Chapter 10 - THE OFFICE
Daniel grabbed his jacket and headed for the doors. Aaron followed. Martin looked at me.
“I’m coming,” I said.
Vanessa stepped in front of us. “This is ridiculous. I’m not going anywhere.”
Daniel stopped. “Your access badge is being used in my office right now.”
“I lost that badge last week.”
“You never told me that.”
“I forgot.”
Daniel gave a short, humorless laugh. “You forget a lot when it matters.”
We left the ballroom just after ten.
Mercer Urban was six blocks away. Thomas arranged a car. Daniel said almost nothing.
At the building, security met us in the lobby.
“Executive floor is locked down,” the guard said. “One person is inside the CFO archive room.”
Aaron frowned. “That room has financing files.”
We took the elevator.
The doors opened onto a dark reception area. A shadow moved behind the archive room’s frosted glass.
Daniel called out, “Come out.”
No answer.
Security unlocked the door.
A man in a gray suit stood beside an open file cabinet with a portable scanner on the table.
I recognized him from the wedding.
Vanessa’s cousin, Kyle.
He froze when he saw us.
Daniel looked at the scanner.
Then at the stack of loan documents.
“What are you doing?”
Kyle raised both hands. “Vanessa asked me to get her prenup copy.”
“There is no prenup in this room,” Aaron said.
Kyle swallowed.
Martin stepped toward the scanner. “May I?”
Security held Kyle while Martin checked the saved files.
Bank statements.
Debt schedules.
My guaranty documents.
Board voting agreements.
And a confidential appraisal of two downtown properties.
Daniel’s voice went cold. “Why does Vanessa need these?”
Kyle looked at the floor.
“Answer me.”
“She said after the wedding you were going to move everything into one company.”
Daniel shut his eyes.
Then Kyle added one more sentence.
“She said her investor was waiting.”
Aaron frowned. “What investor?”
May you like
Kyle looked at me.
“The one who offered to buy Mrs. Mercer out.”
