Unbridled and Unbroken (22 page)

Adam called a fellow member of the club who used to be a corporate fraud investigator. Dominick Hunter was in town for the conference and Adam had seen him at the club event two nights ago.

Dominick picked before the first ring ended.

Adam didn’t even say hello. “I have a job for you.”

“I’m on vacation.” Dominick had never been one for pleasantries anyway.

“But you’ll help me anyway, right?”

“What do you want?”

“Inside information.”

“Of course you do, because it’s probably illegal for me to get it.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. I’m not asking for specifics, but I need the general gist of the problem with the DRMC land purchase from six months ago, any ongoing follow up actions and if any current investigations are currently in effect and what they know.”

He huffed. “Ask Zachary.”

“Can’t. I need someone not involved in the original trouble.” Hopefully his disheartened tone conveyed his need. “Here’s the issue.” He gave Dominick the short version of what had happened with Veronica.

Dominick was silent for a full minute. “What do you want me to do?”

“Help me track down the particulars of the case and see if it’s ever happened before.”

“You think she did something like this before?”

“I don’t think she did it at all. Maybe someone is framing her for it. Will you check it out for me, please?”

There was silence on the line for a full thirty seconds. Adam checked to see if they were still connected. Then he heard a long sigh. “All right. Give me all the pertinent details and I’ll see what I can find out.”

* * * *

Veronica parked on the lonely street in front of the tall building that housed the accounting business where she’d worked until the life-changing incident months before.

A sense of nostalgia encompassed her as she stared at the front doors. Funny to come back after avoiding the place for so many months. The building and surrounding area looked the same as always and yet strangely unfamiliar maybe because she’d been away so long. Veronica leaned down in her front seat to take a look inside the ground floor lobby area.

She could see the night guard seated behind the desk through the glass double doors of the well lit floor.

An approaching car passed her but kept driving. Where were Tom and his contact? She looked around and didn’t see Tom’s car. Probably he’d parked in his covered space in the underground lot. He was likely already inside wondering where
she
was. She glanced at her watch noting it was ten minutes until midnight. Better get going. She grabbed her purse, stepped from her car, locking it before she crossed the wide cement walkway on a trajectory to the lobby.

The guard smiled the moment she stepped inside. “Can I help you ma’am.”

“I’m meeting a friend here. His name is Tom Callen. Did he leave a message or my name on a list for entrance?”

“What’s your name and I’ll check?” he asked, his smile still wide.

“Veronica Har...I mean...” She cleared her throat. She’d almost given him her real name. Soon, but not yet. “My name is Veronica Greenwood.”

The guard lost the smile as if it had been too much work to fake a good mood and picked up a clip board in front of him. As he searched the list, she walked a little closer to the desk. She’d have to sign in before he’d allow her upstairs. Her heartbeat sped up.

“I don’t see any Veronica Greenwood here, ma’am. Who are you supposed to see?”

“Tom Callen. His office is on the ninth floor. Number nine twenty six.” Pulse thrumming through her veins, Veronica forced herself to take a deep, calming breath. If the guard got too close, he’d probably be able to hear her pounding heart rate. She wished she could just get up to the ninth floor without any outside contact. Why had Tom wanted to meet here anyway? Weren't clandestine meetings usually held in dark alleys? As frightening as a dark alley was, right now she would have preferred it.

Veronica glanced around as a prickly sense of unease crept across the back of her neck. Wasn’t Tom supposed to leave her name at the desk? She didn’t recognize the guard, but didn’t expect to because it had been so long since she’d been here. He was suddenly giving off a strange vibe. Why wasn’t Tom already down here to meet her?

“Let me call him and see if he’s here.”

He picked up a phone, dialed a few numbers and plastered the smile back on his face.

“There’s a Veronica Greenwood here. Should I let her come up?”

She didn’t hear a response.

The guard handed her the clipboard. Attached was a sign in sheet. She filled it out and with her name and the time.

As her focus was on the sign in sheet and getting the correct name on the numbered black line, she didn’t hear the police officer’s approach from the left side behind the desk.

“Veronica Harrington.”

Veronica looked up to see two uniformed police officers and four other men in plain clothes approaching. She opened her mouth to respond and suddenly realized they’d said her true name.
Oh no.

Without verifying her name, she asked, “What’s going on here?” The two police officers crowded her on either side as a balding man in an overcoat approached to complete the circle. Her back was to the desk.
Where was Tom?
And then she spied him behind the growing crowd of men closing in on her. He looked slightly embarrassed at first until she caught his eye and she realized he’d probably been the one to turn her in.

The balding man held a badge up in her face. “I’m Detective Garland. Miss Harrington, you’re under arrest for embezzlement, fraud and identity theft. Please put your hands behind your back.”

She saw him remove a set of handcuffs from the back of his belt. Veronica stared at him. “Is that really necessary? I promise I’ll go quietly.”

“It’s procedure.” He nodded at one of the uniformed officers who turned her to face the desk.

She started to send a hateful glare to Tom, but realized it wasn’t his fault. He’d tried to help her. Instead, she attempted to smile. One corner of her mouth raised. She probably just looked pathetic.

The cold metal clicking on to her wrists sealed her doom. Not only wasn’t she ever going to be able to prove her innocence, she was about to go to jail and she’d probably never see Johnny or Adam ever again.

* * * *

Adam skipped the evening conference and met up with Johnny at the Double Rider Men’s Club facility. Clay had invited Zachary, who arrived at the same time. They nodded to each other but otherwise didn’t speak.

Once assembled together, the four of them watched the video Clay had called attention to which set this whole debacle in motion.

“She really looks terrified of me. And with good reason,” Zachary said.

“Don’t force me to bruise my knuckles on your jaw.” Johnny squeezed his fist and gave Zachary a dirty look.

Clay stepped between them. “Let’s wait until we have all the facts before any bare knuckle bar brawls ensue.”

“Fine.” Adam crossed his arms. “But just to let you know, I have someone else looking into the matter.”

“Who?” Clay asked.

“Doesn’t matter. It’s someone I trust. He’s going to call as soon as he has any information.”

A minute later, Adam’s phone started ringing. Two seconds after that Zachary’s phone started buzzing.

Adam walked to a quiet corner and listened intently as Dominick spoke with efficiency in his summary.

“You were right. I did find several other embezzlements that were similar.”

“Why wasn’t anyone ever caught?”

“They happened in different states and all were more than several months apart sometime a couple of years. If I hadn’t plugged in specific information that you requested, I don’t imagine anyone would have ever found this out.”

“Any name attached to the crimes?”

“No. But each of the stolen fund transfers went into the same bank account in New Hampshire briefly before being pushed out to the Cayman Islands and finally distributed elsewhere. Put a flag on the account before any further transactions go in and you’ll get your criminal.”

“Thanks, Dominick.”

“Don’t thank me. It’s doubtful you’ll be able to prove any of what I’ve told you. But if you can get the feds to find out the name attached to the account in New Hampshire you might get lucky and find your embezzler.”

Adam hung up and turned to the other three men. Johnny looked like he wanted to kill someone. Zachary didn’t look too happy either.

“What’s wrong,” he asked, not expecting to like the answer.

Johnny answered, “Veronica was arrested tonight. She’s in jail.”

Chapter Twelve

Upon her arrival at the local precinct, the policeman who had run her through the humiliating process of being hauled into custody wearing handcuffs, then fingerprinted and photographed for the pending arrest warrant told her she could have a phone call in the morning after breakfast. Unfortunately, the horrible truth was Veronica didn’t have a single soul to call. Not a single person in the world cared about her existence, let alone her innocence in this matter.

A district attorney by the name of Mr. Morgan came to show her a damning piece of evidence she’d never seen before as he delivered the charges leveled against her. A video of hotel surveillance on the night she’d blacked out showed Justin Smith escorting her to her room. She stared incredulously at the footage. She didn’t look too drunk, but altered all the same. Tom had been right. Justin was involved. He was the one who’d framed her and left her to face the consequences.

“Perhaps we can make a deal if you’re willing to give your partner Justin Smith to us,” he remarked. “Do you know his whereabouts now?”

“No. I didn’t even know Justin was involved. I haven’t seen him since before all this nightmare started. He’s not my partner. I didn’t do anything.”

“You falsified your name and hid from us for months.”

“Because I was trying to prove my own innocence.”

“How? By hiding from the authorities and keeping silent about your partner’s whereabouts? I can’t help you if you aren’t willing to help us.”

“I don’t know where he is,” she said in an elevated tone. “Ask Tom, maybe he has information.”

He shook his head as if disgusted with her. “Fine. You don’t want to help yourself, then my hands are tied.” The DA stood up and gathered his things.

Veronica wanted to shake him. If she knew were Justin was, she’d probably spill the information. “You aren’t listening to me. I don’t know where he is.”

“I
am
listening, Miss Harrington. I simply believe you’re lying to protect Justin Smith so he can escape. The two you looked pretty cozy on film together before entering the hotel room.”

"I was drugged."

"So you say." He shrugged. "Can you prove that?"

Veronica leveled an angry stare his way. "You know I can't."

"Then you leave me with no choice." With that he left her to ponder the new information of a former friend who’d utterly betrayed her.

She spent the rest of the night in a cell with several others. Seated uncomfortably on a bench next to the front of the cell, she dozed off and on and pondered the idea of calling Johnny or Adam, but wasn’t ready to have them find out about her sordid past or the mistakes she’d made in trusting the wrong person.