For now, she didn’t want to think about what she would do when Russell left. How that would affect their relationship. Though she didn’t plan to give up Piece Together, she wanted to stay in Hilton Head longer. She had a lot more to learn about the Legacy Group and her family, and selling the house her grandmother left her was out of the question. For the foreseeable future, she’d be in South Carolina. Would she and Russell survive long-distance after just agreeing to reconcile?
That was a thought she was willing to continue to put off.
“Let’s do this,” she said instead of letting heavy, what-if feelings about her future with Russell take over.
“I told Levi we’ll meet him in the conference room.”
She nodded and picked up the paperwork. Levi had given her a vacant office in the executive suite to use. The same one her grandmother used to occupy but stopped a few years before. Ashiya liked being close to the action. She got to learn more and stay up-to-date on everything happening with the company without getting in anyone’s way.
They made their way to the conference room. Levi and Melissa joined them soon after. Melissa smiled tightly and nodded at her and Russell. Ever since the confrontation about questioning her parents, Melissa had given both her and Russell a wide berth. From what Ashiya understood, Levi had also given her hell for coming at Ashiya the way she had. Ashiya still felt the woman knew more about Russell’s brother’s disappearance than she let on, but until the private investigators produced more concrete proof, they were at a standstill.
The four of them settled around the conference room table. Before they could start the small talk, the head of human resources entered with the culprit from finance close behind him. Danny Norris was an unassuming man. Average height, balding, with glasses and the beginnings of beer belly, Danny didn’t give off the appearance of someone who would steal from the company.
His eyes scanned the room. They widened when they landed on Ashiya and Levi before darting back to Melissa. When the human resources director indicated for him to sit, he hesitated before gingerly pulling out a chair across from Ashiya.
“Mr. Norris, do you know why we’re here?” Ashiya asked, getting straight to the point. She wasn’t excited about firing him, but she also didn’t want to drag this out unnecessarily.
“Not particularly,” Danny said nervously. His gaze continued to bounce between the people in the room.
“For the past few years, there have been discrepancies related to the expenses coming out of the marketing department. The discrepancies don’t match the financial report you put out quarterly. Money is missing, and we’re trying to figure out why.”
“You think I took it?” His voice rose to a high pitch.
“Didn’t you?” Ashiya replied with a cocked brow. “Everything points to you.” She spread out the information in her folder. “The funds were transferred to personnel accounts, and from there, funding in the same amount showed up in your checks as bonuses and overpayments. You also signed off on these transfers and payments. Do you deny that?”
He shoved his glasses up his nose and shook his head. “It’s not what it looks like.”
Levi crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. “Then tell us what’s going on, because it looks like you’ve embezzled funds from us for the past two years.”
“It’s not embezzlement,” Danny said.
“Then what is it?” Ashiya asked.
“I... I just...” Danny glanced around the room. He looked first to the human resources director, then to Melissa, as if searching for a friendly face to bail him out.
“Just what?” Ashiya asked. “If you tell us what’s going on, then we’ll try to settle this with as little fuss as possible.”
Danny’s brows drew together. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t want to drag this out in the media. I also don’t want to paint you as a bad guy. It’s obvious from your years of service that you have been a good employee for the Legacy Group up until a few years ago. I also can’t allow this to slide by without letting the rest of the company know that this type of fraud won’t be tolerated.”
“You want to settle?” he asked hopefully. “Out of court?”
Ashiya did not want to settle out of court. She was going to press charges, and he would face all the consequences, but she didn’t want what happened to turn into a media frenzy that might hurt the company’s image. For now, she just wanted the answers.
She clasped her hands together, placed them on the table, and gave Danny a small smile. “I want to get this resolved quietly.”
He twisted his hands and stared at the surface of the table. “Fine. I did it.”
Relief should have rushed through her, but her shoulders remained tense. This was too easy. “Why did you do it?”
Danny looked up, glanced around, then lowered his eyes again. “I had my reasons.”
Levi shifted forward and glared. “What reasons?” Irritation was thick in his hard voice. “Were we not good to you? Did the company do you wrong, and you decided you wanted to get back at us?”
Danny shook his head. “No. it’s not like that. I just... I...” He glanced at Russell, then Melissa, before looking back at Ashiya. “One day I saw a mix-up in the numbers. If I reported it, things would be fine, but if I didn’t, then I could divert a few thousand dollars my way. I tried it and it worked. No one caught me, so I did it again. After that... I was in over my head.” He lowered his voice and his head as if ashamed.
“Are you working with anyone else?” Ashiya asked.
There were several moments of tense silence before Danny shook his head. “It was just me. I kept it from my coworkers.”
Ashiya let out a breath. “Then you’ll be the one to pay the price for deceiving us.”
* * *
LEVI AGREED TO come back to Ashiya’s place with her, Russell and Brianna for a celebratory drink. to say she’d been surprised he’d agreed was an understatement. Ashiya knew the discovery of someone embezzling funds under his watch was a tremendous blow to Levi. She was glad that he’d agreed to help her find the person and that he’d softened somewhat when it came to her being involved in the decisions at the Legacy Group. He could have made her transition, and this whole process, a lot worse.
They sat outside on the patio. The late evening breeze helped with the lingering humidity in the air. Ashiya had lit the tiki torches to drive away the mosquitoes, and old-school music played quietly in the background as they talked.
Ashiya lifted the glass of wine in her hand toward Levi. “I want to thank you for all your help these past few weeks. I know you didn’t want me here.”
Levi raised his own glass and shrugged. “It wasn’t that I didn’t want you here.”
Brianna laughed. “Excuse me? I’m pretty sure I remember you telling her to go back to where she came from.”
Levi waved a hand. “I did, but that was only because I thought she was just here to get her hands on the company. I’ll admit I misjudged you.”
Ashiya’s grin didn’t leave despite his begrudging tone. She leaned forward and winked. “Does that mean you’re okay working for me?”
Levi sighed and shook his head, but the corner of his mouth raised in an almost-smile. “I’m okay working with you,” he countered. “You’ve still got a lot to learn about the company.”
“But you’re willing to stick with me while I learn,” Ashiya said in an aha tone of voice. “That’s a vast improvement from when I first got here.”
Russell grunted. “Most definitely.” He took a sip of his drink.
Levi chuckled and looked at Russell. “I thought you were going to tear my head off that first day.”
“I was if you would have kept talking to Ashiya like that,” Russell said without a hint of a joke in his voice.
Ashiya smiled and took a sip of her wine. She was giddy wi
th happiness, and she didn’t care. Back when Russell stood up for her, she could only hope he did so because he felt something for her. Now that she knew he did, and they were giving each other another chance, she wasn’t about to hide her joy.
Levi didn’t seem bothered by the lingering warning in Russell’s voice. “My bad. I’ve never been good at being subtle with my feelings,” Levi said. “I was wrong when you first came. I didn’t trust either of you. I thought for sure I’d be gone if you didn’t think I could find the person behind the embezzlement.”
Ashiya sighed. “I just wanted to find out who was behind it and get things cleaned up.”
“Really?” Levi asked incredulously. “I thought I’d be the first person you’d suspect.”
“I suspected you, but I didn’t want it to be you. I grew up close to the cousins on the other side of my family. I’m excited to get to know more of my family. I really didn’t want our first interaction to be me firing you.”
Levi lifted a brow, then nodded. Ashiya was glad things worked out. If she had fired Levi, she might not have found the thief as quickly, and even if she had, she wouldn’t have been able to entice him to come work for her again easily. The company would have lost a valuable employee either way.
Brianna raised her glass. “I’m glad things worked out for both of you. You did such a good job finding and getting rid of Danny that I think you work well together. With you two running things, the Legacy Group will be even better.”
Russell reached over and took Ashiya’s hand in his. “I think so, too.”
Levi leaned forward in his seat. “Does this mean you’re going to stick around and continue to work here, or will you go back to Jackson Falls and only come down for board meetings?”
Ashiya shrugged. “I’m not sure. Right now, I think I need to stay longer and see how things settle after getting rid of Danny. After that, and I learn more about the company, then maybe I will move back.”
Except she wasn’t excited about the idea of going back home. Her store was there, and she loved Piece Together, but her mom, the increased scrutiny of being the newly famous member of the Robidoux family, and the expectations to continue to climb and use her new connections to make Robidoux Holdings stronger were also in Jackson Falls. While she loved her family, getting away and building a life apart from them had an appeal. She’d have to apologize to India later for giving her such a hard time for staying away for so long.
Russell squeezed her hand. She looked up and met his reassuring smile. “Take your time to figure things out.”
She nodded. “I will.”
She knew what she wanted. She wanted to stay in Hilton Head, but she also wanted things to work out with Russell. Elaina was waiting for him to return and take over the CEO position. The position he’d wanted so much it drove him to come down here and help her. If she moved away from Jackson Falls and he stayed, could they really make this tenuous relationship work?
“Despite the shake-up, I think things will settle down pretty quickly at Legacy,” Levi said.
“Why is that?” Brianna asked.
“Even though Danny’s embezzlement was a shock and surprise, Ashiya’s quick action will let everyone know she’s serious about the company. One bad employee hasn’t spoiled everyone else. Those who are leaning toward being shady will jump ship, and we can replace them. The ones who stay behind will work harder.”
“I hope so,” Ashiya said, slightly surprised by the confidence in her abilities that rang out in Levi’s voice. “I still find it hard to believe no one else new about what he was doing.”
“That bothers me, too,” Brianna admitted.
Russell tapped the back of her hand with his thumb to get her attention. “Do you want to question the people in his department again?”
“Not right now, but I do feel like I’m missing something,” she said. “It was a lot of money, but he doesn’t have much to show for it.”
Levi lifted a shoulder. “He was the last person to see all the reports before they came to me. He could easily change numbers and move things around without those under him realizing what happened.”
“Still, it just rubs me the wrong way.” Ashiya sighed and shook her head. “But enough about that for tonight. Tonight, we’re going to be happy we got rid of the person trying to cheat the Legacy Group.”
“I’m good with that.” Levi tilted his glass in a toast. “And here’s to making the company even stronger than it was before.”
Ashiya grinned. “I’ll drink to that.”
Later, as Ashiya and Russell lay in bed wrapped in each other’s arms, her mind drifted back to the earlier conversation. She should be happy and content. She should be looking forward to implementing some of the new ideas she had. Why couldn’t she shake this thing with Danny?
“What’s on your mind?” Russell asked. He pulled her closer into his embrace and kissed the top of her head.
Ashiya sighed. “Work. Danny. The Legacy Group.”
“What about it?”
“I’m being silly and overthinking.”
“No, you want to make sure you didn’t miss anything. I understand. It’s the first big shake-up to happen under your watch. You want to be successful, but you don’t want to be further duped.”
“That’s it exactly. What if there’s more and I’m missing it? The company would be in jeopardy.”
“Then take a few days and think it out. It’s okay to be cautious, but don’t beat yourself up if the numbers continue to add up to the same thing. You’re just starting out. It’s one thing to be thorough and another to be overly paranoid.”
She nodded and fingered the gold chain around his neck. “You’re right. It’s going to take a while for me to get used to this owning a multimillion-dollar company thing.”
“You’ll figure it out. I believe you can.” His lips brushed her forehead.
“And...will you wait for me while I figure this out?” she asked tentatively.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
She lifted on her elbow to look down at him. “I know Elaina offered you the CEO position. If I stay, will we continue to work out?”
He slid an arm behind his head and gave her a questioning look. “Why wouldn’t we work out?”
She poked his chest. “Because I’m here and you’ll be there. It’ll be long-distance. Can we really make that work?”
Russell wrapped his fingers around her wrist and pressed her hand to his chest. “If we want it to, we can. I want to make it work. Do you?”
He sounded so confident. So sure. Maybe that’s what love without games gave you. Peace of mind. “I want us to work.”
He nodded and squeezed her hand. “Don’t borrow trouble, Ashiya.”
“I’m not. I’m just being honest with you about how I feel. It’s hard to admit that I’m afraid of long-distance. That I’m afraid you’ll go back, remember all the reasons why you shouldn’t be with me, and change your mind.”
“I’ve already gone over all the reasons why I shouldn’t be here, and you know what?”
“What?”
“They don’t matter anymore. You make me happy. I’m happy talking to you and having you in my life. That’s all that matters now.”
When he said things like that, it only made her love him more. She wanted to blurt out the words again. She wanted to tell him every day that she loved him, but she held the words back. She’d hold on to them until she was sure he’d repeat them back, because even though he’d taken her back, it might take longer for him to trust her enough to love her.
She slid over until she straddled him. Desire flashed in his eyes as he placed his hands on her hips. His dick flexed against her in the most delicious way.
“Talking to me and having me in your life. Is that all that matters?” she asked innocently and rotated her hips.
Russell hissed
. His fingers pressed into her flesh. “Well...there’s a few other things I like about you.”
Ashiya chuckled as she shifted forward and then back against the growing length of his erection. “Just a few?”
Russell flipped her over so quickly that she gasped, then giggled. “Quit playing with me, woman. I’m about to show you everything I like about you,” he said in a raspy voice before kissing every inch of her body.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
RUSSELL LOOKED UP as the door of the coffee shop in the specialty shopping center near the beach opened. He lifted his hand and waved as Jeanette came through the door. The private investigator had called him the night before to say she would be in town with an update on his brother’s case. Her last update hadn’t given him much hope of learning anything new. Too many people didn’t remember the party, who was there, or his brother.
After years of believing the police department hadn’t cared or tried hard enough to find Rodrick, he was begrudgingly wondering if maybe he could cut them a sliver of slack. He still believed if they’d searched harder for Rodrick right after he disappeared, then they might have gotten a lead on his brother before the trail went cold, a decade passed, and everyone forgot a night drinking at a party.
Jeanette gave him a tight smile that brought out the dimples in her cheeks as she pulled out the chair across from him in the coffee shop. The sunlight filtering through the windows brought out the gold highlights in her reddish hair. Jeanette was average height with a heart-shaped face and a cute smile. Her sweet and harmless appearance probably served her well as a private investigator. No one would suspect her of digging up their deepest secrets.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said. “I was held up by a phone call before I got on the road.”
Russell shook his head. “It’s fine. I took the time to catch up on emails while I waited.” He closed his laptop and slid it into the leather messenger bag in the chair to his right. “Do you want to grab a coffee or something to drink before we talk?” he asked out of politeness. He wanted to immediately jump into why she’d called and asked to see him. He was desperate for any word on his brother, but he would try to be patient enough to wait for her to at least order something to drink.
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