Page 103 of Beni

“How’s Chicago?” Bene asked, changing direction altogether.

Beni didn’t mind. “Problematic.”

“How so?”

“I think the gang causing issues has connections to someone in the crew. I just don’t know who, how, or why.”

“Yeah, that’s a problem.”

Beni grinned over at his brother. “But hey, you know a lot of people … and shit, you know how people like to talk, too.”

“What about it?”

“Care to do me a favor, and ask some questions?”

Bene grunted under his breath. “Does that mean I have to go back to Chicago?”

“Only if you need to.”

“I’ll probably need to. Especially if you want me to be asking around about the gang, and their business. Have to be careful with that, you know.”

Beni smirked. “Chicago is really not that bad.”

“It’s not home.”

True.

Or maybe his brother just hadn’t found a new home yet. He opted not to point that out.

August went over the letter one last time, figuring that since the offices were mostly quiet, and a good portion of the employees at Bared Brands had already left for the day, that she was safe to do so. Without someone possibly looking over her shoulder, or sneaking up on her, anyway.

At the bottom of the letter, she had signed and dated it as was company policy. Although, if she were being honest, she didn’t even need to do this. Not write this, or hand it to her boss directly. She was technically in between jobs at Bared Brands. No longer an assistant to the editor of the magazine, except she had yet to fill the other position she had been offered.

She didn’t need to give them a weeks’ worth of notice to quit her job. Well, really, she wasn’t even giving them that. She was giving them a letter that told of her resignation, and that she wouldn’t return on Tuesday after the long weekend.

The new assistant would start that day to fill her position. August was supposed to start her new position on the team the same day. This letter was simply her being kind, and professional. Maybe someday, she might need the editor here to write her a letter of recommendation at some point or another, and so this would also help with that.

Was it enough notice?

Probably not.

August also didn’t care at this point—she had given several years of her life to Bared Brands and received very little back in return. And what she had finally been given came too little, too late. Starting over somewhere else—if the Manic Media position was still up for grabs, and she suspected it was—terrified her, but so did staying here.

Being stuck.

Doing … nothing.

Or, that’s what it felt like.

Just as August stood from her desk, tucking that letter into three folds, and then picking up her bag on the floor to sling it over her shoulder, the phone on the desk rang. A little light flashed on the base, telling her it was someone from downstairs. Which was better than the asshole CEO from upstairs, she supposed.

She wasn’t going to have to deal with him anymore, either.

Winning.

She could have ignored the phone, but habit made her reach for it. “Mrs. Coss’s assistant here, how can I help you?”

“Hey, August.”