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Aaron started to realise the high stakes involved in international mining about two years previously when he and Lee were in Athens on vacation. They were drifting on a rented sailboat on the soft swells of a calm Mediterranean when he had confessed to Lee that he thought he was being followed. He told her he saw a man that very day who he vividly remembered seeing in New Guinea while he was prospecting there a few weeks back.
From that moment on during his vacation, he saw the man everywhere. They walked in and out of stores and restaurants in order to lose their pursuer. At one point Lee thought Aaron might be going mad but she had to admit there always was a man lurking where Aaron pointed. She just wasn't convinced that it was the same man every time, every day.
On his first Monday back at work after the holiday, Aaron phoned Eddie Compton, the Vice-President in charge of Product Development and Acquisitions.
'I'm not shitting you, I'm sure it was the same man Eddie,' he said in the most persuasive tone he could muster. 'I'm not crazy... this guy followed us on ridiculous bogus walks up alleyways, through stores, everywhere.'
Eddie seemed too calm and Aaron didn't like it.
'Eddie are you listening to me? What the fuck is going on?' he blurted out.
'Take it easy Aaron. Okay, okay... take a deep breath and sit back. Don't worry, we've been expecting this for some time.'
This response did not ease Aaron's mind.
'Come up to my office right away.'
Aaron agreed, pleased he was at last about to receive some support or answers.
He knocked and opened the door to Eddie's office in one movement. Seated inside were three men, Sir Peter Gables - TransGlobal's chief executive officer imported from England, Werner Müller - head of security imported from Germany and Eddie - a home grown, San Francisco product.
'Come in Aaron, sit down,' Sir Peter took control. 'Do you know Werner Müller from Security?'
'Yeah, yes... what's going on here Eddie?' Aaron asked, fixing his eyes on Sir Peter.
'Look Aaron,' Eddie said. 'You know we're a major international company with competitors. It's no mystery our opposition wants to know what we are up to... .'
'They've simply sent someone to follow you,' Werner interrupted.
'Why me?' Aaron asked, turning in the direction of the voice.
'Don't be naive man,' Werner said as he stood, stretching to his full height. 'You are one of this company's senior prospectors. You go out in the field looking for billions of dollars in minerals. Right?'
'What's he saying?' Aaron asked. Standing he turned to his friend, ignoring Werner. 'Eddie, am I in any danger?
'Sit down both of you!' Sir Peter spoke with authority.
Everyone drew breath and settled on chairs once again. Sir Peter continued, 'Yes Aaron, you might be in some danger but we haven't lost a man in the field yet. That's why we have people like Werner here. He won't allow that type of thing to happen to any of our employees or their families.'
'Oh shit... Lee,' Aaron whispered through his teeth. He collapsed back into the oversized chair.
He had climbed the TransGlobal ladder so fast that he didn't think about anything other than the next discovery; safety for Lee and himself was never a point he thought to question. He'd always thought of his work as a treasure hunt. He harboured an aching inside, an ache that became a strong need to be in the field, a need to find that sweet vein, the El Dorado that all prospectors have yearned to find since the bronze age.
At first he thought he may have been naive about the pitfalls of his new, more senior, prospecting status but now he knew his decisions to accept rapid promotions had been made out of ignorance and that these men traded on that. 'Okay listen, if my wife and I are now in some sort of danger because of my job, then I want that job to be redefined.'
'Of course,' Sir Peter agreed.
'What do you mean when you say, redefined, exactly?' Eddie wanted to know.
'I want more money—'
He was cut off by Eddie, 'How much more?'
'A hundred thousand.'
'You're joking...'
'Agreed,' Sir Peter overruled Eddie.
'I want to spend less time in the office.'
'Yes?'
'An assistant.'
'Yes?'
'A Mercedes and my own choice of assignments.'
'Okay is that it?
'Yes, that's it.' Aaron closed. He was full of adrenalin and felt like he was floating, drugged.
'Then it's settled,' Sir Peter wound it up. 'But remember you do work for us and we insist on loyalty.'
Was that a threat? Aaron looked his CEO in the eye. There was an absence of a smile, no indication of friendliness whatsoever. He decided it was a threat. Aaron had never even considered giving information to opposition mining companies, until now.
As the men rose to adjourn the meeting Aaron spoke again. 'There is one more thing,' he quickly barked, waving a finger in the air. 'I'm certainly not going to confront this guy who's been stalking me ... on behalf of this company or anyone else.'
'Of course not. Werner will take care of the dark man,' Sir Peter said as he left the room drawing a crooked smile from Werner.
Aaron got no argument from anyone about anything that day.