37: Crow

Mr. Lawson arrived at work early as usual. He waltzed into his office and realized that the lights of the VP’s office were lit. He was surprised to see the brat there so early. Chuck had been a bad example for the new recruits. They had one of the two most active superiors to idolize. Lawson hoped for the sake of the wellbeing of the company and the employee that they looked up to him instead of Chuck. He couldn’t think of anything that the VP would be there for that early. There was nothing on his schedule that demanded that kind of deliberation or preparation. If, in any case, he had some difficult task handed to him, he would have simply dumped it on Lawson. Such was the nature of Edward Lawson’s employment since that demise of Bjorn Sr. There was surely something up that made Chuck wake up hours earlier than his usual. Lawson decided against going up and asking him. He waited for him to show up with the trouble. He wondered if he had thrashed the lad too hard the other day. He instantly shook off the thought. What happened was necessary and he didn’t regret a bit of it. Mr. Lawson pulled open his laptop and checked his email. The one email he was accustomed to look for first, was the one from Sophie. It reminded him of the fugitive couple. He had the address for Aaron’s place but he was sure that he had eyes on him. He couldn’t pay him a visit. He wondered how that night at the cemetery had went. It was a stupid and reckless yet understandable and barely justified thing to do what Aaron had done. Lawson just hoped that it had went peacefully. The reminder of the elders just made him angry. They had left the boy like a sitting duck. The next Alpha of their faction was surviving on scratch without any help from above. A rather soft knock on his door yanked him out of his thoughts. It was Chuck. Mr. Lawson expected everything from confrontation to apology. He softly gave the permission to enter. Chuck entered the room. There were no beers this time around. He was sharply dressed.

“Hey!”, Chuck hesitantly managed. Lawson returned the greeting. There was a brief silence that felt too long.
“Look… there’s a meeting. I was thinking maybe…”, the VP nervously tried to speak his mind. Lawson was getting puzzled.
“Meeting? At this hour?”, Mr. Lawson skeptically inquired. He was sure that the VP was mixing up some stuff.
“It’s at the client’s place. It’s a two hour drive” Chuck explained. It made more sense. “I was thinking maybe you should come too”, he suggested. Lawson’s puzzlement was turning into bafflement.

“Do I ever NOT attend a meeting with the clients?” Mr. Lawson rhetorically asked. The young VP shook his head. “Then why are you…?”, Lawson continued but he remembered what had happened the last time those two met. He sighed.
“Chuck, what happened yesterday doesn’t change anything. I will continue helping you manage this company as I’ve did in the past”, Lawson comforted him. Chuck didn’t seem to love the reminder of the day before. He desired to forget it. “So, when do we leave?”, he added.
“Ten minutes”, the VP answered. Lawson nodded and prepared his stuff for the journey. Chuck left the room.
It was time and the two packed up and left for the car. They were completely silent on their way there. Usually, Chuck ate Lawson’s brain trying to go over everything that troubled him but there were no words exchanged that day. They got into the car and sped away. Lawson awaited the first of the words that never came. Chuck quietly stared out of the window. He knew what he did the other day was right but deep down he felt that he was the reason that day had come. He thought that he should have kept the boy on a short leash and mentored him better. After a long speechless drive, Lawson decided to speak.
“What’s going on in your mind?”, he spoke trying to make Chuck talk about his feelings. Chuck didn’t acknowledge his question and kept staring out of the window. Mr. Lawson’s feeling of guilt amplified. He was making up a perfect apology that would somehow make think right without taking away the valuable lesson.

“What’s up with that Aaron guy?”, Chuck abruptly inquired. Mr. Lawson was caught off-guard. He would have understood if he had asked about Sophie but Aaron should have been of no interest to Chuck.
“What about him?”, Lawson asked back, trying his best to mask his uneasiness. Chuck looked to be in deep thought.
“You know, he’s also disappeared ever since the Hudson’s visit. Just like your Sophie girl”, Chuck spoke. Lawson couldn’t deny that the brat was correct. But still that shouldn’t have interested him. “Makes me think…”, he added.
“Would you happen to know anything about that?”, he inquired just as Lawson was making up words to try and divert the conversation.
“Why would I?”, Lawson responded, looking genuinely confused. Chuck shrugged.
“I don’t know. They both talked to you often”, said Chuck, staring directly into his eyes. Lawson’s uneasiness reached its peak. He was looking for a way out of this conversation but the young guy was being relentless.
“Must be a coincidence”, Chuck blurted, concluding the topic. “Two persons can get sick at the same time”, he added. Mr. Lawson was relieved that they weren’t talking about that anymore. He chuckled.
“Is that what’s been eating you all that time?”, Lawson lightheartedly asked with a smirk. Chuck offered a half-hearted smile in response but was looking concerned all over again. The car stopped. Lawson was puzzled. It hadn’t taken them that long. He started to gather his belongings for the meeting.

“No. It’s not that”, Chuck said with a hint of sorrow in his tone. Mr. Lawson was busy getting ready to get out of the car. “I know I don’t deserve it but if you can find it in your heart, please forgive me”, he softly added staring at the ground. Mr. Lawson found the request more than odd and he abruptly stopped tending to his brief case, trying to process what Chuck had meant by that. The car door opened from the outside. A man in black suit stood outside, held the door and motioned him to step out of the vehicle. Mr. Lawson immediately recognized the man. The man in the black suit was the right-hand man of Rick Hudson. Mr. Lawson thought about resisting but Ronald read it. He subtly opened his coat and showed his 9mm.
“Let’s do it the easy way, shall we?”, Ronald formally suggested. Mr. Lawson looked back bewildered at Chuck who looked more frightened than Lawson himself.

“I’m sorry”, Chuck mouthed as tears flowed from his eyes.