froze solid with disbelief. “I’m sorry? I don’t understand.”
“It’s not permanent,” Harrison said, looking a bit uncomfortable as he stared down at his hands and fussed with the papers in front of him again. “Just until this is all sorted out. We don’t want you to get hurt or worse because of the controversy surrounding this legislation, especially with the results of the murder investigation into the last director’s death still pending. Climate change is important, but it isn’t worth your life.”
“Yes, it is,” Tara said before she could stop herself. She didn’t want to die, dammit, but this was her chance to make a difference. GGE had been pushing for legislation like this for years, but it was only recently that they’d finally gotten traction. Public sentiment was behind them, they had legislators on their side, and it was an election year, so everyone in state government—up to and including the governor—wanted to use this moment to show that they were getting things done. If the bill was ever going to happen, it had to be now. She was the face of the organization. If she backed away, who knew how the tides would shift? Pulse racing and chest tight, she swallowed hard and tried again. “Listen, sir. I get that it could be dangerous, but I don’t want to step back at such a crucial moment. Isn’t there a way we could compromise? Maybe have a protective detail follow me to and from work, perhaps watch my house at night. I’m not scared, if that’s what the board’s worried about.”
Harrison shook his head and set about tamping his papers into a neat stack. “No, I can see that you’re not, but you probably should be. And besides, we don’t have the funds right now to hire a bodyguard detail on an ongoing basis. You’ll just have to accept the board’s decision as final. It really is for the best.”
But it didn’t feel like it was for the best. Not at all. Tara’s posture stiffened. He was dismissing her, and she refused to be dismissed. Okay. Fine. They wanted her to have protection, she’d get some protection. “What if I pay for them myself? Would you reconsider then?”
The chairman studied her for a long moment and Tara feared he’d say no. Then he tapped his fingers on his desk and nodded. She let out her pent-up breath. “It will have to be on your own dime, Ms. Crumb. And I can’t promise the board won’t shut this down after their meeting in a few weeks, but I suppose if you had a bodyguard with you at all times, that would cut down on the risk.” He gave her a look. “But be careful, please, Ms. Crumb. You getting yourself killed won’t do this legislation any good at all.”
4
Tara went back to her office, her mind whirling. She needed to strategize here, be smart about things. Figure out how the heck to even find a bodyguard she could trust. She closed her office door this time to hopefully rule out any more nosy visitors and pulled up her web browser. With no idea where to start, Tara just typed in “hire bodyguard Atlanta” and hit Enter.
Page after page of local firms started to show up. Okay. But as she checked out the sites, she only got more anxious and confused. Each one insisted that they were the best in the region, so how was she supposed to judge? She didn’t even know what criteria she should be looking for. Dammit. This wasn’t helping at all.
Choosing one firm at random, she pulled out her cell phone to call, but was interrupted by a knock at her door. Her annoyed gaze flew to the office door. If that was Judy again, come to snoop, she might just go off on the woman…
Knock, knock, knock.
Ugh. Judy was nothing if not persistent and she wouldn’t go away until Tara answered, so she put her cell phone down and called out, “Yes?”
The door opened to reveal someone who wasn’t Judy at all. In fact, it was the last person she’d ever thought she’d see again. “Clint? What are you doing here?”
He looked as flustered as she felt, tiny splotches of crimson blossoming atop his high cheekbones as he stepped into the office and tugged his daughter in behind him. “Uh, hey. Sorry, I hope we’re not interrupting.”
“No,” she said, standing and coming around her desk. “Not at all. Come in.”
“Thanks.” He closed the door behind