Commitment Collection 2- Ignition; Turbo Charged; Pole Position, page 23
part #4 of Commitment Series
‘Ah, shit.’ “No, of course not. I’m just saying be careful until we understand more about what makes this guy tick, that’s all. I actually have to discuss another matter with you.”
I go on to explain how I need to speak with the investors and hurry them along, but I don’t want to appear desperate. There’s nothing like desperation to make shareholders run for the hills. “So, I wondered whether you could call and chase their publicity up, say you’re following up from last night, etc., and it would be great to see some results that you can present by the end of the day. Give them a deadline if you can.” I pause, wondering how much to admit. “We need someone to come out in support of us in time for me to go to the banks and have them release our funding. Otherwise, Daisy’s out.”
She slams her hand against her desk. Her eyes widen, “You’re kidding me? She’s mental. This is the best investment out there. I’m only mad that all our money is tied up. If it wasn't we’d have been right in there. But, you know with everything we have going on at the moment, we can’t spare anything. There’s no way this place will go under though, unless people allow it to by being stupid.”
“Ah, you know how it is though. If a country can talk itself into a recession, there’s no reason why the same can’t happen with Judd Racing. We need that coverage, Jessie. Our future depends on it, and trust me, I know how dramatic that sounds.”
“I’m all over it. Leave my office so I can make these calls.”
“And, keep that little rat out of it. I don’t want him involved.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Tell him something personal has come up and you need to leave the office. Give him the afternoon off and get him out of the way.”
She salutes and I walk out of her door, almost tripping over Axel.
Elliott
Following the success of yesterday’s meeting, I spend the day working through contracts with our legal team, ready to approve the next batch of technical investments as soon as the press begins supporting us. Jessie also stopped in earlier to suggest we take last night one step further and invite cameras in for a-day-in-the-life-of me. They can follow me around and I’ll explain all the things I did last night, “in a more consumer friendly way and with less focus on figures, of course,” she says.
“It sounds like a great plan.”
“I thought so too.” She grins, taking a mini bow.
I laugh. “No need to bow for me.”
So, when Axel turns up at my door a few hours later, I’m assuming it’s with an update of where, when, and how this idea is going to play out.
“Axel, come on in, take a seat.” I gesture to one of the functional chairs that sits in front of my desk. My office is surprisingly sparse, too much motor oil knocking around this place to have anything special. He checks the vinyl on the seat of the chair for any signs of dirt residue before placing down his suited butt.
But then he doesn’t say why he’s here.
“So, how can I help you? Have you guys made some progress?” I’m feeling great today. The pressure cooker that has been building over the past few months was finally released last night, and I swear I’m twenty pounds lighter. My mood has followed suit.
“It’s not about that. Kyle came in and asked me to disappear so he could be alone in the office with Jessie. When he came out, she told me that she'd had some family issues come up that she needed to take care of, so she’s given me the afternoon off. I just wanted to let you know in case there’s anything I can do for you before I leave.” He pauses as though he’s about to say something else, but then he just leaves his phrase hanging.
‘Jessie has had some family business come up? Has something happened to Idris? Is that why Kyle found out about it first? As I’m his old buddy, I would have thought if it was anything like that, then I would have been the first to be informed in the event Jessie was unobtainable.’ I can’t think straight. I need to find out, but the eager young guy in front of me is waiting for my answer.
“Well, I don’t know. Let me think about it.” I tap my keyboard, seeing if there’s not something in the calendar that will give me some inspiration for what to do with him. If the kid is hungry to learn, it would be a shame to throw that back in his face by sending him away. “Maybe if you head downstairs to the garage and see Kyle. I know he is pressed for time down there, and it won’t do you any harm to understand how the cars work. He can give you some overalls so you don’t damage that nice suit you’ve bought, and you can be an extra pair of hands for the mechanics this afternoon. How does that sound?”
“Perfect.”
“I’ll come down with you.” That will give me a chance to find out what’s happening with Jessie. But then my phone rings. “Sorry, I need to take this.” I swipe to answer, covering the mouthpiece, “You head on down. I’ll follow once I finish up on this call.”
I watch as he stands and walks out, straightening his new suit. Despite whatever is going on with Jessie, I’m feeling pretty darn good about myself. That young kid could still be on the streets, hustling for a living if we hadn’t created a place for him here.
Kyle
There’s nothing more I can do, other than sit here and wait. And wait. It’s draining, and I’ve got ants in my pants need to feel like I’m at least making some headway. Without anything to distract me, I try Daisy again.
She doesn’t answer. I guess she’s monitoring social media and in lieu of any posts as yet, she’s keeping her distance. I plop my phone down on the desk and take a step out into the workshop to see how the mechanics are coming along with fitting a new nose that we’ve designed. It will improve the aerodynamics of the car, saving time on the racetrack, but it’s not the easiest to fit, so if the guys don’t perfect this, then the investment in Research and Development will be wasted. They need to be able to switch this out with an old nose in under four seconds.
“They’re down to eight seconds,” Jerry, a lithe, sinewy mechanic explains. He’s been here since the very beginning, and his tone would suggest that eight seconds is acceptable.
It’s not.
“Excellent, only another four seconds to find then.” I grin, like this is obvious to everyone, even though it clearly isn’t.
The issue is that when these need replacing, it’s usually due to some on-track collision, either with another car or a barrier. This in itself loses track position, and time is of the essence. It’s one of any number of different elements where the mechanics are critical to the outcome of the race.
Jerry suddenly develops daggers in his eyes, and I walk on, inspecting the back of the car, letting my comment sink in. Jerry starts to speak, “You sure? Four seconds sounds quick to me.”
“Of course it is, but do you know how many laps in perfect conditions it takes to close a gap by four seconds? Particularly if the front end needs replacing, the driver has no doubt already lost position. This is critical. Four seconds. When you get there give me a shout, and we’ll have a drink in the bar on me.”
They mutter, but the promise of beer subdues what could have otherwise been an outcry, so I disappear back inside my office before there’s risk of them reconsidering.
My cell lies on my desk, taunting me to dial Daisy again. This is a nightmare; I can’t focus on anything. All this practice to change a nose in four seconds will be pretty pointless if we don’t have a team to race. I pick up my phone, drumming the screen. Elliott’s face smiles back at me.
I cannot let this fail.
I’m dialing her again before I’ve had the chance to think, pacing over to the window and looking out at the view of the parking lot beyond. There are so many people dependent on us delivering on our promises. We have to make this business work for them, as well as us.
The ringing changes up to Daisy’s voice mail. I haven’t decided what I’m going to say until I begin speaking, “Daisy, it’s Kyle. I wanted to update you. Jessie has had it confirmed by several of the investors that they are in the process of drawing up their statements and that they will release them to the press as soon as possible. I’m not sure if the end of today is a realistic deadline for you to be pulling your funding so please don't do anything hasty. This will happen. We will turn this situation around. It’s imminent. We’re just waiting for the I’s and T’s to be dotted and crossed. Anyway, just keeping you in the loop. Don’t pull out prematurely.” I go to hang up, “Oh, and I haven’t heard from Idris yet, so don’t let him forget to call me. I need information on that little weasel Axel.”
I disconnect the call and continue staring blankly out the window. At least she has all the info now, and although what I said isn’t one hundred percent what we know to be happening, I’m sure it’s true.
I pick up again and call the bank, turning as the handset rings out in my ear for a second time in as many minutes.
“What the...?”
Axel is leaning against my door frame, and the scorn in his eyes tell me that he heard exactly what I said to Daisy. When he speaks, his voice is laced with unleashed savagery. “Sorry to disturb you. Elliott sent me down here. Jessie had to leave to take care of some urgent business after you left her office. So, I have time on my hands to pitch in down here if you can find me some overalls.”
I do not like the inference that I was the one who caused Jessie to have to leave early. He’s a sneaky fucker, this one, and I do not want him roaming around here unattended. I want him out and so I reply, “Oh, I’m sorry, we don’t keep spares. All our overalls are allocated to the mechanics. Didn’t Jessie send you home as well?” I double check why he’s still loitering.
“Yeah, but I thought I’d check with Elliott before I left and told him what had happened.”
He’s still talking, but I’m not listening, my scalp prickles, sensing trouble ahead. What did he tell Elliott? I tune back into him.
“I didn’t want to do anything to upset him, particularly when the business is being run on such a shoestring at the moment.”
Whoa, back up! On a shoestring? It’s been run on anything but that, which is part of the issue. However, the tone of the media leaks has very much been that we don’t have enough cash.
Rather that launching at him and ringing his scrawny fucking neck, I lean back against the window, resting on both hands. The cool of the glass feels good on my palms, which are increasingly sweaty as the gravity of what Axel just said dawns on me. This is definitely our leak. Now, all I need to do is prove it.
Elliott
Kyle’s office is at the end of the workshop, so when I enter, I have a full view of what’s going on. And there’s something off. Kyle’s body language is off. He’s backed up against the window as though he’s been pinned there. Axel is still with him, and still clad in his suit. I would have thought by now he’d be ready for work on the shop floor.
But the tension between them is too intense for this to be just a friendly chat. Neither is speaking, and they’re eyeing each other with an equal amount of disquiet. It’s like they’re both involved in a game of chess, each one second-guessing the other’s next move.
“What’s going on?” I smile, ignoring the tension screaming out to be heard above the din of the silence hanging in the room. The workshop banter goes unnoticed in the stillness.
“Oh, Axel was just leaving to go home,” Kyle shrugs in an attempt to look nonchalant.
“Don’t you have any work for him?” I ask, scrunching my brow knowing full well they have more than enough to keep the kid busy.
“Not much, and we don’t have the overalls either. I was telling him that he’d be better going home as a thank you for all the late evenings he’s put in recently. Take the rough with the smooth so to speak.” Kyle drops him a steely glare that chills even me.
Axel doesn’t react though. He remains seated, waiting for what, I don’t know. It must be because he wants to make the most of this position, but any normal kid would bolt out that door. He’s been told twice now and he’s still here. Gotta give him credit for his work ethic.
“Off you go then,” Kyle instructs, rather than suggests, which again isn’t like him. “I have some things to discuss with Elliott, so please close the door behind you when you leave.”
Whoa, now that definitely isn’t like Kyle. My mouth hangs open at his abrupt manner, but I keep my thoughts to myself. I’ve obviously walked right into the middle of something I don’t understand.
At least Axel responds now, doing as he’s told and closing Kyle’s office door on his exit.
“What just happened?” I ask. Then I remember why I’m down here. “Actually, you can fill me in on that later. What’s wrong with Jessie? Is Idris OK?”
Kyle leaves his position by the window and walks to his chair, sitting down and crossing one leg over the other. “Sit down, El. There're some things I need to fill you in on.” He sighs, rubbing his five o’clock shadow, and I notice how tired he looks.
My heart dives into my stomach. “What?” is all I can manage.
“I asked Jessie to get Axel out of the way. Idris will be looking into him. I’m just waiting for him to call. There’s something off about Axel, and I’ve been thinking about all the drama we’ve been having. It’s all started since he came on board, and all the info that has been leaked is data he’s had access to.”
I’m quiet for a beat, running the dates through my mental calendar. Kyle is right. “OK, so you think he’s our leak?”
“Yes, but I have no proof, so I need to know more about him before we can do anything. You know what the employment laws are like in England. Everyone is protected, so we need indisputable proof before we go ahead and make problems for ourselves, but I don’t trust him, El. That’s for certain.”
“Right, so there’s nothing wrong with Idris, and Jessie doesn’t need to leave to go home for a personal emergency?”
“Exactly.”
“So, what is Jessie doing that he couldn’t hang around for?”
“She’s chasing up the coverage from our investors. We need to get some exposure and soon.”
“Why is that?”
His phone rings, and he angles the screen so that I can’t see who it is. “Two secs,” he says, pointing his finger at me, rising from his chair, and walking towards the window, again standing with his back to me, facing outside.
I listen to the one side of his conversation, but he’s not saying much, and I can’t work out who it is.
Elliott
“Jessie is coming down. She has something to show us,” Kyle says when he hangs up.
It may be me, but he looks relieved. His shoulders, which had been hitched up someplace around his ears earlier, have relaxed down, and his brow, which was furrowed, is now smooth above his sparkling eyes. He stretches, and as he does his back cracks.
It doesn’t take Jessie long before she bursts through the door, brimming with excitement.
“Look at this, guys. It’s fantastic.” She plants the pad down on the desk between us all and we hover, eager to find any scrap of good news in the media. And she’s right. It is good. Better than good. It’s excellent.
The title reads: Winning driver, smart businessman, or both?
The sub heading is: Elliott Judd may have wowed crowds with his abilities to corner a car like it was on rails, but he’s proving that’s not the only corner he can turn. And he’s doing it like he’s been turbo charged.
Kyle reads them aloud, and sure, they’re embarrassing, but the relaxation that I saw overtake Kyle’s body a few minutes earlier seeps through into my veins.
“Turbo charged. That’s you, El. I didn’t realize they’d been in our bedroom with us.” Kyle nudges me.
“Oh, nice one. I wouldn’t have brought this down here if I thought you two were going to behave like children.” Jessie stands in mock-schoolmistress mode.
“Ah, you know we always act like kids. These last few months have been a temporary blip while we dove head on into an adult world we weren’t quite prepared for. Good job, Jessie.” I reach out and give her the best hug. She’s so small in my arms compared to Kyle. I’ve gotten so used to his huge frame that it feels like I’ll snap her if I hug her too tightly.
“Shall I carry on?” Jessie pulls away, wafting her hand in front of her face.
“What’s wrong? Are you not good with emotions nowadays?” Her eyes have filled.
“No, it’s not that. I’m relieved and delighted all at the same time. That’s all.” She taps my elbow and then thinks better of it and wraps her arm around my waist, hugging me against her. “You don’t deserve the shit storm you’ve been dealing with. It’s not been fair. I’m just happy.” She sniffs, but thankfully, manages to hold her weeping at bay.
The moment is poignant though, and pride swells in my chest that we have a friend who cares about us so much that it brings out such a strong reaction in her.
“Yes, carry on reading.” Kyle’s voice also cracks but I wouldn’t put it past him not to burst out into spontaneous floods of tears.
Jessie picks up the tablet and starts again.
“When Elliott Judd took over a failing race team with his husband, Kyle Beaumont, the performance car world was shaken. Sure, he knows how to drive at high speed around a track, but does he understand the racing business?
And the answer is a resounding yes.
We were lucky enough to be given an exclusive tour of his factory a few days ago to find out how he’s been investing our hard-earned cash, and while I can’t give too much away, the man is a genius.
The way he’s looking at every minute detail of that operation is a credit to him. He’s buying in the technology where it’s available, but it’s how he’s implementing these standard components and how the parts are being designed around these standardized items that really sets the team apart.
His thinking is world beating and I, for one, would invest in Elliott Judd’s business again in a heartbeat. I’m looking forward to seeing Judd Racing in pole position.”
