Mason gnaws at his lip contemplatively. “What do you think is going on?”
“I think my boss is misleading me with deceptive data and therefore misleading clients to invest in something that may not be viable.”
That gets Mason’s attention.
“What would he get from that? If the company isn’t viable like you suspect, what would he get by telling investors to put their money into it only for it to tank?”
Good question.
I have no idea what Edward could be getting out of this but I do know something isn’t adding up.
“I’m not sure,” I admit truthfully. “I just have a feeling.”
Mason hums noncommittally across the table as he traces the moisture on his cup.
“I need a favor,” I tell him.
“Shoot,” he says easily, not even hesitating to take on something during his vacation.
“Could you pass this info along to one of your colleagues in New York and see what they find on it?” I ask slipping him a sheet of paper with all the information on it.
“Sure,” Mason agrees, tucking the paper into his pocket. “I’ll keep my eye on it for a week or two and tell you what I think.”
Heaving a sigh of relief, I relax for the first time all day.
“You’re a lifesaver, Mason.”
Thirty-nine
LILAH
A week later, my office door is flung open. I’m sitting behind my desk going over some paperwork that Edward sent over earlier.
When I look up, I discover that he’s the intruder.
Pulling a smile from deep within me, I pretend to be happy to see him.
“Mr. Knight, how are you today?”
“We need to talk,” Edward says forcibly, dropping down into the guest chair on the opposite side of my desk.
“What can I do for you?”
I have an idea about why he’s here but I’m not going to be the first to broach the subject.
Edward shoots daggers at me and my cool demeanor.
“Is there a reason why you haven’t had your client move forward with the next investment I lined up?”
I’m sure all the color drains from my face as I try to formulate my answer. I’m still waiting on Mason to get back to me before I have Andrew sign anything. But I can hardly come out and say that to him.
He’s popped in my office three times already this week. This is the most I’ve seen him in a single week since I started here.
He’s been blowing up my inbox all week to have Andrew go all in on a tech company out of Silicon Valley. Even with all the necessary paperwork in place, I’ve been hesitant to have Andrew authorize anything until Mason gets back to me.
It’s taking him a lot longer than I expected. I don’t know how long I can stall without it being a problem.
“I haven’t seen Mr. Knight because he’s been out of town. But as soon as he’s back, I’ll be sure to schedule a meeting with him to move things in the right direction.”
Lies, lies, lies.
I’m not doing anything until I know for sure that everything is on the up and up. My intuition won’t let me ignore how uneasy I feel about this.
Edward looks disgusted by my excuse. “Well, have it done by Friday and not a day later.”
“I’ll do my best,” I offer with a small smile that I know will go unreturned.
Puffing out an agitated breath, Edward doesn’t linger and storms out of my office without another word.
With him out of my vicinity, I release the breath I didn’t know I was holding. Staring at the empty chair he just vacated, I nearly jump out of my skin when my phone vibrates near my keyboard.
Snatching it up, I see Mason’s number and grow anxious.
Hey, I got something. When are you free to talk?
Hands shaking, I respond and tell him to meet me at the same café as last time after work.
The rest of the day passes painfully slow. When five o’clock arrives, I dash out of the front door and don’t stop until I reach the town car Andrew sent to pick me up.
He has a meeting in the city today so he won’t grow suspicious if I don’t come straight home.
I send Andrew a message anyway.
Hope your meeting went well. Grabbing coffee before I head home. Meet you in bed later. :-)
Headed home a little early. I’ll be waiting when you get here. Be safe.
I send back a kissy-face emoji and settle against the cushion of the leather seats. Knowing that he’s home already makes me want to rush through this meeting so I can get to him.
Before I can blink, we’re pulling up outside the café. Mason is standing near the entrance with a tall cup of coffee.
After telling the driver that I’ll be back soon, I hop out of the car and head to him.
Mason watches my approach with a friendly smile.
“Hi,” I say, suddenly feeling queasy.
Despite his friendly smile, I have a gut feeling that I’m not going to like the news he has for me.
When Mason offers to order coffee for me, I turn it down and focus on finding a quiet table tucked off in the back. The last thing I need is caffeine to add to my growing anxiety.
“What do you have for me?” I ask once we’re finally seated in a secluded section of the café.
Mason’s expression grows somber as he pulls out his phone and studies the screen.
“I searched for hours and came up blank. Rio Venture Corp doesn’t exist. There’s no trace of a company bearing that name here in the United States or globally. I even had a couple of my buddies back in NYC trying to dig up stuff,” he sighs, shaking his head. “But all roads led me back to the same conclusion. It doesn’t exist. Never has.”
Red spots appear before my
