Chapter 15

 

Lena spent the majority of Monday morning undergoing more testing and treatment for her various injuries, starting with the second-degree burns on her back. They’d done the majority of the debridement while she’d been unconscious, but the tissue was far from healed. Dr. Sharpe, who had been her trauma surgeon, had broached the subject of scar removal and referred her to a plastic surgeon. Although Lena didn’t relish the idea of carrying such extensive reminders of the explosion, she was finding it difficult to devote much thought to the matter at the moment. Between her persistent postoperative headaches, the pain from her fractured ribs and collarbone, and the metaphorical mountain of stress she was under, she was having a hard time focusing on much else.

As she was settling back into bed with the help of a pair of nurses, her attention was drawn by a knock on the door. Wyatt was holding it open for Shirley, and Lena glanced in surprise at the clock on the wall, realizing with chagrin that her nap would have to wait. The morning had flown by, and as much as she’d have liked to close her eyes for a few hours, she’d been looking forward to Shirley’s visit. The woman’s cautious expression twisted into one of sympathy the moment she caught sight of Lena, and to Lena’s surprise, she quickly found herself engulfed in a gentle hug. Shirley had always been a friendly presence at GC, but Lena had never truly bonded with her. Death, she supposed, had a way of bringing people together.

“I’m so sorry for your loss, dear. I mean… Ms. Gardner,” Shirley corrected as she drew back. Lena shook her head dismissively.

“Just Lena, like always.”

“You’re my employer now,” she pointed out, glancing self-consciously behind her at Wyatt.

“You’ve called Dad by his first name for years. I think if he could waive the formalities, there’s no reason I can’t do the same.”

Lena followed Shirley’s gaze and waved Wyatt back to his post. Her bodyguards were no longer keeping watch on their own; they had been joined by a uniformed officer from the Seattle PD. Although Agent Ramsey hadn’t yet been able to interview her in person, she’d spoken to him on the phone. Ramsey had offered to put an agent outside of her door, in light of the recorded threat they’d taken into evidence. Lena had preferred their resources be put to better use, but Ramsey had insisted on doing something and had arranged for a police detail instead. Officer Wilcox was polite and unobtrusive, but his uniform was conspicuous in the sterile hospital hallway.

“How are things at GC?” Lena asked, getting straight to the point. Shirley took a seat in what had become Owen’s designated chair at her bedside.

“As well as can be expected. I think we’re all still in shock…”

“Me too,” she admitted softly. The mere act of saying the word ‘dad’ aloud still brought a lump to her throat that she forced herself to swallow yet again. “How has it been this morning? Is Owen doing alright so far?”

“Mr. Langford is doing very well. He handled the morning departmental meeting like a pro. For the most part, everyone has been respectful, though of course many were surprised by his… promotion.”

“I’m sure. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you all more notice. You said, ‘for the most part.’ Who has been disrespectful?”

“Well… Mr. Phelps was perhaps more surprised than anyone else,” Shirley replied a bit nervously.

“Ironic, since he knew before anyone else,” Lena muttered, rolling her eyes. “But I expected his attitude. I’m almost surprised he didn’t throw a little tantrum when I told him about it the other night, but I suppose he’s too collected for that. I can understand why people might raise issue with my putting Owen in charge, but…”

“You needed someone you could trust,” Shirley supplied, her expression shrewd.

“Exactly. I know you’ve never been overly fond of Phelps, but we’ve never really discussed it in plain terms.” Lena watched as the older woman looked away in hesitation, as though considering her response very carefully. “Please don’t be afraid to voice your opinion. You won’t offend me.”

“Well… To be honest, I’m relieved Mr. Phelps will not be taking over as CEO. I know your father trusted him, but I never really understood why. I’m glad you don’t share his…”

“Delusion?” Lena offered wryly.

“Oh, I meant no disrespect,” she replied quickly, but Lena held up a hand to stop her.

“I know. It’s alright. I’m no fan of Phelps either, and I’m glad there’s at least one other person at GC who hasn’t fallen for his bullshit.”

“I’m sure I can’t be the only one. There’s just something about him that makes my hair stand up.” Shirley gave a little shrug of her shoulders as though to ward off a chill, and Lena nodded in agreement.

“You’re not wrong. I’m going to tell you something, and I need you to keep it to yourself. Don’t discuss it with anyone but me or Owen and never mention it outside of this room. I know you’re loyal to GC and to my family. You’re one of the few I trust.”

“Of course.”

“I suspect that Phelps is embezzling,” Lena revealed, and Shirley’s eyes widened in alarm. “I noticed the signs about six months ago, and I did bring it up with my dad, but…”

“Nate wouldn’t hear a word against him?” Shirley guessed.

“That about sums it up.”

Lena went on to explain her reasoning, leaving out her suspicions about the shooting and the bomb. She didn’t want to frighten Shirley to the point that the woman might not be able to keep up the charade of neutrality around Phelps.

“Is there any way I can help?” Shirley offered. Lena was silent for a moment, considering the benefit of having another set of ears to the ground at GC.

“If you hear anything that might be relevant, let me know. Otherwise, I just need you to keep doing what you’re doing. Help Owen. Don’t give any outward indication that you dislike Phelps. We need him to stay right where he is until we’re ready to have him arrested. We can’t have him suspecting we’re onto him.”

“What about that daughter of his? Is she under suspicion too?”

“We don’t know, but at this point, we’re not willing to rule it out,” Lena replied. Shirley nodded thoughtfully.

“The guy has a lot of nerve. Playing the grieving friend and business partner after stealing from the company, trying to take over everything while you were unconscious…” Shirley trailed off, her expression sour, and Lena felt a surge of renewed hatred for Phelps.

You have no idea.

 

 

Near the end of her lunch hour, Shirley left to return to GC, offering Lena a parting embrace that felt almost maternal in nature. As soon as she was gone, Wyatt stuck his head back into the room.

“Yes?” Lena asked tiredly.

“There wasn’t time to mention it earlier, ma’am, but someone named Declan Yates dropped off a laptop and a new phone for you while you were away from your room this morning. He said you were expecting them and gave specific instructions that they were not to be left unattended.”

“Yes, bring them in, please.”

All thoughts of taking a nap promptly evaporated, and she struggled to sit up a little straighter in bed. She needed another round of pain meds, but she put off calling the nurse. She could tough it out a little while longer if it meant finally getting the answers she’d needed for so long. As Lena removed the computer from its padded case, she spotted a post-it note stuck to the top. Declan had scribbled his phone number and an instruction to call him from the new phone as soon as she was ready to log into the server he’d set up.

“I’m sorry I was away from my room when you stopped by earlier,” Lena apologized once they’d exchanged the standard pleasantries.

“No apologies necessary, Ms. Gardner. I just didn’t want to put the log in criteria in writing. Better to give it to you in person or at least over a phone line I know is secure.”

“I completely understand. Thank you for your caution. I’m ready when you are.”

Declan gave her the username and password before taking a few minutes to explain how to access everything. He was still running several reports, and he advised that it would likely take a few days before all of the information was compiled. He’d started with Phelps, and he was now digging into Madalyn’s computer activities as well. Lena thanked him and promised to call if she had any questions about anything. She was almost certain Phelps had an accomplice, and his daughter was the most likely candidate. For this to have gone unnoticed for as long as it apparently had, he would’ve needed someone he trusted helping to cover his tracks, and who better than a daughter who worked in the Accounting Department?

Over the next few hours, Lena scoured the six accounts that Phelps had been keeping locked down. Declan had hacked the encryption with relative ease, but he’d still voiced his personal suspicion that someone who knew what they were doing had set it up. Lena had no idea how tech-savvy Phelps or his daughter might be and made a mental note to check through IT’s help desk ticket records for each of their names.

She started with the two government accounts and was not particularly surprised when she found nothing of consequence. Those contracts would have been subjected to greater scrutiny, and it would've been difficult for Phelps to have manipulated them in secret without outside help.

From there, Lena moved on to the four civilian accounts, only one of which was large enough to legitimately warrant oversight from an executive level employee. Although she knew she would need to go through it more carefully, its sheer size made it a less likely candidate for fraud. The remaining three companies were much smaller and needed more scrutiny. On the surface, they appeared to be legitimate companies, but her confusion grew steadily as she began to delve into the financials of each.

Lena had spent a lot of time at Gardner Components over the past three years. She’d sat in on meetings, listened to the endless chatter at Nate’s business dinners, and poured over financial reports. She’d studied the GC portfolio from cover to proverbial cover. Why, then, was GC paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to foreign companies she’d never even heard mentioned? Lena had never so much as seen these company names in the system until the first time she’d looked at Phelps’ hidden accounts.

She’d googled each of them that night back in October, and they’d all had authentic-looking websites. Other than those websites, however, there was no trace of them anywhere on the internet. Declan had sent her an email with the details of what he’d discovered about the companies so far, postulating that they were, in fact, shell companies. All were apparently affiliated with banks in Indonesia, which had no extradition treaty with the U.S. There wasn’t enough information yet to prove the companies were fictitious, but Declan’s ‘worm’ was still hard at work. They would have to be patient a little while longer.

Lena remained glued to the computer until another knock at her door distracted her, and she looked up to see Owen walking into the room, his arms laden with takeout bags from their favorite Thai place. Although she was certain her fatigue showed in her welcoming smile, she was relieved to see him. She was eager to discuss his day at GC and to share what she’d gleaned from her research so far. He put the food down and crossed the room to kiss her, lingering just long enough take her mind off of their troubles in exchange for a few minutes of bliss.

“You’re tired. And hurting,” he declared with a frown, caressing her cheek gently. “Didn’t you get any rest today?”

“Not much,” she admitted. “I’ve been distracted. I’ll sleep tonight, though. We have a lot to talk about. How’d it go today?”

Owen gave her a thorough recounting of his day as they ate dinner, and Lena noted that there was significantly more confidence in his demeanor than there had been when he’d left that morning. She couldn’t help but smile at the change. It suited him well.

“The press is getting a bit overwhelming. I didn’t realize it until I left the office this evening. There are reporters camped outside the hospital and GC. Mary went to pick up a few things for us from the apartment, and she said there were even a few reporters lurking outside our building.”

“For Christ’s sake,” Lena muttered. “I would imagine they’re hounding the police and the FBI too. They could end up slowing down the investigation.”

“I thought so too. Denise McMillan wants to do a press conference, or at the very least, she thinks we need to release a public statement about Nate’s death and the changes at GC.”

“Well, we both know I won’t be up for public appearances any time soon. Do you think you’re ready for that?”

“I guess we’ll see,” Owen shrugged deprecatingly. “I’m not sure how to answer questions about my qualifications.”

“Then don’t answer them. You can just read a statement, stand for a few pictures. As for your qualifications, I agree that not many people are likely to understand why I chose you unless they know you personally, just as they probably won’t understand why Dad left the company to a nineteen-year-old with minimal experience. Maybe we should just refer to you as my fiancé and explain that GC is a family-owned company.”

“You want to announce the engagement?” he smiled.

“Why not? It’ll make the whole situation a little more logical to some people, and we don’t have to give any more details about it yet. Besides, if your handsome face is going to be in the papers, I’d prefer to let everyone know that you’re taken, Mr. Langford. I’m sure they’d love to name you the city’s ‘Most Eligible Bachelor’ or some such nonsense.”

“Well, there will be none of that,” Owen chuckled. He gazed at her adoringly for a few moments, but his brow furrowed when he caught her wincing. He returned her laptop to its padded sleeve and reached over her to press the call button on the bed rail. “Time for more medicine, baby. No arguments.”

Lena groaned softly, wishing she had the strength to argue against it. Despite having had plenty of things to hold her attention, she’d missed him throughout the day. She’d become accustomed to his constant presence at her bedside, and watching him walk out the door that morning had given her a momentary feeling of separation anxiety. Her own weakness had irritated her, but now her need for him was stronger than her pride.

“Will you sleep over here with me tonight?” she asked once the nurse had left. Owen had changed into a t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants, and the sight of him made her long for their home and their bed. She needed to feel his arms around her.

“If you’re sure you’re up to it. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t. She gave me the good stuff. I’ll be dead to the world in a few minutes,” Lena chuckled. “Come lay down.”

Owen turned off the light and settled onto the small bed next to her. There wasn’t really enough room for both of them, but after having spent the day apart, they were craving one another on a physical level. Lena snuggled into him and breathed him in, already drifting. It was remarkable how quickly his mere touch could comfort her. The medication was taking care of her physical pain, but it was Owen who soothed everything else. Her grief, her heartache, her stress… He quieted her mind so that everything dissolved like darkness eradicated by his light.

“I love you,” she murmured.

“I love you too.”

 

 

Tuesday

 

“What time did Ramsey say he’d be here?”

“Eleven,” Lena replied, watching with a resigned smile as Owen tied his tie. As much as she hated his absence, she was enjoying this new persona. He’d almost always worn a suit to work as an intern, but there was something different about it now. The new confidence he projected made the whole ensemble even sexier.

“I’ll take an early lunch. I want to be here.”

“Logan should sit in too. And Wyatt,” she added.

“I agree. Try to get some more rest this morning, alright? Your doctor said they wouldn’t need to change your dressings again until tonight. I’ll be here for that too,” Owen promised. Changing her bandages was always a bit of an ordeal.

“I’m going to talk them into washing my hair again. Sponge baths aren’t enough. I want a shower.”

“You don’t seem to have a problem with sponge baths when I do it,” he teased, leaning down to press his lips to hers.

“Yeah, well… That’s different. Don’t forget to call the university today. Tell them they can contact me if there are concerns.”

“Yes, dear,” he grinned. “See you in a few hours.”

Once Lena was alone, she immersed herself in Phelps’ computer files yet again. Declan’s ‘worm’ had unearthed more information in the last twelve hours, and she wanted to get a better idea of just how much money had disappeared into the three mysterious companies. In all three cases, the individual transactions were relatively small, proportionately speaking. A hundred grand here, a quarter million there... Adding up the various transactions for each company took hours, and as the grand total inched toward a cool ten million, Lena felt her tedious self-control begin to slip.

Ten million.

She could feel herself trembling slightly as she stared at the number. It was more than enough to sustain Phelps quite comfortably if he chose to run, but considering his personal net worth, the number wasn’t nearly as high as Lena would have expected if Phelps had been doing this solely for the money. She’d always suspected there was more to it than that, and the fact that his games had turned deadly seemed to prove that point. This was never about money, Lena shook her head in disgust. This was a quest for control, pure and simple. The text on the screen became blurred as her eyes filled with unshed tears. Phelps had stolen millions from GC even after the company had made him a billionaire in his own right, and still, he’d wanted more. He wanted control of every single thing Nate had owned.

And he’d been willing to kill for it.

A sob rose in Lena’s chest, making her broken bones ache painfully. She’d been fighting the full force of her grief for days, but as the numbers swam on the screen in front of her, she couldn’t find the strength to keep the tears at bay any longer. She squeezed her eyes shut only to see her father’s face in her mind, his expression identical to the last time she’d seen him. His lips had been parted in shock, and his eyes had shone with the same hurt and disappointment she’d dreaded seeing since the day she’d realized she would never be happy at GC.

She’d been so certain that staying the course to please her father and repay the karmic debt she owed had been the right thing to do. She’d made his life’s work her own and had deliberately ignored her dreams in favor of his. Lena had bottled her anger and resentment and sealed it so tightly that an explosion of truth had been inevitable. Her heart burned with regret at the thought that that explosion might have killed Nate in the figurative sense just before a real one had taken his life. Even if she lived to be a hundred years old, she would never forget the look on his face.

Lena didn’t realize her painful sobs had risen in volume until she heard the door opening and footsteps rushing into the room. But the hand that touched her tear-stained cheek did not belong to Cook or Wyatt.

“Baby, what is it?! What hurts?”

Owen’s worried tone only made her cry harder, and when she opened her eyes to look up at him, she spotted Logan standing near the open doorway as though uncertain whether he should stay or go. Lena allowed herself to melt into Owen’s embrace, but she was unable to articulate anything coherent through her tears. He shushed her gently, stroking her cheek as he glanced curiously at the open laptop. It took him only a moment to determine what she’d been doing, and he felt another wave of anger toward Phelps.

“Shhh… It’s alright. You need to breathe. I know you don’t want them to come sedate you. Breathe with me, baby. In… Out…” He coached her much as Mary had coached him in the ER, but he knew this was no panic attack. Lena’s grief had finally caught up with her, just as Dr. Maitland had predicted.

“He killed Dad because he wants GC,” Lena said haltingly, her words interrupted by intermittent gasps. “Stealing from him wasn’t enough. He wants the company, and he’s willing to kill to get it.”

“I’m not going to let anything else happen to you, Lena.” Owen’s voice was firm and authoritative. “He won’t get another opportunity to hurt you, and we will not let him win. I swear it. If he runs, we’ll find him. I don’t care how long it takes. He’ll pay for what he’s done.”

Lena forced herself to focus on his words and truly believe them. Phelps had thrown all of their lives into such chaos. He was a man with a violent agenda and virtually unlimited resources, and the prospect of being in his crosshairs was terrifying. Where would it stop? How far would he go to get what he wanted?

Her bloodshot eyes settled upon Logan, Wyatt, and Officer Wilcox, who were all hovering awkwardly around the open doorway. They were only a fraction of the security team now assigned to protect Lena and Owen, but their presence did not dispel her anxiety. Although she’d once hated the notion of round-the-clock protection, it now seemed that no number of armed bodyguards would be enough to make her feel safe. As irrational as it might be, the only thing that made her feel even remotely safe was to be in Owen’s arms.

It took several long minutes for her tears to ebb, and when another suited gentleman appeared in the doorway, she looked at him with bleary eyes.

“I apologize if I’ve come at bad time,” the man said politely, pausing to flash an FBI badge. “It’s good to finally meet you in person, Ms. Gardner. I’m Special Agent Kurt Ramsey.”