Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Rocco nodded. “I don’t think we have much choice but to trust him and do our jobs.” He felt a bit anxious since the first task was obviously meant for him, and he had a personal interest in the woman he’d been assigned to protect.
It seemed crazy and farfetched, but Rocco had the feeling Kingsley was some omniscient matchmaker—madness, of course. No one could possibly be that all-knowing.
With the official business conducted for the evening, Rocco changed the subject. It was time for everyone to get to know each other. “Hawking, are there enough weights in the workout area for you? You must bench press a small vehicle.”
His target laughed and flexed a bicep for them. “Don’t be a hater, Rocco. The girls go crazy for my muscles. Probably as much as they do for your good looks.”
“I’m only hoping one Little girl is affected by my charm,” Rocco tossed back.
“What is Sadie up to tonight?” Kestrel asked.
“Hopefully, she’s planning an early evening,” Rocco responded.
Sadie let herself out the resort door and into the warm evening air. She’d spent too much time indoors today and needed a break. Wandering through the gardens, she admired all the beautiful plants that lined the path. A flock of gardeners had descended on this green space to whip it back into shape. She definitely could see the improvements they’d made.
Taking a seat on one of the benches, she looked up at the moon and marveled that it didn’t look a bit different than it had back in the States. However, the air might be cleaner than in the large cities Sadie always ended up in. She loved working in a place so different from her last job, taking care of the books in that basement office. She’d forgotten how much more entertaining it was to work in reception. The variety. Talking to people. The challenges.
She rolled her eyes at that dismal space she’d been working in most recently. Things had gotten even worse when she’d discovered that the accounts hadn’t been balancing. Sadie hadn’t understood why Sylvester Pushkin had assigned her to work temporarily in the accounting department after hiring her for a management position. That confusion had grown when lots of time had passed, and he hadn’t seemed to be in a hurry to remove her from accounting.
At first, it had been a dream job. The person training her on their system had coached her through the process, feeding her the information and how to enter data into the software. When it had seemed confusing, Sadie had done some online research. With every bit of knowledge she’d gained, their process had seemed increasingly…wrong.
When she’d questioned how to handle the data, Sylvester had called her into his office. Talking to him that time had scared Sadie to the core.
“A bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing, Ms. Miller. We have a system here, and I expect you to follow it, chalking up any questions you have to your lack of experience. I don’t pay you to ask questions. Do you understand me?” he had asked, glowering at her from across the scarred wooden desk.
If she hadn’t, the sight of the men flanking him behind his desk had done the job. They’d looked like they could rip her head off and not feel any remorse. They probably had already done that to someone… or several someones.
“Yes. I understand, sir. My apologies. I’ll get back to work now,” she’d said quickly to excuse herself.
Sadie hadn’t waited for him to dismiss her. She’d dashed from the room, heart pounding. Returning to her office, Sadie had thrown herself into her work. As the weeks had passed, a replacement hadn’t come. She’d had no intention of revisiting Mr. Pushkin’s office, so she’d kept working.
As usual, curiosity had been her downfall. Concealing a second set of accounts in a hidden folder on her computer and emailing the results to her personal email, she’d dealt with the official accounts as her online training had taught her. The results had been undeniable. Something had been rotten in the approved method of accounting. She’d taken a big chance in sending the discrepancies between the two sets of books to her personal email, but she’d wanted to protect herself if Sylvester had tried to prove she’d been the one doctoring the books on her own.
That last day she’d come in, Sadie had known something was terribly wrong. As she’d walked through the other cubicles to reach the closet-like office where she’d worked, Sadie had caught the side looks and felt everyone watching after she’d passed. Casually, she’d glanced back over her shoulder when she’d stopped to open her door and found a number of people staring at her. With a wave, she’d disappeared inside.
Her computer had vanished from her desk and a note had instructed her to pick it up from IT. Turning around, she’d headed to that department on the other side of the building. The looks and whispers had followed her once again.