AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Noelia is a saint. Organized, discreet, loyal, even-tempered, and she puts up with my shit without complaining.
“Did something come up?” she asks.
“A couple things. I need to block off a morning this week, preferably Wednesday or Thursday. Also, I won’t be in the office until after ten tomorrow.” I plan on keeping a sultry blonde up all night.
“Okay,” she murmurs. “Henry Fausto wants to see you. He’s scheduled at nine. He has some important findings to discuss.”
“Put a bright red line through that appointment.” I don’t care about eight thousand missing euros. I. Do. Not. Care. “Find out more before you reschedule.”
“I asked for more information, because I didn’t think you’d want to meet with him again so soon. But he wouldn’t tell me anything. Said that he would prefer to speak to you about it himself. He also said it couldn’t wait.”
“It’s going to have to wait. His urgency is not my emergency.” Or however that saying goes. “What else do you have?”
We go through the list and make some decisions. “If we block off Wednesday morning, will you be available to take calls?”
“I have a very early meeting. After that, I’ll be on a plane and I can take calls. Schedule it like a regular workday. Do me a favor—it can wait until tomorrow. I need the plane to be ready at six a.m. Wednesday. Arrange it, please.”
“Where are you traveling?”
“Heathrow.”
Before I can give her any more details, there’s a knock at my door and Zé sticks his head in. “Henry Fausto was in the building, and he stopped by to see if you were here by chance.”
You have got to be fucking kidding me.
Zé comes in and approaches the desk. “The guy is beside himself. He started sweating when I asked him some questions. You might want to talk to him.”
“Don’t get soft on me, Zé.”
He chuckles. “Not in this lifetime.”
By now Henry has spent so many hours on this audit that I’m out much more than eight thousand euros. What a waste. I need to stop the bleeding today.
“Tell him he can have five minutes. That’s it.”
30
RAFAEL
“I’m so relieved you’re here,” are the first words out of Henry’s mouth when he steps into my office. His face is red, and the man who prizes correctness and accuracy is disheveled. I’ve never seen him so out of sorts.
I point to a chair in front of my desk but forgo shaking his sweaty hand. “You’re not normally in on Sundays,” I observe calmly. “This must be important.”
He nods from the edge of the chair. “I traced the missing funds.”
His expression is somber, but he’s been much more concerned about the money than I’ve been, so I don’t read too much into it. “And?”
“They lead to an offshore account.”
“One of ours?” It could be a simple mistake. Although we’re especially careful with those accounts, because they’re more vulnerable than the ones we have in-country.
He shrugs. “Not one that belongs to Premier.”
I’ve had enough of twenty questions.
“Henry, I’m a busy man with so much on my plate that I’m sitting in my office on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. Spit it out so I can get back to work.” I manage to keep the worst of the harshness out of my voice, but not the impatience.
He nods, twiddling his fingers in his lap. “The account is in Valentina Cruz’s name.”
