Page 17 of Innocent and Sweet

Chapter Seven

Anissa tried to sleep but couldn’t. Her thoughts were too full of Kameron. His texted replies to her made little sense. She didn’t understand what she’d done to make him leave and hated the rule her father had instituted. What she did with her life shouldn’t have to be approved by her father. She wasn’t asking him for money. She had a plan in place. What was the issue? She’d chosen the wrong man? Good grief. She hadn’t tried to carry on with any other staff members. Kam had been special. Still was. He made her happy.

She threw the blankets off and left the bed. She hadn’t been given a real explanation from her father, either. So she’d sort of dated Kam. What was wrong with him other than her father hated him? Because Kam had taught Anissa a few lessons in the bedroom? She wasn’t a child and hadn’t been deflowered. Her friends -- the few she had -- weren’t virgins. So what?

She opened her laptop. There had to be something about Kam to make him seem horrible. Part of her wanted to find the reason he couldn’t be around her, but the rest of her feared what she’d find.

She searched Kameron Stone on the Internet. No arrests, no complaints… he’d graduated from college and worked as a teacher for five years. His employment had ended when the school district downsized. Gee. If that made Kam bad, she’d hate to see what made him awful.

She frowned. If she couldn’t find anything on the Internet, then maybe she’d see something in his personnel file. She logged into the database and pulled up Kameron’s file. According to the information, Kam had worked for the family for just over six years and had a spotless record. He’d been commended by John for going above and beyond more than ten times. He’d cashed some paychecks, but his last year’s worth of paychecks went uncashed. She tapped her fingers on the edge of the keyboard. How was the man living if he wasn’t getting paid?

She cracked her knuckles. There had to be something else. Was he stealing money? She doubted it, but nothing made sense. She noticed a line of red type on his file.Here we go.She clicked on the line. Her father had no idea she knew how to hack into the files. He hadn’t thought she could use a computer to do anything besides social media.

Under Investigation

Maybe hehadstolen money. Kam? “What are you hiding?” she whispered. She clicked the second tab. A document came up, listing Kameron’s home address. She frowned again. So he had a little house. Big deal. Owning a modest home wasn’t a crime. She screened the document again, and her breath wrenched in her throat.

Dunn Holdings - deposit 3/18 - $15,000

Dunn Holdings - deposit 4/18 - $15,000

Same thing for the next six months. Why was her father paying him such a large amount of money? According to the notes, Kam wasn’t accepting the checks and the wire transfers had been refused.

What the hell? She logged out of the system and closed her laptop. If she wanted true answers, she had to go to the source.

Anissa dressed in an oversize sweater, jeans and ballet flats. She tapped the button for her guard. Knowing Kameron wouldn’t be on the other end of the line annoyed her.

“Ms. Dunn.” Julian appeared at her door. “What do you need?”

“A ride.” She tucked her phone into her back pocket. “Right now.”

“Where to?” He opened the door for her. “Late night taco run? Incognito shopping trip? I need an address.”

“Fine.” She stayed in her suite. “First, we need to get a few things straight. When I have a guard, I need to know he’s on my side.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Julian clasped his hands together.

“One: I’ve never gone for late-night taco runs or incognito shopping trips. Have I grabbed tacos after a normal hour? Yes, because I was with Kameron. Second: I heard you discussing me. I know what’s been said. If you’re going to be my guard, don’t talk about me behind my back. I’m not a spoiled rich girl. I’d rather have a modest life than be stuck in this cage.”

Julian blushed. “Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry.”

“Accepted.” She laced her fingers together. “Third: I’m not sleeping with the staff. Kameron was different. We are friends, and he was my best friend. We got close because we spent so much time together. I’ve spent time with a lot of the security staff, you included, and I’m not going to sleep with you. No way. Kameron, as I said, was different.” She had to stand up for herself or no one else would.

“Because you spent so much time with him?” Julian snorted. “Right.”

She narrowed her eyes. She’d expected him to get irritated. “Did it ever occur to you I might have engineered that?” She rested her hands on her hips. “I found reasons to have him around. I didn’t turn down Evan and the others just because I’m picky. I did it so I could take Kam with me. I knew what I was doing. I did all along.”

Julian paled. “Yes, Ms. Dunn.”

“Fourth: I’m giving you an address. You will take me there. No questions. No arguments.”

“If it’s a bad situation, I won’t do it,” Julian said. “I won’t put you in danger, no matter how much you want to go wherever it is.”

“It’s not dangerous.” She sighed. “I need to go. Either you’ll be my escort or I’m going on my own.” She paused. “Oh, and I do know how to drive that shiny Jeep in the garage. Daddy thinks I don’t, but I learned to drive.”

“Because of Kam?”

“He taught me.” She grinned. “I’m not going to be a prisoner any longer.”

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