Page 40 of Corrupted Empire

There is a sharp rap on my door. “Sir, it’s urgent,” Silvano calls through the wood.

“Excuse me,” I say to Alexis. “I will be right back.”

I leave the room before she has the chance to breathe another word, and Silvano and I walk down the hall to Alexis’ old bedroom, where my laptop is sitting open on the desk. On the screen, I can see Alexis sitting in the chair in my office. Her head is tipped back, as though bored, but she’s otherwise still.

“How long are we going to wait?” Silvano asks.

“As long as it takes.” I keep my eyes glued to the screen, waiting for the smallest indication that Alexis is thinking about the documents in my unlocked desk drawer.

If she peeks at them, she will find falsified bank records showing several large transfers to an offshore account. Some of the transfer dates should stand out to her since they correlate with meetings between my organization and the Cartel. There are also a couple of transactions from recent weeks. The first test is whether she opens the drawer. The second is what she does with that information.

Only, Alexis doesn’t open the drawer. The most she does is pick up the round glass paperweight from my desk and start tossing it into the air. At one point she drops it and has to chase it across the room, but then she hurriedly sets it back on the desk and sits down again.

Silvano chuckles. “Unless being a bit of a klutz is a fireable offense, I think she’s proven herself trustworthy.”

“Not yet,” I murmur, still staring at the screen, waiting for the tiniest sign of betrayal lingering under the surface.

Silvano looks at me, face flat. “This is what I mean. I knew this wouldn’t be enough for you.”

“No,” I admit, “but it’s a start.”

* * *

The doctor’s office is painted a sterile white color, with minimalist décor and a receptionist who smiles like her life depends on it. Alexis looks nervous when we arrive and holds Harry close even though I can tell she’s straining under his weight.

“Let me take him,” I offer, as a cheery nurse leads us to a private consulting room.

Alexis shakes her head. “No. He smells like sunshine.”

I’m not sure what that means, but it’s apparently comforting.

“It’s just a routine check, Alexis,” I say. “Everything is going to be fine.”

“I know, I know.” She sighs, kissing the top of Harry’s head. “I just get nervous anytime I get a checkup. This could be when I find out there’s something wrong with the baby.”

I stop her, lifting her chin so our eyes meet. “Or, more likely, this will be when the doctor confirms that everything is perfectly fine. Okay?”

She nods. “Okay.”

The consulting room is just as bare and elegant as the rest of the practice. All of the machines and instruments verge on futuristic looking, with white lacquer and chrome finishes.

The nurse settles Alexis on the examination table, and she hands Harry over to me.

“There’s a play area in the waiting room,” the nurse says. “Perhaps you and your son would be more comfortable there?”

I look to Alexis, and she nods.

“We will call you back in before the ultrasound,” the nurse says, and we head out to the play area. If you could call it that. The toys are all made of polished wood, with the emphasis being more on form than function. I sit cross-legged on the rug with Harry and hand him a wooden pyramid, which he has no idea what to do with.

“Me either, buddy,” I say. And then I begin to fly it over his head like an airplane, which has always been our favorite game.

I think about Alexis in the examination room, and a little of her nervousness seeps into my brain. I find myself glancing at the clock between maneuvers, wondering if everything is going okay.

Harry chases enthusiastically after the “plane,” completely at ease. His mouth is pulled back into a goofy smile, his eyes alight with joy. I watch him and can’t help but smile. This kid means everything to me. I can’t believe I’ve gone so long without seeing him.

“Mr. Bellucci?”

I look over my shoulder to find the nurse from earlier smiling warmly at me. “We’re ready for the ultrasound.”

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