Banking On Love

by Anna James

  The conversation she and Emma had the other day when Rachel picked her up from school came to mind. Emma overheard Ryan and Frank discussing the money in the offshore account. Had Ryan told Frank about the account at Montgomery, too? Makes sense. Especially if Connie and Frank had accessed Ryan’s offshore account the past three years. With all their trips to the Bahamas, she’d bet money on it.

  Sandra’s eyes lit with amusement, and she let out another of those tinkling laughs. The sound grated on Rachel’s nerves. “You must have been shocked when a million dollars disappeared overnight.”

  “You transferred the money out of the London branch?”

  Sandra scoffed. “I told you, I don’t like stupid people. If I’d made the transfer, they’d have a picture of me on record.”

  Ethan had told her the woman looked like Rachel. “You hired a woman who resembled me.”

  “Yes, I needed to make sure we had someone with your general description if Ethan decided to check. We switched out the pictures when Hayden requested the security camera footage.”

  If Sandra worried Ethan would check, he couldn’t be involved. Could he? Then who is the other half of we? “How did you get a photo of me?”

  “Old security footage from Montgomery. Are you really this dense, or are you trying to piss me off?” She shook her head.

  Who was Sandra’s partner in crime? He, or she, would have to have high level access at the bank. Curtis, maybe? No, Ethan trusted Curtis implicitly. The person he’d trained to take over the day-to-day operations in Paris and London? An ally who had access at the London branch made sense.

  “And last, but not least, you couldn’t stay away from him, could you?”

  Rachel’s head started to pound again. One minute Sandra had been going on about Rachel spending her money and now she prattled about her staying away from someone. Her brain couldn’t keep up. “What are you talking about? Stay away from whom?”

  “Ethan.”

  “Ethan?” Sandra wanted to keep her and Ethan apart? No way could Ethan be involved in her scheme. Thank God. She’d bet money he had no idea what Sandra was up to, either, but why did she want them apart? “I don’t understand.”

  “I couldn’t risk the two of you getting together and somehow stumbling on to what we’re doing.”

  We’re doing. Present tense. As in continuing to do.

  “No matter how hard I tried to keep you apart. You wouldn’t stay away. Even when your job was at stake, you still went to him.”

  Her job? Jarrod’s words slammed into her mind. Keep your distance from the Montgomerys. “Are you working with McKenna and Hirsh?”

  Sandra snorted. “No. They had their own reasons for demanding you stay away from Ethan, and I would have had you fired at the beginning of the investigation if I’d been working with them and not when it was over. It’s your own fault. If you’d stayed away—”

  “You had me fired?”

  “We had no choice. You and Ethan—”

  “We who?” Rachel blurted out in frustration.

  “Haven’t you figured it out, yet? I told you I don’t like stupid people. Ryan was stupid.” Her lips compressed into a thin line. “Look what happened to him…”

  Rachel flinched as the meaning of Sandra’s words sank in. “Are you saying you had Ryan killed?”

  “Ryan got what he deserved. He started getting greedy, wanted a bigger piece of the action and tried to blackmail me, not to mention he stole my money. I wasn’t going to put up with his bullshit, regardless of how good he was in bed.”

  Rachel ignored the dig. “He blackmailed you?” Ryan’s accident wasn’t an accident? He’d been murdered?

  Sandra sneered. “He got too big for his pants. After I got him involved with the loan scam, he started snooping around and found my RS Holdings accounts.”

  RS Holdings are Sandra’s accounts and not Ryan’s? They were a subsidiary of the Gagnon group, too. Was Sandra part of the Gagnon group?

  “Still haven’t figured it out?” Sandra taunted. She yanked Rachel’s arm again. “Come on, get moving.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “To the bank. I need you to make a transfer for me. If everything goes according to plan you’ll have Emma back within the hour.”

  “Why me?”

  “You’re being stupid again.” Sandra shook her head. “Obviously, I can’t go in there. Right now none of the illegal activities tie back to me, and I intend to keep it that way.”

  “The charity,” Rachel whispered.

  Sandra nodded. “You’ve done your homework. Yes, I’ve been funneling some of the money through my father’s adored charity. Unfortunately—for him—he found out. He’d been on the verge of notifying the authorities when he had a heart attack and died.” She made a tsking sound. “Imagine that.”

  Rachel sucked in a deep breath. Sandra murdered her own father, or, at the very least, had someone else do her dirty work. Why would she admit such a thing? She’s not going to let you walk away from this. Rachel, too, would meet with an unfortunate accident once Sandra had what she wanted. No friggin way. She wouldn’t let the bitch win. She had too much to live for. Now calm down and figure a way out of this mess. For yourself as well as Emma.

  Sandra continued chattering. “I didn’t know he’d already changed his will, otherwise, I’d have made sure he changed it back before… Well, you know. In any case, since I can’t go into the bank, and I can’t make an electronic transfer for that amount of money since Montgomery International has limits on the dollar amount they’ll allow, and my pain-in-the-ass-coward of a partner has all but deserted me, I’ve selected you.” Sandra shoved her finger hard into Rachel’s chest. “You’d better hope nothing goes wrong, otherwise you won’t see Emma alive again.”

  They used the stairs and went out the back of the hotel. A dark, four door sedan stood waiting. Rachel had a flashback to the night when she and Ethan had come out of the restaurant in Greenwich Village, then another when she’d been pushed into the road, in Boston. “This is your car? You’re the one who almost hit me!”

  Sandra wrenched open the back passenger door, shoved Rachel in and slid in next to her. The locks snicked down and a driver, someone Rachel didn’t recognize, pulled the car out of the parking lot and into traffic.

  “This is Curtis Johnson’s car. My partner if you haven’t put it together, yet. He was supposed to slam into you that night in the Village and put an end to your interference once and for all. He chickened out at the last second. I gave him another shot at you in Boston, but he screwed up once again.”

  Good grief, Ethan had been right. The car incidents had been related. Sandra had been out to get her. To stop Rachel from interfering in her plans.

  “If I’d taken care of his insubordination that evening I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in now.”

  “What position is that?”

  Sandra frowned. “You really are pissing me off. In the position of having to use you to get what I want. Instead of transferring the RS Holdings funds to my offshore account the minute Ethan alerted him to the fact he knew about the illegal activity, the yellow belly ran. I had to threaten Curtis’s life in order to make him go back to Ethan’s house and destroy the information you’d provided.”

  “What about the bank records?” Rachel asked quietly. “You can’t destroy them.”

  Sandra glared. “No, but I don’t have to. The RS Holdings accounts aren’t in my name. Since you’re requesting the transfer, the police will arrest you if anything goes wrong. You’re not likely to implicate me while I have Emma, and I won’t let her go until I’m sure the money is in my account, and I’m safely out of the country. By the time the authorities sort through all the red tape, I’ll be gone, and the U.S. won’t be able to extradite me where I’m going.”

  “No.”

  Sandra’s eyes glinted with anger. “No?”

  “I’m not going to transfer the money until I know Emma is safe.”

  “You�
��re in no position to bargain with me.”

  “You can drop me off at the bank and then head to the airport. Once I know Emma is safe, I’ll make the transfer. You’ll still get out of the country with your money.”

  “I’ll kill you.”

  Rachel shook her head. “No you won’t. You said it yourself, you can’t get your money without me.”

  “I’ll have the man holding Emma kill her right now if you don’t do as I say.”

  Rachel stifled the fear trickling down her spine. Sandra had killed at least twice before. She’d do it again, and without remorse, if provoked. Rachel’s defiant response had definitely provoked Sandra, but Rachel banked on Sandra wanting the money above anything else. The minute Sandra got what she wanted, Rachel and Emma were as good as dead. “If you kill Emma, I’ll have no reason to cooperate. Then who will get your money for you? You’re wasting time. Ethan knows about the illegal activities. You think he’ll keep quiet?” No way, not even for you, bitch. “If he hasn’t already notified the authorities, you can bet it won’t be long before he does. The longer you wait to decide, the less chance you have of getting your money, and the greater the chance you’ll be caught.”

  “I told you. There’s no direct link to me.”

  “You think Curtis won’t rat you out? If he’s as gutless as you say, he’ll bring you down with him, and you’ll both go to jail.”

  “Oh please, it’s his word against mine. I destroyed the last of the paper trail which could implicate me when I smashed your computer. I’m sorry, Rachel, but you’ll have to do better.”

  Paper trail… The memory of a handwritten sheet of paper falling from Ryan’s computer when she’d opened it a few weeks back flashed into her mind. Account deposits… Sandra’s offshore account numbers. She’d bet her life on it. Ryan must have found them and used the information to blackmail her.

  Lord, she’d had the one piece of evidence linking Sandra to this scandal all along and hadn’t even known it. Sandra’s goons had missed it when they’d broken into her house the second time. Then again, they’d probably searched for official documents and not a handwritten sheet with random numbers on it. She’d found it in the heap of papers on the floor and put it back in the file cabinet with other files the thieves had tossed.

  Wasn’t it a kick in the teeth, she couldn’t use it? It wouldn’t convince Sandra to free Emma. In fact, it would do the opposite. It would put her and Emma in more danger because Sandra would kill her to make sure no one ever got their hands on that paper. No, it was better to keep quiet for now.

  She shook her head and sent up a silent prayer Sandra would agree to her terms. “If you don’t release Emma now and give me proof she’s safe, I won’t transfer your money, and you’ll have nothing. Millions of dollars and you won’t get your hands on one stinkin’ cent. What’s it gonna be?”

  Sandra snatched up her cell phone and dialed.

  Rachel held her breath.

  Sandra barked into the phone the moment the call connected. “Meet me at Montgomery International in ten minutes and bring the girl.”

  Rachel heard a male voice respond but couldn’t make out what he said.

  Sandra’s face contorted into an ugly mask. “What do you mean? How could you let this happen?”

  Rachel couldn’t understand the person on the other end of the line, but one thing was certain. Something had gone wrong. Please let Emma be okay.

  “You incompetent buffoon,” Sandra screeched and cut the call. She glanced up at Rachel, her eyes filled with hatred and malevolence. “Change in plans.”

  Before Rachel knew what was happening Sandra opened the car door and shoved. Rachel knew a moment of weightlessness as her body flew through the air and then intolerable pain as she thudded to the ground.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Ethan brushed a stray strand of hair from Rachel’s brow. He sat beside her still body willing her to come around. Too many hours had passed since they’d brought her here. Machines monitoring her vital signs hummed and beeped in the otherwise silent, sterile room. “Come on, sweetheart, open your eyes. You can do it. Please open your eyes.”

  “Has she come to yet?”

  He whipped around, startled by the floor nurse’s intrusion. “No.”

  The nurse frowned. “Why don’t you go home, Mr. Montgomery, and rest? I’ll make sure they call you if there’s any change.”

  Ethan shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere until she regains consciousness.” It was his fault she laid in the bed fighting for her life. How could he have been wrong about Curtis? He’d been his father’s trusted assistant and a model employee for years, and all this time he’d sabotaged Hayden, and Ethan, behind their backs. If it hadn’t been for Jean-Claude, Ethan might never have known. Jean-Claude had noticed some of the prior transactions made from the RS Holdings accounts to the Hope Foundation had been made from the New York branch, by Curtis. He’d notified Ethan, and Ethan had called the police. They picked up Curtis two hours ago, and he’d confessed.

  As Sandra’s partner, Curtis had hid the illegal activities from the bank’s money laundering task force, had been responsible for hacking into the bank’s computer system and altering the profit and loss statements the Gagnon group accused him of changing, and he’d been responsible for Jarrod Hirsh learning Rachel had been with him in Paris.

  The nurse rested a hand on his shoulder. “It won’t do her any good if you wear yourself out. Go home.”

  “No.”

  “Ethan?”

  Thank God. Thank God. He grasped her hand and squeezed. “I’m right here.”

  “Where am I?” Rachel croaked.

  He grinned. She’s going to be fine. Everything’s going to be fine now that she’s awake. He wouldn’t let there be any other outcome. “NYU Medical. You gave us quite a scare.” His lips brushed over hers, and he savored the feel of her soft skin beneath his. He’d missed her. They’d been apart far too long. He had to convince her they belonged together. Heaven help him, he needed her. Didn’t want to live without her. If she’d died…

  A shudder ran through him when she reached up to caress his cheek. He deepened the kiss and feasted on her sweetness.

  The sound of the nurse clearing her throat brought him back to reality.

  Rachel jerked out of his arms.

  “How are you feeling, Ms. Sullivan?”

  She shook her head and groaned. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

  The nurse rushed over to the side of the bed. “Don’t make any more sudden movements. You hit your head pretty hard and have a nasty concussion.”

  Rachel closed her eyes for a moment and stayed still. She held up a hand when the nurse lifted a small bowl to her lips. “It’s all right. The sensation has passed.”

  The nurse nodded and placed the bowl down on the tray table. “I’ll check your vitals and then get the doctor. He’ll want to see you now that you’re awake.”

  ***

  Ethan sat on the edge of her bed and gripped her hand. “I’m sorry. I never meant to put you in any danger. I should have trusted your instincts when it came to Curtis.”

  “Not your fault. There was only the one incident. You trusted him. Why would you question his loyalty? He’s Sandra’s partner and—” Sandra. Oh God, Oh God, Oh God. She started to sweat. “Emma… Where’s Emma. Sandra will kill her.” She tried to get out of bed. Pain shot through her body, and her head throbbed. It didn’t matter. She had to save Emma.

  “No, Rachel. Stay where you are.”

  Tears streamed down her face. Her vision blurred. She tried to wipe them away with the back of her hand but only succeeded in scraping her face with the cast on her arm.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart, Emma is fine. She’s at home sleeping. Now please, stop thrashing around.”

  Rachel stilled. “She’s okay?”

  “Yes. I promise.”

  Thank you, Lord. “But how did you find her? Sandra had her taken from the hotel.”

 
; “They never got her. Sandra’s men tried to grab her while Emma waited for the elevator. She screamed bloody murder. Connie and Frank had left by then, and the ruckus alerted hotel security. They came running, fast. The men got scared, left her and ran. The hotel kept Emma with them, and when they couldn’t reach you, she asked the manager to call me. I picked her up right away. We went to your room and found the door open and the smashed pieces of the computer scattered over the floor. I realized then something had happened to you.”

  She remembered the photo Sandra had shown her earlier. “She’s really okay? They didn’t hurt her, did they?”

  “She’s fine. I left her with my parents.” He lifted her casted hand and kissed the exposed fingers. “What happened, Rachel? How did you wind up lying on the side of the road in downtown Manhattan? Do you remember?”

  Rachel swallowed hard. “Sandra came to my hotel room a short time after you left. She told me she had Emma and would kill her if I didn’t do what she said. She wanted me to transfer all the money in the RS Holdings accounts offshore. The RS Holdings accounts are a subsidiary of the Gagnon group, and they belong to Sandra, not Ryan.

  “The Gagnon group? Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  Ethan grinned. “Wait until the Board of Directors find out they’ve elected a CEO who is tied to a company used for money laundering.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The Gagnon group has been trying to oust my father from his position as CEO for some time now. They went after me after he retired, discrediting me by telling everyone I’d altered—”

  “Profit and loss statements,” Rachel finished.

  Ethan frowned. “Yes, but how did you know?”

  “They accused me of altering the profit and loss statements, too, and McKenna and Hirsh fired me. Sandra told me she’d been responsible.

  Ethan shook his head. “I’m sorry, Rachel. I know how much making partner at your firm meant to you. What will you do now?”

  Good question. “To tell you the truth, I’m not sure. I’ll have to find another job. What about you? Do you think your shareholders will vote to remove this new CEO when they learn about the money laundering?”