The pack arises early and gathers near the top of the hill. As soon as everyone arrives, we take off running up to the passes. The pack will take down a deer this day because the deer herds are forming. All living things feel winter in the air. Winter is coming.
Suddenly I am awake. Roll out of bed, clutching my sports bra, undies and shorts. After finishing in the bathroom, I pull everything on and move into the workout room. Soji is there, stretching. As usual, we ignore one another as I take my place beside him in the routine. A minute later, Sara joins us. She seems familiar with the kata and asks no questions.
When we finish a couple hours later, I strip, hang my sweaty clothes on a peg and lay on the table so Soji can give me my massage.
Sara sits on the floor near my head and says softly, "I have a few questions." Soji pauses to fetch a robe for Sara so she won't catch a chill, then goes back to work on me. She thanks Soji and then begins with, "What are you worth, Jill?"
"Last month, Pere was worth fifty-two million. Midori was worth twice that. My personal accounts, foreign and domestic, were another fifty, so a couple hundred mill."
"Midori?"
"My international corporation, an LLC," I murmur, eyes closed, as Soji probes deep. "Pere is domestic."
She ponders this for a moment and asks, "Where did your wealth originate?"
"I developed a company called JP Performance, a chain of auto performance retail outlets with a shop in back. It's a high-margin business and customers pay in cash." When I hear Sara make a soft sound in her throat, I pause.
"When was this and how old were you?"
"It was . . . 1965 and I was almost seventeen." Feel her touch my hair but ignore it. "Early in '68, I moved to Australia for a couple years and established ANZ Fleet Services. A year later in `71, I enlisted in the Air Force, moved to Japan and met the woman I eventually persuaded to work for me and become my Board Chair. She built Midori LLC using funds from JP, and eventually brought ANZ under the Midori umbrella because it wasn't growing fast enough. When we returned to the US in '75, she moved to Reno and developed Pere, Incorporated as a Nevada corporate umbrella with Pere, Chief Financial, JP and Eagle companies beneath it."
"Eagle?"
"JP speculates in commercial real estate; Eagle in residential."
"You said that the woman who is your board chair did all this, Jill. What were you doing from '75 to now . . . nine years?"
"Wandering around," I tell her. "Wasting time."
"Excuse me," says Soji softly. "That is inaccurate."
Ask, "Who's answering Sara? You or. . . ." Grunt when he silences me with two stiff fingers pressed into my ribcage.
"Jill used her personal savings to establish an international program to bring Bhuddist orphans from where they were not wanted in Japan to Australia, New Zealand or the United States'their choice," says Soji. "This program not only pays for their room and board while they finish school, it offers scholarships so they can attend any institution of higher education they choose—be that a vocational school or Harvard, if they do not earn scholarship offers of their own. One hundred percent have taken advantage of this program and finished their education. Once they have, they can work anywhere they wish. Fully one third of the orphans have chosen to work for Midori or Pere."
Grunt again, trying to speak, but Soji will not allow it. Consider rolling off the table, but it's not that important to me, so I lie still, listening.
"Meanwhile," says Soji, "Jill used her personal funds to establish a foundation that brought a Buddhist monastery and school, a dojo, here to Reno. To this day, it is thriving."
"I would like to see it," says Sara.
"I would be honored to show you," says Soji. "While she was doing this good work, Jill obtained her baccalaureate in secondary education, taught high school, worked another full-time job, established a second foundation called Aliversal and almost finished her master's thesis." Leaning forward, he whispers to me, "You may continue."
"Thank you," I tell him with a grunt as I catch my breath.
"And thank you, Soji," says Sara. She ponders things for moment and asks, "When did Le and Mei enter the picture, Jill?"
"I hired Leanne Hansen to manage my personal wealth last year. She formed RDF Corporation for that purpose. When my Board Chairwoman hired her away as CEO of Pere Company, Le found Mei to take her place as CEO of RDF."
"Pere Company speculates in real estate. What does Chief do?"
"Chief provides accounting and information services to Pere and the other domestic companies under its umbrella. Chief operates in the black, barely."
"What about physical plant? Is Pere spread out, on a campus or under one roof?"
"The Chairwoman mortgaged everything to build an underground complex just west of downtown. She recently finished the building and retired the mortgage."
"All of this in one underground complex? It must be huge."
"She has compartmentalized it so much that I get lost so I have no idea. For example, no one on the business side knows anyone in Chief. Only she knows the Chief Financial staff. Your office is on the Chief side but you'll have unrestricted access to both Pere and Chief, Sara."
"Store backup tapes off site?"
"Yes. She stores the last three days of tape at the recovery site in Sparks. It's a secure warehouse complex with offices, phones and computers. She recently surprised everyone with two disaster recovery scenarios—one last summer and another last week after the attempt on my life. She stores archive copies at another secure facility east of Carson City."
"Pere practices business recovery off site frequently. That's impressive."
"Standard practice," I tell her. "She set it up and she runs it."
"I've audited Wall Street firms and government contractors worth hundreds of millions who don't follow standard business practice, Jill. You said Le hired Mei to run RDF."
"Yes, however just yesterday, I promoted Mei to President of Pere Company and moved Le laterally to President of Chief Financial," I tell her with a chuckle. "Le is auditing her lover's business, but not for long. Le will transform Chief from an internal security and audit organization into a for-profit company that audits financial, information and security functions for government and private industry."
"Who will provide internal security and audit?"
"The Chair made those arrangements, Sara."
Sara responds with "Mm," and after a moment, adds, "Both women seem suited to their new roles." She pauses for several beats before continuing, "I'll begin calling in an audit project team from around the country later today. I should have an initial report for you tomorrow afternoon. We'll finish up and be out of your way by Friday."
Her voice excites me and soothes me in the same moment. The smell of her so close is driving me crazy. I have questions about Sara's past, but my instincts counsel patience, so I simply ask, "What's your situation, Sara?"
"I'm twenty-four, MBA from Northwestern in late `82. Started working for these guys last year."
Consider Sara's words and ask, "And how's that going?"
"It's not. Glass ceiling."
"I can imagine. So what are your plans after this project?"
"Quit."
Startled, I cock open one eye and ask, "Why?"
"I want to produce wealth for you, Jill." Opening both eyes, I look at her but say nothing. "You expect it of your executives and then stay out of their way, which is how I work," says Sara.
Soji's gentle slap on my ass tells me he has finished my massage. Sit up under his watchful eye, stand slowly and take my clothes from the peg. Standing there naked, I say, "Grab a shower. We'll eat breakfast and talk some more."
Sara eyes my body. "Nice bruises. I'm looking forward to visiting the dojo with you, Jill."
Turn to look at Soji, who nods but says nothing. "Soji and I'll take you over in the morning if you like."
"I like," says Sara with a little smile forming at the corner of her mouth. "Full contact? Worthy opponents?"
"Have to move to Japan or China for anything this good. The instructors point out your bad habits by knocking you on your ass and stomping you into the mats."
She glances over at Soji and lifts her eyebrows. "Yeah?"
Soji eyes her for a moment, then turns aside to fold the massage table and return the table to its cabinet.
Sara stands slowly and faces me. "Show me."
Smile and turn to the door. "Tomorrow."
She steps in front of me. "Now."
Glance at Soji, who merely raises one eyebrow. Hang my clothes and face her.
Realize the girl is watching, standing too close. Glance at her, so she moves quickly to the wall behind Soji.
Soji faces both of us for a moment, then drops his hand.
Sara moves in fast and low—a classic move executed to perfection.
Step inside her attack, taking two painful strikes, then toss her back against the near wall so sudden and hard it knocks her breath away. She tries to roll away but I'm already cutting her in half with a knee to the ribs and then slamming her into the mats. For good measure, I put a heel into her brisket, stunning her into submission.
When Soji barks out a halt, I still have my heel on her breastbone. Bend over Sara and look into her eyes, which are wide open in shock as she struggles to breathe. Standing slowly, I gather my clothes once more and leave to take my shower while Soji kneels beside her, speaking softly. Glance back to see Soji glaring at me. The girl walks over to stand beside Soji as he administers to Sara. Her eyes follow me as I turn and leave the room.
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