Chapter 16 #2
I’d left my tablet and laptop back in my office when the meeting started, so instead of explaining anything yet, I stalked across the room toward the couch where Wizard was sprawled with his computer balanced on his legs.
I reached down and swiftly yanked the laptop off his lap, pulling it cleanly out of his startled grasp.
Wizard’s head snapped up, his face twisting with immediate outrage as his hands grabbed at empty air where the laptop had been. “You son of a—”
“Oh shit,” Echo muttered, leaning back casually in his chair, fighting a grin. “Here we go again.”
I ignored him—and Wizard’s angry hiss of protest—as the fingers of one hand flew across the keyboard. I’d figured out how to work and hold a hand of cards decades ago.
“You motherfucker—” Wizard tried again, lunging forward to reclaim his precious computer, but I sidestepped smoothly out of his reach, focused entirely on the screen as I accessed the necessary pages to track the source of the alert.
Taking Wizard’s computer or tablet was damn near treason in his eyes. He was probably mentally picking out the knife he’d stab me with before he dropped my ass in a shallow grave.
The corner of Cross’s mouth curved with amusement as he drawled lazily, “My money’s on Ace this time. Lucky bastard talked his way out of a beating the last two times he touched Wizard’s sacred tech.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Ash smirked.
King leaned back in his chair and chuckled, pulling my attention from the screen just long enough to see a glint of humor flash across his normally severe face. Cerberus nudged his leg, and he immediately stroked his palm down his back.
“I say third time’s the charm.” King’s tone was edged with dry humor. “My money’s on Ace ending up in the hospital with at least two broken bones.”
Wizard’s answering growl was so animalistic it sent a ripple of anticipation through the room. Rebel’s eyes darted between us, clearly debating how far this was going to escalate. The others seemed to be silently placing bets of their own.
For a split second, I actually wondered if King might win that bet.
I didn’t bother to glance up. “Brother, you must have some kind of magic love potion you’re feeding Thea. I can’t think of another reason she’d stay with someone who has such an unhealthy relationship with inanimate objects.”
“It’s a magic dick, not a magic potion, asshole,” he snapped.
Normally, that would have earned a laugh out of me. But at that moment, the account data finished loading on the screen, and every other thought disappeared under the weight of what I was looking at. My pulse spiked, anger flaring hot in my chest.
Wizard growled again and lunged forward, his fingers grasping for the laptop, but I smoothly sidestepped again, easily staying out of reach as my eyes raced across the numbers.
He bared his teeth at me, irritation flashing in his eyes.
However, it dissipated just a little when he clocked the expression on my face.
My blood boiled in my veins as I took in the data displayed in harsh clarity.
“Motherfucker,” I breathed, my voice rough with tightly controlled fury.
The mood instantly changed, and the room quieted again, each of my brothers sensing the shift. Even Wizard had gone still, his sharp eyes locked on my face as he tried to read what I’d just seen. King’s dark stare was fixed on me, alert and wary.
“What is it?” Cross asked, breaking the tense silence.
“They fucking tried to freeze one of our accounts.”
“Tried?” Rebel asked from near the door, his brows drawing together.
I nodded, my fingers still flying swiftly over the keyboard, pulling up the details behind the alert and double-checking my assumptions.
“They couldn’t get deep enough into the system to do it without triggering detection,” I confirmed, keeping my tone level despite the heat building beneath my skin.
Cross pushed off the wall, stepping closer. “So it didn’t work?”
I nodded again, my jaw tightening.
“Then why,” he asked slowly, “do you look like you’re about ready to start snapping bones?”
“Because they triggered a regulatory inquiry.”
“Shit,” Wizard cursed, stepping in close to snatch the laptop back from me, his glare promising a long list of violent payback options the moment this situation was handled.
“For those of us who don’t speak finance-geek,” Echo drawled, raising an eyebrow, “you wanna explain what the fuck that means?”
I forced my fists to unclench, dragging my fingers roughly through my hair to regain some sense of composure.
“A regulatory inquiry occurs when oversight bodies suspect potential violations or questionable practices. It prompts a deeper investigation. They’ll look hard at the account, go over transaction histories and paperwork, everything. ”
King’s hand moved absently over Cerberus’s head again as he spoke, his tone carefully measured. “I take it this account is for a company protecting our more questionable legal activities?”
“It’s one of our biggest shell companies, but also one of our most protected,” I answered.
“They wouldn’t have been able to get in, but even if they did, there was no way they’d be able to inject false transactions without detection.
Once they figured that out, they skipped directly to triggering the inquiry. ”
Ash frowned, shifting forward slightly. “And we don’t want anyone looking closer.”
I shrugged. “I keep our shit airtight. They won’t find anything we don’t want them to find. But dealing with the investigation will be an annoyance we don’t need right now. And that’s exactly what they're aiming for.”
King’s eyes darkened as he nodded. “It’s a distraction.”
“A fucking good one.” Wizard moved closer, turning the laptop screen so I could see clearly.
My stomach tightened as I read what was displayed there.
Internal documents and transaction logs linked directly to the company Poppy worked for.
Someone had deliberately falsified documentation to leave clear evidence of an embezzler. But it didn’t make sense.
If their target was Poppy, they should have known that there was no way to pass her off as the embezzler.
She didn’t have a high enough clearance, and even if she had, her department didn’t have access to the tools needed to embezzle from the company.
They didn’t initiate transactions; they only handled compliance for any flagged as suspicious.
“I don’t—”
My mouth snapped shut when Wizard clicked a few more keys, bringing up a different screen.
Fury blew through me, the rage so thick, so consuming, I could barely see through it.
Somebody—I was positive that someone worked for BAM—had hacked into Poppy’s bank accounts and planted evidence that she had been paid to clear transactions that should’ve stayed flagged.
White-hot rage momentarily blotted out everything else, my fists clenching hard at my sides.
King’s voice snapped through the roaring in my ears, pulling my gaze back to his hard stare. “Ace, rein it in.”
I realized he stood right in front of me, his eyes locked on mine, and his voice low but unyielding. “Poppy needs you to stay in control. Take care of her first. She can’t go back to work, so keep her home or bring her here. Whatever you need so you know she’s safe.”
He paused, his jaw tightening before he continued, “We’ve got your back. But the only way to ensure this threat is fully eliminated is to stay calm, make a plan, and execute it properly. We need your methodical, detail-focused ass polishing every piece of this.”
“I’m not that bad,” I muttered, the air around me continuing to clear.
A faint smirk tugged at King’s lips. “Whatever you need to tell yourself.”
I exhaled sharply, the tension slowly easing at his familiar sarcasm, enough to steady my pulse. He stepped closer, his hand clamping firmly on my shoulder, a tangible anchor to the moment.
“Go take care of your woman, Ace.” King’s tone brooked no argument. “When we have everything we need to set shit in motion, I’ll call you.”
His words settled the last of my restless anger, grounding me firmly back in control. I nodded, knowing he was right.
Poppy was my priority, now and always, and I’d do anything necessary to keep her safe.