Chapter 2 - THE REASON THOMAS WANTED HER THERE
Thomas reached us carrying two champagne glasses.
He handed one to me.
I did not take it.
His smile sharpened.
“Come on, Penelope. You spent five thousand dollars becoming interesting. At least have a drink.”
My skin went cold.
I had told no one what I spent.
Not Larkin.
Not my coworkers.
Not even the boutique clerk knew my total after alterations, shoes, hair, and makeup.
“How do you know that?”
Thomas’s smile vanished for half a second.
Then returned.
“Lucky guess.”
“No.”
Larkin looked at him.
“What did you do?”
Thomas laughed.
“Relax.”
“What did you do?”
The ballroom around us continued moving, but the air inside our small circle had become still.
Thomas lifted his glass.
“I was curious.”
“About?”
“Her.”
He nodded toward me.
“She spends three years dressing like a tax audit, then gets one invitation and suddenly becomes this?”
His eyes moved over the dress.
“I wondered what she was hiding.”
I felt my pulse climb.
Larkin said:
“So you followed her.”
Thomas shrugged.
“Had someone check where she went.”
That meant the boutique.
Salon.
Maybe my apartment.
Rage replaced embarrassment.
“You had me followed?”
Thomas smiled.
“You work for us.”
“No.”
I stepped closer.
“I work for Larkin.”
The distinction came naturally.
Thomas noticed.
So did Larkin.
Then Roman Bellini spoke.
“Joseph Woods had the same temper.”
I turned.
“Tell me about my father.”
Larkin said:
“Not here.”
Roman laughed.
“Why? Afraid she’ll learn who signs her paycheck?”
I looked at Larkin.
“Did you know my father?”
“Yes.”
One word.
Everything inside me dropped.
“For how long?”
“Not personally.”
“That is not what I asked.”
Larkin held my gaze.
“Three years before he died.”
My hands went cold.
Three years.
The same number of years I had worked for Larkin.
Coincidence suddenly felt insulting.
Thomas sipped champagne.
“He found your résumé.”
I turned.
Larkin’s face changed.
Thomas continued:
“You thought you applied through a recruiter?”
My mouth went dry.
I remembered.
The recruiter contacted me.
Unusually high salary.
Excellent benefits.
No explanation why an investment firm wanted a woman with modest corporate accounting experience.
I thought I got lucky.
Thomas leaned closer.
“Larkin had them find you.”
I looked at my boss.
“Why?”
His answer came slowly.
“Because someone else was looking first.”
That stopped everyone.
“Who?”
Larkin’s eyes moved toward Roman.
Roman’s amusement disappeared.
Then Larkin said:
“The people your father stole records from.”
I almost laughed.
“My father didn’t steal.”
“No.”
Larkin shook his head.
“He copied.”
“What?”
“Financial ledgers.”
Roman added:
“Enough to put men in prison.”
My heart hammered.
Then Thomas said:
“But nobody ever found the originals.”
There it was.
The reason for the gala.
The reason for me.
The reason Thomas had me followed.
“You think I have them.”
Thomas said nothing.
Larkin turned toward him.
“You brought her here to see who reacted.”
Thomas smiled.
“Efficient.”
Larkin’s face became terrifyingly calm.
“You used her as bait.”
“Don’t be dramatic.”
I stared at Thomas.
Not at Larkin.
Thomas.
The joke.
The invitation.
My makeover had ruined his little experiment because instead of arriving invisible and frightened, I had attracted attention from everyone.
Including Roman.
Then Roman said:
“Joseph gave something to Margaret before he died.”
My mother.
“What?”
“Nobody knows.”
Thomas leaned closer.
“That’s why you’re interesting now.”
I finally understood the danger.
They had not been laughing at the secretary.
They had been watching the daughter of a dead accountant walk into a room full of men her father once threatened.
May you like
Then Roman lowered his voice.
“And if Joseph’s records still exist, somebody here will kill you before midnight to find them.”
