Page 20 of Nefarious
“I installed a chat application on my phone.” She swallowed hard. “It seemed like a way around the policy, but of course, we’re still wasting company time, so it only skirts the issue.”
Val snorted. “Do you honestly think that nobody has ever done this before?”
“Have you?” The girl’s hands relaxed in Val’s. Her eyes widened with an almost worshipful need for absolution.
“Ah, well, of course. Your father and I—”
“My father used chat software? But, didn’t he fire you for breaking compliance?”
Val pulled her hands back. “I was never fired. Where did you hear that?” Her voice was too sharp, and the girl jerked. Val inhaled and corrected her tone. “I left the company of my own free will. I sold my shares. I no longer wanted any part of that company after everything.”
“Wow. I’m sorry. I just thought.”
“Anyway. Focus on your work and just be judicious with the time you spend on personal matters. But thank you for bringing it to my attention.”
Selena grew serious. “I think I should uninstall the chat application. Right?”
“I suppose.” Val couldn’t openly press the girl to subvert the rules.
“It’s just that Dane told Anthony—” Her hand covered her mouth, like she’d blurted out a secret.
“Dane?” What was he up to? She should have guessed he wouldn’t be able to resist the lure of innocent blood in the water. When Selena winced and refused to reveal anything more, Val pressed her lips into a smile. “So, Anthony, huh?”
The girl’s smile was genuine. “I think so.” She hugged her shoulders. “He’s been very helpful.”
Val congratulated herself on the quick progress her little pawns were making. It was only the beginning. If only she could recruit Dane for real.
As Selena left the office, Val felt a stab of dissatisfaction at the assumption she’d been fired. It was true she’d followed Dane after he’d been forced out. Most people either correctly guessed she wanted to continue to work close to Dane or wrongly believed she’d been pressured to leave. She’d left on her own, but her reasons were more than blind loyalty to Dane.
Had she stayed on at R&M, she would have been an apparent owner, but in truth, she would have been working as an employee of Geraldo. Geraldo’s control of the board made sure of that. If she had to work for someone else, she’d rather it be someone she could manipulate.
Here, at Fleetwood Capital, although she was an employee, she wielded as much power and influence as she’d ever had at R&M. With Dane at her side, she’d learned the infrastructure and the business from the ground up. She knew all the employees. If anyone figured out what she was up to, she saw to it they no longer worked at the company. She knew who she could trust for information, and she knew how to make things happen without ever alerting the board to her actual power. She’d found working from the shadows far more effective.
After the last CEO didn’t work out, the board had almost voted to put Val in charge, but she’d suggested someone else. And within a week, Noelle Constance had been brought in. Val had expected her to be the same milquetoast girl she knew at R&M. Noelle surprised her. And that might become a problem.
It would be best to make sure the new CEO had an Achilles heel. Yes, she would leave Dane to his own devices for now.
Sophie,
God. Really. Please stop with your nagging. You have the wrong idea about Dane. Everything you’re spouting is just hearsay. You don’t think I’ve heard it all before? Your information about how he and Val were fired from their own company is completely unfounded. I heard it from Val herself. Dane and Val are two of the smartest people in the industry, and if they wanted to leave their company and work elsewhere, they must have had a good reason.
Also, stop worrying about Anthony. You have no idea what it’s like out in the real world. I mean, if you were so concerned with me breaking some ethical standards, you should have told me to stop writing you from my company email address a week ago. But whatever. You’re living in the shelter of an academic world where harboring a cat is subordination. You couldn’t possibly understand the nuances of the workplace. And you’re not my dad. I expected you to be more supportive.
It’s too bad your car broke down. I was looking forward to showing you around here. It would have put your mind at ease. Seriously.
Selena
Morty Becker made a terrible spy. He had no business being in the third-floor breakroom. Neither did Dane, but Leonard had seen Noelle in there for the past two days at around three, and he’d hoped to engage her in some conversation. She’d successfully avoided him since they’d made their wager, and he wanted to casually remind her without having to stoop to emailing her. But instead of Noelle, he found Morty. Or more accurately, Morty found him.
Dane stepped away from the coffee machine, blowing on the hot liquid. “Afternoon, Morty. Down here checking up on the customer support team?”
Morty’s suit looked like he’d dunked it in water, rolled it into a ball, thrown it under his pillow, and slept on it all night. Dane had always thought of auditors as meticulous people, but Morty was a shabby mess. He had the appearance of a dime store gumshoe detective. Or maybe Dane thought so because Morty was so obviously keeping tabs on his every move.
“The breakroom on four didn’t have the coffee I usually drink.” He selected a packet of Sumatra and dropped it into the machine. Dane made a mental note to check the fourth-floor inventory on his way back to his office.
But he had a second idea.
He reached into his pocket and moved his hand about. The pocket was empty, but if he’d had a pack of cigarettes, that’s where they’d be. He waited a beat for Morty’s coffee to finish brewing, then stepped down the hall to the elevator bank. He hit the down button. When the doors slid open, he hesitated until he caught a glimpse of Morty coming around the corner. He entered and hit the button for the ground floor.
