Page 65 of An Angel's Share
I’m left stood, nose to nose, with fucking Liam and Patrick. I glare at them both. It’s all their fault in my book. Clearly Seamus has had issues with this in the past. I could tell from his expressions throughout the whole of Patrick’s fucking ridiculous tale. It’s probably this that has made him ill.
“Why don’t you all go home. No one wants you here. The board meeting is over, so there’s no further need for you or your family to stay,”Liam spits out.
To his slight credit, Patrick looks a bit shocked by the venom.
Time to address the elephant in the room. “Why don’t you fuck off. It’s totally your fault that he’s ill. Clearly he hasn’t agreed with your little scheme to defraud the Exporters out of millions. Patrick, what the fuck are you thinking, man? Surely you could see how wrong this is?”
He sputters and blusters, but nothing of any note comes out of his mouth.
“It’s not fraud or theft,” Liam declares. “It’s smart fucking business practice, clearly something you know nothing about. So go the fuck home, and let me get on with runningO’Clerys.It’s obvious we will need to take over. Seamus passed his Power of Attorney onto Aoife, and she’s fit for nothing. So as her fiancé, I will step in.” Liam’s disgust at Aoife is showing, his disrespect blatant.
Patrick looks surprised at Liam’s insistence. He knows Liam will have the ultimate say over everythingO’Clerysif that happens.
I start to laugh. “If you think for one minute Aoife will not be back to sort this company, you’re deluded. And I’m going nowhere. I’ve Evie and Marshall’s interests to consider. And that’s not going to be letting you two land them in fucking prison on an International fraud charge.” I glare at the two men who have managed to bring a profitable family business to its knees and on the verge of bankruptcy, if not prison sentences for all senior managers. I point at them. “And if you think my brothers are going to leave now, with this shit storm brewing, you are fucking deranged.”
Patrick tries to defend them both, and insult me at the same time. “Jonno, you’re way out of your league here. You don’t need to defend anyone's interests. We are incrediblycapable of doing that for you all.” He gestures between himself and Liam.
That’s it. I have had enough of Patricks delusion. “Do you think I’m going to let a fucking fraudster run this business?” I point at Liam. “The fact that you are the finance director and let Patrick believe what you were doing was not theft or fraud says it all. Patrick, he needs to go. Sack him. He’s got you involved and up to your neck. You must?—”
“It was Patrick and Aoife’s idea.” The smugness in Liam’s voice says it all. “They set up the company, I just do as they say. You can’t pin anything on me. It all comes back to them.”
Patrick is staring open-mouthed at him. Clearly he has missed who Liam really is.
“Thank God then you’ve been telling me consistently that your behaviour and smart business practices are not illegal then. We can all sleep at night. But it does stop now. And other than the staff, no monies will be paid to any senior management. Aoife will want a full rundown of the company accounts for the subsidiary companies. Get them. Or better still, give me the names and I’ll have your staff get them.” I’m bulldozing Patrick on purpose now. I need access, and I need it quickly.
“No, you need to fuck off back to England and leave this business.” Liam is squaring up to me now.
“Whoa, Liam.” Patrick finally finds his voice. “Fine, Jonno. I’lll get you the details, everything, and give you access.” Looks like the penny might have finally dropped for him. “We can reconvene at a later date once we know how Seamus is.” He looks ashen. His chickens are starting to come home to roost, his reliance on others who might not have his best interest at heart are being laid bare.
“Jonno, Aoife and Marshall are asking for you.” Christyhas come back into the room. She looks worried, her face pale, but her voice is commanding as she addresses her husband. “Patrick, I've organised cars for you and Dermot. Can you come and help please? I’ll stay here to sort out the children. Just ring if anything is needed and I can arrange for it to be brought to the hospital.”
I grin at Christy. She is a powerhouse of organisation.
Patrick looks at her as if seeing her for the first time. “Okay, yes, right. Thanks, darling.” He moves like a robot, off to sort his dad.
I go to walk with him to Marshall when Liam shoves in behind me. “I shall be taking Aoife. Stay the fuck away from her. Don’t think I don’t see how you look at her.” He pushes me in the shoulder, his face suffused with anger, illogical hatred pouring from him.
I hit back, both of us having dropped any pretence. “Stay away from me. And I will not be staying away from Aoife. I will not be going home, so get used to it.”
I walk away before I hit him. If he thinks he’s intimidating, he really isn’t. He really doesn’t know my business, my brother's business. But he is about to find out.
My brain is working overtime. I’ve got to sort out the family, plug the hole and stop the thief. Clearly it’s far worse than it looks. Had Patrick not had his little injection of cash for the past four years, they would have posted losses, seriously fucking big losses.
All this just cements my thought process. She is not responsible. Someone has been very good at making it look like she is. It’s Liam. I know with every bone in my body, it’s him. He has had the means, and Patrick in his pocket. I don’t even think it’s Patrick. He’s just the patsy who gives Liam credibility in the business and the means to steal from them all.
But why leave the money where it is for so long? Was he that comfortable in their blindness towards him? Their perceived stupidity? Maybe he had long range plans on her all along, and the baby issue played into his hands, whilst the O’Clerys thought they were pulling the strings. He thinks he’s so fucking smart. She definitely did not know it was so bad.
He’s had the means to steal. He was in America at the start of the business, and she was distracted with her studies. He’s used what brains he had, kept it basic but effective. The motive? Money, pure and simple. They had it, he wanted it. Probably thinks he’s owed it. But how to fucking prove it. His hands are nowhere near the till. Hers are.
But what the fuck is going on about California? She lied outright about that warehouse. The amount of money being paid to it was the best part of two hundred million dollars over the past four years. And the other company in New York is holding around another hundred million. And money just keeps being billed.
Follow the money, that’s our mantra. Jackson is on it. If you follow the money you’ll find out who is behind it all. I just need time. And although I am willing Seamus back to health, this will give us a little time to set the trap. We’ve already done the hard yards. We just need to wait.
And I need to make sure my girlfriend wants me, regardless of what she thinks about what I’ve said and done. My thoughts are unchanged on her. I wanted her when I was not sure she was the thief, I want her full stop.
I’m even more worried though than I was before. How to untangle her from this mess? Marshall will not want Seamus to know if any of the family members are involved, even Patrick. It would kill him. Set him back. No, theO’Clery seniors need to be kept in the dark. I might need to speak to my brothers and sister about our next steps.
Tommy gets set to drive us to the hospital. Liam glares at me as he clambers in next to Aoife. Standing at the side of the car, I see her cringe and look at me through the window. What can I do? She hasn’t had time to deal fully with Liam. Or announce the fact she wants to call off the engagement. To the outside world, he is her rock. He should be beside her.
