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Samuel was quiet a moment, which was a blessing.
“I understand this job is tough and maybe it’s too much for you, but you have to remember what the goal is. We’re doing this so that people like Nadine aren’t blackmailed into working for the enemy. We’re doing this so—”
“So people don’t die. I know.” Harper straightened, glanced left then right before easing out onto the street. “I know what’s at stake here. I know I fucked up. Don’t forget this is the first time I’ve done something like this.”
Today it was real. And he had to face the reality that he was willfully misleading a good woman to stop a bad man. In the end, all he could do was hope that the bad he did was outweighed by the good they would accomplish. Otherwise, he was no different from Daar and others like him. And that was a hard pill to swallow.
Chapter Eight
Friday.SuleimanResidence,NewOrleans, LA.
This was the day that would never end.
Daar positioned both desk chairs behind the main desk then gestured for Robin to take the more comfortable one. It was time to really look at things.
“Thank you,” she said softly and perched on the edge of the seat.
He’d been dreading this task.
Cassim had no head for numbers and no trust for anyone not family, which had created this nightmare, to begin with.
Daar reached over and patted Robin’s arm. “Just walk me through what you’ve organized so far. I know none of this is your fault. You’ve done a wonderful job fixing it.”
Robin glanced at him. Her brows were drawn down and her mouth screwed into a small, tight frown. She didn’t believe him, or the news was that bad.
Whatever it was, he just wanted to get through this.
“Okay…” She pressed her hands to the arm rests. “Do you want to start with the worst news, the bad news, or the good news?”
Daar muttered curses under his breath. “Tell me the worst news?”
Robin winced, then nodded and reached for the mouse. She gave it a little shake, and the monitor flickered to life.
“The worst news is wrapped up in the house accounts and the petty cash account.” She clicked around, bringing up a screenshot of several bank statements in one image next to a comprehensive spreadsheet. “The bad news is that around two hundred thousand dollars has been embezzled, borrowed, or stolen from the family by employees over the last… Let’s say five years?”
He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Do we know who?”
“Not for certain. I can make educated guesses, but at this point, I’m not sure what our options are in terms of recovering that money or if it’s worth it.”
She had a point there. Cassim was well off to the point that two hundred grand wasn’t going to be missed. For Daar, it was the principal of the matter.
“The personal accounts?”
Robin sat up a little straighter. “That’s actually the good news. Apart from dog expenses, Saaina hardly touches the money. Dad is, well, Dad. But even then it’s better than I thought. Here, see for yourself?”
She brought up another screen of images and a different spreadsheet. “Here’s the yearly balance, so you can see that from year to year, it’s actually growing once payments are made.”
“You mean to tell me your father doesn’t spend every penny he makes in a year?” That was shocking news to Daar. The way Cassim spoke, Daar had been half-prepared to find out his brother was penniless.
Maybe this wasn’t going to be as bad a reckoning as he thought?
“No. I mean, he makes big, flashy purchases, but other than that it’s all maintaining expenses like dry cleaning, upkeep on cars or the house. Despite how he talks, he’s really not spending as much as I feared.”
“And the bad news?” he asked. “Is it really all that bad?”
Robin scrunched her nose up. Her mother had done the same thing during unguarded moments. The resemblance could be uncanny.
“I mean, it’s all a mess. Once we get away from the accounts tied to the house or the personal stuff, there’s literally no rhyme or reason why some things come out of one account and not another. Like, it would make sense if all the stock yield payments went to one account, right? Instead, it’s divided between three. Two of those also get deposits from other sources. Like Dad’s salary for the hotels. But the third is constantly on over-draft.”
