Page 9 of Furever Loyal
Even as her mind went one direction, Haley went another, backing up closer to the guard, well aware of the power someone as large as Kincaid could unleash if he let his anger get the best of him.
Kaelyn’s voice snapped out across the space between Queen and subject. “That will be enough.”
Kincaid fell silent, but not before he turned a glare on Haley, indicating that he knew now why she was there, and what she had told the Queen.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she snapped, surprising everyone. Even the guard behind her rustled in shock at her outburst. “I didn’t do anything but find the records and bring it to her attention. I’m not the bad guy here, okay?”
She stopped abruptly as Kincaid took a step toward her, but the clank of the guard as he stepped up to her side stopped the giant.
“Kincaid.”
He was still glaring at her, his lip pulled back in a silent growl.
“Kincaid!” The Queen’s voice was like a whip, cracking against the man, returning his attention. “Look at me. Get a handle on yourself.”
Visibly shaken, the big man drew himself up. “My Queen. I’m not sure what this woman found. What shethinksshe found. I also know I may have had my troubles with the—” Kincaid hesitated and glanced over at Haley for a brief moment—“King, but I swear upon my life that I have never, and would never, betray this House. I beg you to give me a chance to prove my innocence. Someone is trying to set me up. Let me find out who it is and prove to you that I did not do this.”
Haley almost felt bad. Almost. If it weren’t for the damning evidence she possessed, she might even believe the conviction with which the man spoke. But the truth was there for all to see. The money had been transferred to his account,andit had been done in an attempt to cover up that it happened. That much alone indicated something foul was afoot.
Kincaid just wasn’t good enough to hide his tracks from her, she thought proudly, glad she was able to help her client out in a time of need. Now they could recover the money and dispose of someone who had committed criminal actions against them. All thanks to her.
That was worth a late night at the office.
That, and the fact she could bill them for overtime.
“Very well,” the Queen said softly. “I will give you a chance.Onechance. It is all I can give, Kincaid. I apologize for testing you, but had to be sure.”
Haley gaped in astonishment. What the hell was the Queen doing? Letting a guilty man try to prove his own innocence? No!
“You must keep it quiet, though, which means you will have limited access to the resources of the House.” The Queen looked around, her eyes landing on Haley.
I’ve got a bad feeling about this…
“Miss Menard. You will assist Kincaid in any way necessary. This is your realm of specialty. If there is any possible truth to the fact that someone has tried to frame him, the two of you will track it down and bring it to me, where we will handle it…appropriately. Understood?”
Haley’s mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out.
“Are you all right? Miss Menard?”
She shook her head. “What? No. I’m just an accountant, Kaelyn. I’m not some kind of detective or computer hacker. This is not part of my job. I’m not… I can’t—”
The guard beside her cleared his throat quietly, while the others around the room shuffled uncomfortably at her use of the Queen’s first name. Well, screw them! Haley wasn’t about to be intimidated by her client. They were just people, they didn’t rule her, she wasn’t some sort of servant, and she was damn well going to speak her mind. This was against the rules. She dealt with numbers and spreadsheets and that was how she liked it.
“Miss Menard,” the Queen said, her voice hard. “If this transaction was falsely made, this man will lose his position here, over evidence you produced. Are you one-hundred percent confident that he was the one who stole it from the House account, transferred it around and then deposited it into his own? Are you willing to bet your own job on it?”
She tried to meet Kaelyn’s stare, but after a few seconds, she looked away. “No.”
“Then you will help Kincaid out. If it turns out that the evidence is correct, he will be punished appropriately. However, I have my own suspicions as well, and I do not believe him to be behind it. That is not enough to absolve him, especially if any of the others learn about this. Which they will soon enough, I’m afraid.”
Haley just nodded, staying mute in protest. She didn’t want to do this, but the Queen had essentially told her that if she accused Kincaid and was wrong, she would lose House Ursa as a client. That would doom her. Not only her but those who worked for her. Haley couldn’t do that to them.
“You must work quickly, Kincaid,” the Queen continued, ignoring Haley for the moment. “The others will soon question why I haven’t confirmed you into your position. I will stall, but things are too precarious right now for me to hold out too long. If you can’t find anything in forty-eight hours, I’ll have to find someone else.”
Kincaid nodded. “I understand. By your leave?”
“Go,” the Queen said. “Work together. Figure out the truth.”
Great. This ought to be a lot of fun.
