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What the fuck!
Parked in the corner of two of the units was River’s super-duty black pickup, with a white van next to it.
The picture was dated two weeks ago and sent by a private aerial security firm as having been requested.
To her knowledge, no one had requested any aerial photographs of any property. That was usually her job, anyway.
She went through each file, searching for contracts involving the property. Every initial projected purchase to every property the company owned was in the first file. Every aerial or on-ground photograph was in a second. And there was absolutely no record of that property.
There was River’s truck, though, the aerial photographs, and the assurance of a friend at the courthouse that the property was indeed in Crossfield-Dawson’s name. And Susan had been very adamant that Poppy not reveal that it had been her who’d given her that information.
Picking up her smartphone, she checked the messages from her friend once again to be certain.
Property is in C & D ownership for sure! Susan had texted and listed the address to identify it was the right property.
And it didn’t make sense.
Pulling up her tablet, she checked the database she had on her hard drive, then the printout of the database from the office. The address wasn’t on either.
Shifting through the tax records and other papers, she couldn’t find any other mention of or reference to the unlisted property. All she had was the photograph, which included proof of security that would make Gordon Tessalon salivate with pure envy.
So where had the property come from and why was River trying to cover it up?
Several long hours later, after poring over the files yet again, she gave up. That property was not listed with the company anywhere but at the courthouse. But why would it be listed there if someone wanted to hide it? It made zero sense and only confused Poppy further.
Tapping her finger next to the phone, she considered calling River, asking him why, but just as with the questions she wanted to ask Jack, something held her back.
She could call Saige, but her friend would do the same thing Poppy was hesitant to do: She’d ask her brother about it.
Maybe she should just ride out there, she thought. It wouldn’t take long. She could survey the property, find out what was there, and figure out what the property was being used for.
Because this was crazy. Why would River try to hide a piece of property from the company? The legalities alone would be a mess. If Caine found out about it, he could dissolve the partnership and take everything. And possibly have River convicted as well.
She typed the address into a search engine on her laptop, but couldn’t find much information there either.
The questions were going to drive her crazy. The implications of the problems it could cause if she questioned anyone at the company were too numerous to begin to think about.
An on-site visit was the only way to make certain the aerial pictures and the address matched. Because there had to be some mistake here. Somewhere, somehow. And before she asked anyone about it, she had to know more.
Moving from the table before she could change her mind, Poppy hurried to her bedroom to change clothes for the trip. It just pissed her off that River might have used the company to buy property without listing it. Three units of that size, with security that extensive, would be a hell of a monthly income.
But she couldn’t imagine River would embezzle from the company. That just wasn’t the man she knew. Now Caine, she could actually see doing it. There was something not entirely trustworthy where he was concerned. She loved him to death, but suspected he wasn’t always honest when it came to the company finances.
It was almost one now. She’d spent hours poring over those papers and hadn’t even realized it. She would have just enough time, if she left now, to check out the location, then return home and get ready for that dinner date.
Twenty minutes later, dressed in jeans, sneakers, and T-shirt, she hurried from the back door to the SUV, the information she needed in a file she carried.
In another minute or so she pulled from the alley and headed for the interstate. Half hour at the most, she thought. She’d check it out, then know exactly what was going on.
Ian and Kira’s rented home sat on a hill overlooking Barboursville. All wood and steel and huge windows that were a security nightmare. Jack and his men stepped inside that afternoon, certain the SEAL turned cartel leader’s son was going to drive him crazy before this operation was finished.
Windows dominated the living area, the view over the town breathtaking. Ian stood in front of one of those windows as he watched Jack and his men step into the room.
“Why the urgent message?” Jack asked him. “I thought we discussed everything last night?”
Ian grimaced at the question.
“We received word minutes before I messaged you that both shipments made it into our area. We don’t know where they’re located yet. They evaded the teams tracking them somehow.” Ian shook his head. “I’m waiting on more information now.”
