Chances (Mystic Nights #1)(41)

“If you are, is it mine?” he accused.

She rose on unsteady feet. She stood before him. Again her hand whipped back and he caught it this time before the blow came.

Her heart stung, and she wanted to make him feel it. She tried to twist out of his reach, but he held on like iron. “Listen to me, Aliya. If you are pregnant, and if it’s mine, you won’t be raising this child. I will get custody, full custody while you rot in jail. And for all I know it could be Simon’s or Peter’s. I’ve seen you in compromising situations with both of them. You’re not fit to raise a child. You disgust me.” With those parting words he flung her hand away and turned on his heel.

He heard her racking sobs as he stormed down the hallway and into the kitchen. He heard her final words through his tears. “There’s only been you. Please. Please give me a chance . . . to explain.”

And that was it. There was nothing she could explain. Nothing he wanted to hear. He slammed the door behind him and walked away. He needed to get the evidence. He had a job to do, and needed to save the casino and the people who depended on it. The people who mattered. He was done with her, and done with women.

He was walking towards his car when he heard her once more. She stood at the door, shaking in the cold. “I have not slept with either one of them. Peter, yes, he has come on to me. But, I’ve told you that. And before you I haven’t been involved with any man seriously in over a decade. None, since I came home four years ago.”

His hand paused from opening the car door. He met her eyes. “I don’t believe you.” His words sounded cold, even to him.

He saw her shoulders slump, and she stepped back into her home. “Well, I guess that is your problem then. I don’t know what I’ve done to earn your distrust. Remember, Jonathan, you pursued me . . . but you’ll have to figure that out. I’ll be here,” she ended lamely. “When you’re ready to talk. And listen.” She sadly shut the door. On her future. Running towards the bathroom once more, Aliya knelt by the basin and continued to retch while the tears poured down her face, and wondered just how it had all gone so terribly wrong.





Chapter 17




?


Everything was in place. The lock down of the wifi. The security team on Simon. He’d even asked that someone go follow Peter. He checked in with the accountants and they were still at it. With the nearly half million he’d found in discrepancies, they had so far come up with another two and half million dollars of mistakes. And not only that. They found the money had been sent wirelessly to banks in the Bahamas. Jonathan was furious and mortified. This had happened right under his nose.

He called Joseph into his office and filled him in on his meeting with Aliya.

“Please don’t mention the pregnancy to anyone yet. For all I know that could be a lie too.” He rubbed the stubble along his jaw. He felt weary, bone-tired.

“Of course. I won’t say a thing. But what if . . .”

Jonathan cut his brother off. “Right now I don’t have the time for what ifs. We just need the proof. One of Risolli’s guys is trying to get us names on those accounts. But they said that will be hard. The Bahamas have strict rules in place protecting their client’s privacy. But,” he paused for emphasis, “they do know that money was sent from Simon’s computer, so we at least have him tied to this mess. The police are coming now. Hopefully, we can get a confession out of him because so far we have nothing on Peter and Aliya. We need something concrete.”

Joseph watched his brother closely. He knew the man was in pain. “I understand. Anything else I can do for you?” he asked, his voice full of concern for his brother. He knew Jonathan had fallen hard. His heart broke for his brother. He had fallen in love once, but it had ended in college, so he knew first hand that kind of loss.

Jonathan gazed around the room looking lost. “Yeah, um . . . check with Tom. Find out what Peter has been up to. I need to make some calls. And . . . be sure Simon doesn’t go anywhere. I want to keep tabs on him. But don’t spook him. I want to make sure no one gets away, so we know where to tell the police to go when the time comes to pick them up.” He sighed heavily and picked up a file from his desk. He opened it and began to scan the document before him.

Joseph hated to ask, but had to. “And Aliya? Do you want Tom to put a tail on her too?”

Jonathan’s hand swept up to his hair. He just nodded, face grim as he picked up the phone. “Yeah, I guess that would be a good idea too.” His comment was made without emotion, but Joseph knew he must be taking it hard. He just had no words to say to make his brother feel better.

Coming over to his brother, he placed one hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Jonathan’s hand reached up and squeezed back. No words were needed. They were there for each other. That was what counted. Brothers.

Letting go, Joseph looked back one final time as he approached the door, and then slipped out as he heard his brother pick up the phone and ask to speak to Detective Sylvester.

Heading downstairs, Joseph hoped somehow their suspicions of Aliya would be unfounded. He knew his brother was keeping it together, but when the dust settled he knew this heartache might break him.

*

“Listen to me, Peter.” It was Simon, and he was calling from the restroom. He had snagged Glenna’s cell phone. For some reason his office phone and his own cell were not working. “Something is going on here. I’m being trailed by two security goons. There are three men in the conference room with Dawn, the accountant wannabe, and Glenna won’t let me in there. The doors are f*cking locked . . .”