by Keary Taylor
“I await your contact eagerly,” I say more snarkily than I should as I walk to the door.
Julian jumps up from his seat in the lobby as soon as he sees me. He crosses the room and his eyes are fixed on Rodriguez. “As the creator of the Blue Wall, I offer myself up as assistance any time you need it in your investigation.”
“Thank you Mr. Dohring,” she says, her voice annoyed. “But considering your…personal interest in Sage, we won’t be able to consider much of what you have to say.”
Julian clenches his teeth, making his jaw muscles stand out. His hands curl into fists, but instead of lashing out, he simply nods his head and puts an arm around my shoulders.
Mr. Maxwell is sitting on a desk, his arms folded over his chest. I want to talk to him, to explain that I am innocent. But Penny has advised me not to communicate with him unless both she and his own attorney are present.
I step outside and Julian sets our bags out of the way on the sidewalk. “Give Gretchen a call,” he says as he stuffs his hands into his pockets. “Tell her that I’ll meet her at Digit in fifteen minutes and I need her help. I assume she knows all of your passwords and everything?”
I nod. Gretchen could really ruin me if she wanted to. Which makes my blood chill instantly.
She could ruin me.
“Gretchen knows everything,” I say, feeling sick. “Oh my… Julian, what if it was her that framed me?” I can hardly process the thought. I’m sometimes harsh on her, but I love Gretchen. We’ve gone through so much at work together. Could she really betray me like this?
“I’ve heavily considered it,” Julian says, turning somber eyes on me. “I’m going to do some snooping around at Digit, see what I can find. I’ll catch whoever did this to you, Sage.”
I feel numb and betrayed as I nod my head. Julian calls for a cab and I text Kale that he can come pick me up now.
Five minutes later I give Julian an absentminded kiss goodbye. He and Kale load my bags into the trunk, and then I am headed back to a home I am suddenly afraid I might lose.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
I crash hard as soon as I get home. I shower, knot my hair in a wet bun at the top of my head, slip into an oversized shirt of Kale’s I stole a year ago, and collapse into bed.
My dreams are dark and twisted and disturbing.
When I wake, it is seven in the morning. I’ve slept a full fifteen hours.
The house is just starting to get light and things are quiet. I open the curtains so I can look out over the lake. I climb back into bed and pull my knees to my chest.
I’ve been fired from Digit. Until this moment, I haven’t really taken any time to process that. I no longer work at Digit Securities. I’ve invested the last five years of my life into that company, put my heart and soul into it. Working there is a part of my very identity. And that part of me has just been severed.
My goal for the past year has been to become its CEO. And now I no longer even work there.
What now?
I grab my laptop from my nightstand and open it up. I pull up my banks website and type in my login information.
Access to this account has been temporarily locked. If you need further assistance, call this number.
Great. I can’t even get into my own bank account right now. And I have little doubt I won’t be able to access any of my credit or debit cards for the time either.
I am financially screwed for however long it takes to sort this mess out. I have maybe fifty dollars in cash. Suddenly I’m mentally calculating how much gas is in my car, how much food is in the pantry.
I haven’t had to worry about money since my sophomore year in college.
I’m not enjoying the reenactment of history.
So I’m going to make whoever has done this to me pay.
I roll out of bed and head for my closet. For the first time in probably two years at least, I put on a pair of jean shorts and a black tank top. To top it all off, I put on my running shoes. I let my hair out of the bun and it falls around my face in soft waves. A small bit of makeup tops it off.
My phone rings and I dart across my bedroom to answer it by the third ring.
“Julian,” I say, my voice keyed up.
“Someone opened an account under your name the day before yesterday. It’s an off shore account,” he starts explaining in a hurried voice. “The exact same amount that was transferred into your real account is in that account. Except this morning it doubled.”
I swear under my breath and my fingers knot in my hair. “Okay, so this should at least prove it wasn’t me. How could I set up that account when I have an alibi of being in China?”
“Sage,” Julian says, his voice tired and breathy. “I just said it was an off shore account. You were in China. It looks like you set it up while you were there, and then stole millions from Ling Enterprises.”
“Then I’m screwed?” I say as I sink onto the bed.
“This doesn’t look good,” Julian says and I can almost see him shake his head. “I’ve told the FBI that I was with you for every hour except about 8 while we were there, but like Rodriguez said, they can’t take much of what I say seriously since we’re involved.”
“Has there been any activity on that other account yet?” I ask as I rub the back of my neck with my other hand.
“It lit up like a flare this morning,” Julian says. “They haven’t been able to freeze this one yet so whoever has access to it is going nuts this morning. A boat has been purchased, some real estate that we haven’t learned the location of yet, and twenty thousand in cash was withdrawn. Sage, the FBI is on their way to your house right now. They’re going to arrest you.”
I squeeze my eyes shut and my mind betrays me. It goes blank and numb.
“Hold up,” Julian suddenly says, his voice growing in excitement. “Another charge just went through. It’s for a dealership here in Bellevue, a hundred and twenty thousand dollars. Sage, it takes time to buy a car. We could catch them if we get there right now.”
“What dealership?” I demand as I jump up from the bed and start looking for my things. I pound on Kale’s door and he sleepily grunts from within.
“The Mercedes, but Sage, when I said we, I did not in any sense mean you,” Julian’s voice sounds panicky. “I want you to stay away from that dealership, if you’re caught there, it is not going to help you.”
“I want to see who did this to me, face to face,” I growl and hang up. “Kale! I need your help! Get dressed!”
I am dialing even as I yell at Kale again and hold the phone up to my ear. “Lake? How fast can you drive? I need your help.”
Ten minutes later, Kale and I peel into the parking lot of the dealership. Just as we start walking toward the building, I see Dad’s car fishtail around the corner and stop right in front of the doors. Lake scrambles out and the look on his face would be enough to make me run away with my tail between my legs.
“There’s a good chance they might still be here,” I growl as Kale holds the door open and we plow inside.
There are salesmen looking at us with hesitation, knowing they should sic us and ask what we’d be interested in test driving today, but I am quite sure we look far from approachable. I head straight for the office at the back.
There is a man writing something on a whiteboard on the wall. He’s just finished writing the final sale amount along the line that says a make and model and my name.
“I am the real Sage McCain and you just sold a car to a fraud,” I say as I get up in his face. He looks annoyed at first, but then he sees both my brothers behind me. “I want to know who it was you sold it to and where they are.”
“Mr. and Mrs. McCain ran to the restroom before they head out. Their new car is being detailed right now before they go.”
Lake spins on his heal and he and Kale both tear out of the office.
“What…what is going on?” the manager stutters.
“You’re just about to be under investigation for selling a car to
someone with a stolen identity and stolen money,” I hiss as I start dialing. But before I can complete the call, I hear sirens in the distance.
Suddenly there are shouts and a loud crashing sound. I dart out of the office and head for the source of the noise.
Someone falls backward out of the men’s restroom and there is blood spraying across the tile floor. Lake erupts from the door as well and is on top of whomever he just tossed. He gathers the front of the man’s suit and brings his face very close.
“You will admit to all this and get my sister out of this mess,” Lake hisses.
“Corbin?” I breathe.
His head whips in my direction just as Kale comes out of the women’s restroom, a tall, stick-thin blond woman in front of him. She has her hands held up and there is terror in her eyes.
“You set me up?” I hiss. The sirens are here now and suddenly the doors are flooded with bodies. I turn and see both Agent Rodriguez and Fowler crowding inside, followed by a dozen police officers. And then Julian bursts through the door.
“Why would you do this to me?” I demand as Lake holds onto Corbin Matters. Blood is running from his nose and he’s got a gash on the back of his head. “What have I ever done to you?”
“As if you don’t know,” Corbin hisses. “Don’t pretend you don’t know Gideon was going to fire me and make you CEO the moment you got home from making that deal in China. I was about to lose everything because of your ambition.”
“There better be some quick explaining going on here,” Agent Rodriguez demands.
I stand there stunned and silent for a minute. Mr. Maxwell really was going to make me CEO. It was finally going to happen and then Corbin came and screwed me over.
Suddenly my nerves are electric and the only thing keeping me from physically hurting the lowlife before me is Julian’s firm hand on my shoulder.
“Let them take care of this the right way,” he breathes.
I glare at Corbin, my jaw clenching and unclenching. Finally, I spit in his direction. “Congratulations. Now you’ve lost everything, and you’re going to jail.”
Everyone who was in the dealership was taken to the police station. The manager and the salesman confirmed that Corbin and his girlfriend posed as Mr. and Mrs. Sage McCain, using fake ID’s and purchased the car. The dealerships security footage was confiscated and reviewed immediately. It didn’t take too much effort to trace the charges to the fake off shore account set up in my name.
I sit in a chair in the lobby, my fists curled into angry balls under my arms. My eyes are fixed on the desk across the space from me. My teeth absentmindedly chew on my lower lip.
Corbin is being interrogated right now and Mr. Maxwell and Gretchen are waiting their turn to be questioned.
To my left sits Julian. To my right is Penny Watson.
They’re trying to figure out now how my information was stolen and who had access to my accounts. Half the company knew I was in China, so there is a huge possibility that Corbin was not working alone.
“Five hundred thousand dollars was just transferred out of the off shore account,” one of the FBI agents declares. “Can we trace where it is going to?”
I sit up straight and watch as the agents flip into a flurry of activity.
“So there is someone else involved in this,” Julian sighs. “Since Corbin obviously can’t transfer anything right now.”
“That clears Mr. Maxwell and Gretchen, right?” I ask, looking over at him.
“Not necessarily,” Julian says. “Gideon could have someone working for him.”
“Why would Mr. Maxwell steel money from his own clients? He’s got plenty of it himself,” I say, shaking my head. “He isn’t exactly a poor man.”
“I know,” Julian says. He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees. “I get why Corbin did it. He was about to be fired. But who else is in on this?”
“And don’t forget, someone who hacked the Blue Wall is in on this too.”
Suddenly, Julian stands and walks over to everyone that is furiously trying to figure out where the money is going to. He talks to them hurriedly and in a low voice. One of the agents nods, and then Julian turns and comes back to his seat.
“I hope you’re not saying anything that will get us in trouble,” Penny says as she stares Julian down.
“I suggested that maybe they are looking in the wrong place,” Julian says. His right knee bounces up and down quickly. “What they really need to be focusing on is who has the ability to steal all this money. Because right now, none of Digit’s clients are safe.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
We are at the station all day. They clear my name. They unfreeze my account and transfer all the money that had been placed in it back to the rightful companies and banks. The charges against me are dropped.
Mr. Maxwell is cleared as well. His hands have been proven clean.
But Gretchen is still under heavy heat.
I do not want to believe she could have set me up like this. We’ve been a solid team for the past three years. She’s never once complained about working for me. And while I expect a lot out of her, I reward her well. Have I been blind and not treated her fairly? Suddenly I am reviewing the past three years.
I don’t want to think it was Gretchen. But she does have access to everything in my life. She knows my account numbers. She knows my passwords. She knows the key to my home security system. She knows my social security number and date of birth.
It makes managing my personal and business life easier when my assistant knows all the important details. But I am now realizing just how vulnerable that has made me.
Finally, when we are all exhausted and delirious, Agents Rodriguez and Fowler share what they’ve learned from Corbin.
He was the one who leaked info before the banquet that Digit had a new product coming out. It was an attempt to make me look bad to Mr. Maxwell and turn him against me all the faster. It was a cheap shot to try and get me fired, one he’d kept using with Gideon in all those secret meetings. Corbin was trying to pin me to the wall in a desperate attempt to keep his job.
I could only shake my head and feel exhausted when the agents told us we could go home.
“We’re keeping Gretchen for the night,” Agent Fowler says as we head for the door. “You can expect a call from us in the morning.”
There’s a hard lump in my throat for Gretch’s behalf. I can only nod and follow Julian and my brothers.
“You know you’re going to have all of us at your house tonight, right?” Lake says as we walk out the front door.
“Excuse me?” I ask. My stomach growls violently.
“We still don’t know who else is in on this,” Julian says. “You saw how violent Corbin got back there.”
“There’s no way we’re letting you go back home with just Kale as your protection,” Lake says. His voice is serious, but he’s giving our youngest brother an amused side look.
“Not that I’m not insulted by that,” Kale says, glaring at Lake. “But he’s right. We’re all coming home with you tonight.” His eyes flick to Julian and he gives a shake of his head as a thin lipped smile forms on his face. “Even him. Can’t get a much closer watch than having someone in your bed all night.”
A smile curls on one side of my mouth and I shake my head. “Over protective men,” I say as I head for my car. “But so long as you two stay out of my bedroom, I won’t complain too much.”
“Spare me the gross details,” Kale says as he gives a shiver. He and Lake climb into the back seat. Mom and Dad came and picked up his car just after we all were hauled off to the police station. They were freaking out, but weren’t allowed to talk to any of us. Lake called them as soon as they cleared me.
“If this were a military operation, there’s no way we’d let you go back to your place,” Lake says as I start the engine and Julian climbs into the passenger seat. “You’d be vulnerable there.”
“What about my place?” Julian says. “No one at
the company knows where I live. I’ve got friends who drop by every so often, but they’re harmless. I’ve got a guest bedroom and a couch.”
“I think it’s a smart idea,” Kale says. It’s hard to take him too seriously in this situation. My little brother is fit and in good shape, but he looks that way to stand in front of a camera, not to take action. But I appreciate his support and help in this situation none the less.
“What do you say, Sage?” Julian asks as he looks over at me. “Ready to finally see where I live and if I own a car of my own?”
“Yeah,” I say as a smile curls on my face. “I think it’s about time.”
With the truth revealed that Julian invented the Blue Wall, the world’s best and most secure financial security software, I should have assumed Julian had some serious money. For some reason, I never imagined it.
Julian only lives about a mile up the lake from me. His street is gated and a guard has to check us all in and records my license plate number. The houses we pass, what we can see through the trees anyway, are grand and beautiful.
“Take a left right there,” Julian says indicating a driveway. I turn where he says and we are immediately at a set of gates. I raise an eyebrow at Julian and give him a disbelieving look. “The house came with the gates,” he says sheepishly.
Julian tells me the code and I enter it. Noiselessly, the gates roll back into the bushes and disappear. I pull in and they close behind me.
I do not have to drive far to get to the house. None of the lots in this area are large, but they are all incredible. Julian’s is no exception.
A sleek modern two story home sits before us. To the right is a three car garage. Surrounding the house is simple but well-kept landscaping. A ten foot concrete fence surrounds the entire thing. Along the fence, square bushes line it and perfectly manicured grass stretches across the lawn.
