“How did you get my personal number?”
“Ms. Lancaster gave it to me.”
“I see. I’m going to have to have a little chat with her.”
“Don’t be angry. I can be very persuasive when I want to. I hope you are feeling better. Did you get my flowers?”
Nicole’s brain wasn’t working fast enough. “The flowers. Oh, yes. I received them.”
“I’ve been waiting for you to call.”
“For what?”
“A “thank you?” I did send you flowers. I wanted to wish you well. Did you like them?”
Nicole sighed into the phone. “Mr. Abboud, thank you for the flowers, but you really shouldn’t have sent them. They were much too expensive.”
“As I said on the card, it was my peace offering and best wishes for a speedy recovery. Are you feeling better?”
Nicole was uneasy. He shouldn’t be calling her. “Yes. I am.”
“Glad to hear it. When you’re up and about, I would still like to get together for lunch.”
“I already told you that I don’t think that is a good idea.”
“Of course. Your husband wouldn’t approve.”
Nicole rubbed her forehead. “Not only would he not approve, but I also don't approve. It’s inappropriate.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way. I only wanted to show my concern.”
“Mr. Abboud . . .”
“Rome.” His voice was silky smooth, and his accent was barely there.
Nicole was getting a headache. “I think its best that I call you Mr. Abboud. Thank you so much for the flowers and the well-wishes, but please do not call this phone again. If you would like to discuss more ways you can financially benefit the Angel Foundation, contact our office. Have a great day.” Nicole hung up. The man was persistent, she would give him that, but she and Davis had enough going on that she refused to add an unnecessarily jealous husband to the mix.
Nicole was having a hard time moving around, and Rayna would be home from school in a couple of hours. She needed to be in a better mood than when she sent her off. Otherwise, Nicole wasn’t going to win any mother of the year awards. It was also after lunch, and Nicole hadn’t seen DJ since this morning. She had better take her pain medication so that she could be somewhat functional.
Chapter 9
Davis’s executive dream team, along with several high-powered lawyers, had been assembled in his conference room. They sat around the table finalizing their strategy for dealing with the US Attorney General’s office. After months of cooperation and trying to resolve their inquiries, Chatham Industries was officially under investigation for trading and arms dealing with the known terrorist group, The Liberation of Shebet.
Frustrated, Davis pushed away from the table and got up. He rubbed the back of his neck as he started to pace back and forth. “This is ridiculous. I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong. How much more proof do they need to know that Chatham Industries is a victim in all of this too?”
One of his lawyers, Braylee Hinsdale-Manchetti, spoke up. “We understand how you feel, Davis, we really do, but you’ve got to calm down and trust us. Five years ago, when your personal assistant got involved with that organization, it left you vulnerable.”
His eyes blazed. “I understand that. But the fact that they tried to kill my wife, and we helped to bring down one of their cells should make me a patriot, not a goddamned traitor!”
Davis was justified in his anger, but Braylee tried to remain calm enough for the both of them. Still, it was part of her job to lay out the facts. “True, but several offshore accounts worth billions have been tied to your company and the Liberation. The FBI wants to know who put the money there and why.”
“I’ve answered those questions already. I can’t give them information I don’t have.” Davis turned his back on his team, folded his arms across his chest, and stared out of the window. “I didn’t even know those accounts existed until the FBI contacted me about them seven months ago. There aren’t any records of me making personal withdrawals or deposits into those accounts.”
Braylee tapped her pen on the mahogany table. “You’re correct. However, your PA made the transfers of money from servers in your office building. In the eyes of the law, your name is on the building. So, if you weren’t aware, you should have been. Because there isn’t a direct link to you personally, that is the only reason they haven’t frozen your assets . . . yet.”
“Are we any closer to finding out anything more about the cash?”
Another attorney, JP Rickets, whose area of expertise this fell under, responded. “We are getting close. There were many shell accounts and international banks used in this operation to move that sum of money around. We’ll find the origin and clear your name.”
Davis turned to face everyone. “Can anybody in this room tell me why the hell I was targeted in the first place? Initially, I thought it was for my technology, but, obviously, there is a lot more going on here that I’m not aware of.”
“We’ll get to the bottom of it—all of it.” Braylee had never been more confident. It would take a little time to unravel all the moving parts, but her team would do it.
Davis’s Chief Operating Office, Paul Williams, had been holding back but needed to inform every one of the newest developments. “I received a call from one of the members of the board. Davis, they are strongly suggesting, until these issues are resolved, that you step aside. They are afraid if the shareholders find out, it'll make
