Page 27 of Ace of Swords

“What would he think if he knew you were fucking his daughter?”

My stomach dropped out.

Marcus sighed as he said, “I think you’d be thrown out on your ass so fast you wouldn’t know what hit you. That's if you're lucky. Might lose a few bones, first. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

“Are you suggestingyou’regoing to tell him? Are you trying to blackmail me or something?” I couldn’t understand his angle.

He spread his hands and shrugged. “Rolland, buddy, we’re on the same side. It’s Sergio who’s the problem. He’s putting us at professional riskandhe’s standing in the way of you being with Tatiana. Hell, he’s standing in the way of Tatiana doinganything.I was in the house when she begged her father to let her go to South Africa. I’d never heard Sergio raise his voice like that before. It was quite a scene.”

Marcus had gone from menacing to logical. He was right; Sergio was the variable in every problem. His shenanigans with the books put my career in jeopardy. His overprotective nature made Tatiana unhappy. His disapproval kept me apart from a woman I desired.

“So many problems solved if you just pick up the phone,” Marcus said. “Call the IRS. Call the press. All you need to do is tip that first domino and I guarantee it’ll lead to Sergio in a prison cell. He doesn’t deserve your protection.”

It was a bombardment of information, and I was having trouble making sense out of it. When Marcus walked into my office, I had hoped he could straighten this all out by explaining it was an innocent accounting mistake. I’d never expected him to turn on Sergio like this, and to use Tatiana to help bring him down.

I remembered the hurt on her face when I asked if her father could be involved in illegal dealings. She was adamant he wasn’t. If Marcus was right, I needed to call the authorities. So why was I second guessing myself suddenly?

I needed to look at the books again. If I was going to disrupt Tatiana’s life with this accusation, I had to be completely positive it was true. I settled behind my desk and started pulling up the spreadsheets I’d created earlier, opening the graphs showing the expenditures and profits. I was looking for a clue, anything to convince me that Sergio was innocent and Tatiana was right. What was I missing?

“What are you doing, Rolland? You said it, he created these phony companies and siphoned the money overseas. I see what you see. You’re right! Call the feds and get on with it.” Marcus was getting agitated as he spoke. I didn’t respond to him. I kept clicking on my computer, pulling up invoices and trying to find some pattern. Marcus was pacing around now, muttering under his breath, “Just call the fucking police, already.” He was irritating and distracting.

Finally I looked up from my laptop and said, “Why don’t you call the fucking police if you’re so sure? And while I’m at it, how did this happen under your nose for years without you realizing? You’re the one who receives these invoices. I understand the names were intentionally similar to escape detection, but how couldn’t you realize you were getting hit with themtwice as oftenas you should be?”

He was the one who paid the double invoices. These were all Marcus’s accounts.

It was Marcus who wanted to keep these files hidden upstairs.

All at once, the buzzy feeling in my skull vanished. I gaped at Marcus. “It’s not Sergio. It’s you.”

Marcus snatched me by my collar, wrenching me over the desk—I gripped his wrists, fighting back. “Listen smart guy, it’sSergio.Got it? Stop looking at your files! If you want to keep your reputation and your kneecaps intact, you’ll pick up the phone and call the IRS. If you don’t, I’m going to tell Sergio all about how you had your hands up hisvirgindaughter’s dress the other night. He won’t take kindly to that. Do not FUCK with me, Rolland!”

Again, I remembered Tatiana’s face. The emotion in her voice when she was defending her father. Sergio wasn’t just some variable in this problem. He was a person and people couldn’t be managed. They weren’t predictable, either. Weeks ago I couldn’t have predicted I’d be fucking my boss’s daughter.

IfIcould surprise myself, anyone could surprise me.

“No,” I said plainly. “I’m not going along with your plan. There’s too much at risk. People’s lives and emotions. I’m calling Sergio.”

He released me and backed up. “You don’t know what you’re doing.” His face darkened drastically. “You won’t even act in your own best fucking interests, you’re leaving me no choice. One phone call and she’s in the back of a van with a sack over her head. This is bigger than you think. I won’t hesitate to use Tatiana against you.”

The blood was pounding in my ears. My hands were hot and fisted with rage. I should have called Tatiana. Warned Sergio. Picked up the phone to notify the police. Those werereasonablethings to do. But all reason had left me when I imagined Tatiana in danger.

Marcus hurried out of my office with me at his heels. He glanced at me, trying to get into the elevator. The sight of the phone in his hands... the vision of Tatiana trussed up in the back of a van going who knew where for who knew what, snapped the last of my control. I sprinted at full speed, taking him out at the knees.

We were wrestling in a mass of limbs; I was fighting for purchase, trying to raise myself high enough to throw a punch. Marcus’s landed across my jaw first, stunning me. I spotted his phone blinking on the floor. I didn’t know if he’d given an order to kidnap Tatiana, but I needed to alert her quickly. The thought gave me a shot of adrenaline; I swung hard, connecting with Marcus’s nose.

A torrent of blood sprayed across my sweatshirt. As he grabbed for his face, I swung again, knocking him backwards. Just then I felt arms around me. I looked and saw the terrified night shift cleaner surrounded by three security guards, one of whom crouched down to Marcus.

“The two of you better come with me,” the lead officer shouted. I didn't argue, I let him half-drag me while I pulled out my phone with my other hand. Quickly I texted Tatiana. The guard yelled at me to stop, but I ignored him. The only thing that mattered was doing everything I could to keep her safe.

Tell your father to come to the office.

Trust me.

And don’t answer your door for anybody.

****

I’d made it almostthirty years without ending up in the back of a police car.

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