Page 40 of On the Fly
“I did. I take it that means he got it to open.” The sounds of an airport terminal drowned out his voice, but he yelled, “What did he find?”
“I’m not sure. There’s some money and envelopes. Ander’s opening them now.”
“I’ll be there in about six hours. If he leaves the office, tell him to text me. Otherwise, I’m showing up there even though it’ll be the middle of the night.”
“Will do.”
“Emma, thank you for all you’ve done to help this week. Mom loves you. I’m happy you’re in the family.” Those words were the only thing to pull her attention from the reports Ander removed from the first envelope. Heat crawled into her cheeks at the meaning of his words, and she had to set him straight. She couldn’t deny her wish that there could be something more between her and Ander, a complete one-eighty from how she’d thought of him when she’d climbed over him to her seat on the plane. But she knew the score. They’d agreed on something temporary, even if it didn’t feel that way to her over the last few days.
“No, it’s not like—”
Erik’s laughter stopped her midsentence. “I’ll be there soon.” The phone beeped as the call disconnected. The Jorgensen men did not like being contradicted. She pursed her lips and set the phone on the desk. Ander pushed back in his seat, clapping his hands with a loud whack that reverberated through the quiet room.
“That son of a bitch. Offshore accounts. Why didn’t I consider that?”
“He has money overseas?” Emma scowled. Maybe those would help to make sense of the inconsistencies in the reports they’d been reviewing?
“Apparently. With his outdated ways, I never thought he’d do such a thing.” Ander appeared distracted as he shuffled through the paperwork.
“What else is in these?” Emma picked up one of the still closed envelopes. She pulled out several smaller sealed envelopes with names scrolled on the front of each one—Ander’s name slashed across the first one in a bold script, the rest held the names of his other siblings scribbled in a similar fashion.
Through the long hours they’d put in this week, she saw the frustration Ander’s had with his father. His anger toward the man was more than just the poor financial state of the company, or the frustrating accounting system that was in place. Ander had suffered from the relationship he and his father had built over the years. He kept himself at a distance in what she could only see as a protective mechanism. She didn’t know him well enough to help, but she could see how stepping into the role his father had had over the years set heavily on his shoulders. She glanced his direction, fingering his name on the top envelope.
“I’ve got envelopes addressed to your family. Here’s one for you.” As she’d expected, he took the envelope and carelessly tossed it aside as if he weren’t paying attention.
“It’s late, but I want to go through these.” He waved his hand to indicate the financial documents. “I’ll call security to escort you to the hotel so you don’t have to hang out here.”
“No way. I’m staying. You promised me pizza,” she teased in hopes of seeing him smile, “and Eric is on his way here too.”
Ander finally looked her in the eyes, and she saw every emotion reflected in his stare. His shoulders slumped, and he lifted his hands to scrub down his face.
“This might be the salvation you’ve searched for.”
“Maybe, or it might open a bigger can of worms.”
She nodded, understanding the legalities of such a find, probably better than Ander. Hidden money could be a problem. But she held out hope that the explanation would become clear now that they had more information to analyze. The money accounted for in the tax documents had to have gone somewhere.
“Come on. We’ll know the answers soon enough.” Ander waved her over.
~~~
Ander’s eyes burned. He sat back in his office chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. He needed time to think. Why had everything his father touched turn to pure chaos? He’d have to get legal involved, maybe he’d pull in his personal attorney for now. Or his brother Jakob could get in on this too, if he could get away from work that quickly. Erik had to keep this quiet until they knew the truth of what they were dealing with, but based on what he’d read through so far, his crazy old man had millions of dollars sitting securely in a Swiss bank. Ander had no idea why.
He glanced at his watch—already two thirty in the morning—then his gaze traveled to Emma lying on the oversized sofa in the corner, fast asleep. They had pizza delivered, then she’d read through documents with him until she practically passed out in her chair. He’d insisted she at least take a nap if she wasn’t willing to go back to the hotel without him.
Her body nestled into the large couch called to him. Hell, if he curled around her, he might even fit on there with her. He lifted his brows as the idea fully formed in his mind. He could take her on that couch, then cuddle with her in his arms. Ander groaned and tossed his pen on the desk. What the fuck? Cuddle? He ran a hand through his hair. He’d known her less than a week and already he didn’t recognize himself when she was in his vicinity.
But God she was sweet. In the end, he went to her and pulled his suit coat over her shoulders. Then he turned off the lamp, leaving that side of the room in shadows. He allowed himself the small indulgence of running a fingertip over her silky hair. Emma had been an amazing surprise. The whole week made better with her presence.
“Do I need to wake up?” she asked even though she didn’t open her eyes.
“Not yet. I’ll wake you when it’s time to leave.”
She gave a single nod and shifted until she faced the back of the couch. Even that move made him smile. He wanted nothing more than to turn her back over and let her know exactly how much he wished he was lying right there with her.
Instead, he bit the bullet. That damn note from his father had been taunting him since she’d handed it over. Maybe he’d find the answers he so desperately needed. He wanted to toss that note in the trash or set it on fire, but he couldn’t. Even he could admit those ideas were his defense mechanisms to a lifetime spent defying his father on everything he demanded of him. They were designed to protect him from all the judgment and anger his father had when dealing with him over the years. He forced himself to push that aside and resume his seat, grabbing the envelope as he went. Before he even unfolded the one-page note inside, he registered how much had changed in such a short period of time. He hadn’t realized how much until the foreign feeling of the steel barriers building around his heart began to settle back in place. What he wouldn’t give to be back in Atlanta, having met Emma there, away from all this chaos…
Focus. Ander took a deep breath. He scanned the page filled with his father’s penmanship and dated a little over a year ago, then read from the top.
