Chapter 3 Inside the lions den

By eight fifteen the next morning, I was standing outside Gideon Rusk's office with a temporary access card clipped to my jacket.

I had been inside the building twice before. The first time, I had come looking for evidence. The second, I had signed a contract agreeing not to steal any.

There was something almost amusing about that.

"You're early."

I turned.

Sloane Mercer approached with a tablet in one hand and a takeaway coffee in the other. Her eyes briefly moved over my outfit before settling on my face.

"First days make people nervous," she said.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Only because you arrived before the cleaning staff finished."

I smiled. "I'll try to look less enthusiastic tomorrow."

She handed me a security card.

"Your permanent access. It opens the executive floor, your office and the conference rooms assigned to acquisitions. Anything beyond those areas requires additional clearance."

I examined the card. "And Mr Rusk's office?"

"His office is locked when he's not inside."

"Naturally."

Sloane gave me a look that suggested she wasn't sure whether I was joking.

"Come on. I'll show you your desk."

My office was smaller than I expected, separated from Gideon's by a glass partition and a narrow corridor. It had a computer, two monitors, a telephone and enough storage space to make it useful.

The desk was positioned so that anyone sitting behind it could see the entrance to Gideon's office.

He hadn't even bothered pretending this arrangement was accidental.

"Your previous assistant handled his calendar, correspondence and meeting preparation," Sloane explained. "You'll also coordinate with the acquisitions team. Mr Rusk expects you to familiarise yourself with the active property portfolio before the end of the week."

"That sounds manageable."

"It is, provided you don't fall behind."

She placed a folder on my desk.

"These are the current acquisition files. Start with the Ellery properties."

My fingers stopped on the folder.

I looked up.

"Is that a deliberate assignment?"

Sloane's expression remained neutral. "Mr Rusk selected it himself."

Of course he had.

I opened the folder.

The first page contained a list of properties that had once belonged to my family. The second outlined their current valuations. The third contained a proposed restructuring plan.

One of the hotels was scheduled for sale.

I read the buyer's name twice.

Alderwick Holdings.

It was the same company listed on the transfer document I had found the previous night.

I kept my expression still.

"Is there a problem?" Sloane asked.

"No. Just familiar names."

She nodded towards the folder. "Mr Rusk wants a summary of the proposed sale before tomorrow's board meeting."

"I'll have it ready."

When she left, I closed the door and sat down.

This was no coincidence.

Gideon had placed the very transaction I was investigating directly in front of me. Either he wanted to see how much I knew, or he believed I was too inexperienced to recognise the significance.

I wasn't going to make the mistake of showing him.

I turned on the computer and opened the acquisition database.

My access was limited, but it was enough to view the current portfolio, transaction summaries and selected supporting documents. I searched for Alderwick Holdings.

The company had been incorporated shortly before the acquisition of Ellery Hospitality.

Its registered address was a suite in Lower Manhattan. Its directors were listed as two investment firms, neither of which appeared to have a public website.

I copied the registration details into my private notebook.

Then I opened the original acquisition summary.

A figure on the third page caught my attention.

The amount transferred from Ellery Hospitality had been recorded as a short-term bridge payment. According to the summary, the money had been returned within six weeks.

But the document in my possession showed that the transfer had been made to Alderwick Holdings, not to the lender named in the official summary.

Someone had changed the destination.

I was still comparing the figures when a notification appeared on my screen.

ACCESS DENIED.

I tried again.

The file had been restricted.

I leaned back.

That hadn't happened when I first opened it.

"Having trouble?"

I nearly closed the entire window.

Gideon stood in my doorway, one hand resting against the frame.

"Good morning to you too."

His gaze moved to my screen.

"What were you looking at?"

"The acquisition summary you assigned me."

"Which section?"

"The Ellery properties."

He stepped closer. "And?"

"Your company appears to have recorded a transfer to Alderwick Holdings as a payment to another lender."

His expression changed so slightly that someone unfamiliar with him might have missed it.

I didn't.

"Where did you see that?"

"In the records."

"Which records?"

"The ones I could access five minutes ago."

He glanced at the screen.

"That file is restricted."

"It wasn't when I opened it."

"Then you should have stopped when the system denied further access."

"I did."

He looked at me.

I returned the look.

For several seconds, neither of us spoke.

Finally, he reached across the desk and clicked out of the restricted document.

"Your assignment is to prepare a summary of the proposed sale, not conduct an independent audit."

"Wouldn't an accurate summary require me to understand the transaction?"

"An accurate summary requires you to report the information authorised for release."

I folded my arms.

"That's a convenient distinction."

His jaw tightened.

"Be careful, Maren."

"Is that a professional instruction or a personal warning?"

"Take it whichever way helps you remember."

He straightened and walked towards the door.

"Your first meeting is at ten. Sloane will send you the agenda."

"Who is attending?"

"The acquisitions team, legal and my sister."

I looked up.

"Vivienne?"

He paused.

"Yes."

"Should I prepare anything for her?"

"Just the report."

Then he left.

I stared at the doorway for a moment.

Vivienne Rusk.

I remembered her from the trial. She hadn't testified, but she had sat behind her brother in the courtroom, dressed in cream, watching my father lose everything without once looking in his direction.

I had always wondered what she knew.

Now I was about to find out.

At ten, I entered the boardroom carrying my notes and a printed copy of the proposed sale summary.

Vivienne was already seated at the far end of the table.

She was elegant in a way that seemed carefully maintained. Her blonde hair fell just below her shoulders, and her pale suit looked as though it had never encountered an ordinary working day.

Her eyes settled on me.

"You're the new assistant."

"Maren Ellery."

The room became noticeably quieter.

Vivienne's smile remained in place, but her fingers stopped turning the pages in front of her.

"Ellery?"

"Yes."

She looked towards Gideon.

"You hired an Ellery?"

Gideon didn't move from his seat.

"I hired someone qualified for the position."

Vivienne gave a small laugh. "Of course you did."

I took the empty chair beside Sloane.

The meeting began with a review of the proposed sale. I followed the discussion carefully, recording every figure and every change to the original agreement.

Vivienne spoke confidently about the transaction, explaining that Alderwick Holdings had made a competitive offer and that delaying the sale would expose the company to unnecessary financial risk.

Then she mentioned the original acquisition.

"Everything connected to the Ellery transaction was settled years ago," she said. "There is no reason to reopen old matters."

I looked at her.

"Has the company verified the original transfer records?"

Her eyes moved to me.

"I'm sorry?"

"The supporting documents for the acquisition. Have they been independently reconciled with the payment records?"

Vivienne leaned back.

"That's a rather specific question for an assistant."

"Accuracy is part of my job."

A brief silence followed.

Gideon placed his pen on the table.

"She's reviewing the transaction summary," he said. "The question is relevant."

Vivienne's expression cooled.

"The records were reviewed at the time. We are not going to delay a profitable transaction because someone has developed an interest in old paperwork."

I wrote down her exact words.

The meeting continued, but I noticed something.

Whenever Alderwick was mentioned, Vivienne looked at Gideon before responding.

It wasn't obvious. It was almost instinctive.

And Gideon noticed me noticing.

After the meeting, I returned to my office and found an email waiting in my inbox.

It was from the company's internal records department.

Subject: Restricted File Access

I opened it.

Your access to historical Ellery Hospitality transaction records has been suspended pending authorisation from the executive office.

I read it twice.

Then I checked the time the restriction had been applied.

Eight forty-seven.

Before Gideon had even come to my desk.

Someone had restricted the file before I asked him about it.

I turned towards his office.

Through the glass partition, I could see him speaking on the phone. He looked calm, almost bored, as he listened to whoever was on the other end.

My phone vibrated.

An unknown number.

I opened the message.

You should not have accepted that job. Some doors are closed for a reason.

I stared at the screen.

A second message arrived.

Especially the ones connected to your father.

My fingers tightened around the phone.

I looked towards the corridor, then back at the message.

Whoever had sent it knew about my appointment.

They also knew exactly what I was looking for.

I stood and walked to Gideon's office.

He looked up as I entered.

"What's wrong?"

I placed my phone on his desk, the message still visible.

"Someone knows I'm investigating the Ellery transaction."

Gideon read it.

For the first time since I had met him, the control in his expression slipped.

"Who sent this?"

"I was hoping you could tell me."

He looked at the number, then reached for his own phone.

"Don't reply to it."

"Why?"

"Because whoever sent it wants to know whether they've frightened you."

I watched him make a call.

"Security," he said. "I need the access logs for the executive floor from this morning. And I want to know who requested the restriction on the Ellery files."

He ended the call and looked at me.

"Until I know what's happening, you won't be leaving this floor alone."

I stared at him.

"You can't be serious."

"I'm not asking."

I picked up my phone.

"Then perhaps you should remember that I'm your employee, not your prisoner."

His eyes held mine.

"And perhaps you should remember that someone just threatened you using your father's name."

I had no answer for that.

Not because he was right to give me orders.

But because the message had confirmed something I hadn't wanted to consider.