Tick Tock.
And in case you think I’m joking, attached is the recording from your very own security footage. Seems your employees need more of a financial incentive to remain loyal.
Dale
Chapter 47
Leo
“Dad, I’m missing something here; I know it,” I say, my phone balanced between my shoulder and my ear as I prepare dinner for Ria.
After I showed her the email, we got Deacon to get someone from his security team to look into how Dale got the recording. Apparently, the employee who did it wasn’t particularly clever as they left a huge footprint. It took only a matter of minutes to find out who downloaded the footage, and I was more than happy to deliver him his HR papers to leave Bright for gross misconduct. But that didn’t solve the problem we still have. Dale and Ezra still have these two pieces of evidence against us, and we have nothing.
“Tell me what you’ve found again,” Dad asks while I busy myself around the kitchen. Ria is late getting home, and my head is very loud with everything crushing down on top of me, and without Hunter, the only other person who grounds me is my dad.
“This property company. I can’t find anything on it. The registered office is just a small office in Islington, and it seemed to be unoccupied when I visited the other day. The director is squeaky clean. I’ve found nothing on him, and the accounts that I have access to look like what I would expect for this type of company. But it just seems odd.” Taking the prawns I’ve had soaking, I drain the liquid and set them down. Nila wraps herself around my legs as I work, and taking a few prawns, I drop them in her bowl.
“It does sound like there is a missing piece. Are there any other links to Peak?”
“Nope, nothing.” Propping my phone on the side, I switch to speaker phone so I can crack the eggs I need for the pad Thai, just as a calendar notification pings. “And Cole has now just requested a meeting tomorrow at ten, at his hotel. Shit. And he’s requested Ezra attend.”
“Okay, son, don’t stress. I’ll see what I can come up with as well. But it might be worth doing some damage control and withdrawing. This could make Ria look incompetent, and you might get hit with a harassment charge.”
“I couldn’t care less about me.” I sigh.
“I would guarantee that Ria does care about what would happen to you.”
“I know, but I can’t have Ria’s reputation ruined, so what do I do?”
“You stand by her side. You support her and you fight with her. Show her she isn’t alone.” He soothes, “And son, it will all work out. Trust me.”
Hanging up with Dad, I go through the motions of making dinner, my mind racing when I jump at the sound of the doorbell. Moving through the house with Nila darting between my feet, I open the front door to be greeted by Trixie. She’s wrapped up in a huge jacket, a scarf around her neck and a face as white as a sheet.
“Oh my God, Trixie. What the hell happened?” Reaching out, I go to take her arm to pull her into the house, but she flinches and pulls away, and I hold my hands up.
“Is Ria here?” Her voice is small and her eyes look around me.
“No, she's still at the office.” Placing my hands in my pockets, I refrain from pulling her into a hug. She looks like she’s seen a ghost.
“Okay.” She grips her coat closed, and I notice the visible tremor in her hands.
“Trixie, please come in and wait for her.”
I look at Trixie’s eyes, and they’re red with deep purple shadows underneath. Since she left with Ezra at the wedding, I haven’t seen her, and the fresh glow she normally sports is gone, replaced with a gray, lifeless tone. She slowly nods and I move aside so she can pass.
“Can I take your coat?”
“No,” she snaps, wrapping her large coat tighter around her. “I’m okay—not going to stay long.”
“Okay, a drink maybe?”
“Just a water, please.” I guide her into the kitchen. She seems unsteady on her feet, so I stay close in case she falls. Slowly, she settles onto one of the dining chairs, and Nila jumps up onto her lap, curling up and purring loudly. Smiling while her fingers still tremble, she scratches behind Nila’s ears. “She’s beautiful.”
“She is. We’re both in love. She’s the lady of the house. Owns both of us.” Passing her a bottle of water, I lean against theisland to give her some space. Something has made her skittish, and I don’t want her to bolt.
“Easy to see why.” She’s quiet as she continues to stroke Nila, the tremor in her fingers slowing with every stroke.
She isn’t going to open up to me, but something tells me I need to keep her here. “Do you like pad Thai? It’s prawn.” Moving behind the stove, I start to heat up the oil.
