Several payments were linked to warehouse security contracts. Others were connected to a private transport company that had handled deliveries for the organization.
The records suggested that Daniel Reed had discovered the operation.
They also suggested that someone had arranged to silence him.
Victor stood at the window overlooking the city.
He had built his empire by believing that information was more valuable than money. A man who knew what was happening could make decisions before his enemies understood the situation.
Yet someone had been hiding information from him for months.
Someone he trusted.
His office door opened.
Marcus entered carrying a second folder.
"We found Daniel's last known location."
Victor turned.
"Where?"
"A warehouse outside the city. Warehouse Twelve."
"Who owns it?"
"Northbridge Logistics on paper. The property is controlled through two shell companies."
"Who has access?"
Marcus hesitated.
"Anthony Bell. Paul Danner. And three men from the private security team."
Victor's jaw tightened.
"Have you spoken to them?"
"Not yet. I wanted to report to you first."
"Good. Do not warn them."
Marcus placed the folder on the desk.
"There is something else."
Victor waited.
"Someone followed Elena Carter last night."
Victor turned sharply.
"Who?"
"We are checking the vehicle registration."
"Did they approach her?"
"No. They watched her leave the restaurant and followed her to a garage."
"Whose garage?"
"Her brother's."
Victor's expression became dangerous.
"I gave an explicit instruction that nobody was to touch her."
"Yes, sir."
"Then find out who ignored it."
Marcus nodded.
Victor picked up his phone and called Anthony.
The call went unanswered.
He tried again.
This time, the phone was switched off.
Victor stared at the screen.
Anthony had worked beside him for fourteen years.
He knew the rules.
He knew that Victor expected immediate answers when a serious matter arose.
And he knew that turning off his phone would only make him look guilty.
"Find him," Victor said.
Marcus left immediately.
Victor remained at his desk, staring at the photograph of Daniel Reed.
He remembered the accountant as a quiet, competent employee who had once corrected a mistake in a major contract before it cost the company a substantial amount of money.
Victor had thanked him.
He had even authorized a bonus.
Now that same man had disappeared, and someone had apparently decided that he should be blamed for stealing money.
Victor wondered how many other people had suffered because he had allowed his organization to operate through fear.
He had always considered himself a practical man.
He had believed that the world was divided between people who could make decisions and people who had to live with them.
But perhaps the division was not that simple.
Perhaps the real danger came from people who had learned how to make others afraid of asking questions.
A knock sounded at the door.
His assistant entered.
"Mr. Moretti, there is a woman here to see you."
"Who?"
"Elena Carter."
Victor looked up.
"Bring her in."
Elena entered carrying no folder this time.
She wore a dark coat over ordinary clothes. Her hair was tied back, and her expression was composed, though the fatigue beneath her eyes was obvious.
Victor gestured toward a chair.
"Sit down."
"I'd rather stand."
"Your choice."
He studied her for a moment.
"You were followed last night."
"I know."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I wasn't sure whether it was your people."
Victor's expression tightened.
"And now?"
"Now I'm here to find out whether you intend to do anything about it."
Victor leaned back.
"You seem determined to speak to me as though I am on trial."
"Are you?"
The question surprised him.
He almost smiled, but the expression disappeared before it fully formed.
"You have a remarkable talent for making people dislike you."
"I've been told."
"Do you always behave this way with men who could ruin your life?"
"Only when they have the power to stop something terrible from happening."
Victor looked at her for several seconds.
Then he nodded toward the empty chair again.
This time, Elena sat.
"I have confirmed that the payments are real," he said. "Someone has been using my companies to move money through fraudulent accounts."
"Did you find Daniel?"
"Not yet."
"But you know where he was last seen."
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"How do you know that?"
"Because the same warehouse appears in the documents I gave you."
He studied her.
"Did you investigate the warehouse yourself?"
"No."
"Have you spoken to the police?"
"Not yet."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't know who I can trust."
Victor's face became unreadable.
"That is a dangerous way to live."
"So is trusting the wrong person."
For a moment, the room was silent.
Victor turned toward the window.
"When I was younger, I thought loyalty meant that people followed my instructions. I thought that if I gave someone enough money, enough opportunity, and enough protection, they would remain loyal."
He looked back at her.
"Perhaps I was wrong."
Elena did not answer immediately.
"People can be grateful and still disagree with you," she said. "They can respect you without obeying everything you say. And they can work for you without being loyal to you."
Victor considered that.
"Is that what you think of me?"
"I don't know you well enough to decide."
"Most people have already decided."
"Most people haven't had a conversation with you."
Victor gave a quiet, humorless laugh.
"That may be the most accurate thing anyone has said to me in years."
Elena leaned forward.
"Mr. Moretti, I didn't come here to discuss your reputation. I came because someone is trying to stop me from telling the truth."
Victor's expression hardened.
"And you believe I can protect you?"