Page 106 of His Rules

“Look at what time it is,” Stephanie instructed, her fingers still flying over the keyboard. She’d taken over from me a few hours before, both of us trying desperately to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

And dear God, it was a bloody mess at this point.

I glanced at my watch and groaned. “It’s almost nine. I’m late for work. The board meeting is going to start. Sebastian is all alone. We need to hurry.”

“He’s a big boy and I’m going as fast as I can. At least I found out the deal with Waterhouse Industries.”

“It’s not enough. We need a smoking gun. We need a loaded gun. Oh, this is such a nightmare.”

“Just breathe. I’m almost finished. Two more files.”

I glanced at my watch again. We weren’t going to make it. Could they fire Sebastian? I had no idea, but damn it. Why hadn’t he just agreed to allow me to help?

A few minutes passed and I looked at my phone at least three times. The board meeting was now underway and I was miles from the office.

When my phone buzzed, my stomach lurched. Maybe Sebastian was calling. I noticed a strange number and frowned, almost ignoring it, but my gut told me otherwise.

“Yes?” I answered.

“Kacey? Is that you?”

“Sheila?”

“Yes. Why aren’t you here? The shit is hitting the fan.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean Mr. Winfield is going to be arrested. The cops just walked into the conference room. The office is all abuzz.”

“Oh, shit. I’ll be right there.”

“Thank God.”

I ended the call, lunging toward Stephanie. “We need to go. Now.”

“What is going on?”

“Sebastian is going to be arrested. That is not going to happen on my watch. Whatever you have, we need to grab and run. I’ll think of something on the way while you drive.”

“Hold on here. You want me to be your accomplice?”

“I do.”

She half laughed. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. And bingo. We got the bastard. Come on, bestie in crime. We have a man’s reputation and freedom to save.”

CHAPTER 28

Sebastian

“What is the meaning of the interruption?” I barked as two police officers strode in through the door. “Get them out of here.”

“I’m afraid we can’t do that, partner of mine. It would seem you were caught red-handed embezzling funds from various accounts.”

I turned my head toward Drake. He was positively beaming with glee. The other board members were smug, acting as if they’d known all along what was about to occur.

“Nice try, Drake. You’re cunning. I’ll give you that.” The officers were making no attempt to move toward me, waiting for Drake’s cues. This had been a complete setup.

“I don’t know what you mean. I was just as concerned as you were about the condition of our company. I learned why. Did you really believe you were going to be able to hide the money you stole by hiring another auditor’s firm? I mean come on, the ballson you are the size of watermelons. Thankfully, the auditors couldn’t be bought. That is what you did, right? Try and buy their silence?”

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