I’d never admit that I had IT clone Kandon’s emails to mine. It wasn’t because I wanted to be nosey or anything, I was trusting my gut and my gut told me that he was hiding something. Like Kameron, I refused for us to be the reason why our mother’s company burned to the ground, though I played a big factor in it happening if it ever did. Kandon has been acting secretive and not including me in meetings that I should’ve been involved in regardless of my demotion. Though his emails were cryptic, I read between the lines and knew that he was recently aware of the missing money and was trying to handle it himself.
I also knew that he and his son-in-law, who also had access to the financial accounts, had been meeting late which was odd because they never stayed after five.
Stepping on the elevator cart, I pressed the ground floor button and looked at him. “I won’t say that I’m not surprised. People are flawed and I don’t put anything past anyone, yourself included.” I shrugged off his pinched look of hurt. “There’s been an unsettling air going around the office for months and I knew eventually the source would show itself and it has…thanks to you.” It was a good thing that Kameron find out about the money because I can’t for sure say that I’d handle it in the same business fashion.
You fucked with my money, my mother’s legacy at that…we had a problem.
Yes, I was the kettle calling it black, but this was different. I never stole a dime, just messed up some reports and mismanaged a few things.
“Thank you for helping me. I appreciate it.” Whether Kameron knew it or not, I’d never let Kandon bully him because that would’ve more than likely happened if he hadn’t come to me.
“I’ll always have your back.” And I meant that.
This wouldn’t be my first time going toe-to-toe with Kandon. Trust, he had more wounds and battle scars from our fights than anyone. I’m sure once he saw me step into the conference room that all jokes were out the door, and he wasn’t about to walk all over Kameron.
“Here goes nothing.” Kameron stood outside the conference room fixing his tie and suit. I stood back shaking my head. He had nothing to worry about.
Laughter and meaningless conversation greeted us opening the door. Kameron stepped in first, earning cheerful greetings. Then I followed and was greeted with silence and startled expressions. From Kandon down to Bethann, our HR director, eyes were wide with a twitch of fear. Mouths gaped open and a few people even backed away until the walls touched their backs.
Seeing all the faces, mostly directors and supervisors, I decided to sit next to Kandon. It was a real dick move for him to sit at the head of the rectangle table but of course, he wanted to show that he had more power than Kameron, who scheduled the meeting.
“Nice to see you come down from the icy towers.” Shifting in his seat, Kandon started fixing his pen and pad, looking at everyone but me.
“Unlike you, Kameron knows how to invite me to meetings that I’m supposed to be sitting in on. One day that pride and ego of yours are going to humble you good.” He and I sat in a stare off until another individual sitting on the opposite side of him wouldn’t stay still.
I tried not to use the word hate. It was such a strong word, but I loathed the day Daley Forrester’s mother decided to lay with his father and create him. If ever such a time for a woman to abort a fetus, she should’ve done it with him. I hated the sneaky son-of-a-bitch. To make it worse I had to see him outside of work because he was married to my niece, Kandon’s oldest daughter Brianna.
He reeked of sneak and deception.
I made it my business to let him know that if he ever hurt my niece, I was breaking his jaw, possibly shooting some metal into his body too.
“Let’s begin shall we.” Kameron read the room and picked up on the tension. While he went over the details of his findings, I kept my eyes on one person and one person only – Daley.
He couldn’t look me in the eye. Kept shifting and coughing. Scratching his neck and when asked questions he looked to the left. All telling signs of someone guilty. Then there was my brother who tried to remain uncaring in my presence, but I knew he too was just as uncomfortable.
After Kameron finished, I stood and walked around to Daley’s side of the table. His pungent smell of fear ranked throughout the room. Leaning against the table, making sure I stayed close so I could see his every move, I folded my hands in front of me. “Part of your duties consist of keeping track of all the financial reconciliations, am I correct?”
A thin line of perspiration formed along his hairline and top lip. Adams's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. Clearing his throat and straightening his tie, he answered the table, not me. I never trusted a man who didn’t look me in the eye when I was speaking to them. “Yes, that is correct. I handle most of the financial duties. Trust me, I’m going to do all I can to handle the minor discrepancy.” Kameron and I both shot Kandon a quick glare who sighed scratching his head.
You never give someone who wasn’t vetted that much power, that much access.
A minor discrepancy was forgetting to issue a new employee a check or setting up their new direct deposit. A minor discrepancy was forgetting to go to the bank and deposit checks.
I was born at night but not last night.
“Four million dollars missing is a minor discrepancy to you?” My hold on my wrist tightened with each rapid blink and stutter that came out of his mouth.
Men like him, weak and liars, were the most disrespectful and I despised disrespectful people.
“No-No, sir.” His eyes kept going to Kandon who offered no help at all, and even if he did it wouldn’t have any effect on me.
“If your checks stopped coming in through direct deposit and you questioned what was going on, you’d wait days, maybe weeks, until payroll sorted out the issue?” This time I took in the rest of the accounting department, and they were bleak in the face. I wouldn’t be surprised if they worked as a unit. Moving that type of money for however long wasn’t easy and Daley wasn’t the brightest. Either my brother helped him or his peers.
“No, si…”
“Seems none of you care since it wasn’t money that came out of your paycheck.” Watching them all cower and shrink had my fingers twitching. All I could think about was the unethical practices I could use to get the answers I wanted in less than two minutes. Quest taught me a lot of things he learned while being in the military. A lot of helpful tactics to get your enemies to admit their wrongs.
Pushing away from the table I opened the conference door. “Leave the room.” Everyone who wasn’t my brother’s hightailed it out of there with Daley being the leader. I kept my hands in my pockets to keep from wanting to punch him in the back of his head.