Heartbreaker: A Workplace Friends-To-Lovers Romance (Paths To Love Book 3)

by Grahame Claire

I scanned the letter and passed it to Daniel. After he read it, he stood. “I need to make a phone call.”

  “We have no choice but to turn him in to the police,” Mulaney said from where she leaned against the counter. “There may be consequences for all of us, but if they enforce whatever’s in that letter, it could be worse.”

  “Loretta—” Dad’s voice cracked when he spoke my mother’s name. He cleared his throat. “She doesn’t want us to do that until we have no other choice.”

  “I’m afraid we don’t,” Mulaney said softly.

  I sank in my chair and let my head drop back until my only view was of the ceiling. “I’ll take the blame for the money. I moved it, after all. Then the two of you can take care of Mama.”

  “Where does that leave Drew?” she demanded.

  “I spoke with my best connection in the FBI,” Daniel said. I snapped my head in his direction. “The problem is on the surface. It appears the two of you embezzled money from Carter Energy.”

  “But you figured out Drew did it,” Mulaney protested, slamming her coffee mug on the counter.

  “Not by ways admissible in court.” Daniel shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the island in the center of the kitchen. “Drew has covered his tracks in the last few days. To trace the money back to him by the methods the authorities use would be impossible.”

  “Don’t they have the best methods money can buy?” I asked, gripping the edge of the table as my temper slowly began to rise.

  “Not this good.”

  Dad ran a hand through his hair, but didn’t say a word.

  “There is an option,” Daniel said carefully. I bolted from my seat and paced, unable to sit any longer. “We could scare him with the threat of dire punishment.”

  I halted. Daniel seemed to have ties to people most wanted to avoid. “Like a horse’s head?” I asked sarcastically.

  “Not exactly, though I’m sure it could be arranged.” His tone had a razor-sharp edge. “I meant if he believes the authorities are investigating and he’s a potential suspect, he might change his attitude.”

  “What good does that do us with SPE?” Mulaney asked. “For that matter, what do you think will happen? Drew will give back the billion dollars?” She tossed her remaining coffee and rinsed out the sink.

  “The man is trying to help us,” Dad said.

  She yanked on her ponytail. “I know.”

  “If there is no evidence of the forty million you moved, then it should be easy enough to pass a forensic accounting. Especially if the accountant is one we put in place.” Daniel stood stoically as if he hadn’t just proposed something unethical. “You believe Drew is the one who tipped SPE off about the money. If we apply what he believes to be legal pressure on him, he’ll back off.”

  I wished I was as certain as he sounded.

  “Set it up. As long as you promise the authorities won’t really be looking into the matter,” Dad said decisively.

  “I assure you, they won’t.”

  “If SPE pushes this issue”—Dad gestured toward the letter—“we’ll take your forensic accountant too.”

  Daniel nodded once, his expression unreadable. I didn’t know if he was completely trustworthy, but so far he’d delivered. At this point, there was no other choice.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Mulaney

  “I was surprised by your call, Agent McCormick.”

  I had to hand it to Harris. He was playing it cool in front of Drew. Far better than I was.

  We were gathered in the living room of the Carter’s new apartment. Easton sat beside me on the sofa, his fingers flexing on his knees as if he were about to explode. I felt the same.

  Drew was rigid in the wingback chair positioned next to the one his father was in. Agent McCormick was on the loveseat opposite the two of them. He sipped his coffee before he set the cup on the end table beside him with an exaggerated move.

  “Anytime there’s a sale of high-profile companies, we look into it,” the FBI agent said smoothly.

  “Thought for sure that was the Securities and Exchange Commission’s jurisdiction,” I said sarcastically. Easton elbowed me in the side. I shrugged.

  Agent McCormick smirked.

  “We’d be happy to provide any information you need,” Harris said smoothly.

  McCormick rested his ankle on his knee. “It’s interesting you chose to sell your family business, especially given both your children ran it with you.”

  “Directions and desires change,” he returned with evasiveness.

  “Financial situations do too.”

  Easton pressed his thigh against mine like he needed my touch. My stomach was in a knot, and the simple gesture helped me too.

  “They do,” Harris agreed.

  Drew crossed and uncrossed his legs, though his gaze was laser focused on the FBI agent.

  “Then you admit Carter Energy was in trouble?”

  Harris hesitated, as if choosing his words carefully. “We were in a vulnerable position.”

  “Care to expand on how that happened?” the agent pressed.

  “It’s no secret there are ups and downs in the oil business.”

  “You were way down.”

  “Pardon me, but we were a private company. We sold to another private entity. Carter Energy’s financial health isn’t readily available to the public.” The man never lost his fire no matter how old he got. Even though I knew this was a song and dance for Drew’s benefit, it was good to see the man who’d taught me everything about the business at his best.

  “Doesn’t always matter,” McCormick said. He wrapped his hands around his knee, and his eyes landed on Drew. “We have reason to believe a substantial amount of funds were transferred into offshore accounts in the last year.”

  “There’s nothing illegal about those,” Easton said, the same as he’d told me.

  “No, there isn’t. Although it sends up a red flag when it happens in a relatively short period of time.” Agent McCormick leveled Drew with a hardened gaze. “Particularly when all of the transactions are made by one individual.”

  “What exactly are you getting at?” Harris asked with well-faked irritability.

  “We’re investigating financial fraud and misuse of funds,” he returned matter-of-factly.

  Easton stared out toward the window. Harris gripped the arms of his chair. Drew tugged on the collar of his shirt. I looked at the floor.

  “Judging by how everyone has become quiet, I’m guessing you don’t necessarily disagree,” McCormick said smugly. We continued to sit in silence. “If there’s something any of you would like to tell me now, we can save ourselves a lot of trouble.”

  More silence.

  Drew white-knuckled his thighs. The agent waited until he met his gaze. “Nothing? We can do this the hard way.” McCormick stood, still focused on Drew. “We’ve got a pretty clear picture of what happened and who was involved.” He offered his card to the youngest Carter. “When you decide you want to talk, come find me.”

  Agent McCormick saw himself out, leaving behind a thick tension.

  Drew shot up from his seat and glared at Easton. “You went to the FBI?”

  “Keep your voice down. Mama’s sleeping,” he returned, avoiding the question.

  “How could you?” Drew pressed, his voice still at atomic levels.

  “I could ask you the same.” My husband was far too calm for the direction the conversation was taking. The flex of his fingers on the edge of the sofa was the only giveaway the control he had on his temper was razor thin at best.

  “There were five people who knew about the forty million,” Harris said, sounding strained. He produced the letter from the breast pocket of his suit coat. “You went to SPE knowing what your mother wants to do with it.”

  Drew bounced on his feet. “Automatically you assume it was me,” he said bitterly.

  “No one else is causing trouble.” Pain was etched in Easton’s face. If it were Mitch or Stone wh
o’d done what Drew had, I’d be a mess. I didn’t particularly care for Drew and didn’t need much reason not to, but what he was doing to his family made my dislike turn to flat-out hate.

  “She is the one who brought all of this on us.” Drew stabbed at the air as he pointed at me. “We were fine before she became CEO.”

  “We were fine until you stole one billion dollars,” I said.

  He narrowed his eyes. “Did you go to the cops?” Without waiting for an answer, he snorted. “See. You’ve turned Easton and me against each other. I should’ve known you were behind this.”

  “Again, if you hadn’t done what you did, the authorities wouldn’t be suspicious.” I brushed my skirt off as if there were something on it.

  Drew tilted his head to the side, anger and suspicion firing in my direction. “You aren’t stupid enough to go to the police with this. Not when we could all go down.” He paced in a circle. “He never showed us any identification. Was that man even a real FBI agent?”

  “Oh, he’s very real,” I said. “But he might be willing to let this go if you tell SPE you were wrong.”

  Drew looked at each of us as if weighing his options. “How do you know I have the power to do that?”

  “Because you tipped them off about the money,” Harris said impatiently.

  He shoved his hands in his pockets, the gesture so much like Easton and his father I wondered how Drew ended up so different from the other two men. After a moment, he pulled out his phone and fired off a text. He moved to the windows and kept his back to us.

  In what seemed like seconds, Harris’s phone rang. He answered and was mostly quiet as the person on the other end spoke.

  “I want it in writing. Today,” he said before he hung up. His shoulders relaxed a fraction as he set his device on the coffee table.

  “Happy?” Drew still looked out at the city skyline.

  “Not really, but it’s a step in the right direction. One we shouldn’t have had to take in the first place.” Harris turned his attention to Easton and me. “They’re letting it go.”

  I’d gathered that, but it was nice to hear confirmation.

  “I’ve held up my end. How do I know you’ll hold up yours?” Drew asked, his posture rigid.

  “As soon as we have the letter in hand that states there will be no forensic accounting and the terms of the sale have been completely satisfied, we’ll speak to Agent McCormick,” Harris said.

  Drew finally turned around and pressed his lips together. “The three of you against me. Some things never change.”

  “What are you talking about?” Easton stood as if the last thread on his temper had snapped.

  “Any project or idea I brought to the table, you brushed off. You all agreed she should be CEO without even asking my opinion.”

  “I had no idea that’s what Dad was going to do,” Easton shouted. “But I’m glad he did so we could be with Mama. And we’re already fighting when neither of us are in charge. How would it be if you or I were CEO?” One of his hands dove in his pocket. His forearm flexed and relaxed at a rapid pace.

  “You’re married to her. It’s the same as you being CEO,” Drew spat. “You’re in bed together.”

  “I can’t believe you destroyed our family and our business over something so petty,” Easton said.

  “You need to open your eyes. Everything I do is for this family.”

  Easton gaped at his brother. “You’ve got a hell of a way of showing that.”

  An email notification chimed on Harris’s phone. He scanned the message and gave a satisfied nod. “It’s done. SPE requires nothing further from us.”

  How had Drew made all this happen so fast?

  Easton sent a text and in seconds he received a reply. He showed the screen to Drew, who squinted as he read the message.

  “If they’re suspending the investigation indefinitely, then we’re at a truce.” He hardened his gaze as he looked at Easton. “Agreed?”

  “Agreed.”

  Drew disappeared in the direction of where his mother was sleeping.

  I slumped and let my head fall against the back of the sofa. “Think this is done?”

  “We have no choice but to trust it is,” Harris said tiredly.

  Easton continued to fiddle with something in his pocket. “He got what he wanted. He’s done.”

  I wasn’t as confident as my husband but had no choice but to roll with it. Drew had proved time and again he wasn’t trustworthy, though he’d made his point. Hopefully, this was the end.

  When he emerged from the hallway, his eyes were red.

  “You’re not welcome here any longer.” Harris grated out the words, the pain latched to every one of them.

  Drew stopped. “You can’t keep me from Mama.”

  “You made your choice. I’m not the one who did this. You are.”

  “She’s my mother.” He threw his hands up in protest.

  “Which makes your behavior all the more abominable." Harris rose and strode to the front door. He turned the knob and held it open wide. “When you find my son, he can come home. Until then, you’re not welcome anymore.”

  Drew stalked out of the apartment. When he crossed the threshold, he turned back and opened his mouth to say something. Then closed it and shrugged. “Never mind.”

  The second the door closed, Harris leaned against the back of it. He squeezed his eyes shut, drew in a deep breath that stuttered as he released it.

  “He’ll find his way back.”

  We all turned at the sound of Loretta’s voice. Her long nightgown was rumpled, and she looked exhausted.

  “I hope so, Mama.” Easton wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

  She patted his chest and tried to smile. “You’ve got a plane to catch.”

  His brow furrowed. “Not that I’m aware of.”

  I cleared my throat and pushed up off the couch. “You don’t know everything.”

  He looked at me quizzically. “Now’s not the best time to head out of town.”

  “We won’t be gone long,” I said.

  Loretta gave him a little shove. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I kissed her cheek and hugged her tight. “Thank you for helping me.”

  “Anytime.”

  “What the hell is in your pocket?” I demanded the second we were on the elevator.

  Easton hesitated with his finger above the L button. “Lobby?”

  “Yes.”

  “I didn’t pack for a trip.” He rested his shoulder against the mirrored wall.

  “You didn’t need to.” I pointed toward his pants. “Stop avoiding the question.”

  “What makes you think there’s something in my pocket?” The tease in his eyes made me want to scream and jump him at the same time.

  “Because I see your arm flexing all the time when you have your hand in there.”

  With a dramatic flair, he produced a familiar heart-shaped stress ball. I stared at him incredulously.

  “I don’t leave home without it.” He gave it a squeeze before he dropped it back in his pocket.

  “I gave that to you years ago,” I protested.

  “It comes in handy.” He shrugged but there was no indifference in his expression. “You’re always with me.”

  I slid my arms around his waist and looked up at him. “I love you.”

  I said the words often to my family, but with Easton, I’d been more judicious. He needed to see they weren’t spoken lightly, that I meant them wholeheartedly.

  “Love you too, Heartbreaker.” He brushed his lips against mine. “Now tell me where we’re going.”

  I flashed him a mischievous smile. “To have a redo.”

  Epilogue

  Easton

  We forgot to close the curtains.

  Vegas sunlight pricked at my closed eyelids. I smiled and stretched my arm out beside me. We hadn’t gotten much sleep, but I was more than happy to see my bride again.

  Cool sh
eets greeted my fingers. I felt around and discovered empty space. Reluctantly, I opened my eyes to see I’d woken up alone. Again. When she’d said we were having a redo, I didn’t realize that extended to the morning after our nuptials too.

  We’d gone to the same chapel last night. Had the same celebrant perform the ceremony. And though we’d both meant our vows the first time we’d spoken them, this was our new start, a chance to get right the things we’d done wrong in the past.

  Glutton for punishment, I got out of bed, retracing the same steps I’d taken the morning after our first trip. I glanced at the wedding band on my finger. She hadn’t left me again, I was certain of that, but the old sting of hurt sparked a bit of fear.

  A door closed and Mulaney barreled right into me with a tray of food.

  “You’re up.” She beamed at me. Then her eyes drifted down my naked body. “In every way.”

  I took the tray from her hands. “You scared me.” My cheeks became hot. “I woke up alone again.”

  She had the decency to look sorry. “I was starving. Thought you might be too.”

  I set the food on the table and pulled her against me. “I’m glad we did this again.”

  “Since we’re starting over with everything, I wanted to get the morning after right this time.” She snaked her arms around my neck and kissed the corner of my mouth.

  I reached behind me for her left hand and twined our fingers between us. “We got it right.”

  We looked at the band of rubies that shone in the sunlight. When she’d slipped it on my hand, a perfect match to the one I’d had made for her, something in me shifted. I hadn’t known I needed the ring to settle the restlessness. Then again, I hadn’t known how much I needed her either until so many things had been put into perspective.

  “I want kids.”

  I blinked at her. We hadn’t had much chance to discuss that further, but Heartbreaker seemed bound and determined to make all my desires a reality.

  I stared at her in disbelief. “You do?”

  “Yep.” I tugged her toward the bed and pulled her down on top of me. “Easton. What are you doing?” She shoved halfheartedly at my chest.