“Got it,” Martin says. “I will watch out.”
I lean back in my seat while Forest and Martin discuss some details, and I wonder what Jordan is up to. What’s he doing with a casino? How does that in any way benefit him? I guess hemight be in it for the money, as I have no doubt he is scamming the people there, but he already has plenty of money. He must be doing something else on top of that.
twenty-eight
Busted
*ROSEA*
What Martin said about the casino keeps circling my mind during the next two weeks. It might explain the suspect transactions I found when I went through the pack investments and spotted the high sums paid to that floral shop.
Is it the cover for the casino?
But while the transactions look unusual, they are not high enough to be spent in a casino. At least not at first glance. There has to be more to this.
I need to find out more about it, but there is nothing in the documents Forest and I have. I have checked them all more than once. Which means, if there is something we can use, it will be in Donna’s, or worse, Harry’s possession. He has been the alphafor the pack for so long, I am sure he knows something, and I am sure is something that will give him away.
There has to be!
During the day, Forest and I usually attend to different tasks. He focuses on training and scheduling his warriors, security issues and alike, while I focus on anything bureaucracy-related, finances, and try to look after the more vulnerable pack members. I have also begun to make a list of couples who are expecting pups, so we can support and congratulate them when the time comes.
Plus, I have decided that the orphans need to move closer to the packhouse.
Whenever I have put an idea together and need to plan it, adding resources and manpower to it, Forest and I sit together and plan it in detail. Once everything in the pack is running properly, I will have Griffin assisting me as the pack’s gamma. For now, I’d rather he sticks with Forest and support him.
Pondering what to do, I take a walk through the packhouse. Pack members who walk by, greet me, so I make sure to stop and chat a while to get to know them. I am still not sure if Forest truly wants me as his chosen mate. When I am with him, I believe he does, but the moment he isn’t around, my old doubts surface.
Maybe he is just using me to regain control over his pack?
I shake my head. No, Forest isn’t that type of guy.
And Alora is right. While we fell for Jordan’s tricks, we were much younger back then and ignored all the red flags.
The question is: Do I want to be his chosen mate? Am I willing to take the risk again? By now, I know that being mates with an alpha is always a risk. Jordan took everything from me, and those around him let him do as he pleased.
There is no guarantee it won’t happen a second time.
If I want this, I need to trust in Forest and in my own decision, and take the leap. That thought alone is scary.
It’s when I spot Harry walking down the staircase and heading outside that I pause, my thoughts immediately returning to my original task. It’s a risk. Should I?
It’s not a question of should or should not, Ihaveto.
With that in mind, I turn around and hurry back to the second floor where the offices are located. Harry still has his office there, although he doesn’t work much there anymore. I wait for a moment, checking if anyone is coming before I knock on the door. It’s just a pretense in case anyone is inside, but there is no sound reaching my ears.
Opening the door, I slip inside, finding myself in Harry’s neat office. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. The man must be organized if he was able to keep such tight control over everyone and everything.
I don’t linger for long and hurry to check every space in the office. He has a bookshelf that looks like it holds valuable information, but not the kind I am looking for. There is a small storage room where I can see some detergents and a lot of dusty folders. Too old. If Donna or Harry are in any way entangled in the casino thing, then the proof is not there. It must be newer. This leads me to his desk, with a huge file cabinet right next to it.
Thanks to his neat organization, he has everything numbered and labeled. After a while of searching, a folder with transactions catches my eye. Skimming through it, it’s pretty similar to what Forest has. There are a few more pages, though—numbers and names I haven’t seen yet, so I take a photo of those. The second folder, entitled ‘Finances’, has ‘PRIVATE’ added to it.
Now that’s even more interesting!
Looking through it, I notice it’s transactions from their bank account, but not the one Forest has access to. Do they have a separate, secret one? Not to linger too long in the room, I just take as many photos from this folder as I can, before storing everything back in its place, making sure not to leave any traces.
I should not stay here any longer.
It’s too risky.
