Busted
twenty-eight
*ROSEA*
What Martin said about the casino keeps circling my mind during the next two weeks. It might explain the suspect transactions I found when I went through the pack investments and spotted the high sums paid to that floral shop.
Is it the cover for the casino?
But while the transactions look unusual, they are not high enough to be spent in a casino. At least not at first glance. There has to be more to this.
I need to find out more about it, but there is nothing in the documents Forest and I have.
I have checked them all more than once. Which means, if there is something we can use, it will be in Donna’s, or worse, Harry’s possession.
He has been the alpha for the pack for so long, I am sure he knows something, and I am sure is something that will give him away.
There has to be!
During the day, Forest and I usually attend to different tasks.
He focuses on training and scheduling his warriors, security issues and alike, while I focus on anything bureaucracy-related, finances, and try to look after the more vulnerable pack members.
I have also begun to make a list of couples who are expecting pups, so we can support and congratulate them when the time comes.
Plus, I have decided that the orphans need to move closer to the packhouse.
Whenever I have put an idea together and need to plan it, adding resources and manpower to it, Forest and I sit together and plan it in detail.
Once everything in the pack is running properly, I will have Griffin assisting me as the pack’s gamma.
For now, I’d rather he sticks with Forest and support him.
Pondering what to do, I take a walk through the packhouse.
Pack members who walk by, greet me, so I make sure to stop and chat a while to get to know them.
I am still not sure if Forest truly wants me as his chosen mate.
When I am with him, I believe he does, but the moment he isn’t around, my old doubts surface.
Maybe he is just using me to regain control over his pack?
I shake my head. No, Forest isn’t that type of guy.
And Alora is right. While we fell for Jordan’s tricks, we were much younger back then and ignored all the red flags.
The question is: Do I want to be his chosen mate? Am I willing to take the risk again? By now, I know that being mates with an alpha is always a risk. Jordan took everything from me, and those around him let him do as he pleased.
There is no guarantee it won’t happen a second time.
If I want this, I need to trust in Forest and in my own decision, and take the leap. That thought alone is scary.
It’s when I spot Harry walking down the staircase and heading outside that I pause, my thoughts immediately returning to my original task. It’s a risk. Should I?
It’s not a question of should or should not, I have to.
With that in mind, I turn around and hurry back to the second floor where the offices are located.
Harry still has his office there, although he doesn’t work much there anymore.
I wait for a moment, checking if anyone is coming before I knock on the door.
It’s just a pretense in case anyone is inside, but there is no sound reaching my ears.
Opening the door, I slip inside, finding myself in Harry’s neat office. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. The man must be organized if he was able to keep such tight control over everyone and everything.
I don’t linger for long and hurry to check every space in the office.
He has a bookshelf that looks like it holds valuable information, but not the kind I am looking for.
There is a small storage room where I can see some detergents and a lot of dusty folders.
Too old. If Donna or Harry are in any way entangled in the casino thing, then the proof is not there.
It must be newer. This leads me to his desk, with a huge file cabinet right next to it.
Thanks to his neat organization, he has everything numbered and labeled.
After a while of searching, a folder with transactions catches my eye.
Skimming through it, it’s pretty similar to what Forest has.
There are a few more pages, though—numbers and names I haven’t seen yet, so I take a photo of those.
The second folder, entitled ‘Finances’, has ‘PRIVATE’ added to it.
Now that’s even more interesting!
Looking through it, I notice it’s transactions from their bank account, but not the one Forest has access to.
Do they have a separate, secret one? Not to linger too long in the room, I just take as many photos from this folder as I can, before storing everything back in its place, making sure not to leave any traces.
I should not stay here any longer.
It’s too risky.
I am about to head out of the door when I see the door handle moving slightly.
Damn it! What now?
The window? Alora blurts out.
Not enough time.
I could move to the storage room, but damn it—
The door is opening already. Fuck, I am fucked. I straighten myself to face Harry and present him with an excuse. Anything that makes it believable that I am here.
I freeze the moment I look into a pair of blue eyes. These are not Harry’s.
They are—
“Luna,” Martin hisses, grabbing my arm. “He is coming. You have to hide.”
“You… you were following me?”
He looks a bit bashful. “Yes, sorry, but now you need to hide. He can’t find you here.”
He is right. Any questioning can wait for later. I let him shove me into the storage room and just hope he isn’t going to betray me.
Forest doesn’t need another betrayal.
I don’t need another betrayal.
I hold my breath when I hear the door opening again, and Harry’s surprised voice echoing through the room. “Martin? What are you doing here?”
“Alpha Harry, I am so sorry for entering without you being here. I forgot to knock and just entered. I was hoping to see you here,” Martin says smoothly. “We haven’t talked in so long.”
“What do you need, son?” Harry asks.
Wow, he really likes Martin. But then, it makes sense; Harry chose him as Forest’s beta.
“I was hoping I could borrow some books from your immense library. You have so much knowledge, and I need to work hard to be a support to the pack.”
He says pack and not Forest. Smart. Martin knows the game.
“I see, you still uphold your old values,” Harry says. “I always thought you were reasonable, but the last few weeks, I wasn’t so sure anymore. I’d be lying if I said I am not disappointed.”
“I apologize, Sir, but I had to make sure Forest trusts me.”
“That makes sense,” Harry muses. “What is my son up to? I have not seen him a lot recently.”
“He is all over his mate,” Martin says, which works as a perfect distraction strategy from Forest’s real plans, because Harry just huffs.
“That woman is insufferable. What is it with her?”
“Honestly, I have no idea,” Martin says. “But I will keep an eye on her. I can’t have anyone threaten the pack after you build it up so well.”
“Right.” Harry sounds content. Of course he does, like the old narcissist he is, his ego likes it that Martin compliments him. “Make sure you don’t let her out of your sight.” He pauses. “Which books do you want?”
“I would love to read more about communication strategies and negotiations,” he says promptly. “As the future beta, these skills will come in handy.”
“They do,” Harry agrees. “I don’t have the books here, though. I have stored them in my suite. Wait here, Martin. I will fetch them for you.”
“I don’t want to trouble you,” Martin says. “I can—“
“You are not troubling me. Just sit tight.”
I hear the door again, and silence engulfs me. A moment later, Martin rips the door to the storage open. “You need to get out of here, fast,” he whispers. “Take the window. You should land right on an emergency staircase.”
He opens the window for me, helping me outside.
“Come to visit us later,” I tell him. “We need to talk.”
“We do,” he agrees.
“9 p.m. in Forest’s suite,” I say. Before Martin can close the window, I stop him. “Thank you, Martin. You really saved me.”