The Night Shift

[Adrian Kane]

Adrian & Scion

“And what do you want me to do?” Adrian was the picture of patience. Hands folded at his waist, even if his fingers gripped one another tight in his own fists, he practically towered over the others present. There were only three of them: himself, his client and the business manager, but it was annoyingly crowded. All the space in the world couldn’t make room for the egos filling the office.

“Rectify the situation!” Declared Scion Marveet. His dark eyes were cauldrons of anger, but they didn’t phase Adrian.

“Your people did that, and you signed a contract describing in great detail the-“

“I know what the contract says,” he interrupted, “and I know the difference between intent and design. You are responsible. I demand recompense for the lost goods!” He slapped his hands on the desk. On the other side, the manager was lock-jawed.

Adrian was generally a patient man. He could blink soundlessly at any jackass who wanted to tell him off, but he knew he had the upper hand here. They both claimed that negligence of the opposite party was to blame, but it would be impossible to prove either way. Part of their contract stipulated that video recordings were not allowed while the work was ongoing. No evidence of either side, client or cleaner, would acknowledge the other. Yet somehow, this job went wrong and Scion lost a few million dollars worth of goods.

But Adrian knew something else. He stepped forward, eyes darkening, tone settling low in his gut. “I know that I am the only game in town. You want to dismiss us, fine, but you’ll be on your own afterward. Good luck with that.” He splayed his palms out on the desk, leaning over the older man, their eyes locked upon each others.

When Scion tilted his jaw and his lips pulled into a sneer, Adrian knew the man would just have to eat the loss. There was no other way. No other company in all of Moscow did what Adrian’s could do. He had no competitors. Theirs was a very niche market.

Scion flew out the door like a hurricane, barreling over anyone in his path. Adrian turned to the manager, jaw tight, and effeciently took over command of the computer system. He made a few edits then sent the revised contract to Scion’s account. “Call me if he bothers us again,” he ordered on his way out.