Waterfall Kisses (The Kisses 9)

“I'd agree with you, except not for this account.” I shrugged, trying to make it not sound like I was accusing him. “Due to how easy it would be to hide money in this account, the accountants are anal about it. They have to have receipts for everything. They track every dollar. This isn't the cash box for the secretaries where ten bucks won't be missed. This is a special funds account. They watch it down to the penny.”

“They do?” Toby paled and his hand shook slightly, spilling his coffee down the side of his cup. His Adam's apple bobbed as he dry-swallowed. If I hadn't been sure it was him, this reaction at least told me he was panicked. No wonder he was a terrible gambler. The man had no poker face and a billion tells.

“Yeah. It was Leo's account authorization that took the money out, so I was hoping you might know what it was. The accountants are tracking where he logged in from and where the money went. They're really on my butt about it.” I lowered my voice and glanced around the room. “It's part of why I called the meeting today. Your boss is in some serious trouble.”

I so deserved an Oscar for this. Even though I was shaking in my shoes, I was somehow managing to control my blushing and keep my voice even.

Toby's eyes widened. “What do you mean? What's else is he in trouble for?”

“I shouldn't... it'll all come out in the meeting.” I bit my lower lip, wondering if I was overplaying it. Toby seemed to be eating up my worry with a spoon, though. Maybe I did have a future in film. I rubbed my forehead like I was getting a tension headache. “This is going to be a crappy meeting.”

“I didn't realize that so much was wrong. Are you okay?” Toby asked, his mousy face furrowing into a concerned frown.

“Not really,” I answered with a big sigh. “I found out that Leo's been keeping a big secret about how Kindling Dating was founded. I don't know exactly what it is, I just overheard him on the phone the other day. When I asked him about it, we had a big fight. I'm hoping he'll just come clean during the meeting today.”

“So you don't know what he did?” Toby looked far too hopeful.

I shrugged and hugged my arms around me. “I know it has something to do with some money. Then, this whole slush fund money going missing? I know they're related. I'm just hoping that he'll come clean and let us help him. Even though we had a big fight, I still love him, you know?”

Toby patted my shoulder, but it was obvious his thoughts were elsewhere. “I'm sure he'll do the right thing. I know you mean a lot to him.”

“Enough that he won't tell me anything?” I scoffed. “From what I've figured out, it's bad. It might not be a bad idea to take a look at your resume. I don't think this is going to go well.”

“Thanks...” Toby's voice shook at the prospect of not only losing his job but his blackmail gravy train.

I patted his shoulder and he shrunk away slightly. I couldn't believe he bought my performance. I felt like I was the worst liar in the world. There were so many holes in the story I just told, but the shaky way he was playing with his coffee cup made me believe he thought it was the truth.

I turned and headed for the table, trying hard not to giggle with nervousness. Hopefully, he would slip up. The thought of losing his job hopefully would make him nervous and he would get a little desperate. We needed him to speak without thinking.

The door opened and Bastian and Gabe walked in, confident and well dressed. They looked like businessmen instead of beach bums today.

“You realize I should be on a beach with a beautiful woman right now?” Bastian informed me as he flopped into one of the leather chairs and gave me a displeased look.

“Sorry to make you actually work,” I retorted.

“Luckily for me, there are beaches and beautiful women here in Miami,” Gabe chimed in, taking a seat across from Bastian. He grinned at me. “So, at least I'm not mad at you, Charlotte.”

“I appreciate that, Gabe,” I replied, taking a sip of my coffee.

Gabe's assistant, an older woman who was always showing off pictures of her grandkids, came in and sat in the chair next to him. I smiled at her, knowing that she considered Gabe one of her own children. There was no way she'd ever do this kind of thing to Gabe. But then again, I never thought Toby would do this either.

We were just waiting on Leo now. Anxiety gnawed in my stomach and sat heavy on my chest.

“Hey, assistant,” Bastian barked at me. “Will you get me some coffee?”

I crossed my arms and glared at him. “What's the magic word, boss?”

“Paycheck.” Bastian grinned at me to show me that he was just playing. He could read the tension written all over my face and was just trying to make me focus on him instead of being nervous. He was always looking out for me.

I rolled my eyes at him, but poured him a cup and put it in front of him. “You can get your own cream and sugar for what you pay me.”

Gabe snickered and his assistant's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't say anything.

That's when the door opened and Leo limped in.

The bruises on his face were starting to set in and he looked like hell. Seeing him all beat up made my heart hurt. I wished there was a way that I could take some of his pain away. He just looked so broken that it made what I was going to have to do next that much harder.

Leo didn't say anything. He just took his place at the table, clutching his broken arm tight to his body, the pain obvious on his face. He looked broken. It took everything I had not to look at him. We had to pretend like we were fighting for this to be believable to Toby.