"Sounds good. With your help, we can nail the bastard.”
I gather my things slowly. He walks me to the door. When I step onto the porch, the cold air is a shock after the warmth inside.
"Drive safe," he says.
"I will."
I get in my car and start the engine. When I glance back, he is still standing on the porch, hands in his pockets, watching me leave.
Chapter Four
Gideon
Rheareturnstwodayslater with the documents I requested.
This time, she arrives in the evening. The sky is already darkening, the temperature dropping fast. I hear her car before I see it, the engine noise carrying through the trees. When she steps out, the sight of her takes my breath away.
The other times I’ve seen her, she’s worn business clothes. Conservative pencil skirts and boxy blazers, with her hair pulled into a tight ponytail. Tonight, she’s wearing soft jeans that hug every curve and a low-cut sweater that gives just a hint of cleavage. Her hair falls in soft waves around her shoulders.
She was beautiful before. Now, she’s a fucking knockout.
“Welcome back,” I say, holding the cabin door open for her and checking out her ass as she walks inside.Thank the Lord for whoever invented blue jeans.
Inside, she sets a folder on the table. "Everything you asked for. Plus a few things I thought might be useful."
I flip through the pages. More login records. Email chains. Transaction summaries. She has organized everything by date, and she’s flagged anything that overlaps with Warren's access.
I nod appreciatively. "This is thorough.”
"Thanks,” she says, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Maybe I should have gone into the detective business.”
“You’d make a hell of a forensic accountant,” I tell her.
“Hmm,” she says, tilting her head. “I’ve never considered that for a career, but it could be fun to look specifically for misconduct and bust the bad guys.”
I chuckle. “Give it some thought. I’d hire you as a consultant in a heartbeat, and I know half-a-dozen other PI’s and police departments who would, too.”
We spread the documents out and start comparing them to the timeline I built. The pattern becomes clearer with every page. Warren's access. The withdrawals. The careful spacing designed to avoid detection. It is all there.
"He must have known this would catch up to him eventually," Rhea says, shaking her head.
"People like him think they're smarter than everyone else," I reply. “And sometimes they are… until they get cocky and sloppy.”
She nods, studying one of the email chains. "So sloppy. Look at this."
She points to a timestamp. An email sent at two in the morning, followed by a transaction a few minutes later. No attempt to space them out or obscure the connection.
“He’s not getting out of it now. The only question is whether the company will press charges or not.”
She frowns. “Why wouldn’t they?”
I shrug. “Embarrassment. Bad press. A lot of times, these bigger companies choose to handle things internally.”
“No,” she says fiercely. “I won’t allow it.”
My mouth twitches into a smile. “Ah. The badass warrior’s going to get him.”
“Bet your ass. He was going to let them pin this onme.If they opt not to file charges, I’ll go public with it myself.”
