Hold On And Never Let Me Go **(on hold till I don't know when)**

2. Old lady biting our arses

It's Monday, a new week. I haven't seen that djckhead after that night in the club. My friends are also fuming, Val more so, as she couldn't do anything at the time because of being drunk.

It's already ten by my watch as I settle down in my desk after the long ass meeting. As I start checking my email for any possible mail that came in my absence, my phone rings. I smile as I look at the caller ID.

"Hey Em, what's up? How's your day going?"

"Well, my day, and possibly my job too, is going to go down the sewer after what happened this morning. You wouldn't believe."

"Why? What happened? I would believe you even if you say that you are Bill Gates' estranged daughter." I try to set a light mood for our conversation.

"Not my luck. Well, that shitface that tried to kill you, is my boss's boss, I mean, the owner of the company where I work as an assistant to the marketing head. His name is Arthur Knightly, of THE Knightly empire."

"What? You don't say!" I exclaim at her revelation.

"That's nothing. What's worse is that he knows me. And the worst? He had recognized me at the club as one of his employees. That's why he looked at me weird."

"You have been working there for almost two years, and you didn't know your boss's boss? That's fishy."

"It's because he never attends any meetings himself, just sends in his P.A. And he never asked to see me in his office ever in these years. So, I don't know him. There are so many like me. But he knows everyone, name and all."

"That's creepy. Like fresh out of some horror movie. Did he say anything to you about that night? Or anything regarding firing you?"

"That he didn't. He actually came down to the marketing floor to announce something. When he saw me, he called me to him. Then shaking my hand he whispered only for me to hear, Miss Emilia Stone, my old lady sends her regards to you and your charming friends."

"So, he really has a old lady. It feels so good to be proved right."

"Maybe he married her because of her money. Maybe he was a homeless beggar before he married her. Maybe. But it's a great possibility."

"Yeah, you are....." I stop dead in my vocal track when I hear a voice, which doesn't belong to Em, from the other side of the phone.

"Ms Stone, you are not being paid for gossiping with your friends. It's your first mistake under my very eyes. Next time your dismissal will come through Vince, your boss. I don't tolerate slacking employees, it would be better if you keep that in mind for the future." The voice stopped. But it plays again after a beat,

"Tell your friends to be extra careful while crossing the street, next time I won't use brakes."

I am furious at his words, is the understatement of the year. If only one murder goes unpunished, this bastard will be lying six feet under the ground.

The call gets disconnected. Maybe Em is really afraid of him. Well, anyone will be. He is really scary, cold eyes, stone face. His handsomeness does nothing to hide the probable dark side of his character. I should listen to his advice, and stay as far away from him as possible.

****

I come home in the evening, to see a bored expression on my roomie's face. I understand that the girls are here. No one has warned me about a sudden meeting today, that too in my own apartment. Leaving Tish glued to the tv, I walk towards my room.

There they are, on my bed, in a circle, looking like a bunch of witches performing some crazyass spell. Thanks to a comfortable bed, large enough for the group.

"What's the situation?" I ask, as I place my shoulder bag on the table.

They are quite, with a somber look on their faces. I know right away that it's nothing serious. More likely some stupid, ridiculous problem.

"There's a problem. I don't know what to do now." Em speaks up.

"What? Did that sonovabetch fire you? I'm gonna rip his spine away, that monster."

"Hey, stop right there. He's my boss, well boss's boss technically, still. And I'm not fired. It's something else."

"Spill." I don't have patience for theatrics right now, I'm dead tired.

"Our company's annual ball, next month. I have to supervise the preparation. I know next to nothing about such things, I'm in the marketing, a business studies graduate, for God's sake. But he had to pull me into this. I think it's his fault way of taking revenge from me, indirectly from all of us. If I fail, I'm a goner."

After Em's long tirade, I feel all my energy drained. So, I ask Tina to make a cup of coffee for me, which later becomes one for each of us. In our defense, she makes a hell of a coffee. Too good.

After getting caffeinated, and re-energized, I think of words to say to Em, something that might help her with her predicament.

"I think we should help her, poor Em. He challenged her, means he challenged us. We will work as a team, Em will be our face and the rest of us will stay in her shadow. What say?" I ask looking at five excited, teenager looking twenty something years old women.

They shout together in reply, "One for all, all for one." Seconds later Tish, my roomie, chides us for disturbing her GOT marathon.

Em is happy with my solution. She jumps up and down clapping her hands. Then she tries to smother me in a tight hug.

"You are a genius. Alpha of our pack. We start from tomorrow. And as a show of my gratitude, you all will get passes to attend the ball. Yayee for us."

I finally get to go to the bathroom to change and freshen up after they leave my room. I plop down on the bed, and dial my favorite pizza delivery service for dinner. While waiting for the pizza guy, I make a list of works to be done for Em, and some contacts that are going to be useful for the event. As an ex employee of an event management firm, I have acquaintances in most of the parts of planning a party. I will have to present this in the group meeting, or in Em's words, 'pack meeting' tomorrow.

I fall in for a uneasy sleep, filled with dreams of a certain person who wants to kill me anyhow, this time he is chasing me with a gun in his hand. Quite a sweet dream.