Jack Garrett—Final Interview.
Beck leans back in his chair. “Signed, sealed, delivered.”
“What a dumbass.” Miles shakes his head. “Unfortunately, since he’s only anassociatemarketing manager, he won’t have a non-compete agreement. We can’t stop him from going to work for a competitor, but at his level, he wouldn’t have access to sensitive information.”
“Check his emails anyway.” He may not be at the top of the org chart, but Jack wouldn’t personally interview a low-level hire unless he was getting something out of it. “I want to see every communication he had with Boxxi, whether it was with HR or Jack himself.”
Beck spends the next hour combing through Fenton’s email. It doesn’t take long to discover that he’s been funneling information about the Epos launch to the competition. Marketing budgets. Release plans. Ad spends and channels.
My blood pressure spikes with each new detail, and by the time Beck’s finished, I’m seeing red. It’s not the first time something like this has happened, but that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow. Epos is the future of this company, and anyone who undermines the launch undermines the business and all the people who rely on Triada for their livelihood.
I’m not about to stand by and let that happen.
“It could’ve been worse,” Miles says, rubbing the back of his neck. “There’s nothing here that will make or break the Epos launch. We expected an influx of ad dollars from the competition pre and post launch anyway.”
“Agreed.” Beck flexes his fingers. “But that doesn’t change the fact that we need to increase the security protocols on the email servers. I’ll address the breach with IT today.”
Miles looks from Beck to me. “So what now?”
Isn’t it obvious?
“We terminate Fenton’s employment. The bastard better hope he lands the job at Boxxi because he’s finished at Triada.”
Miles frowns, uncertainty in his eyes. “You sure?”
“What choice do we have?” I gesture to the evidence on the screen. This isn’t the time for Miles’s softhearted second-guessing. “We can’t keep someone on payroll who doesn’t think twice about selling us out to the competition.”
Fenton won’t be getting a second chance. Not on my watch.
Thank fuck he wasn’t higher in the organization. Marketing is important, but if someone in R&D had betrayed us, the fallout could’ve been catastrophic.
As if he’s reading my mind, Beck says, “I’ll have IT sweep all the servers to ensure there aren’t any other leaks.”
“Good idea.” I nod slowly, considering my next move. “I’ll notify Fenton of his change in employment status.”
Assuming he even came to work today.
Miles shoots me a relieved smile and offers to follow up with Fenton’s manager. It’s the easier of the two tasks, but I don’t begrudge him for it. From the moment Beck opened that calendar, I knew I’d be the one to do the deed.
Just another day in the life of Nick Hartless.
I return to my office and call for security. I’ll need someone to escort Fenton from the premises once it’s done. Then I call Fenton and invite him up for a chat.
The sooner I can put this mess behind me, the better.
Thirty minutes later, Fenton is escorted from my office with a hangdog expression and an assurance that security will box up any personal effects from his desk. If he’s looking for sympathy, he’s looking in the wrong place. He won’t find it here. Not when he put my company—my family—at risk.
Still, as I watch him go, I can’t help but wonder if we could have avoided this situation. Scarlett warned me that people were unhappy. That they wanted more than job security and solid benefits. If I’d listened, would Fenton have been so quick to leak Triada’s secrets to the competition?
Probably. You’re either the type of person comfortable with espionage or you’re not.
And I don’t need someone like that on my staff.
Of course, he’s not the only problem.
Still seething, I look up the number for Boxxi and dial from my office phone. An automated recording picks up, and I punch in Jack’s name to connect to his extension.
“Good morning. Jack Garrett’s office, Shelby speaking.”
