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“I did,” he responded without looking up.
“Did you know that the login that I was using was the user account?”
“I did. Listen, Michelle, I’m sure this is leading somewhere, so get to the point. I’ve never known you to skate around things, so don’t start now!” he snapped.
“I am telling you the problem. Dante, I’m just trying to figure out if you did it on purpose or if you’re just this fucking clueless about everything!” I yelled.
“Clueless? What are you talking about?” He looked at me straight on, challenging me to prove him wrong. Funny thing was that I had a feeling he was more clueless than he knew.
“You’re missing millions of dollars, and it’s not even hidden very well. The only reason I didn’t catch it before now is because you were hiding it from me. I can’t see all the nice little hidden things that actually show me discrepancies in your accounts. My version shows me nice little pretty balanced accounts. It doesn’t help me see that when things don’t really balance!”
Stunned stupid, he just stood in silence.
“Bingo. I’ve been looking at bogus files since I got here. I specifically asked you for raw data, not the stuff that you guys have touched and altered. Do you really want my help here, or are you blowing smoke?”
“Of course I want your help! Why would I be paying you money that I don’t have to help me with all this shit if I was going to blow smoke? Huh?” His face was red with anger, and his chest heaved hard.
“To commit fraud. Business owners do it all the time,” I admitted. I hoped that this wasn’t his plan, but after all the things I’d found today, it was hard to hold stock in his words.
“For fuck’s sake, Michelle. I’m not trying to commit fraud. I’m just trying to keep my family’s legacy alive! Can’t you tell? I get up at four in the morning to help with the morning rounds at the farm. I come here around ten and work on the pressing matters before going back to work at the farm in the evenings. If I was committing fraud, would I be doing all of that?” He slammed his desk drawer shut and gave me all his attention. He was angry and worked up. It was sexy as hell, and made it difficult to be upset at him, especially since he had a point.
“What are you looking for?” I asked, changing the subject to something safer.
“Bank information that my father would have stored.”
“You shared an office?” I looked around, seeing that everything seemed more Dante’s style and not his dad. There were trophies, awards, and even a few photos about. I walked over to one picture of Dante and his parents. It looked recent, but as always, his brother wasn’t present. I’d noticed that years before, too.
“No. I cleaned out his office and brought most of that stuff into mine.”
“I’ll see if Linda knows where bank stuff is. Anything specific?”Give me something, Dante,I pleaded silently.
“Yeah…” He swiped both of his hands across his face and then over his chin, making me note the hair growing in. I pictured it along my thighs while he tasted me.
What in the world is wrong with me?
I refocused so I could hear what he had to say.
“I’m trying to figure out if my brother has access to any of my dad’s accounts. Jeremy has a really terrible drug problem he struggles with. I know my mom helps him out with a monthly allowance, but I went to the house and found that he’s taken expensive things from there. He told me he’s out of the country, but I found out this morning that he’s here, and I don’t know how long he’s been floating about without me knowing.”
“Where’s he staying?” If he’d been taking stuff and he doesn’t want Dante to know he was in town, he had to be hiding out somewhere.
“Beats me. There used to be this place he…” Dante’s eyes grew big as something dawned on him. He walked around his desk and kissed me hard. Wrapped in his arms, the roughness of the day melted away as I leaned into him. This. One kiss led to a few more, and I denied him nothing. He palmed my ass, pulling me into him. I put my arms around his neck and leaned up, giving him more access to me.
When he finally pulled away, we were both breathless.
“What was that for?” I didn’t really care about the reason, so long as he promised to do it again.
“I was saying thank you for helping me. I hadn’t thought about that place, and I need to find Jeremy before he disappears again. He has a hiding spot where he goes to get wasted, with nobody finding him. My mom helped him get it when he got into some shit with this guy while I was away at school. I’m positive she bought it just so that she could know he was safe.”
“I can see that. As a mother, that’s really all you have. Once the kids fly the coop, you can’t control what they do, but you always want to make sure they're safe.”
“You sound like you’re speaking from experience.” Dante kissed my forehead, making me smile.
“I am. Things are different now because I’m taking care of my dad. Being away so far and for long periods, all I can do is make sure that he’s safe and well cared for. Especially since he doesn’t miss me like I miss him. He doesn’t remember I’m gone. He can’t text or call just to say that he loves me because, some days, he doesn’t know that I exist. I... uh…” I swallowed, trying to make the pain go back into hiding. The moment wasn’t about me; it was about Dante and his brother. “I need to see if Linda knows anything.”
I felt the tears welling and the emotions brewing to the surface. I missed my father so much. And not just this version of him. He was my best friend, and I missed the connection that we’d had before he was sick. It hurt that things were like that. I sought after the good days when he knew exactly who I was. They were far and few in between.
Overwhelmed, I pulled away, and Dante let me go. I didn’t look back as I exited, not wanting to see his face or let him see mine. I took a second outside his office door to collect myself and to wipe the lone tear that broke free. Grateful he hadn’t pushed because I’d been on the verge of losing it. Trying to focus on work, but when I was alone, I thought about him a lot. I’d called a few times, but he’d been too wound up to talk. I’d video called once and watched him play cards with some of the other residents just so that I could see him.
