Page 50 of The Merger

Jeffries’ lip sneered as if we didn’t have him by the short and curlies. “Why don’t you ask whoever fed you this information?”

Her eyes narrowed which were at odds with the smirk spreading across her mouth. “It seems just like your job here at Easton Corp, you did a half assed job on your research. Maybe that’s why you didn’t find out I minored in accounting and actually passed my CPA. Your help would make this easier, but rest assured, I can do it without you. And in that event, what would we be paying you for?”

I grunted and turned my back on her so I could try to slyly adjust my suddenly rock hard dick. Who would have thought I had a math kink? I shook my head at that errant thought. It wasn’t the fact she was good at math, I already knew she was smart, but I definitely had a Sabrina kink.

Jeffries held his hands in front of him defensively. “I just held the books. I may have overheard Maxwell on the phone a few of the times we were out to dinner. I know he had a partner who was helping him clean the money. I only helped to keep the various directors from telling the feds about the skimming. I didn’t see why they needed to keep track of every dollar. This is his company. What business is it of theirs if he wanted to run it into the ground?”

My fists clenched by my sides. “It wasn’t his company. It was Jana’s. I think theft very much interests the government, and defrauding stockholders is a concern of theirs too. While he was helping himself to the company’s coffers, he was inflating the worth of the company so that investors would pay a higher price for the stock. I might not be a criminal prosecutor, but I can promise you there would be jail time attached to that charge.”

He dropped down into his chair. “I don’t know as much as you seem to think I do. I don’t even know who the other partner was. Max liked to keep all the pieces separate from each other. I only provided cover here in the company. What I can tell you is that Max and this other person were running a shadow business of sorts. The other person would shut down in reality, but their books would reflect a regular day of business. It would have to be a service industry, a restaurant, bar, maybe a casino where a lot of cash is going in and it’s easy to lose track of how much was going out.”

I caught Sabrina’s eye. “Do you think it could be a nightclub?”

Jeffries shrugged. “I guess, or a casino.”

“That isn’t proof that it’s him,” she said to me, not bothering to help Jeffries understand who we were discussing.

I nodded. “I know, but we need to check.” Turning to Jeffries I pointed at him. “You will pack up your office and leave quietly. When you are contacted by someone from Anderson Global, probably Aaron Roberts, you will be forthcoming and tell him everything you know. Even if you don’t think it will help.”

I didn’t wait for him to reply. We both knew he would comply. There was no other choice if he wanted even a fraction of the cushy retirement package he had been promised, likely stuffed with cash stolen from Jana.

Sabrina was right behind me and we heard Jeffries grumbling as he placed his personal effects into a box. So much for being quiet. That was fine though. I had no intention of giving him the original amount in his account. Once Aaron combed through Jeffries finances, I’m sure a fair number could be reached. One that would match the retirement benefits given to women who had the same level of education and years spent at the company.

Grabbing Sabrina’s hand, I pulled her faster down the hallway.

She tried to yank her arm back. “What is the rush? The workday isn’t even over.”

“We’ve got something of more urgency that needs to be addressed. It looks like we’re going to have to deal with my brother soon. I’d hoped we were done with him, but that’s not my luck, but before we face him, we need to take care of your sister.”

“Do we have to?” she whined.

“We at least need her out of your apartment,” I reminded her.

She turned her face away from me and muttered, “Yeah, I guess it’s time.”

ChapterNineteen

Stryker

“Why do you have so many boxes?” Sabrina asked me as I carried an armful of flat boxes up the stairs of her apartment.

“What I want to know is why there’s no elevator in this building,” I grunted as I tried to keep a hold of everything. For being lightweight they were awkward to carry.

“Some of us have spent the last several years working as an assistant.” She punctuated her statement by bumping her shoulder into me, causing the boxes to scatter all over the stairs. “Shit! Sorry.”

A few of the boxes slid down the stairs, and she put her hand on my elbow. “This is my fault. Let me grab those, and you go ahead of me. Bonus if you can confront my sister and tell her to get out before I get there.”

She flashed me one of those smiles that was more tension than joy. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pulled her close to my chest and kissed the side of her head. If there was one thing I understood, it was a strained relationship with a sibling.

A metallic clang of one of the stairwell doors closing alerted us to someone heading up the stairs. I wasn’t prepared to see my brother turn the corner.

“Sabrina,” he called out, surprised. A wide smile spread across his face, and I wanted to plant my fist in it, again.

“Can you hang back a second so we can talk? Please?” he begged.

Sabrina looked up at me and raised her brow. “I won’t if it’ll bother you.”

Inhaling deep through my nose I pushed down my over-the-top possessiveness of her. “I’ll be just upstairs if you need me.”