AllFreeNovel
Share Us
If only Cynthia and her current team members compared digital files to the hard copies like I’m doing, they could have avoided this. Problem is, most staff never look at the hard copies. Files are created digitally, printed for record, and never bothered with again unless audited. The firm only accesses the digital copies when reviewing a client’s file.
I’m poking around in the digital records when I freeze. “Shit.”
Alerted by my concerned tone, Punk leans over me to see what I’m doing. “What’s wrong?”
“The login I used to access the company’s files was assigned by P.L. Moore’s financial quality control department, meaning it’s tracked.”
Punk grimaces, cursing under his breath.
“This is detrimental to our investigation. If our thief can see who’s accessing what files, it could make them run or try to bury the funds further.”
We already expect the mole is a staff member. Alerting Trent isn’t an option until I have more solid evidence. I quickly text Chase.
*I have a hunch. Can you come upstairs alone? If Trent asks what’s going on, explain I’m having issues with my new laptop.*
Five minutes later, Chase strides into the room alone. “What do you have, Numbers?”
Punk moves to the doorway to monitor the office area or anyone who might eavesdrop on our conversation.
“Several digital copies were altered from the hard copies. No accountant could overlook these many errors, but they haven’t been routinely checking the hard copies—that only happens once during the fiscal year. Not even Cynthia could miss this much, and this shit runs through her department. This is how they probably discovered a few discrepancies to begin with.”
“Tell me what you need from me, and I’ll make it happen.”
“I need you to hack into the digital records.”
He gives me a quizzical look, his brows pulled together. “But we have access to the digital records.”
“We have access through the security passwords they’ve assigned us. Every time we access the digital records, they’re alerted on their end. They can track what files we’re going through.”
“Under the table, to keep them in the dark,” Chase states, understanding our predicament.
Without saying another word, he takes my laptop and types feverishly away on the keyboard. Mere minutes pass before Chase slides the laptop closer to me, showing me how to access the records, tripping no alerts on the financial firm’s end. It’s like he created a back door into their computer software.
“You’re scary smart,” I murmur in awe.
My biker gives me a dirty smirk, the kind I’ve grown to adore. He leans in toward me, close enough for us to share the same air. My lips tingle with the memory of his rough kisses. I dig my hands into my lap to stop myself from fanning my face.
“Need anything else, Numbers?”
Yup. You inside of me.I keep my thoughts to myself, shaking my head.
His smirk grows wider. “Don’t think I don’t know where your pretty little head was at. In case you were wondering, I was thinking the same thing.” He gives me a chaste kiss on my needy lips before leaving me to return to my investigation.
Hours pass. I’m comparing digital copies of the client files to the hard copies when the most unconcealed of tampering comes to light. The more I uncover, the more my head spins. I press my fingers into my temples to ease the tension, groaning.
Punk glances at me with a long face. “That doesn’t sound pleasant.”
“This isn’t some petty pilfering operation. It’s bigger than we expected,” I whisper to Punk as I comb over the files.
“How long do you suspect the embezzlement has been happening?”
“Nothing pops up until a month before I moved to Colorado. I was traveling most of the month and rarely in the office.”
Punk paces, his eyes watching the staff situated outside the conference room through the glass walls. “It could be a clue.”
“What do you mean?”
Without taking his eyes away from the staff outside the conference room, he says, “You’re a damn good financial investigator. Perhaps the perp waited until you were out of the office before fudging the numbers.”
