Page 76 of Packed Up In Vegas

“Don’t you sweetheart me. If you think I’m trying to swindle the company, just say it.”

“It’s not…that. But there’s only so many explanations.”

Fury radiated off her. “Well, here’s another explanation for you.” She flipped him the bird, spun on her heel, and stalked back into her bedroom, where she slammed the door, the lock audibly clicking.

“Fucking hell,” Miles lamented quietly.

“It had to be asked,” Amir said. “Either Callie or the company is lying, and we’ve never had anyone come back saying they weren’t paid.”

“Can I see the deposit info on your end?” I asked.

Miles pulled it up on the tablet and set it on the counter. I read through everything on both screens and then laid her phone on the tablet, carefully comparing the account numbers.

“Oh, shit.”

“What?” Kai asked, leaning over my shoulder.

“They’re both telling the truth. The company paid out into the account she gave, but that account number isn’t hers. One second.” I risked knocking on Callie’s door, and even though she told me to fuck off, I asked anyway. “Precious, do you know the account number of your joint account?”

The door whipped open. “Why are you asking?”

“Come sit with us, just for a moment. The account number you gave the company isn’t the one that you’re showing us on your phone.”

“What are you talking about? What other account would I have given?” Her face blanched, all of the color leaching out of her cheeks. “Oh my god.”

She raced out into the kitchen and grabbed her phone, opening an account statement record and holding it up next to the payment record that was still open on the tablet.

“Son of a bitch!”

Kai was at her side in a second. “Did the money go into the wrong account?”

Callie dropped her face into her hands and started sobbing.

“Precious, is the money not in your joint account either?”

“I don’t know!” she sobbed. “I don’t have access to it anymore.”

“How the hell would you not have access to it?” Amir asked.

“Your guess is as good as mine. It’s not listed under my accounts anymore.”

“Okay, let’s all take a breath,” I suggested. “Callie, you need to get in contact with your bank and find out why you don’t have account access anymore. The company isn’t going to pay out another dollar, but maybe we can still get you back onto that account.”

She made the most miserable sound, sinking all the way to the floor. “He probably took everything.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” I assured her. “For right now, we need to find out what happened.”

“Maybe breakfast first?” Kai offered.

“No.” She shook her head. “The sooner I figure it out, the better.”

I wrote down both of her account numbers for her so she didn’t have to worry about flipping through screens while on a call, and we got her situated at the table. The bank itself wouldn’t be open just yet, but they had a twenty-four-hour line she could call in the meantime.

Amir fetched her cup of tea and got fresh coffee for the rest of us while we hovered awkwardly around the kitchen, waiting for her to get through the automated menus and electronic voices until finally a person answered.

“Hello there, how can I help you today?”

“I’m not able to access my account and I’m not sure why. It’s not listed at all anymore.”

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