The Private Serials Box Set(48)

“What did he do to you?”

I shook my head. “Nothing like you’re thinking. He was just angry. I managed to get away. Preston won’t let me go back.”

“Good for him,” she said firmly. “Even if he hadn’t f*cked you senseless all weekend I’d like him.” All I could do was nod in agreement. “So what’s the plan, then?”

“He said I’m not to go back to my house. He packed a bag for me and brought all my stuff to his house, and he says he’s going to find a way to prove Derrek’s cheating. He’s on a mission, it would seem.”

“Well, Jesus. I wonder why the hell it’s taking so long.”

We were both startled by the sound of my phone ringing in my purse. I saw it was Preston and answered with a smile.

“Hey,” I said sweetly.

“Hey, babe. You busy?”

“Just having lunch with Sam.”

“Well, I have news. But it’s bad news, unfortunately. I was looking into Derrek’s bank accounts, hoping to find some trail between him and Jessica. I found the accounts he has with you, but I couldn’t find any others. I thought that was strange, considering how much money the company makes. I expected IRAs or 401Ks, investment accounts – anything. But I found nothing.”

“So, you’re saying he doesn’t have an account with her?”

“Right. But there’s more.”

“Great,” I said with mock enthusiasm.

“Since I couldn’t find another account for him, I started looking into yours. You have hardly any money, Lena.”

My brow furrowed in confusion. “That’s not true. There’s money in there.”

“There was money in there. When’s the last time you checked your balance?”

“Uh, a while ago,” I stammered. Sam’s face became worried and she stopped eating her noodles.

“Well, a while ago, Derrek started moving money directly from your savings account into an offshore account in the Cayman Islands. But this started a really long time ago. Nearly five years ago.”

“What?”

“Yes. He’s slowly been siphoning all your money out of the bank. But, I’ll give you three guesses as to whose name is on the account I found in the Caymans.”

“Jessica,” I seethed.

“You’re not only sexy as hell, but you’re sharp as a tack, sweetheart.”

“So he’s taking my money and putting it in an account for her? That *.”

“I don’t know what he’s planning based on what happened yesterday, but if I were you, I’d get to the bank and open a new account. Get what you can into a new account with just your name on it.”

“How much money is in the offshore account, Preston?”

“Lena, just go to your bank, please?”

“Tell me. I deserve to know what he’s giving to his whore.”

“Baby,” he whispered, sounding like he was in pain. No, that wasn’t all of it. He sounded like he was in pain because I was in pain.

“Okay,” I whispered back, just wanting to hang up the phone and deal with it. “I’ll see you after work.”

“Drive straight to my house afterward. I’ll be waiting for you there.”

“Okay,” I said again, not able to find any other words to give to him in that moment. I heard his phone disconnect and sighed as I put my phone back in my purse. I looked up to Sam and instead of feeling sadness or shock at what was going on, I was a little annoyed. “Derrek’s stealing all our money and giving it to Jessica.”

“Excuse me?” Sam said, coughing on her diet Coke.

“Yeah. I’m living in a real-life movie. Derrek is transferring all our money into – get this – offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands. Like he’s in the mob or something.” Annoyance was slowly making room for anger. “Derrek is a trust fund baby who wouldn’t know the dangerous side of a gun if it was pointing at his forehead. Who the hell does he think he is, trying to be all James Bond with our money?”

I stabbed at my noodles, taking out my rage on my undeserving lunch. Sam and I finished eating and she walked me to my car.

“Do you want me to go with you?” She looked concerned, her eyebrows raised, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

“No,” I say calmly, shaking my head while looking at the ground. This was slightly embarrassing. It was hard for me to imagine the way I must seem to Derrek. He must have thought me the most moronic, gullible, idiotic person alive. He probably laughed at me with Jessica behind my back. Every time he made a transfer from our accounts into hers. I could picture them, sitting on a cozy couch, her snuggled into his side, a fire roaring in the fireplace of their sin shack of a house. They were both holding flutes filled with champagne and a thoroughly trained golden retriever rested at their feet. Perfect.

“I just want this all to be over,” I say with a sigh. “I don’t want to keep feeling like the last seven years has been one, big, elaborate joke.” Sam pulls me into a hug, but I don’t move to hug her back. I just lean against her, taking the support she’s offering. After a few moments, I pulled away and rubbed the crease I knew appeared between my eyebrows when I was stressed, struggling to keep my composure. “I have to go to the bank.”