by Anna James
“You fell in love with him.”
No. Not love. More like infatuation or her first real crush. “He swept me off my feet.” She’d been thrilled someone like Ryan, handsome, witty and charismatic, had been interested in her and had fallen hard for him. If only she’d known the difference back then. She could have saved them both a lot of pain and heartache and things might have turned out differently.
Would they have stayed together if he’d lived? Would she have been able to forgive him and go on from there? Or would Ryan have ended their marriage in order to start a life with Sandra?
For the first time, she thought about what Ryan and Sandra’s affair meant to Ethan. Dear lord, he must have been devastated. His best friend slept with his fiancée. Talk about the ultimate betrayal. Add to it the illegal activities at the bank. No wonder he hadn’t gone to Ryan’s funeral. “It was complicated,” he’d told her. Understatement of the year. They’d been friends since childhood. Those feelings don’t go away overnight.
But why keep the secrets all these years? He’d said he wanted to save her from the pain and heartache he’d suffered. While she appreciated him wanting to protect her, she’d needed to know the truth. With hindsight, she understood his motives hadn’t been malicious. She should have stayed and listened to him. Instead she’d run away. Would he even speak to her now, or had she left it for too late? Could they find their way back to each other and work together to find answers to the bizarre happenings over the last few weeks?
Only one way to know for sure.
Chapter Thirty-One
Rachel double-checked her appearance in the ladies room mirror, satisfied the smoky rose colored business suit paired with the pewter colored blouse and matching shoes presented a professional yet feminine image.
She straightened her shoulders, pinned a bright smile on her face, exited the restroom and approached the Reception desk at Montgomery International Bank in New York with confidence. She’d decided it would be better to speak with Ethan in person to try and work out their differences rather than place a call from her mother’s home. The bank wasn’t an ideal location either, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Besides, he hadn’t returned any of her calls since she’d been home.
She didn’t recognize the receptionist. They must have hired someone new since she’d last been here. “Hello,” she greeted cheerfully. “I’m Rachel Sullivan. I’m here to see Ethan Montgomery.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
Rachel flashed a smile. “I don’t, but I hoped Ethan would fit me into his schedule. I’m only in town for today, and I’d like to follow up with him on our meeting from a couple of weeks ago.”
“I’m sorry, but Mr. Montgomery’s schedule is full today. Without an appointment—”
She’d prepared for the response. “I understand. If you’d give Curtis Johnson a call, I’m sure he’d speak with Ethan and we can work something out.”
The receptionist stared up at her, a wary expression on her face. “You’re acquainted with Curtis?”
Rachel exhaled the breath she’d been holding. “Yes. I worked with Curtis and Hayden Montgomery several months ago.”
The woman nodded, picked up the phone and punched in an extension. “A Rachel Sullivan for Mr. Montgomery.”
Rachel smiled again when the receptionist disconnected the call.
“Mr. Johnson will be with you shortly. Please have a seat.”
Good, he’d agreed to speak with her. Now she had to convince him to squeeze her into Ethan’s schedule.
Thirty minutes later, Curtis came into the reception area. Rachel stood to shake his hand.
“Please, sit down.” Curtis gestured and sat in the chair beside her. “I apologize for the long wait. It’s been a crazy morning. Ethan had someone in his office when Margaret called. I had to wait until they were through before I could speak with him. Unfortunately, he’s tied up for at least another hour. He does have a break at eleven if you want to wait. Otherwise, he suggested you make an appointment for tomorrow or the next day.”
He wasn’t going to make this easy for her. Well, truth be told, if their positions were reversed, she might do the same, but at least he’d agreed to meet with her. “I can wait until eleven.”
Curtis smiled. “Great. I’ll let him know. Can I get you some coffee while you wait?”
No. She was already nervous enough. More caffeine was the last thing she needed. It would send her over the edge. “No thanks, but I will take a glass of water if you have one.”
“No problem. Margaret, please give Ms. Sullivan a bottle of water. I’ll come back and get her in an hour.” Curtis turned and walked away.
At eleven fifteen, Curtis returned. “Rachel, Ethan is still tied up. Can you wait another fifteen minutes?”
Was he toying with her, stringing her along? Would Curtis come back in fifteen minutes and with another excuse? Maybe, but she’d wait him out. No way would she give up now. “Of course.”
Curtis grinned. “Great. Why don’t you come back with me?”
Now we’re talking. Rachel stood, gathered her things and followed him to the office area.
He reached for her coat. “Let me take that for you. Have a seat over there.” He pointed to the small hidden alcove with three chairs. “How have you been?” he asked pleasantly when she sat.
“Well, thanks, and you?”
“The same,” he responded. “Do you have any plans for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday?”
Rachel nodded. “My daughter and I are going to the parade in the morning and having our Thanksgiving dinner at—” The snick of a lock turning had her stopping in midsentence. She heard a tinkle of laughter as the door opened. A sense of impending doom filled her.
A woman purred suggestively and let out a wicked little laugh. “It’s a date. Bye, darling. I’ll see you tonight.”
Rachel’s head snapped up, her eyes rounded. I’d know that voice anywhere! Hidden away in the corner, she knew she escaped notice, but Rachel definitely saw the tall, leggy redhead with the mass of unruly curls and shapely figure as she sauntered by Curtis’s desk and gave him a flirty wave. Rachel’s worst nightmare, Sandra Reynolds, Ethan’s ex, let out another tinkle of laughter as she strode away. Judging by the tone of her voice, she and Ethan had a hot date planned for later this evening. Oh God, oh God, oh God! Ethan and Sandra were back together again. Her hand flew to her mouth to stem the nausea roiling in her stomach. She stood, intending to leave, and immediately dropped back down in her seat as a wave of dizziness assaulted her. The air wheezed in and out of her lungs and chills ran down her spine.
“Rachel, are you okay?” Curtis asked, concern in his voice. “You seem as if you’re going to be ill.”
No, no, no! She wouldn’t let Ethan see her in this state. I need to get the hell out of here. Now!
Chapter Thirty-Two
Ethan sat in one of the black leather conference room chairs lined along the back wall of the board room at Montgomery International Bank in New York City beside Hayden and many other shareholders who’d attended this special meeting in person. Although Hayden had officially retired from his position as CEO, he still owned shares and could vote on company issues.
They’d gathered here to elect someone to fill Hayden’s vacant position. While he’d held the role temporarily, a permanent candidate was needed, and he wasn’t a shoe in for the position by any means.
Hushed murmurs came from the oval cherry wood table in an otherwise silent room as the Chairman of the Board tabulated the results from this special election.
The temperature felt as if it were one hundred degrees Fahrenheit in the cramped space. Ethan got up and checked the thermostat on the wall. Not one hundred degrees, but close to eighty. Had the air conditioning conked out, or maybe with the added people it couldn’t keep up? He wiped the perspiration from his brow with a handkerchief, then strode to the windows and lowered the blinds. Returning to his seat, he loosened his tie. It felt like a boa constricto
r around his neck. Why was it taking so long for the board to make a decision? Was the election too close to call?
He hadn’t been able to find out who’d altered the profit and loss statements supplied to the Board of Directors by the Gagnon group, and they had been altered. That much had become clear when he’d looked into the matter. Near as he could tell, someone had hacked into the bank’s computer system to make the changes. He had Montgomery’s IT people working on the breach, but they hadn’t found the responsible party yet. The Gagnon group had used this to their advantage over the past few days and speculated Ethan was the guilty party. Unfortunately, a number of board members believed this. Maybe enough to elect a CEO other than him?
No. He wouldn’t entertain such an outcome.
Ethan glanced at his father beside him. Sweat poured off him. Tension radiated from his stiff, ridged frame, but his sallow pallor and shallow breathing concerned Ethan most.
The vibration of his cell had him pulling the phone from its holster. Noting the incoming text, he pressed the screen, and Curtis’s words appeared.
Daily withdrawals from account over the last two weeks. All from the same ATM in Greenwich, CT. Account funds are almost depleted.
Sporadic withdrawals for almost three years, then a flourish of activity over the last few months. One transfer for a significant amount of money to a holding company, and now the account was almost empty. What the hell was going on? Did the owner, or whoever had made the withdrawals on the owner’s behalf over the last three years, know Montgomery had started to monitor the account? If so, why leave the account open and deplete it slowly?
He assumed the transfer had been made from the London branch to further implicate Rachel, but who would have known she was there? She would have had to notify her bosses of her delayed return, but he couldn’t see how they’d be involved in any of this. The withdrawals started more than three years ago. It had to be someone else, but who, and how had they known Rachel’s whereabouts?
Was there a camera with the ATM? Ethan texted back.
Curtis’s response came through a moment later. Yes. Already asked for a photo. Will forward to you when I receive.
Maybe their luck had changed. Most of the withdrawals had been from convenient store ATMs, which didn’t have cameras, and while the stores had video surveillance footage, most owners wouldn’t give you access unless the police were involved. Since he couldn’t prove there’d been any wrongdoing, Ethan hadn’t involved the police. Yet. On the rare occasions when withdrawals had been made from an ATM with a camera, the culprit had taken care to hide their identity with a hooded jacket, oversized sunglasses, and a scarf wrapped around the lower part of the face.
The Chairman of the Board cleared his throat. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m pleased to present to you Montgomery International’s new CEO.”
Ethan held his breath. The Chairman wasn’t looking at him. In fact, his eyes darted around the room as if he were avoiding him all together. There had only been two candidates recommended for the CEO position, himself and Quinten Chamberlin, the Gagnon group candidate.
“Join me in congratulating Quinten—”
Ethan didn’t hear the rest of the chairman’s words. The sound of Hayden’s guttural groan drowned them out. He turned in time to see Hayden clutch his chest as he slumped back and slid off the seat.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Rachel arrived at Emma’s school the following Monday morning to pick her up for the long Thanksgiving holiday.
As she made her way through the throng of parents reuniting with their children, she thought of Ethan. She’d hoped he’d be here with her today and they’d tell Emma together about their relationship and her new home. The image of Sandra sashaying out of Ethan’s office burned in her mind and still had the power to make her nauseous, even one week later.
Never had Ethan been hurtful or cruel. If he hadn’t wanted to work through their differences, he only had to tell her. He didn’t have to flaunt his rekindled relationship with Sandra in her face. A part of her still couldn’t believe Ethan and Sandra were together again, but no matter how much she wished otherwise, her relationship with him had ended.
“Mom, Mom!” Emma called from across the parking lot as she ran to Rachel.
A smile broke out on Rachel’s face as she hurried toward her. Emma jumped into her waiting arms, and she hugged her tight. “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too, Mom.”
“Are you ready to go?”
Emma patted the backpack slung over her shoulder. “Yep.” As they walked back to the car, Emma asked, “Did Grandma Connie call you?”
Rachel gave her an inquiring look. “What is she supposed to call me about?”
“She and Grandpa want to take me out for dinner tomorrow and to a Broadway show to celebrate my birthday. They’re leaving Wednesday morning and won’t be around to celebrate with us.”
“Honey, I planned to take you to a show on Wednesday night. I’ve already got tickets for Wicked. I bought them weeks ago.”
Emma nodded. “I told her. Grandma said it was okay because they’re taking me to the Lion King. There’s a seven o’clock show.”
Rachel frowned. She needed to put an end to Connie and Frank going behind her back once and for all. Paying for Emma’s tuition didn’t entitle them to make decisions without consulting her first. “They haven’t gotten in touch with me yet, and I’m annoyed they spoke with you before asking me first.”
Emma’s face fell. “I know, but they promised to take me to the Hershey candy store in Times Square after we have dinner and before we go to the show. Can I please go? It’s my birthday, and I want to see them.”
Rachel let out a resigned sigh. “This is the last time you go anywhere with them if they don’t get in touch with me first.”
Emma rolled her eyes, snatched her cell phone from her pocket and dialed. “Hi, Grandma, are you and Grandpa still planning to take me out tomorrow night?”
She peered up at Rachel and nodded her head.
“Good. We’re staying at the Westin. Yes, the one in Times Square.”
The Westin in Times Square was Emma’s favorite hotel. They stayed every year when they came into the city for her birthday. This might be the last year if Rachel didn’t find a new job soon. She’d contacted Carter McKenna and Jarrod Hirsh at the end of last week, hoping with some time they’d reconsider their decision, but they refused to listen to anything she said in her defense. Their fear Montgomery International would file a lawsuit and destroy their business overwhelmed rational thought. She’d misplaced her loyalties. Too bad it had taken something like this to make her see the truth.
Emma nodded. “We’ll meet you in the lobby of the hotel tomorrow at four thirty. Say hi to Grandpa for me. Bye.”
Rachel unlocked the car door, and they got in.
Emma reached for the radio dial the moment Rachel started the engine. “You’ve been listening to old people’s music again.”
Rachel chuckled. “Instead of changing the station, please shut it off for a while. There’s something I want to tell you.” With everything going on since she’d gotten home, she hadn’t had a chance to call Emma and tell her about her maternal grandmother or how her maternal grandfather had died.
Emma frowned but did as asked. “What’s up?”
Rachel pulled out of the parking lot and into traffic. “We’re going to have a visitor for Christmas.” She’d wanted to bring Frances back to Connecticut with her after the funeral, but Frances had insisted she stay at her home, at least until she settled her husband’s estate.
“Who’s coming?”
“Grandma Frances.”
“Who’s Grandma Frances?”
“She’s my mother.”
Emma’s eyes widened. “I thought you didn’t talk to your mother.”
“I don’t. At least I hadn’t for a long time, but she got in touch with me a couple of weeks ago, and I went to visit her. Now we’re talking again.
”
“What about your father?”
“He died, honey.”
“When?” Emma asked.
“While I was down there visiting.”
“Was he sick?”
Rachel nodded. “He had cancer.”
“Is that why your mother called you?” Emma asked.
“Uh huh.”
Emma twisted in her seat to face Rachel. “Mom, how come you stopped talking to them? You never told me.”
How was she supposed to answer that? The values her parents instilled in her still ran deep, and she hadn’t wanted Emma to learn she’d been conceived outside the bounds of marriage. She and Ryan never told Emma.
“I asked Dad once, but he didn’t give me an answer.”
“What did he say?”
“He told me you guys weren’t getting along, which I figured, but what I want to know is why you didn’t get along.”
“They didn’t like some of the choices I made when I was younger.”
“You must have done some really bad things for them to stop talking to you.”
“They thought so.”
Emma gave her a speculative glance. “Did you get arrested or something?”
Rachel laughed. “No.”
“Did you do drugs?”
She shook her head.
“What did you do?”
Stick to the truth as much as possible. “Your father and I lived together before we got married.”
“They didn’t like that?”
“No, they believed a man and woman should be married before they lived with each other.”
“Oh, I thought maybe it was because you got pregnant with me before you got married.” Emma clasped her hand over her mouth the moment the words came out.
The traffic suddenly blurred into a mass of incoherent shapes, and Rachel blinked several times to regain control. Did Emma overhear her fight with Ryan the evening he died? Had she heard the terrible words Ryan had spoken? “Did your father tell you that?”
“Not exactly,” Emma replied.
