The person on the other line answered her questions. But as the information starting rolling in, her stomach was wracked with dry heaves.
Someone with access to the account had withdrawn the money.
And that meant either Denise or Tre.
***
Frank had just stepped out of the shower when his phone rang. The caller ID listed Kiana’s name, and he picked it up, hoping to hear the sweet, sexy drawl in her voice as she suggested they meet up later this afternoon.
Instead, he heard a tight note of panic in her voice. “Frank, do you know where Tre is?”
“No, why?”
A muttered curse answered him, and the muscles along his neck tightened.
“Kiana, what’s wrong?”
“I need to find Tre.”
“Is something wrong? Your mom—?” He caught himself. Kiana hadn’t shared her birth mother’s past with him, and he wasn’t quite sure if she thought of Mrs. Dyer as her mom.
“No, Denise is fine.” A sharp inhalation filled the line, and he pictured her biting her bottom lip the way she did when she was trying to make an important decision. “It has to do with the foundation.”
“Can I do anything to help?”
“I—”
“Don’t cut me out,” he interrupted the moment he heard a note of hesitation in her voice. “I’m as committed to it as you are.”
“I know, which makes this mess all the more complicated.” She sighed. “Come to my office, and I’ll fill you in. I don’t want to talk about it over the phone.”
“I’ll be there as quickly as I can.”
“And Frank, if you can get a hold of Tre, I’d appreciate it.”
“Will do.”
He hung up and got dressed in record time while calling Tre’s cell three times. The third time, he left a message. “Tre, this is Frank. Kiana’s worried about you. Give her a call when you get a chance.”
There. Nothing too extreme, even though he wanted to throttle his friend for making Kiana worry like that. Just a message that would hopefully convince Tre to call his sister.
But when he arrived at Kiana’s office, the furrowed lines on her face revealed that Tre still hadn’t called. The dark circles smeared under her eyes told him she’d been crying hard enough to ruin her makeup, something he’d never seen her do. The confident, collected woman he’d known was gone, and in her place stood a frazzled woman near the breaking point.
She rushed into his arms. “Thank God you’re here. I don’t know what to do.”
“Start from the beginning, then.” He placed a kiss on her forehead and led her to the sofa.
“Tre took the money.”
He rubbed his ears, wondering he’d heard her correctly. “Tre did what?”
“The money from Friday night—it’s gone.”
His gut dropped like he’d just inhaled a dozen hot dogs in less than a minute. “But you checked the account on Saturday and said he’d deposited the checks.”
“He did, but someone withdrew almost all the money from the foundation’s account this morning. Only three people have access to that account. Me, Denise, and Tre.”
Images of her birth mother’s mugshots flew through his brain. Extortion. Fraud.
One glance at her distraught face, though, silenced any doubts before they could come to fruition. The Kiana he’d come to know wouldn’t stoop to such measures. He’d witnessed her passion and dedication to the foundation enough to see she’d never be the one to steal from the children she wanted to help. It was the one thing that encouraged him to step up his game when it came to the fundraiser, and it was one of many things he’d come to love about her.
Love.
Holy shit. That word caught him off-guard. But as soon as he admitted to himself, his chest filled to the stretching point with the emotion. He’d fallen in love with her somewhere along the way, and it was just now hitting him like a linebacker blitzing a quarterback from the blindside.
“Have you spoken to Denise?”
She shook her head, and two tears streamed down her face. “I don’t want to upset her.”
“And are you certain Tre took the money?”
She nodded. “Ninety-nine percent sure. But why would my brother do such a thing? I know there’s always been a bit of a rivalry between us, but this was our dad’s dream.”
Frank rubbed his thighs and stood. Suspicion snaked down his spine and mingled with the chill forming in his bones. Tre had asked him not to mention that he’d been cut from the team, but this was one secret that didn’t deserve to be kept under wraps. “Tre was let go from the team on Friday.”
Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
“He’d asked me not to say anything until after the gala, but if you’re looking for a motive, you have one.”
She winced like a person forced to accept the painful truth. “Be that as it may, we still need to find him.”
“I left him a message to call you.”
She gave a bitter laugh. “Great. It’ll be mixed in with the dozen phone messages and texts I’ve sent him.”
“Did you go by his place?”
“Sherita did. His car was missing.”
He paced the room several times, still wiping his damp palms on his jeans. “Then you need to play hardball.”
Kiana rose from the sofa and stopped him. “What are you talking about?”
“If the press gets hold of this, they’ll have a field day dismantling the foundation, and they’ll have no trouble pointing the finger at you based on your birth mom’s history.”
Her eyes widened, and she stumbled back. “How did you know—?”
“My brother hired a private investigator to check you out.” He lowered his head, unable to bear the hurt and betrayal in her eyes, and tucked his hands into his pockets. “I told him none of that mattered to me, but he thought I should be careful before getting too involved.”
Her jaw hardened, but she simply nodded.
“If it makes any difference, I stopped when I read the article—” He stopped and cursed under his breath. “Damn it, Kiana, I didn’t need to read it all because none of it mattered to me. I know you, and I shredded the rest of the files without looking at them. But I thought you should know that.”
She stood and stared out the window, her arms crossed over her chest and her back to him. “So what are you suggesting I do?”
“Call the cops.”
Chapter Sixteen
Kiana’s breath caught, amplifying the pounding of her heart through her overinflated chest. “He’s my brother, Frank.”
“I know, but you have to do something now before he runs, leaving you to clean up the mess.” Frank closed the space between them and placed his hands on her shoulders. “I know it’s a hard thing to do, and if it was one of my brothers, I’d feel the same way, but you have to hold him responsible for his actions.”
“But if I turn him over to the police, he’ll be arrested, and the foundation will still be hurt.”
“Not if you can recover the money.” Frank cupped her cheek and lifted her chin. “The longer you wait, Kiana, the worse it’s going to look in the end. You can do this. And I’ll be right here beside you until the end.”
She wasn’t sure if she should laugh or cry. He was throwing her words back at her. Only now, it was a far more serious situation than a simple twirl around the dance floor. And yet the determination in the set of his shoulders told her he wasn’t going to abandon her. As angry as she’d been to learn some private investigator had been digging up all the sordid details of her past, the emotion had waned when Frank confessed to shredding the papers without reading them all. He didn’t care about her past, and he was standing here beside her when trouble came knocking at her door.
She pulled his hand away from her face and nodded. “Then hold my hand as I do this.” She added in a soft whisper, “Please.”
He laced his fingers through hers and gave her a sympathetic smile.
Her fingers shook as she dialed the number for the police. Her voice didn’t fare much better when she spoke to an officer, who said he’d contact the FBI with her information and get them involved.
By the time she hung up, she wanted to vomit. She was no better than Joseph’s brothers in the Bible. She’d turned on her brother. She’d basically asked the cops to arrest him, just like she’d done to Malcolm. And she doubted Tre would ever forgive her.
The only thing that kept her grounded was the solid, firm hand wrapped around hers. Frank was still there with her. And when she was finished, he pulled her into his arms and held her close. “I can only imagine how hard that must’ve been for you, but you did the right thing.”
“I hope you’re right.”
She had no idea how much time passed, but the sharp ring of her phone jerked her back to reality. She glanced at the screen, offering a silent prayer it was Tre, but saw Denise’s number instead.
“What’s this about Tre taking money from the foundation?” her stepmother asked as soon as she answered.
A slew of cuss words rolled through her mind, but she dared not utter them in front of Denise. “How did you hear about that?”
“It was on the news, along with a request to call the Georgia Bureau of Investigation if he’s seen. I thought I’d dreamed it up, but someone from the FBI called me as it was airing.”
Her stomach roiled, and she closed her eyes to keep the nausea from taking over. How had the media gotten wind of it? And worse, how big a hit would the foundation take because of Tre’s actions? “I came into work this morning to find a significant chunk of the money from Friday night was missing from the account, and only the three of us have access to it.”
“Lord Almighty, what has that boy done now?”
Kiana filled her in as best she could, adding in the fact he’d been cut from the team and was now unemployed. It gave him a motive, but why did he take so much? “At least there’s one small silver lining to all this.”
“And what’s that?” Denise asked.
“The money from the online auctions still hasn’t been deposited into our account, so we still have something to give to the kids.”
“Oh, sweetie,” Kiana’s stepmother said. “I would come over there and give you a big hug, but I was told to wait here until some FBI agent arrived to question me.”
“I’m so sorry about that, Mama. I know you wouldn’t take a dime from the foundation.”
“Don’t apologize, dear. It’s all part of the process.” A faint chime sounded in the background. “Speaking of which, I believe the agents are here.”
Kiana looked up to find a man and a woman in suits standing in the doorway of her office. “Same here. I’ll let you know if I learn anything.”
“Stay strong.” Denise hung up, and Kiana faced the visitors.
The man held out a badge. “Special Agent Phillips, FBI. This is Agent Sculler from the GBI.”
The woman held up a different badge with the state of Georgia embossed on it.
Kiana managed to stand, even though her knees wobbled under her. Thank God Frank was there to steady her. She extended her hand to them. “Kiana Dyer. Thank you for coming.”
The afternoon passed in a blur as the agents questioned both her and Frank. They answered as truthfully as possible, but it didn’t stop the agents from confiscating both her laptop and her work computer as evidence. At one point, Agent Sculler stepped out of the office to speak to Sherita. By the time the agents left, night had fallen, and the Atlanta skyline twinkled outside her window.
She rested her head on Frank’s shoulder. “I’ve had to give testimony more times than I’d care to admit, but this was the hardest.”
“How so?” he asked, pulling her into a hug.
“Before, I knew who the bad guy was, and I had no problem making sure he got what was coming to him. But my brother?” Her eyes stung, and her voice caught. “I think there must be a special level of hell reserved for people who betray their families.”
“If there is, you don’t belong there.” Frank tipped her face up and ran his thumb along her bottom lip. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Then why do I feel so guilty?”
“Because you have a big heart that wants to see the good in everyone. Even fuckups like me.”
“You are not a fuckup, Frank Kelly.”
“Good, because I feel like one every damn day.”
“I don’t think Savannah sees you that way.”
He placed his hand on her ass and pulled her against him. A playful smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. “That’s nice, but I’m far more interested in what her sexy mama thinks.”
“You already know what her mama thinks.” But just to reassure him, she gave him a kiss that she hoped would ease any of his insecurities. She loved him. Loved him for helping out the foundation. Loved him for adoring her daughter. Loved him for being her rock today when most men would have hightailed it out of there once the shit hit the fan. And maybe she wasn’t quite ready to say it in words, but she could definitely say it in her actions.
He ended the kiss as breathless as she was. “Keep that up, and we might end up on the sofa again.”
The notion of a stress-reducing quickie tempted her, but as her pulse slowed, a heavy mantle of fatigue fell on her shoulders. “I’d love to, but I’m beat, and Savannah’s waiting for me to get home.”
“I understand.” He placed a quick peck on her forehead and picked up her briefcase. “Why don’t I give you a ride home?”
She nodded without even attempting to argue with him. She’d seen the news vans parked along the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. Thankfully, between the security guard downstairs and Sherita, none of them made it to her office.
The day had left her drained. All she wanted to do right now was curl up around her baby girl and hope the world would be a better place for her tomorrow.
Once they drove past the mob of reporters, the ride to her place was filled with silence. Frank seemed to understand why she wasn’t in a talking mood, and he gave her some space. One question kept replaying through her mind as they drove through the streets of Atlanta.
Why?
Why did Tre do it? Was he that frightened about being let go from the team? Or was there some other reason why he did it? And if he gave her a good reason, would she be able to forgive him?
Frank entered the security code for her parking garage and parked in a visitor slot. “Want me to come up with you?”
She shook her head. “Thank you, Frank, but I just want to be alone right now.”
“If you change your mind, I’m just a phone call away.”
His hopeful grin tugged at her heart, and she squeezed his hand in return. “I know.”
She climbed out of his car and made her way up to her condo with slow, heavy steps. She’d never been much of a drinker, but tonight definitely called for a glass of chardonnay. When she got to her place, she entered the key code, and the door flew open.
A hand grabbed her and yanked her inside.
The world spun in disorienting circles as she stumbled into the foyer. The door slammed shut behind her. Her heart jumped into her throat, only to come to a dead stop when the cold metal barrel of a gun pressed against her temple.
And from the other end of the gun, Tre glared at her, beads of sweat forming along his upper lip. The scent of alcohol hung on this breath, and but his words were anything but slurred. “We need to talk.”
Chapter Seventeen
Frank waited in the car until Kiana entered her building, but even then, he couldn’t make himself pull away. She was trying so hard to be brave, to be strong, and all he wanted to do was cradle her in his arms until she fell asleep. Part of him hoped that she’d change her mind and call him when she got upstairs.
When ten minutes passed without a peep, he decided to cry uncle and started his engine. He circled the parking garage with agonizing slowness, wishing with every turn she’d call.
Tre’s car.
Frank threw his car in reverse and parked in the nearest open space, not giving a fuck if it was assigned to one of the building’s residents. He ran to the door and tried entering Kiana’s code, but his hand was too big to pass for hers.
Shit!
He was locked out of her building, and her brother was waiting up there to do God only knew what to her. If Tre had any clue the cops were after him, then his presence here wouldn’t be a pleasant family visit.
The cops.
Frank pulled out the card Agent Phillips had given him and dialed the number.
“Special Agent Phillips,” the man answered with the same dry, no-nonsense tone he’d used throughout the entire interrogation this afternoon.
“This is Frank Kelly. You’re looking for Tre? Well, I’ve found him. He’s at Kiana’s.”
“We’ll be right there. Whatever you do, do not engage either of them. For all we know, she could’ve been hiding him there all day.”
The suspicion in the agent’s voice sickened him. Kiana would never be an accomplice to fraud. And yet, based on her birth mother’s criminal history, he understood why the agent would think that was a possibility.
“Did you hear me, Kelly? Stay right where you are.”
Like hell he’d stay down here when Kiana was in danger. “I’ll try.”
As he hung up, he heard the agent urging him to stay out of this, but it made no difference. He needed to know she was safe.
The next number he dialed was hers, and with each ring, he prayed she’d answer.
***
Kiana stood statue still, the only movement of her body coming from the frantic beat of her heart and the frequent glances around the room to look for Savannah. Flashbacks of the night her mother was murdered raced through her mind, each memory adding to the trembling in her hands. She never wanted her daughter to witness the things she had.
“Please, Tre,” she whispered, her voice unsteady, “where’s Savannah?”
In the Red Zone Page 15
