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“Wow. Um, I have no words.”
“Good.” I winked, then kissed her chastely as the car came to a stop at the back entrance of the casino. “Let’s get to work, Ms. Turner.”
I hated when I was right. Brian and Alice were at each others’ throats for the entirety of the sixty minutes. Ever since there’d been a nagging throb behind my eyes.
Pru noticed the way I squinted from the brightness in the office, so she dimmed the lights, and brought in a diffuser from the cabinet. After filling it with peppermint oil, she ordered me to close my eyes until she said otherwise. My queen was getting bolder. I liked it very much.
My brothers stopped by mid-afternoon with updates on the thief investigation. With everything else going on, I hadn’t brought Pru up to speed on it. She was sitting next to my desk, listening intently as they discussed what they’d learned.
“What we know is that the hundred K was siphoned off between July seventh and July ninth.” Kas flipped a poker chip over his knuckles while I went through his thick black ledger. He kept meticulous records, both handwritten and digital. He distrusted people, and that distrust extended to technology as well.
“Someone either tampered with the final deposit amounts in the computer or the money disappeared before it ever reached that point,” Mak commented. “My team is combing through the surveillance footage, but so far nothing stands out as unusual behavior.”
“Wait. Wasn’t there a convention that weekend? Security or something?” Pru’s fingers clicked away on her laptop keyboard. “Found it. The resort hosted The Mid-Atlantic Cybersecurity Association. Thirty-seven registered members were in attendance.”
Turning my attention to Dimi, I asked, “How many of our people worked all four nights?”
“Between the resort and the casino, fifteen plus Alice and Brian.”
“Mak, I need you to cross-check the list of employees against the members of the association. Find the connection. It’s no coincidence that a cybersecurity convention took place the same weekend a hundred grand went missing.”
“On it,” he said.
“We have one more thing to discuss”––Kas’s eyes flicked to Pru––“of a more personal nature.”
She caught his meaning. “I’ll just head back to my office.”
Once she left, I strode to the mini bar, pouring a vodka tonic, figuring the alcohol wouldn’t hurt my headache. My brothers followed suit, joining me on the other side of the room. Mak and Dimi took the sofa, while Kas and I settled in the wingbacks.
“Pru looks like she’s doing well,” Dimi offered.
“Stop looking at my woman,” I growled.
“Jesus Christ.” He raised his hands in surrender. “Settle down, asshole. I wouldn’t dare.”
“She’s not the Ms. Turner he’s interested in,” Kas added.
“What are you talking about?”
“Dimi’s got his sights—” Mak was cut off sharply by an elbow to the gut. “Ooph. Fucker.”
“Has something happened between you and Daria?” I glared at him, knowing I’d be able to tell if he was lying.
He spun the silver ring on his middle finger. “Nothing.” He was nervous.
“Yet,” Mak and Kas chimed in together.
He ran his fingers through his deep brown hair as he slumped back against the cushions. “Enough with the shit-stirring already. Yes, I like Daria. No, I haven’t done anything about it.”
“If you decide to change that, go slow.” I crossed one knee over the other. “The report from Alexsei said her ex cleaned out her home of anything valuable. She may not be ready to trust someone new.”
“I’m aware and have men searching for the spineless prick.”
“Good. Was Dimi’s love life the personal thing you all wanted to discuss or was there something else?”
The light-hearted atmosphere of the room shifted so quickly it nearly gave me whiplash. All three of my best friends went rigid where they sat, their faces transforming from jovial to pissed-the-fuck-off faster than a racecar crosses the finish line. I braced. Whatever they had to say wasn’t going to be good. In fact, if I wagered a guess, it was going to make me murderous.
Kas spoke first. “Adrian talked. We know who was backing Machail.”
