The Alpha Billionaire Club Trilogy

by Alexa Wilder

  I couldn't say no. Not after looking at those pictures, those girls too young, gray with death, their eyes flat and empty. So I'd begun spying on my employer for the FBI. I was terrible at it. Really terrible. It wasn't that I got caught, or even came close to getting caught. Mr. Harper seemed oblivious and in general the files were such a mess no one noticed what I was looking at. On top of that, everyone had gotten used to me reorganizing my department, so it wasn't unusual to find me pouring through papers in the storage rooms or poking around the company looking for something Thomas had misplaced. But I really had no idea what the FBI needed, and Agent Jensen couldn't always be specific. So far I'd only managed to give them a few things that were helpful.

  Then Agent Jensen moved on, and Alan Tierney took over. I didn't like Agent Tierney. Agent Jensen had made me feel safe. Maybe that was just an illusion because he looked like my dad, but I'd trusted Agent Jensen to look out for me. Agent Tierney was all about the case. I was just a means to an end for him. Disposable. It made me nervous. At this point, I just wanted to find something they could use to end all this so I could go back to my normal, relatively stress-free life. I’d been racking my brain, trying to figure out what I could get that would provide solid enough evidence to end my involvement in the FBI's case.

  It was complicated, because, like Agent Jensen, Agent Tierney didn't fill me in on the details of what he needed, and I wasn't trained in criminal investigation. If you wanted to know the limits of your health insurance policy or when you could take vacation, I was your girl. How to determine what was useless data and what might stand up in court? I had no clue.

  The day before, I'd finally caught a break. The most recent corporate cell phone bill had landed on my desk by accident and following a hunch, I'd opened it. I went straight to Mr. Harper's call records and discovered that he'd been using his corporate cell phone to conduct criminal activity. At least, I recognized a few of the numbers he’d called as those Agent Jensen had given me. He'd asked me to let him know if they ever came through the switchboard, saying they belonged to key players in the Russian mob. I’d memorized the numbers even though I’d been sure I’d never see them. I rarely manned the switchboard - a lot of people had to be out of the office before the head of Human Resources answered the phones.

  But I’d been wrong, because here they were, those numbers I’d memorized all those months ago. I had to think that copies of these records would be helpful. They could subpoena them from the cell phone carrier. I thought they could. But that might tip off Mr. Harper about the investigation. I had a legal right to copy these files as an employee of the company. I was pretty sure that was true. While the bills went to the accounting department, I was listed as an admin on the account since Human Resources issued cell phones to employees.

  I tried to log into the account online and download the last few months of call records, but the password Thomas left me didn't work. When I ordered cell phones for the account I usually did it over the phone, not online, and I'd never tried to log in. But I knew where paper copies of the bills were kept. If I could get down there, copy the records, and get them to Agent Tierney, it might be enough to end this once and for all.

  I was so ready to be done with being an informant for the FBI. The week before, Agent Tierney had asked me to find a file that Harper had used to keep track of shipments for various enterprises with the Russians. Not only had Mr. Harper kept records of all of it, going back a year, but he also stored those records in his office. Agent Tierney had promised he would take care of shutting off any security that might catch me, but he said I was the one who had to steal the file.

  I thought it was odd that he hadn't wanted me to copy the file, leaving it where it was so that Mr. Harper would never know I'd been there. He’d wanted me to physically remove the file from Mr. Harper's office and bring it to him, along with a scanned copy of the file. I’d done it, waiting until both Mr. Harper and his assistant were out of the office. Agent Tierney had given me a good idea where to look, and the whole thing hadn't taken me more than a few minutes, but I'd been sick to my stomach the entire time. I really wasn't cut out for this kind of work.

  My fingers were crossed that this afternoon would be my last clandestine file search. I kept myself busy at my desk until lunchtime when I knew most of my coworkers would be headed out of the building or otherwise occupied. I usually stayed at my desk for lunch, because employees who wanted a quiet word would often stop by then, taking advantage of the same lull in activity that I was looking for today.

  I’d brought a sandwich for lunch, but I left it in my desk drawer, too nauseated from nerves to think about eating anything. At twelve forty-two, I pushed my chair back and stood, taking a deep breath to settle my nerves, and tried to force a calm, placid expression onto my face.

  It was GO time. If I could find what I needed, I’d be off the hook.

  6

  Emma

  The office was quiet as I made my way to the elevators. My footsteps seemed to echo through the entire floor. In my imagination every head turned to watch me as I passed by, making note of the time of my activity for later. I knew that was ridiculous. No one was paying any attention to me and even those who noticed my passage didn't care. It didn't stop me from being almost lightheaded with anxiety.

  I'd hidden a tiny USB drive in my pocket. We had pretty sophisticated copiers at Harper Shipping, and the one in the file room would let me scan directly to the drive. Efficient, and far easier to be sneaky when the evidence I took with me could literally fit in the palm of my hand. I rode the elevator alone, and, conscious of the security cameras, tried not to fidget. I had every right and reason to go down to the file room. I was in there several times a week on legitimate business. No one would think this trip was any different, or so I told myself.

  The doors opened, and I smoothed my jacket over my hips, using the motion to dry my sweaty palms. Nervous about getting caught, I’d dressed a little differently today than I normally did. Most of my work clothes consisted of a variety of suits in feminine cuts that flattered my curvy figure. Nothing inappropriate, all very professional, but I've never understood why professional couldn't also be pretty.

  While I knew I was unlikely to have to run for my life in the file room, I hadn't been comfortable wearing a skirt and heels today. Instead, I'd chosen one of my few pantsuits and a pair of flats. The change in wardrobe made me feel even more off balance.

  The basement of the building was deserted, the lights flickering. The energy-saving motion detection system left every room dark except those occupied by a person. I tried not to jump as the lights followed me down the hall, flicking on as they sensed me coming. They were good for the environment, and the power bill, but I'd always found them creepy, today more than ever. I opened the door to the file room, manually flicked on the lights, and shut the door behind me. I could feel the emptiness in the room, and that, combined with the closed door, made me feel a little bit better.

  The file room was huge, taking up most of the basement level. The ceiling was only nine feet, and while the room was big, the tall rows of shelves made it feel like a rabbit warren or a cave. Not sure where the cell phone bills were kept, I searched through the room reading the labels on the ends of each aisle hoping to find something that looked right. I checked an aisle marked 'Billing' and found it contained invoices for clients. That might have useful information, but it would eat up my entire day to check, and I had to stay focused.

  I was headed down an aisle marked 'Accounts Payable, Misc.' when my phone beeped in my pocket. I think I jumped about a foot in the air, my heart thudding in my chest from shock and fear. My hand shaking, I pulled the phone from my pocket and checked the text on the screen.

  Dinner tonight?

  It was Adam. We didn't usually go out two nights in a row. I wanted to see him. I always wanted to see Adam. Probably more than was good for me. No, definitely more than was good for me. But I didn't think I'd be free this evening. I hoped I wo
uldn't. I hoped I'd be meeting Agent Tierney to hand over the evidence I was about to find, ending my involvement in the case.

  Can't, I typed back. I have a work thing that'll run late.

  Late dinner?

  I stared at my phone, torn. I did want to see Adam. And how long could it take the hand off the USB drive to Agent Tierney? Anyway, I needed something good to look forward to.

  That works. I'll TXT you when I'm done.

  Looking forward to it.

  I shoved my phone back in my pocket and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. I was on the third section of 'Accounts Payable, Misc.' when I found it in a nondescript box marked with the name of our corporate cell phone carrier, on the fourth shelf up in a row filled with similar boxes. I pulled down the first box and lifted the lid.

  It was packed with manila file folders. I groaned and flipped through them. There was no way I’d have time to scan all of these. I didn't even think my USB drive was big enough to hold that many documents. I tried to think logically. If Agent Tierney was going to use the phone records to substantiate the files I'd given him last week, he only needed records from this year. I grabbed the box marked for the current year and headed for the copier at the far end of the room.

  Scanning the cell phone bills was an enormous pain in the ass. Each bill had about fifty pages. At least, that's what it seemed like. Rather than scanning the record of every call made on a company cell phone, I scanned the first page of each bill and the section that included Mr. Harper's calls. It still took forever. I was already nervous, but my anxiety spiked even higher as I felt the clock running down. I'd been in the basement too long. Away from my desk for too long. I was three-quarters of the way through and, I still had to get the last few months of bills to the USB drive.

  "Are you almost done?" The sound of a voice behind me sent a bolt of sheer terror through my chest. I jumped, dropped the sheaf of papers in my hands, and whirled, my eyes wide with panic, one hand pressed over my thundering heart.

  "Wow, Emma, are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you, sorry." It was Allison, one of the interns. She was new, sweet, and got sent on annoying errands for everyone who had the authority to tell her what to do. I rubbed my hand over my chest and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Gathering up the papers I’d dropped, I said,

  “Sorry, Allison. I'm fine. I just got used to it being so quiet in here, and I didn't hear you come in. You scared the heck out of me."

  Allison started to crouch down and help me with the papers but I threw out a hand and said, too sharply, "I've got it."

  She took a step back and gave me a probing look. "Are you sure you're okay?"

  I picked up the last of the papers and stood, shuffling them back together in a semblance of order. I felt my face flushing red. "Really, I'm fine. The basement always freaks me out, the way the lights come on by themselves, and how big it is. It makes me feel like a little kid afraid of the bogeyman."

  "Sorry about that," Allison said again. "I get creeped out down here too. Do you need any help?"

  "No, I'm almost done. Can you give me a few more minutes?" I asked, my heart rate finally back to normal. I quickly reorganized the bill I was holding and turned back to the copier. There was no way for me to hide the distinctive logo on the corporate cell phone bills. I would just have to hope that Allison didn't ask why I was copying them. My stomach twisted in a knot, and I felt bile rise in the back of my throat. I forced it back and pasted a friendly smile on my face as I got to work.

  "Sure, no problem," she said. Allison leaned against the end of the copier, too close for comfort, and began to chatter about two employees who had been secretly dating and were now in the middle of a not so secret ugly breakup. I relaxed slightly. I liked Allison, but I didn't think she was bright enough to be this involved in relating gossip and also make detailed mental notes of what I was doing.

  After what felt like an eternity, I scanned the last bill, put it in order, and filed it back in the box. Hefting the box, I turned and said, “It's all yours, thanks for waiting!"

  I was halfway to the end of the room and almost out of sight when I heard Allison's voice behind me. "Hey, Emma, wait a sec!"

  My heart jumped into my throat once more, my breath catching in my chest. I was so close to being done with this. What did she want? I spun around to see her holding out my USB drive. Tucking the awkward file box under my arm, I took it from her, gratefully, feeling like a complete idiot. How awful would it have been to go through all of that, then lose the stupid USB drive? Stress had my brain scrambled.

  "Thanks, Allison. I can't believe I almost left that down here," I said, trying to sound casual. She shrugged and smiled.

  “Anytime, see you later."

  I returned the file box without any further incidents and went straight back to my desk. As soon as I sat down, I pulled a second USB drive from my purse, this one blank, and plugged both of them into my computer. It only took a few minutes to copy the drive but having a back-up made me feel much better. On impulse I copied over the scanned file Agent Tierney had asked me to get the week before so that the last few weeks of files were all in one place. Before anyone could come into my office, I pulled a prepaid priority mail envelope from my bottom desk drawer, addressed it to my best friend, and dropped the second USB drive inside.

  This whole situation was making me paranoid: finding out my boss was a criminal, Agent Tierney replacing Agent Jensen, sneaking around copying files. I was uneasy handing everything over to Agent Tierney. What if he lost something?

  All my work would be wasted and I might have to do it again. I needed to have a backup and Summer was perfect. I didn't tell her what I was sending to her, just asked her to keep it somewhere safe and not let anyone know I sent her anything. I didn't even ask her over the phone though we talked to each other several times a week.

  A few months before, I’d sent her a priority mail envelope like this one with an almost identical USB drive inside, along with a note asking her to hang onto it and not mention it to anyone, even to me unless we were face-to-face. She'd done as I asked. Well, I assumed she had since I hadn't seen her in person for the last few months. But Summer Winters was my best friend and if I could trust anyone, it was her.

  7

  Emma

  My clandestine trip to the file room had gone according to plan, if not with seamless perfection. Almost losing the USB drive could be counted as a fail. But I'd gotten what I needed, and that was the important part. After that, the rest of my day went to hell. My afternoon was filled with straightening out an employee's health insurance mix up and listening to five employees, one after the other, complain about the emotional stress of having to listen to the details of two other employees' private life. The two other employees in question were the same pair Allison had been talking about in the file room. There was a good reason you weren't supposed to sleep with your coworkers. Well, there were a lot of good reasons you shouldn't sleep with your coworkers but in my opinion, the most important was that office affairs were a huge pain in the ass for the Human Resources Director.

  I called Agent Tierney as soon as I finished putting together the envelope for Summer. I planned to drop it in the mail before I met with him. He knew nothing about Summer, and I wanted to keep it that way. I doubted I'd ever need those backup files, and there was no reason she had to get dragged into this. At least not any further than I'd already dragged her. But Agent Tierney couldn't meet me to take the USB drive. He said he was out of town on a case, there was no one else he trusted with my evidence, and he could meet me at lunch-time the next day.

  So close… The USB drive felt like it was burning a hole in my briefcase. Now that I had what I hoped was the final piece of evidence they'd need to put together a case against Mr. Harper and the Russian mob, I just wanted it out of my hands. I couldn't believe I had to keep it one more day. The afternoon stretched into eternity. I texted Adam to let him know I was free for dinner, so at least, I had that to look
forward to. Once I was done with Agent Tierney and the FBI, I was going to put some energy into this relationship and figure out what was going on with Adam Stewart.

  By five o'clock I was exhausted, my head pounding, and all I really wanted to do was drink a big glass of wine and go to sleep. For the first time since we'd met, I wasn't looking forward to Adam coming over. He was there when I got home, standing at my door, carrying a bag of take-out from my favorite Chinese place. When the elevator opened, he looked up, his dark eyes warming as they met mine, then narrowing in scrutiny.

  "You look beat," he said, stepping away from the door to give me room to unlock it and let us in. "Long day?"

  "Day from Hell,” I said. Once inside, I hung up my coat and put down my things, eager to get out of my work clothes if I couldn't collapse on my bed and take a nap. Before I could say anything else, Adam pulled me into his arms, taking my mouth in a sweet, slow, uncharacteristically undemanding kiss. His lips left mine and brushed across my temple as he tucked my hair behind my ear.

  "Why don't you go change into something comfortable. You look like you need a glass of wine and a foot rub."

  See? This is why I couldn't break up with him even if he might have a secret girlfriend. A glass of wine and a foot rub from a thoughtful super hot guy was exactly what I needed. Somehow I knew he remembered that my favorite Chinese food was spicy orange chicken just like he'd remembered to order from my favorite Chinese restaurant. Adam Stewart was crazy hot, amazing in bed, and very sweet. All of that also made him a little scary.