Page 93 of I'll Carry You

Flipping it open, he stared at the numbers.

Then he frowned.

What the hell was this?

There was no way in hell they were posting profits like that. He’d run these numbers right before the last meeting with Chad and Bill Powell. These weren’t even close.

Taking the report, he moved over to where they had apparently stashed his things. He lifted the lid and checked—the picture with his family was on top. He lifted both boxes, then edged his way out of the office.

Instead of going back to the main door, he headed for an intern’s desk. The interns were the only ones who had computers he might successfully use to log in to the internal database. He knew the password they were issued—and the software for accounting was loaded onto their computers, even if they didn’t have the passwords to get on.

Jason set his boxes down on the floor, then booted the computer. He logged on without a problem, then went into the applications. Opening the accounting software, a pop-up displayed instantly, asking for the username and password.

Would his old one work?

He tried it. An error message displayed. He tried once again, in case he had mistyped.

Still an error message.

Leaning back in his seat, he narrowed his gaze at the screen. Only a few people had credentials. Bill. Chad. Jason’s assistant. The IT guy.

His grandfather.

His grandfather...had had the credentials.

What if they hadn’t removed his information from the system yet?

Jason still remembered helping his grandfather set everything up. And his password. Typing in his grandfather’s username and password, he hit enter.

And he was in.

Jason fist-pumped, then grinned. He clicked through into the panel he was looking for, checking the numbers.

Something was seriously off.

Time seemed to fly as Jason continued his search, printing and taking screenshots as he went. He doubted he’d have another chance to get into the system like this. The simple fact that he’d come on Christmas Eve when no one was here was a future circumstance that was rarely duplicated.

And who knew how long it would take the IT guy to see that his dead grandfather had logged on to the system when he returned after Christmas?

When he finished, Jason emailed himself the screenshots. He logged off and gathered a stack of papers from the printer. Then he grabbed his boxes and slipped back out.

Amanda openedthe door to her house, then did a double take at Jason as though shocked to see him. She crossed her arms. “Did you get lost?”

“Hilarious,” Jason snapped, breezing past her. Being back in their house had a strange vibe to it. They’d bought this place together. But Amanda had liked it so much she hadn’t wanted to leave. He stopped just past her in the foyer, then turned to face her. “I’m going to give you one chance to tell me the truth, and if you don’t, I swear I will never trust a single thing you say again.”

Amanda stared at him in confusion. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“That Chad’s been fudging the numbers. He’s inflating profits by overestimating the value of the product being sold to Duncan Motors but then selling the goods to Duncan at a discount. I’m sure it’s to show a more optimistic forecast for the shareholders and keep the stocks from dropping. Now look at me and tell me the truth—did you know?”

The shock on her face looked genuine. “What? He wouldn’t be that stupid, would he?”

Jason stared at her.

“How do you know?” she gasped.

Would she lie?She had every reason to. This could sink Powell Enterprises and Cavanaugh Metals. And Chad could face jail time, possibly even her father.

But she was the mother of his child now. Whatever he did with this information would affect not only Amanda but his son, too. It complicated things in a way that made him uncomfortable and unsure of how to proceed. He had no problem seeing Chad in jail. He had a major problem with his son’s mother facing that situation.