“Good, is there a way to get some money in it to float your bills without having your name attached?”
“I can take care of that, I’m a silent partner,” Laci tells him.
“Good, do that as soon as we hang up. Landon, tell us exactly what the lady on the phone said. Word for word.”
Landon’s voice is shaky as he retells about the phone call this morning. Jake listens intently and then goes back to typing quickly.
“I’ve got all incoming and outgoing calls for Sullivan PR for the last two days. None of them are the bank. Every call this morning can be tracked except one. It was from a burner phone. ID’s completely scratched. No location at all.”
“Goddammit! I don’t like this. Stella, listen to me carefully. Call your bank and tell them you’ve been hacked and the account is compromised. Tell them you want all payments incoming and outgoing stopped. The bank is going to argue because they’re going to insist their security is state of the art. But a complaint will lock your account for at least a day, which will put the weekend on our side. Laci, call any vendors expecting checks and tell them a new payment is being cut. Make up a story about opening an account or tell them the truth about a transaction compromise. But no one in this room or on this call repeats any of this. Until we can find the trail, act normal.
“Dana, get me Grant on the phone as soon as we hang up. I want his ass to tell me what the hell is going on or he’s gone.”
“Max, he’s already gone. Edward released a companywide statement that Grant resigned this morning to spend more time with his family. According to security notes, his badge was deactivated and he was walked out thirty minutes ago. And the Accounting Manager is gone too. I think Edward actually fired them for giving you the payment for Stella’s invoices.”
The room is still and quiet, tension thick, as we wait for Max to blow up. Instead he exhales loudly and talks directly to me. “Stella, I need you to pack up your work and be prepared to be out of the office for a few days. Then get Scout, go home, and prepare a bag for both of us. Take everything you may need. You’re going to the cabin until I can get back to you and figure this out. I need you one hundred percent safe and out of reach. No one knows about the cabin, it’s not even on transaction records with the McCoy name. We hid the identity of the buyer for privacy. Jake you good?”
“Yeah, on it.”
“Wait! Why are we running? What’s the point? We’ll call the bank and report abuse, we’ll get new payments out, and I’ll get a new account.”
“I told you earlier, there are few coincidences in my life. All of this is too much at once, especially with me too far away to get to you.
“The company jet is scheduled to be ready tomorrow morning. I’ll try to arrange for it to fly tonight. Laci and Landon, after Stella leaves and you get the payments sorted. I want you to leave the office, lock up, and go home. Don’t plan on coming in over the weekend or Monday until we talk again. Jake is going to set the perimeter cameras so he can see if anyone is watching the building, or unusual in the area. Everyone understand?”
“What do I do?” Dana asks.
“Act as natural as you can. Don’t let on that something is weird. If anyone asks about me, tell them I plan to be back on Monday. Call my mom from the private line and tell her the same. Especially if Edward or Rita calls. Don’t give her every detail but tell her I’m suspicious. I’ll call her when possible.”
“Bella, I love you. Jake is going to give you a new phone. It’s a clean phone that only a few people can call you on. Keep your other phone on. I’d like to see all incoming calls and Jake can watch if anyone tries to hack into it. He’s going to deactivate your GPS.”
“Okay.”
“See you soon.” He disconnects and Dana mumbles goodbye and does the same.
Landon is staring at me with concern and fear while Jake has slipped into a mode I’ve never seen. Even though he’s a bit scary, his eyes are warm when they meet mine.
“Stels, you need to get moving. Call the bank, I’ll pack you up.” Laci pats my shoulder and starts putting my folders together.
“Max is overreacting. Everything’s going to be okay—right?” I ask Jake directly knowing he won’t coddle me.
“Honestly, babe, I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but it doesn’t look good. Let’s follow the plan until you’re in a safe place. Then we’ll wait for the fall out.”
His words do nothing to comfort me.
It was only hours after Max hung up that my personal hell started. When we got to the cabin, Jake’s phone rang and I could tell whatever the call was about was not good. He made a few clipped remarks before hanging up. Then he stalked to his laptop and pictures started filling his screen.
“Stella, we need to talk. That was my supervisor on the phone. Ten minutes ago, several pictures were delivered to him anonymously. He’s fully aware of our investigation into Edward Hurst and Max’s involvement. We also know you are clean of any wrongdoings. But these photos are damaging.”
I walk over to look at his computer screen and my knees buckle. He catches me and lowers me down on the sofa. The pictures are grainy but you can clearly see me sitting at the table with piles of money laid out. The fake federal official is also in the picture. The next picture is of me at the school talking to a group of young girls. The next is of a woman that looks exactly like me taking a bundle of cash from the same man in front of a run-down building.
“Oh my God. What are these? Someone was following me? That last picture isn’t even me. You know who that guy is don’t you? He’s the guy Max is looking for.”
“Yeah, we know who he is, he was just found dead. His name is Lucas Diaz and he was employed by one of the largest criminals in the area. His employer, who also happens to be his cousin, runs many businesses, legal and illegal, but we think his prostitution ring turns the largest profit. It’s completely out of our jurisdiction, but we have a pretty good relationship with officials down there.”
“What does this have to do with me? Why were they taking pictures of me? And who the hell is the doppelganger taking money?”
“Stella, someone’s trying to insinuate you took money from Diaz and then used your position with JOS to help him build a harem.”
“What? You can’t be serious!” I screech. “Why would anyone ever believe that?”
“There’s more, Stella, I need you to stay calm. We know this is all bullshit but officials in the area are opening an investigation.”
“What kind of investigation? Surely it’s a dead end. These are just pictures and one of them isn’t even me.”
“Three girls came forward saying you propositioned them. Legally, they have to open an investigation.”
“No, that can’t be. Why would they do this?”
“Money. My guess is they were offered money.”
“We have to stop this. This is going to ruin me. I’ll never bounce back from this. Even though it’s all lies, my name will be forever linked with underage prostitution. What can we do?”
“I don’t have all the answers but this was a deliberate attack against you.”
“Why? Why me?”
“Max.”
“Max?”
“Yeah, to get to Max.”
“You think Edward did this? Set me up? What would this have to do with Max?”
“My guess is that Edward feels the noose around his neck tightening. He knows Max has been looking at all business transactions and seeing inconsistencies. It’s also no secret that Edward has never approved of Max being CEO. The shit with Erica added fuel to the fire. So he’s going after the one thing that Max cares about—you.”
“What the hell does ruining my reputation and possible sending me to jail have to do with getting to Max?”
“Once again, this is just a guess, but my thoughts are that the thought of destroying you will make Max more amendable to Edward’s decisions and endeavors. He’s hoping to intimidate him. And also, he knows Max will have to distance himself from yo
u because of the allegations.”
“I don’t even know the bastard! I’m going to lose my business, my character, and my boyfriend?”
“Max won’t go anywhere. He’s so fucking in love with you, he’ll fight like hell to save you.”
“But he can’t. He’s got a business to handle. He’s so close to bringing it back to the company his father built. I can’t let his name get tarnished.”
“You better not let him hear that.”
There’s a knock at the door and Jake jumps, grabbing his gun. When he looks through the peephole his shoulders relax and he opens the door. Sara bustles through, carrying bags of groceries. She drops them on the counter and comes straight to me.
As soon as she gives me her sympathetic smile, I start sobbing. She pulls me towards her and wraps me in her arms. The tears fall harder as she comforts me.
“What happened, Stella?”
“I’m being investigated in South America for soliciting young girls for prostitution and taking bribes. We think Edward is behind this to push Max into a corner.”
“What? I thought Max was worried about someone hacking into your account.”
“That was my problem four hours ago. As of fifteen minutes ago, I’m now a child predator.”
Her horrified expression causes another round of tears.
Jake’s phone rings and he takes the call in the kitchen, talking quietly. Sara continues to soothe me until a phone is placed in my hands.
“It’s Max. He needs to talk to you.”
“Max?” I wail into the phone.
“Baby, calm down. Please stop crying. Jake told me what’s going on and I’m on my way home. Actually the plane’s about to take off. We’ll get through this. Everyone will know this is bullshit. I’m going to have Chris come out tomorrow morning.”
“Why?”
“Bella, you’re going to need a lawyer,” he says softly.
“Won’t I look guilty if I have a lawyer before I’m even charged with anything?”
“No, you’ll look smart.”
“Okay.”
“I love you.”
“You too, Max. Get here soon.” I hand the phone back to Jake and lean into Sara for her comfort. The tears finally stop, but my anxiety increases. The depth of Max’s hatred for Edward seems to be reciprocated. This vendetta has just taken a new turn.
Watching Stella sleep gives me a sense of peace, but the anger inside of me still rages. There’s nothing I want more than to crawl into bed next to her and hold her tight, but our time is limited before this crisis gets out of hand. How the hell her pristine name and reputation is wrapped up in this shit bothers the fuck out of me.
I walk back into the living room and see Chris is already here. Even though it’s four am, he came as soon as I called. I had almost six hours on the plane to think about how we can stop this from going public and discredit the girls’ stories since they are obviously lying. Dealing with another country, the laws and regulations are very different.
Chris pours two glasses of scotch and hands one to me. I down it in one gulp and enjoy the burn in my throat. “Tell me what we know so far.”
Jake recaps everything for Chris and I listen for any clues I may have missed. When he’s through, both men look at me waiting for me to say something.
“If Edward is behind this, he’s thinking he’s fucked me. If I stand by Stella when the accusations come out, it’ll look like I’m not protecting Hurst & McCoy. He can go to the board and oust me.”
“There’s a way around that, man. Here’s what I think you should do. Be ready for when this gets out. Have a press release prepared saying you’re aware of the accusations being made but stand by your commitment to uncover any injustices. Just like when JOS was investigated, you will find the truth. Tell the press you have hired your own investigative team to look into all allegations surrounding JOS. Don’t say anything about Sullivan PR or Stella. Let your words speak for themselves. Let Edward feel the pressure and know you’re onto him. If he makes one wrong move, we’ll catch it.
“Jake can get access to his bank accounts, credits cards, phones, computers, everything. Plan to have him watched twenty-four seven. Anything he does, we’ll monitor it. He’s had his hands dirty in South America for a while. Someone’s going to want to get paid or follow through on anything promised to them. Edward will mess up and we’ll take him down.”
“Yeah, but at what cost? We all know what this is going to do to Stella’s business. Her company means the world to her. I can only hope she doesn’t hate me when this is all over.”
“I could never hate you.” Her sleepy voice comes from behind and I turn to see her standing in the doorway. She’s wearing one of my shirts that falls to her knees and her hair drapes in waves over her shoulders. What guts me to the core is the hollowness in her eyes. The shine is missing and replaced with fear.
I make it to her in three strides and pull her into my chest. She falls against me and starts crying. Tears soak through the fabric as she clutches my shirt and shakes in my arms. Each sob that racks her body breaks off a piece of my heart. I bend slightly and pick her up, carrying her back to the bedroom. When I get to the bed, I lie us down, careful not to crush her.
After what seems like hours, she starts to hiccup and loosens her hold. “I’m sorry, you have enough happening without me breaking down.”
“Babe, don’t apologize. You’re my priority here. I’m going to make this better.”
She nods against my chest and I savor the feel of her. This is not how I envisioned our reunion after two weeks apart. Edward’s going to pay for this too. A bark at the foot of the bed causes me to look over to a very excited Scout wagging her tail. I reach down and pet her head as she wiggles against the mattress.
“She missed you too. We both missed you so much that I may have done something very dumb.” Stella lets out a small giggle and I look back to see her grinning.
“What did you two do?”
“I may have let her sleep in the bed with me because I was so lonely.”
Her dad’s words rush back to me about not sleeping alone with Jenny for two years because of their dog. I start to say something but the look of sadness on her face returns and decide to bite my tongue.
“We’ll break the habit. I’m not sharing you in the bed. But when I’m gone, it nice to know you’re not lonely.”
She smiles at me and for a second her eyes light up. I take the opportunity to capture her mouth with my own. The taste of vanilla fills my taste buds as our tongues dance. She lifts up slightly giving me total access and I groan. At first I go slow, trying to hold back, but when she wraps a leg around my thigh, I devour her. Two weeks without her is agony. A dying man would give his last breath to kiss a mouth as sweet as hers. All too quickly she breaks away and leans up into me.
“I told you every day, but you need to know how much I missed you.”
“It was hell without you, babe, but I’m here now and we’ll get this figured out.”
“Is this a boy’s club or am I included?”
“Of course you are. But I’d rather you go back to sleep. We can handle this.”
“I want to be there, Max. Maybe I can help?” The pleading look she gives me breaks my resolve and I nod to her.
“You need to put on some pants though. My mind needs to be focused and your bare legs distract me. Hell, everything about you distracts me.”
“Let me wash my face and I’ll be right there. Scout needs to go outside.”
I kiss her quickly and stand, whistling to the dog to follow me. Jake and Chris barely look up from whatever they’re doing when I walk out. My mom walks into the kitchen and comes directly to me. Without saying anything, her face tells me she knows about Jake’s involvement and he’s not really a bodyguard.
“We’ll take care of it.”
She nods and starts a pot of coffee.
When I get back from taking Scout out, Stella is in the middle of the floor surrounded by
the printed pictures. She’s concentrating on something specific.
“I may have something!” she yells, scurrying to her feet. She turns the picture of her look alike to us and points to the windows in the background. “Look! There’s an image in the windows, it’s the photographer. At first, it looks like a pedestrian but when I looked closer, there’s a camera at his side.
Jake snaps the picture out of her hand and looks closely, then goes to his laptop and blows the image up. Sure enough, we can’t get a face shot, but the man’s profile is easy to see. I recognize him immediately as one of the workers in the factory. The tattoo that adorns his neck is on display. I tell them we can find him easily through company files.
“Shit, woman, good call,” Jake says and Stella grins shyly.
“We’re not there yet, let’s talk.” Chris says solemnly.
We all sit down and I tug Stella in my lap. Her body is tense, but she leans into me for support.
“This is what I think. We know the evidence the officials in South America have and that they’re looking into these allegations. Stella is going to deny everything, but the pictures are harmful. They question her character. Now with thirty-five thousand dollars being deposited today through an unmarked account that is another strike against her. You thought fast and smart, Max, but the money’s going to come into play. Also, it’s three young girls word against hers. I don’t know how these guys will operate, but if it were on U.S. soil it would get ugly. Stella will be guilty until proven innocent. We need to come up with a plan now.”
“Shit,” Jake hisses looking at his computer. “Complete and full investigation has been opened. According to my boss, our contacts in South America got word that the local police in the area are going to announce it tomorrow.”
“They’re going to want to talk to Stella aren’t they?” Chris asks.
“Yeah, probably soon.”
“We need to act fast. Whom do we have that can question the guy taking the pictures, maybe even find the woman dressed as Stella. If we can prove it wasn’t Stella that should buy us some time. Also, we need to discredit the girls. They’re lying for a reason. We need to find that reason. It’s most likely monetary, but whatever it is, we need to prove they’ve been bribed,” I tell the room.
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