seethed and he knew he needed to do something to shut this bitch's plan down. He knew Joe's weaknesses, and an idea started to form. He spent the rest of the day thinking it through carefully, making sure there were no gaps that might expose him. By the time he left, he was buzzing with a natural high for once, and he put his head around Joe's door, "Hey Joe, just calling it a day." Joe looked up at his friend and noticed the smile he was wearing made him look more like the Scotty he used to know. He nodded and Scott said, "Hey, about earlier. I've been thinking and you're right. Lara's making some good changes here." Joe smiled, "Christ Scotty I'm glad to hear you say that." Scott nodded and turned to shout back, "Happy New Year Joe." Lara was back in the office the next day, and Erin had offered to watch the girls for the last two days of the school holiday. Joe had told her about his breakthrough with Scott, and much as she was pleased to see Joe's obvious relief at his friend's change of heart, deep in her gut, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.