Chapter 18 ~ Alexander #2
I immerse myself in catching up on work and getting ready to fly out tomorrow. I look up and it’s already 10:45.
Isabella will be going for lunch soon. I look at her cup sitting on my desk; I turn it around in my hand and look back at the clock. If I leave now, that will give me enough time to catch her.
Grabbing my suit jacket off the back of my chair, I head towards Carlos’ office. I pop my head into Sebastian’s office; he is still concentrating on his screen.
“I’m heading out for about an hour or so. You want me to bring you some lunch?”
He holds up his coffee cup. “Coffee extra large and a loaded burger from Sal’s. It’s right next door.” He points with his one finger still holding his cup in the air and goes back to typing.
“I know where Sal’s is. Anything else?”
“Nope.”
I head on over to Carlos’ office. He’s on the phone but hangs up when I reach his door.
“Just checking in with my guys, Jasper might have a lead on the Lawyer’s son. He might have a few files from the old man. I figure if it’s from the Gallos, it’s pretty important to keep those around. It’s a long shot, but worth a try.”
“Good idea. I need to go to a few places. Do you have time?”
“Yep, let’s go.”
He grabs his leather jacket off the coat rack, and we head to the elevator. He presses the button, the door slides open and we get in.
“Where are we headed?”
I avoid looking at him and watch the numbers on the panel light up.
“Flower shop, then Cristo’s for a coffee. Once I’m done, we are going to the museum to drop those off. Then I need to grab Sebastian a burger from Sal’s before he passes out from low blood sugar.”
The ding announces our arrival at the parking garage, and I take a chance to look at Carlos. His expression is one of shock.
“Any questions?”
He holds both hands up. “Nope. All good here.”
We arrive at the flower shop, and I sweat.
It’s overwhelming. The smell is overpowering like too many Nonnas are closed up in one room.
Nothing in here smells as sweet as Isabella and I don't know what the hell to ask for.
I hold my finger under my nose as I walk farther into the shop and look around.
An enormous bouquet of roses is too much. I look at the vase of mixed flowers next to it, but it still looks like a desperate man trying to apologize, which I’m not. The woman behind the counter finally finishes up with a customer and she comes over.
“Can I help you? See anything you like?”
I cut right to the chase.
“I fuuu… messed up with my… girlfriend this morning, and I’m trying to be nice.”
I point at the huge vase of flowers. “That shit is too much. It makes me look like I’m desperate and wrong. Which I’m not.” I growl at her.
“I just want to give her something nice, but not too much 'cause I’m not sorry for anything.” I rub my hand over my face. “Ahh fuck! I don’t know, I’ve never bought anyone flowers before.”
I look at her, and she’s blinking, her eyes wide in stunned silence. She just keeps blinking at me not saying shit.
“So? Can you help me or not?” I snap at her.
“Yes.” She breaks out into a smile and takes my arm.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m standing in Isabella's lab alone annoyed. She’s not here to even see my grand gesture. I look around, trying to find some paper to write a quick note.
I put her cup on the desk; I turn it so it has the Harry Rules facing front, and I lean the note up against it and put the flower on top of her cup.
But that looks stupid, so I put the flower at the base of the note. There, that looks better. I smile to myself. I turn and head back out to the car. I open the door and get in; Carlos looks at me in the rear-view mirror, a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Fuck off, it's just coffee.” Ignoring him I concentrate on the passing street out the window and he chuckles.
Back at the office, I avoid Carlos's smirks and send him for Sebastian's burger. I grabbed him a coffee while I got Isabella’s; I hand it to him as I round the desk.
He reaches across his chest, still typing with one hand, and takes a gulp.
“So, what am I looking at?” I lean over his chair a tad.
“IP addresses.” He points to the screens lines are hopping all over a global map. Some are blue, most are red.
“Looks like a nuclear bomb strike like you see on TV. What is this?”
“The money trail.” he glowers at the screen.
“Okay… and that means?” I ask.
“It meanns. Roberts got some explaining to do. See this?”
He points at the red lines.
“That’s him trying to lose anyone who’s looking at his IP trail.
He transfers cash into this holding account, which then sells them into smaller hidden subsidiaries, which then dumps the funds back into the market till the trail is lost. Then they all end up in a bank account of the Cayman Islands. ” He points to another red line.
Fuck me! This is worse than I thought.
“Okay, so he is siphoning off the profits. Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”
“Yes, and no.” He mumbles over the rim of the cup he’s got clenched in his teeth.
“Look Sebastian, I’m not as quick with this shit as you. What are you saying?”
Sebastian huffs out an exasperated breath. “It means he’s stealing directly from the company.”
He points at the blue lines. There are only a few.
“Those are direct deposits, the ones we see, and these are what the Family receives from his quarterly balance.”
He points to the red lines, “These are what he bounces around that no one sees. I’m trying to gain access to some accounts, but he’s got a fucken good hacker. I’m impressed.” He actually smiles at the screen.
“He’s got so many firewalls and fail-safes, I make it through one, only to get shut out by another. But my guess is, Roberts, got a shit ton of money in that account.”
Motherfucker! What is he hiding, and why the need for so much cash?
“Any other funds besides the Mine going I that account”
“Yeah… still tracing that one, but dad needs to know about this.”
He looks up at me, his voice softening, “This will hurt her, Alex. Robert will not come out of this with a wrist slap. I’ve only scratched the surface, and this offence is beyond…”
He turns around and looks at the screen.
“I know, brother, but we need the truth, and we will take care of her. I promise. Besides, I’ll need your help with a personal matter soon.”
“Oh yeah. What’s that?” He types away, staring at the screen.
“I need to learn all I can about this. Harry Potter shit Isabella is into.”
Sebastian whips his head around and looks me up and down.
“Who the fuck are you and what have you done to my asshole brother?”
I laugh, “Carlos says I need to try… to be less of a dick.”
“Oh, like I haven’t said that all along.”
“I’ll let you get back to work. I fly out tomorrow so send me what you have ready and I’ll present it to dad.”
I grab his shoulder and squeeze it, giving him a little shake. “Great work, man. I’ll see you in a week.”
The day is over and Carlos and I are heading down the hall to pick Isabella up.
I’m taking her out for dinner tonight. Maybe things would go smoother between us in public.
My dining room so far causes nothing but a way for her to escape.
But the longer I wait in the car for her to arrive the more pissed off I get so now I'm going in to remind her she has obligations now.
I look down at my watch. It's past five. But Isabella can get ready and still has plenty of time to be at the restaurant, reservations are for 8:00. But it still annoys me that she forgets to eat and even to remember I’m coming to pick her up.
I open the door, and the girls are on a platform, working away. Anna is humming and Isabella is standing back with her hands on her hips, looking at the fresco.
My irritation rises. “It’s well past five. We have been waiting in the car for the last half hour.”
Isabella jumps and half turns to look over her shoulder at us.
Just as she’s about to speak, Anna belts out in song something about shaking her milkshakes as she shakes her ass, and shimming her butt over the scaffolding toward Isabella, then she sings even louder and starts grinding on her leg like a stripper.
I can’t help but hold my laughter in. Anna is so out there. Isabella is mortified, and her face is so red. Isabella pops out Anna's earbud and she finally notices she has an audience.
She climbs down the ladder, comes towards us, discarding her work gear, and goes right to Carlos. I keep my eyes on Isabella, watching her as she tries to hide her embarrassment.
Anna introduces herself to Carlos and starts to fuck around with him, hiding behind his massive hand and flirting with him. I look back at them over my shoulder and Anna is up close, hand on his chest, batting her eyes asking if he’ll lift her up on his shoulder.
My temper flares and I lose it.
“Anna! Will you please have some decorum? This is not, nor will it be time to play around with Carlos. He has a job. One you might consider doing your own instead of shaking your ass for all to see.”
That stops her dead in her tracks and she gets right up in my face, eyes crystal blue, jabbing her finger in my chest, telling me my name isn’t on her name tag, and my ring isn’t on her finger so I’m not the boss of her.
I see red and push back, telling her to remove her finger before I do, and then she yells in my face, “I may be little but I am damn well a woman. What’s your plan, big guy? Are you going to bite off my boob as punishment, too?
At that moment, Carlos steps in and grabs her around the waist, hoisting her off to the side, holding her against his hip, and putting his hand on my chest. I’m shocked. She told Anna about last night. And I didn’t bite her breast off; I made it clear what happens when you lie to me.
I step around the wriggling Anna in Carlos's arms, and say, “You told her? Are you crazy? What takes place between you and me is private.” I point at the ground. But she’s not on the platform, or at her desk. She’s not anywhere I can see as I dart my eye around looking for her.