RED Hotel by Ed Fuller Gary Grossman

Author:Ed Fuller Gary Grossman [Grossman, Ed Fuller Gary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Beaufort Books
Published: 2019-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

45

CHICAGO, IL

REILLY’S OFFICE

Reilly caught the 9:00 a.m. American Airlines flight from Boston to Chicago. It beat the projected two hours and forty minutes by fifteen and got him to his last security committee meeting only a few minutes late.

The team had copies of the color code system and a prioritized list of cities to rank in potential danger zones.

Reilly excused himself for being late. He took his seat and listened. They were discussing the likely pushback to the costs from regional management and franchise managers. Donald Klugo, the private security consultant, engaged CFO Brodowski in the debate.

“You have car insurance?” he curtly asked.

“Of course.”

“Homeowners?”

“Yes.” She didn’t like being cross-examined, especially by a mercenary. Her answers were getting as brusque as his questions.

“Life insurance?”

“Yes, damn it. What’s your point?”

“Well, your company needs terrorism insurance. Not the kind we collect on if something happens. It’s the upfront money it will take to help prevent attacks.”

“None of it’s in our fiscal year budget.”

Klugo slammed his fist on the conference table. “Well find it then. Because the bad guys are sure out there spending their money to bring down your buildings and thinking about ways to kill people while you’re sleeping in your comfortable lakeside bed.”

Brodowski was aghast and visibly violated. “I never told you where I …”

“Don’t worry. I’m just making a point. If I can find out where you live, there’s no limit to what the bad guys can do to your company.”

She exhaled, getting the message loud and clear.

“Okay,” Reilly said with his palms down, trying to restore calm. “The money’s not currently allocated. So yes, we need to create the funding.” He glanced over to the KR COO who nodded to Reilly.

“Pat, send me your projections,” Lou Tiano said. “We’ll create the line items.”

“Projections, line items? You think the enemy is talking this nonsense?” Klugo interrupted dismissively. “Open your goddamned checkbook and make sure you have a lot of zeroes at the end of the figure.”

“Mr. Klugo,” Tiano stated. “We are committed. But I would appreciate it if you brought the tone down.”

The COO’s comment ended the exchange. “The real problem,” Tiano honestly admitted, “will be getting our managers comfortable with the decision-making process.”

“Oh God!” Reilly exclaimed as he wrote two letters on his pad.

“Is there a problem?” Klugo asked.

“No. Well, yes,” Reilly said correcting himself as he circled US. “Right here. Typically American owners and operators are even more complacent than those abroad.”

“Well then I’d say you better bring in another few chairs,” Klugo declared.

Tiano nodded agreement. Reilly texted Shaw.

“And to the larger point,” former CIA director Carl Erwin added. “You’ll have to audit your properties.”

“What do you mean?” June Wilson asked.

“Surprise visits to make sure they’re in compliance. Believe me, you can’t trust an email missive to guarantee success.”

“My God!” Chris Collins exclaimed. “We turn our friends and employees into our enemies?”

“No,” General Coons said, joining the discussion for the first time that day. “You make them responsible partners.”

“And if they disagree?” the lawyer asked.

“Fail once, they’re warned. Fail twice, they’re gone.

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