I meet her eyes. “Whatever happens, whatever you hear and see, I want you to stay at your desk and stay quiet. Do not interfere, okay?”
“But… what is going on? Did you do this?”
“Just promise me.”
She licks her lips, trying to read something in my eyes and is unable to. Finally, reluctantly, she nods. “Okay. Yes. I will do as you say.”
I give her a tight nod, shoving my hands in my pockets and casually strolling toward my office. Everyone on the floor stands as I pass, it’s like a crowd doing the wave at a baseball game. Whispers fill the air. Some random words reaching me. None of them good, but I don’t give a shit enough to listen.
What Luccia said is true.
There are federal agents in this building waiting on me. The SEC is in fact going through my computer in my office. Alexander is flying in. And here I am, making a dramatic entrance into all of it after not sleeping, barely eating, and spending a night and most of the day terrified out of my skull that my sister’s best friend was going to die.
I take in a silent breath, holding it firmly in my lungs, hoping it will settle my racing heart, but knowing nothing will.
I’ve been dreading this moment for more than a month now.
Rich is standing on the precipice of my office like he was waiting for me though I have to imagine it was more so he could survey the officers as they worked. He watches me approach, his beady eyes scrutinizing, his smirk smug though it’s not difficult to find the fear lurking beneath it all.
“Nice of you to finally show up.”
I laugh. “Thanks, man. Yeah. My friend who was stabbed last night finally woke up. I appreciate your concern.”
His smirk twists into a pinched scowl. “I knew you were all bullshit. I knew it was all lies. That your success had to have been stolen and cheated. I knew it. And in case you’re curious who sold you out, it was me.” He jabs his thumb to his chest with pride. “That’s right. Not so much the golden boy now, are you? Did you think I would turn a blind eye to what I knew was happening right beneath my nose? I could not let the integrity of our—”
I roll my eyes at him, blowing right past him and cutting him off mid-sentence as I head directly into my office. “Brecken Davenport?” Four sets of suits stop what they’re doing and look up to greet me. There is equipment set up all throughout my office. My laptops are open, both the monitors on my desk aglow with data.
“Yes. I’m Brecken Davenport.”
“I’m Christopher Day with the SEC. It’s nice to finally put a face to the voice I’ve been talking to for weeks.”
“Yes, sir. Likewise.” I shake his hand, getting introduced to the other agents though I haven’t had any communication with anyone other than Day.
“Wait.” That’s Rich who has now edged into my office, the color draining from his round, bloated face so fast that if I cared, I’d be worried he was about to pass out. “You…” He’s pointing at me. “But. I called them.”
And here we go.
“Actually, Rich, I’m the one who called them,” I inform him. “After I saw the document about Astrid Pharmaceuticals on your computer, I knew you were up to some real shady shit. But when you dropped James Darcy in my lap, I knew what you were up to. I wasn’t going to take the fall you wanted me to take and I sure as hell was not going to commit your crimes.”
“Bullshit,” he snarls. “You made the trades. Not me. The documents were on your computer. Not mine. They found them.” He points over my shoulder at the agents.
“When ‘James’—” I put air quotes around the name, not even skipping a beat—“asked me to liquidate the stock and transfer the funds into his Cayman Islands account, I told these guys we were out of time and had to move faster than anticipated. Then you called them this morning after I had emailed you to inform you about my friend’s stabbing. Sweet play, Rich. You knew I wasn’t going to be in the office today. What else did you plant on my computer? I left it here on purpose, you know.”
“No. This is all lies. He’s telling you lies.”
Just then the FBI hits the floor, Alexander directly behind them. Federal agents line the hall right outside my office. One of them points to Rich’s office, looking at Day. “Has it been cleared?”
Day shakes his head. “Not yet. We were waiting on you before entering.”
“My office?” Rich gasps, leaning against my open door, his hand on his chest, sweat profusely dripping from his forehead. “Why would you go into my office? What is going on? I didn’t do anything he’s saying. It was all him. I called you!” he demands.
Alexander steps forward, rage simmering just beneath the surface. “I had my suspicions for years, Rich, but could never prove it. It’s why I moved you up here. Far enough away where you couldn’t touch me directly, but not so far that I couldn’t keep an eye on you. You were very clever. I’d even had you investigated years ago, but nothing came of it. It’s one of the reasons I sent Brecken here.”
Rich is now whiter than a sheet, panting hard, half doubled over. “You have the wrong man. It was Davenport. He’s the one—”
“You tried setting up?” Alexander finishes for him. “Yes, we know all about it. We have surveillance video of you going into two separate banks on the Cayman Islands. The bank you used for yourself and the one you set up for James Darcy to try and pin on Brecken. We also have your flight itinerary as well as airport footage of you going from Cancun to Grand Cayman. Not to mention the evidence from your computer that you were skimming off the top for years.”
“That was another interesting little nugget I discovered when I read through all of your client portfolios,” I tell him.
“No,” Rich says, shaking his head adamantly. “That’s not true. He’s lying to you. If you found anything on my computer, he planted it.”
“You let your jealousy and greed get the best of you this time, old man,” Alexander seethes. “You were sloppy and reckless. Left a nice trail Brecken, the SEC, and the FBI were able to uncover.”
“But—”
Alexander steps to the side as an FBI agent comes forward. “Richard Marvolo, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will—” Rich crumbles to the ground, groaning in pain and clutching his chest. “Call an ambulance. I think he’s having a heart attack,” the agent says, rolling Rich’s large, sweaty body onto its back and checking for his pulse. I step back, funneling myself along the windows so they can work on him.
He won’t die. That would be too easy.
Before long he’s strapped to a gurney and EMS is wheeling him out of the building, an agent trailing along with him. Meanwhile, the SEC is still working in his office, collecting more evidence.
Once everyone is cleared out and Alexander has briefed the people on the floor, he returns to my office. I’ve been here, talking with Day and staring out my window for the last two hours, thinking. Wondering about Margot. About Rina.
About what’s next for me.
Alexander’s hand hits my shoulder. “I could use a drink. How about you?”
“Yeah.” I laugh the word. “I could definitely use something. Are we allowed to leave the floor?”