Page 18 of Easy Reunion
Twenty pages in, I spot the first issue. It’s insignificant, but it’s enough to keep me reading.
Thirty-two pages in, I scoot closer as I review the list of the key personnel that pops up. “That’s not right. Jesus, none of those people are US persons. They’d laugh us out of the room.” I slam a fist against the table in frustration
Thirty-nine pages in, my eyes widen comically when the price sheet scrolls past. “Holy shit,” I breathe. Blindly, I reach for my phone.
“Mr. Boudreaux’s office. How may I help you?” Eli’s secretary, Miss Carter, answers.
“It’s Perrault. I need him. Now.” I know I’m one of the few people who can call and have Eli interrupted.
“Certainly, Mr. Perrault. Please stand by.” There’s a moment of silence before Eli picks up.
“That was quick.”
My anger is far from being under control. So, it’s a surprise when my words come out so calmly. “Call Kate. It’s a confirmed insider threat.”
I hear Eli’s muted curse, right before I hang up on him and move on to the next contract. But I do shut down my laptop.
Kate’s going to need it as evidence.
* * *
“I need a drink.A big one. Maybe with a little parasol in it to help me forget about this day.” A heavy glass is plunked down in front of me. Without even opening my eyes, I lift it to my lips. Smooth bourbon slides down the back of my throat. “Or this. This helps.”
“I thought it might.” My sister, Lisa, moves around to drop down next to me on the leather sofa in my living room.
I was at work for fifteen hours, and I honestly didn’t know how I was going to make it home before I called her. It’s after 11:00 p.m., and I’m finally starting to wind down from the shitshow that’s been going on all day.
But it’s over.
Kate Boudreaux and her team were able to track down the perpetrator to a paralegal who had access to all of the modified files and—under intense questioning—was unable to account for how they paid for their new Audi on the salary that Bayou Enterprises provided; while not unsubstantial, it does not account for a new six-figure car.
Once Nancy began to crumble, the entire story came out. “It started as a way to get money for Jimmy,” she sobbed. Nancy assumed responsibility for her college-age brother when their parents passed on last year. “I just wanted him to finish school without any worries.”
While everyone in the room might have felt sympathy over her plight—God, look at what I did to protect my sister—we also would have all paid the price. And so did Nancy. First, with her job. Second, by knowing her national security clearance was being revoked and her likelihood of ever working in a position of public trust would never occur again.
And that’s if the Boudreauxs decide not to push forward with pressing charges.
“What a fucking mess this week has been.” I drain the glass before I set it on the table next to me. Rolling my head to meet my sister’s worried eyes head-on, I smile briefly. “Thanks for picking me up.”
“Because it’s so hard to pick up my big brother who lets me live with him rent-free while I get my degree at Tulane. A degree he’s footing the bill for.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“You could let me get a job!”
I frown at my sister. “You know they don’t like students to work. Besides, you love volunteering. And didn’t you agree that will look better in the long term for your resume?”
Taking a sip of her drink, Lisa makes a snuffing sound into her glass. “What did I ever do to deserve a brother as awesome as you?”
Immediately, my mind flashes back to the moment in Savannah when I realized Kee and Kelsey were the same. “I’m pretty certain there are people out there who would disagree with you.”
Lisa finishes before she leans forward and puts her glass down with a sharp clink. “Then, they don’t know you—not the way I do.”
A faint smile crosses my lips as I tug at the long braid hanging down her back. “Few do.”
“I’m serious, Ry.”
“So am I. Most people don’t know I was ten when I stopped trying to eat my boogers.” My voice is bland, even as I’m shaking in an attempt to keep my mirth in. Let’s face it, boys do gross shit. And I did more than my fair share.
Lisa makes a gagging face. “Seriously, I didn’t need to be reminded of that. I thought Mom was going to faint when I finally ratted your ass out.”
“I appreciate that—now. Back then? Not so much. You forced her to take my on-the-go snack away.” We last about point two seconds before we’re a heaping mess of hilarity.
And this right here is all the repayment I need—a sister who is happy, healthy, and whole. I was a monumental fuckup at eighteen to help to protect her from the kind of things that would have scarred this loveliness.
Permanently.
I want the chance to thank Kelsey for helping me give her that before I shake her for her duplicity.
