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House of Cards (Tech Billionaires)

Page 20

by Ainsley St Claire


  “You make it sound so easy,” she teases.

  I smirk and shrug.

  “What happened to your software?”

  “It’s up and running in the hotel, managing all the guests. It moves things around without anyone knowing and makes the Shangri-la the place for the best customer experience anywhere in the state of Nevada.”

  “You must have a software team. Are they in the US?”

  “My team actually works in the building. They have offices just down from the hotel business office so I can drop in on them when needed. Overall, it’s coming together nicely. Christopher recently talked me into considering a partner who can help sell it to other hotels and chains. The software has a variety of applications.”

  “Are you interested in giving up that profit?”

  “I’m not sure yet. I told him I’d consider it. Currently, I’m thinking half of something is better than all of nothing.”

  “You could hire a team to sell the software.”

  “True, but it would take time to get a sales team up, which might allow someone else to come in and beat me to market.”

  “Sounds like you’re considering selling some of it.”

  “I haven’t decided. I’ll just see what Christopher comes up with. These days my priority is the Shangri-la.”

  When we start to look like prunes, we get out of the pool, and I cover Maggie completely with sunscreen. It takes all my willpower not to take advantage of the situation, but instead we enjoy the afternoon sunning ourselves. I do a little bit of work, and she reads on her Kindle. I could get very used to this—pure luxury.

  “I love my apartment, but it’s nice to get offsite and relax.”

  “That’s true,” she murmurs, sounding half asleep.

  I decide it’s time to broach the subject I’ve been reluctant to bring up. “Maggie, I know you think being seen in San Francisco might put whoever is watching you off your trail…”

  She sits up and looks away.

  I try again. “Jim is flying in. He’s going to join us tonight for dinner. It’s not the romantic evening we were hoping for, but he’s learned something, and I think we need to talk next steps.”

  “That sucks, but I get it. When will he be here?” She drops her voice. “I know you don’t want him to see me in the suit.”

  “No. I would prefer not. I’d hate to have to take him out.”

  She grins and gives me the side-eye. “You’re quite confident in your abilities.”

  “You doubt my sincerity?” I laugh a deep belly laugh. “I could totally do it if it came down to fighting for you.”

  “That would be quite a show, but I’ll pass. When is he due to arrive?”

  I glance at the time. “He’ll be here in about two hours.”

  “Good.” She stands, and our eyes lock. Reaching behind her back, she unties her top and it falls, exposing my favorite tits. Hooking her thumb in the sides of her bottoms, she slowly drops them to the pool deck. Standing in the low, afternoon light, her naked body is pristine. “You promised to fuck me, and I’ve never had sex outside.”

  We make love on the chaise lounge. It’s slow and luscious and incredible. I now wish I’d told Jim we’d meet him another time, as I’d much rather do this for the rest of the evening and however long she allows.

  We take a break with enough time for her to shower. “There’s enough room for both of us,” I tell her.

  “But then we’ll never be ready when Jim arrives.”

  “I’m glad someone is looking out for us,” I tease.

  When Jim gets here, Maggie is a different person than the woman who arrived. A few hours of fresh air, sun, and two orgasms have left her relaxed, with a little bit of color.

  “Thanks for joining us tonight,” Maggie says politely as she leads Jim to the dinner table.

  We make small talk as I serve the spinach salad and mushroom risotto with lamb. And no one says too much during dinner—our focus is on the fantastic food.

  But after we’ve finished our meal, Jim clears his throat and begins. “I shared this with your lawyer this afternoon, Maggie. She’s still working on some things, but this is what we know.” He pulls out a sheet with some notes on it. “The Kryetar has infiltrated the Reinhardt Corporation. Their operations have been somewhat low-key in the Midwest, but they’re definitely a presence. We believe they probably got in with Reinhardt through the unions when they were Hudson’s back east.”

  “Does my mother know they’re involved?” Maggie asks.

  “We believe so, yes. It appears her father was working with some sort of mafia presence back in the Hudson’s days,” Jim says.

  “Hudson’s became part of Reinhardt from the merger when my mother and father got married,” Maggie shares, her eyes going wide.

  This is going to get interesting fast.

  Chapter 24

  Maggie

  I sit back in my chair and look from Jim to Jonnie. We’re only beginning and already my head is spinning.

  “The Kryetar are also active at Elite Electronics,” Jim continues. “In fact, we believe one of their board members is a Kryetar member.”

  Jonnie reaches for my hand, and our fingers intertwine. I take comfort in his touch.

  “We believe there may be some ongoing financial malfeasance with corporate funds at Reinhardt,” Jim explains.

  “Meaning embezzlement,” I clarify.

  Jim nods. “Yes, and it seems that marrying Alex would not only cement you as chairman of the board, it would lay the groundwork for your guilt in the embezzlement.”

  “What do you mean?” Jonnie asks.

  “It looks like Maggie signed the document, and she’s now marrying to move up within the company with the goal of hiding her criminal activity.”

  “But that’s not what happened,” I assure him.

  “We understand that, and that’s why your lawyer is looking for some additional information.”

  “Do you have any idea why my mother would care if I was married in a civil ceremony or a big social ceremony?” I ask. “I can’t figure out if that’s just her ego, or something more.”

  Jim shrugs. “We’re not sure. Maybe the scandal would be bigger after you’d been splashed all over the society pages? But we don’t have enough data points yet.”

  I can feel my contempt for my mother growing. We’ve struggled over the years, but I’ve never wished harm for her. That may change.

  Jim clears his throat again. “We’ve also found that your mother has private accounts in Cayman, Nevis, and the Cook Islands, totaling several billion dollars.”

  I sit up straight, and I’m sure my eyes bulge.

  “Given the account balances, she’s likely been putting money into them for a while. She made a five-hundred-thousand-dollar deposit last month in the Nevis account.”

  Now I’m mad. “What about the Walkers?”

  “Herbert has significantly decreased the value of Elite Electronics. He has close to a billion dollars in Nevis. We didn’t find anything in the Cayman or Cook Islands in his name. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have money stashed elsewhere; we just haven’t found it yet.”

  I’m afraid to ask, but I need to know. “And Alex?”

  “We believe the documents he signed are most likely genuine. Alex’s trust is gone, and Herbert has heavily embezzled from his own company—”

  “Why embezzle from himself?” I ask, bewildered.

  “Great question. He doesn’t actually own any of the business. Elite Electronics is wholly in his wife’s name. If they divorce, he has nothing.”

  This is mind-blowing. How did I miss all of this going on? “I interrupted you when you were telling us about Alex,” I prod.

  “Herbert legally cut Alex off when he turned twenty-one because Alex received access to his trust fund, provided for him by his maternal grandfather. At that time Alex was seeing a man named Michael Corwyn, a known con artist. Mr. Corwyn told Alex he was a doctor, but his ex-wife had taken mo
st of his money. While they were together, Alex went through about twenty-five million in less than three years. Once the money was gone, so was Corwyn. It looks like Alex then dipped into his anticipated inheritance he’d get from his mother.”

  “I can’t believe this. Why didn’t he tell me?”

  Jim looks at me and then at Jonnie. He seems to be choosing his words carefully. “I believe his financial problems are even bigger than you knew. It looks like Alex might’ve been paid to marry you.”

  My hand goes to my mouth. What? I trusted him. He’s been my best friend for most of my life. Or so I thought. Have things gotten that desperate for him? I shared my secrets with him, and suddenly I feel dirty and used.

  Tears fill my eyes, and Jonnie puts his arms around me.

  “I’m here for you. Don’t worry. You’re going to be fine. I promise.”

  He lets me cry.

  Why would my mother do this to me? I ask myself that question over and over.

  Jim and Jonnie let me move through the storm of my emotions, waiting patiently. After a while, Jonnie hands me a handkerchief. When I can finally see through the fog of my brain, I ask the question I dread most. “What else haven’t you told me?”

  “The Kryetar have you and your brothers under surveillance, but we haven’t ascertained why yet.”

  “So what are the next steps?” Jonnie asks.

  “Are you okay staying here in Las Vegas for a while longer?” Jim asks me.

  I look at Jonnie, not sure how to answer.

  “She can stay as long she wants, and I’m fine with forever.”

  Jim’s eyes widen, and he smiles. “Good. We need to give you and our teams more time to get up to speed before everything goes crazy. Right now the Kryetar aren’t sure where you are. We have a plan to have someone from my team board a plane with your ID, disguised as you. She’ll go back to Minnesota on Friday. When she arrives at the Twin Cities airport, she’ll go into the bathroom and change. She’ll lose the wig and dress much more sedately so she blends in and will be harder for them to follow. On the off chance they do, she’ll take a rideshare to the Le Meridien downtown where she’ll meet her actual husband and another member of my team. They’ll go out for dinner and a night on the town. The next morning she’ll fly home with her own ID. The subterfuge should buy you some time.”

  “And I need to stay cooped up in Jonnie’s apartment?”

  “Or you can stay here,” Jonnie offers. “I don’t think Queen Diva will mind.”

  “I understand all this seclusion will be difficult, but in the long run, I think it’s best.”

  “For how long?” I ask, my mind racing. “A week? A month? Forever?”

  “I think much of it depends on what they do next and what we’re able to find out. We believe the Kryetar will eventually go to the press about your embezzlement, but they may not right away.”

  “You’ve lost me,” I confess, throwing my hands in the air. “What does that do?”

  “They may not be willing to risk surviving the transition of power again,” Jim says. “They’ve kept track of your family affairs, so they’re likely realizing you have different goals and ambitions than those who came before you.”

  “Could they be making my mother do this? Maybe it’s not what she wants…” I realize how ridiculous that sounds. In my experience, my mother doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to.

  “Your mother is likely doing what they ask to protect herself—keep their attention elsewhere,” Jim says. He hesitates. “She also has a flight to Cuba booked for the Monday after the weekend your wedding was supposed to be.”

  The news hits me like a slap in the face. “She intends to feed me to the wolves and disappear with all the money?” I pound my fist on the table. “Why doesn’t she just run and leave me to pick up the pieces? Why is she determined to ruin my life first?”

  “I can’t answer that yet,” Jim says with a sigh. “We think the Kryetar may be a factor in her decisions at this point. We’re still working on this.”

  We talk a bit longer, but I’m physically drained. I’m not sure I’m processing much information anymore. I thank Jim, excuse myself from the table, and go back to the main bedroom to collect my things. Suddenly it seems too wide open here. I know I’m being paranoid, but I guess it’s time to return to the apartment. I need some rest, and I need to think.

  Chapter 25

  Maggie

  In the morning, back at Jonnie’s place, it’s back to business. I worked out to clear my head, and then procrastinated a little by giving myself a mani/pedi. I haven’t painted my own nails since I was probably six and turns out I’m terrible at it. Jonnie offered to have a nail tech from the spa come up, but that made me nervous. I want as few people as possible to know I’m here, or even that there’s somebody staying in his apartment. Any innocent slip could ruin everything.

  Shortly after that, Jonnie was out the door. He’s been busy preparing for a poker tournament with a bunch of major tech guys coming in. Christopher would normally be a part of the group, but Jim and the team decided he should stay away this time; that way those watching us don’t get any bright ideas that I might be with him and come here.

  I check my messages and realize I need to make a few calls before I go totally radio silent. I mostly need to touch base with Christopher and Stevie.

  When I call Stevie, before I can even say hello, he asks, “Why is Mother freaking out?”

  I brush it off as if normal pre-wedding jitters. I’m careful what I tell him since he’s on his cell phone and I’m on the burner, and I can’t be sure his phone isn’t bugged or someone’s tracing our call.

  “At some point you’re going to have to explain why you’re marrying Alex,” he tells me with a sigh. “The family business can’t be worth all that. Genevieve and I think there’s something hinky going on.”

  I open my mouth, but close it again. I can’t get into it over the phone, and at this point, I’m not sure where I’d begin anyway. “I’ll tell you everything soon enough.”

  “Continue to ignore Mother’s calls,” he says. “I do.”

  “Clearly that’s the best plan.” I manage a laugh.

  “I’m thinking about you,” he says. “I hope everything’s okay.”

  My call with Christopher is much more honest. Jim has provided him with a burner phone, too, so I have more freedom to talk, as I know we’re not being traced.

  “What did the lawyer say?” I ask him.

  “Nothing new yet,” he reports. “And Jim’s trying to find Moreau’s client list but hasn’t located it, yet. How are you doing?” His voice softens.

  “I’m getting used to captivity,” I grumble.

  “It won’t be for long.”

  I wish I knew he was saying that for certain. “I hope not. As you know, shit hits the fan late tonight or early tomorrow morning,” I warn. “Be ready for some phone calls.”

  “So far I’ve ignored them. I’m turning your phone off and removing the SIM card after we hang up, so you won’t hear from her. Once your voice mail fills, it won’t even matter, and knowing Mother, that will be by noon. She’ll be stuck and frustrated, but you won’t have to know about it.”

  “True, but I’m worried about this phase of the plan.”

  “Why?” he asks.

  “Mother’s in deep, it sounds like, and as of yesterday, we don’t know all the players. Every one of us has some sort of surveillance. Oh, also, Jim has a theory that because I’m not being cooperative with Mother’s demands, the Kryetar see me as a threat to their power—hence the fake embezzlement documents.”

  “Well, I’m sure he has reason to believe that,” Christopher says. “But I know he stepped up our personal protection, so please don’t worry. Bella and I have friends with a beach house just north of San Francisco, and our plan is to head up there for the weekend. We’ll be fine. Between our security team and burner phones, the paparazzi can’t get to us, so I highly doubt some super-muscle dimwits c
an.”

  Somehow, I doubt these guys are dimwits, but it’s not worth debating. “Just use your beach house weekend trying to make me an aunt.”

  “That’s my plan. Bella may have some other ideas.” He’s silent for a moment. “I love you, Mags. I’m here for you. Promise.”

  “Thank you. I love you, too.”

  I pick up my Kindle to read, but when my burner phone rings a little while later, my stomach tightens. Curiosity gets the better of me.

  “Hello?” I say cautiously.

  “Margaret? This is Marci Peterson.”

  Oh, thank goodness. My stomach immediately releases. “Hey, Marci, I hope you are the bearer of good news today.”

  “It’s not bad news, but it’s not really good news, either,” she says. “Just a bit of an update.”

  I take a deep breath. “Lay it on me,” I say, trying to be more chipper than I am.

  “We’re all set up for this afternoon. Our plan is a scheduled departure from SFO at three twenty. Your ID will arrive in Minnesota just after nine, or seven o’clock your local time.”

  “Okay, that sounds like what Jim explained yesterday,” I tell her.

  “We believe you’ll have until maybe midnight their time until they figure out you’re not in town—or at the very least that they don’t know where you are.”

  “What do we do if they file the papers for my arrest?” I look down and my hands are shaking.

  “You’re staying put. I suspect this weekend will be quiet on that front. The courts will be closed, and they’ll need a judge to sign off on a bench warrant. I’m not legally able to practice law in Minnesota, but I have someone in my firm who is, so we’ll be fine if and when it happens. This is a white-collar crime—or it would be if it were real—so we’re in a strong position if it goes federal, as I can manage that. Plus I have a good contact here in the US Attorney’s office. We’ll talk regularly, but for this weekend, I think staying put at the Shangri-la is your best bet.”

  “Don’t worry, I have no plans to leave the apartment.”

 

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