2017
CHAPTER 17
BELLA
Christmas has come and gone, and we start the New Year with storms and gloomy weather that suits my mood.
I know Copper doesn’t understand why I don’t want to speak to my mum and dad because it’s clear I miss them with every fibre of my being. I’d never been away from them until I took this job. But deep in my soul, I know that if I hear their voices, I’ll break down and want to see them. I can’t take that risk, not when we’re so close to finishing this case.
I crave the freedom of my old life, even though it will look vastly different from before. Especially as I won’t be returning to Crow Manor or Feannag Village.
Until that happens, I need to focus on completing this assignment. And a few things are bugging me about Carter Accounting.
The first is that we have no dealings with the company's owners, only with Alan Chivers. Ramzi hasn’t been able to find anything on the owners other than that they’re brothers, now retired and living off the shares they hold in the company. Company accounts are filed on time, and when Silas, Cai, and Cahir surveilled them, they found nothing odd about the way they live their lives. They play golf twice a week, have lunch with their wives, and go on holiday twice a year. Their spending habits aren’t extravagant, considering their wealth.
The second thing that troubles me is how they choose the people who work on the ledgers. I knew why they selected me—I worked my way up the ranks in the last two years and proved myself. So, I ask the Cursed Skulls to look into my colleagues to find out why they were chosen for their roles.
Not all my colleagues work on the ledgers, as we also do work for regular clients. My gut tells me they’re being threatened in some way.
Silas confirms my suspicions when he discovers that the company is threatening the safety of my colleagues’ families. I like most of my co-workers and hate that they’re being treated this way. Once this is over, I promise myself I’ll help them.
During my work on the ledgers, I notice a recurring name, and tonight, I’ll infiltrate my office building with Silas, Cahir, and Cai. Cahir was initially reluctant to include me, but he knows they need my expertise to decipher the information in the ledgers that my colleagues work on. Once we confirmed a name, everything changed.
Copper isn’t happy with my involvement either, but he’ll be in the surveillance van with Ramzi, watching over us. My man is incredible in many ways, but stealthy he is not.
And tonight, we need stealth. I’m not worried, not with the backup I have.
***
2 am, Felixstowe, January 2017
“Are you ready?” Cahir asks over the comms.
“Ready,” I reply.
“Let’s move.”
Cai takes the lead, with me next, followed by Cahir. Silas will keep watch in the shadows near the door, along with Copper and Ramzi.
Cai makes short work of breaking in, but we wait for a few seconds to make sure we didn’t trigger the alarm.
“You’re good to go,” Ramzi assures us.
We move through the halls as one until we reach my floor. It’s eerie now that it’s empty, without a soul in sight.
“You’re up, Bella,” Cahir says softly as he walks towards Alan Chivers’ office.
I asked him to search it while we were here. I’m not sure if he’ll find anything, but it’s too good an opportunity to miss.
Cai circles the office, keeping watch.
I jimmy the lock of the first desk and remove the ledgers, locating the name I’m looking for. Putting them back, I relock the drawer and move on to the next. It doesn’t take me long to find the name. When I hit the fourth desk, another stands out. Now I have two, although this name isn’t in my ledgers. I make a note as Cahir returns from searching Alan’s office.
“Done?” he asks.
I nod, and we leave as silently as we arrived. We rejoin Silas and make our way back to the surveillance van.
Copper’s worried gaze immediately lands on me as I climb in.
