Page 8 of Five Midnight Moment
“I’m already late and I need to get to my office.”
The second man gently took her arm and steered her in the direction of a private conference room. “The boss wants to see younow.”
What could Dwayne want with her first thing? And why send security? He could’ve just as easily waited for her in her office…or his. They escorted her into the office and gestured for her to sit. She met Dwayne’s cold eyes. A stark contrast from the previous night’s passion.
“Ms. Townsend.”
The deep voice that had been filled with so much emotion when he whispered in her ear last night now held none. “What’s going on?”
Dwayne leaned forward. “You tell me. Last night one hundred and fifty thousand dollars of Mr. Smith’s money has been diverted out of his account an into a dummy account linked to your computer.”
Valencia was wrong. Her day had not only gotten much worse, it had just been shot to hell. “I didn’t to this. And I was nowhere near my computer last night,” she snapped. She had been with him, so she didn’t understand why he was pretending not to know her whereabouts.
He lifted a brow. “No? The only person who’s logged onto your computer in the last twenty-four hours is you. I have to hand it to you, you’re good. We might not have ever found it had it not been for the new security system we put into place this week.” He slid two photos across the table. "You didn't even bother to change clothes."
“You mean the one I put in place,” Valencia corrected, her anger mounting. She snatched up the pictures and her blood ran cold. The first one had been taken earlier in the day after she'd returned from taking a walk on her break. The other one was time-stamped at 12:15 a.m. The woman in the photo had on an identical outfit, but a large hat and dark glasses obscured her face. She had no idea who the woman was, but Valencia knew it wasn't her. "This isn't me. And I have a solid alibi from midnight last night until five this morning. Remember?”
“Ms. Townsend, I have no idea what you’re talking about or what I’m supposed to remember. All I know is you’re fired and you have fifteen minutes to clear out your office.”
Valencia leaped to her feet, leaned across the desk and pointed her finger in his face. “I don’t know what kind ofsickgame you’re trying to play, but I’m not going anywhere because I. Did. Not. Steal.Anything!” She’d spent all night and damn near all morning with this man and now he had the nerve to act like it never happened, but oh,nooo, she wasn’t having it.Not today. Not ever.
Dwayne nodded toward the two officers and they grabbed her arms. “Please see Ms. Townsend out.”
She struggled against the two men. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell the truth!” Valencia did her best to get away from them, but she was no match for their combined strength. She just wanted two minutes to rearrange Dwayne’s face, then she’d gladly leave.
The door burst open. “What the hell is going on? Everybody on this floor can hear all this shouting.”
If Valencia knew how to faint, she would have at that moment.
He fully entered the office and seemed to notice her for the first time. His eyes widened and then he frowned. “Dwight, why are they holding Valencia like that?”
Dwight?She divided her surprised gaze between the man still fuming behind the desk and the one who had just entered. “Dwayne?”
He smiled. “Of course. Baby, are you okay?”
“I’m…yeah.” Their height, facial features and even the sounds of their voices were the same. Valencia shook her head in an attempt to clear her confusion and shifted her gaze back to Dwayne…or Dwight and waited while he explained the whole sordid tale again.
Dwayne shook his head. “She didn’t do this, bro. Lyn was with me all night.”
She snatched away from the men still holding her and glared at Dwight. “I told you I didn’t do it. So, I’m guessing there should be some sort of apology on your part about now, right?” She folded her arms. “I’ll wait.”
Dwayne chuckled and turned to the two officers. “We can take it from here. Thanks.” The men nodded and left, and he closed the door behind them. “Since we know Valencia didn’t do it, we need to find out who did.”
Fuming, Valencia said, “You’d better believe I will.” She shifted her gaze to Dwight. “Still waiting on that apologyandmy job.”
“My apologies, Ms. Townsend,” Dwight said. “And you’re good on the job front.”
Sending him one more icy glare, she spun on her heel and stalked across the room toward the door. Halfway there, she stopped, came back and snatched the photos off the desk. “When I find out who did this, it’s gonna be on,” she muttered.
Dwayne reached out and touched her arm. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’ve been accused of stealing from my employer, some crazy coworker is impersonating me, and I found out that your brother is actually youridentical twin. Why wouldn’t I be okay?” Her voice rose with every word, but she couldn’t help it. She pushed past him and stormed out. A few people loitered in the hall and a couple stuck their heads out of their offices, no doubt curious about what had happened, but she didn’t slow. Valencia had one goal—finding the person who had the audacity to impersonate her. And when she did…she was kicking somebody’s ass.
Chapter 4
“Sothat’swho you’re screwing.”
Dwayne shot his brother a dark glare. “That’s not how it is and you know it,” he gritted out.
