Flame & Fortune (Angels of Sojourn) Read online

  “While looking into Grief Relief, I stumbled upon a company we had been paying that doesn’t exist.”

  “That’s a good catch. Gen Power Systems has to be happy you found that.”

  “You’d think so, but they were already aware and investigating YABF Industries. I guess we’d been paying them at a PO Box, and that PO Box is registered under my name.” He dropped back in his chair with slouched shoulders.

  “How is that possible?” Was Kieran admitting to stealing? Lena’s chest tightened as she examined Kieran’s face. The softness of his eyes begged her for help, and the creases on his forehead made her want to help. Lena’s assignment had been to distract him and keep him out of trouble. Was she supposed to keep him from stealing? Or keep him from being falsely accused?

  “I—I don’t know. Someone is setting me up.”

  Was the Unfortunate behind this? Contrary to stories she was told when she was still alive, the gatekeeper had told her the Unfortunate wasn’t necessarily evil. He was just…well…unfortunate. “Who’d set you up?”

  “I don’t know. I’m shocked and can’t understand why someone would do that.”

  Lena’s stomach twisted. “Everyone has a reason. You’d be amazed at the lengths someone would go to keep from getting caught.” Lena thought to her own deception. She had lied, blamed others, and ran from her problems. The world dropped from underneath her feet as her day replayed in her mind. “I had distracted you…and now…something bad has happened?”

  Kieran smiled. “You’re a good distraction. It’s not your fault. I should have stayed and showed Fred what I found myself. It’s just…”

  “You didn’t want to keep me waiting.” Lena shrunk into the sofa. Pieces clicked together. If she hadn’t come, Kieran would have stayed at work, investigating YABF Industries himself. If he would have dug deeper into what he found, would he have discovered something that would have proven his innocence?

  Because of her, Kieran was in trouble, the opposite of what Unfortunate said. Didn’t the Unfortunate have to tell the truth? If Lena left now, would everything be straightened out? Sweat gathered on her palms. If she took off, it would be like when her charity collapsed. She had taken off and disappeared, escaping the guilt.

  She’d regretted that decision for twenty-three years. She knew she shouldn’t have stolen, but when people started to figure out Lena had been stealing, she should have stayed and straightened things out. Even if she didn’t have the money to give back, those kids still needed her.

  She had been so eager to earn the Eternal Flame and a few moments of warmth, but now, her heart filled with hesitation. She could continue with the Unfortunate’s plans, distracting Kieran, or, she could follow her heart, something she wished she would have done so many years ago. Was she certain Kieran was innocent? She watched him rub the bridge of his nose, so deep in thought. Covering up her own lies for so many years, she became good at spotting them, and felt Kieran’s words were true.

  Did she even need to make that decision now? She focused on Kieran’s situation. “Tell me everything. We need to stay one step ahead of whoever’s behind this.”

  Kieran laid out the details of how he found the fictitious company and everything the police had told him.

  Lena leaned forward, searching her mind for any lead. “Call the post office and find out when the PO Box was opened. I used to have one and remember having to show ID.”

  Kieran twisted his wrist to glance at his watch. “It’s way too late. I’ll have to call as soon as they open in the morning.”

  “How about the paperwork you reviewed today? I’m pretty good with numbers. I’m a CPA by training. I know numbers like nobody’s business.”

  “I don’t have anything here, but I have them in my office.” Kieran perked up. “If you come to work with me in the morning, I’d love for you to take a look at what I have.” Suddenly, the hint of hope on his face dissolved into a frown. He leaned forward. “You’re a reporter…I need you to promise me you’ll keep things out of the news until we figure out exactly what’s going on. If we find something, it’ll be a great story for you to break.”

  “Um…” She stopped herself from telling him she wasn’t a reporter. The truth might cause him to throw her out the door. Instead, she smiled. “I’d love to go to work with you tomorrow. I hope I can help.”

  “Good.” Kieran rubbed his temples. “There’s nothing else we can do now. I’m not tired. I feel a little…distracted. Do you have somewhere to be tonight?”

  What was he asking? Lena’s cheeks heated, and she looked away.

  Kieran laughed softly. “I mean…would you like to watch a movie with me?”

  A weight lifted from Lena’s chest as Kieran got up and sat beside her, remote in hand as he clicked on the TV. His leg fell to the side, pressing against the bare skin on Lena’s thigh and an excitement grew in her stomach. She forced herself to look forward at the pictures scrolling across the TV screen. She hadn’t watched TV in over twenty years and forgot how entertaining it could be. The other thing she had forgotten was how tired Earth made her.

  She relaxed into the sofa, keeping her leg against Kieran’s, and soon fell asleep.

  KIERAN

  Sometime after midnight, Kieran had fallen asleep with Lena curled up against his shoulder. He was certain she didn’t know she had done it, but he wasn’t complaining. When his leg accidentally brushed against hers, a shiver shot up his spine. When she didn’t pull away, he scooted himself closer.

  “Kieran?” He heard a soft, feminine whisper, then felt a wet dog nose on his face.

  Ems and Woofgang hovered over him. He tried to slide up on the sofa but stopped when Lena stirred at his side.

  “Yeah, Ems.” Kieran rubbed his face with his free hand. “I fell asleep. We fell asleep.”

  Emily pulled her dark brown hair back and pushed her glasses up before giving Kieran an energetic wave. “I’m just saying goodbye. I’m leaving for school now.”

  Kieran lifted his wrist and blinked his eyes to see his watch. He slept way too long. Reaching for his phone, he wondered why his alarm hadn’t gone off. The screen was black and there was no turning it on. All of a sudden, he remembered the bad news the officers brought last night. He pushed those thoughts away and focused on his little sister. “Have a good day. Um…Ems…do you have something for Lena to wear?”

  Ems pointed upstairs. “I have a pile of stuff I’m donating at the foot of my bed. She can help herself to whatever she wants.”

  With that, Emily turned and disappeared out the front door.

  Lena awoke and sat up on the couch. She pushed her wild red hair off her face while Woofgang retreated to his dog bed in the corner of the living room. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sleep against you. You were so warm.”

  “I didn’t expect to fall asleep anyway, but it’s okay. I enjoyed your company.” If there was one good thing about this whole mess, he was lucky to have met Lena. On top of her caring and intriguing nature, she may be able to help him with his situation at work.

  Lena smiled. Her light peach, curvy lips made him want to settle back down, pull her beside him, and ignore his troubles, but he fought those urges. “I hate to be in a rush, but if I don’t show up at work soon, they’ll wonder what happened to me.”

  After finding Lena clothes, and pointing her to the second shower, Kieran retreated to a shower himself. Every time he tried to focus on the details of his discovery at work and what the police officers had told him, thoughts of a beautiful woman showering in his home distracted him in ways they shouldn’t have. He wondered what deep hue her bright red hair turned when wet. How it hung down her back as water dripped down her skin...

  After throwing on a new dress shirt and pants, Kieran walked down the steps, tying his tie. There, leaning against the back of the sofa was Lena. She was out of the high heels and blue dress, and now wore a simple pair of dark blue jeans, a white button-down blouse, and a pair of flip flops. Water dampened her r
ed hair, giving it a gentle curl.

  Free of makeup, she was still stunning.

  He’d do everything in his power to keep her near, as long as his situation didn’t scare her away. “You still want to help me?”

  Lena nodded. “Of course.”

  Hope filled Kieran’s chest as they left his home.

  Chapter 7

  LENA

  After such a warm, cozy evening with Kieran, walking into Gen Power Systems felt out of place. Lena’s fingers tingled, wanting to take his hand and relish in his warm touch. Not only did she miss the warmth, a deep craving for human companionship awoke inside her. She’d take as much of it as she could get before returning to the Underworld. Was it only companionship she craved, or was there something special about Kieran? She watched random strangers walk past, wondering if she would have leaned over their center console and kissed them? Let their leg brush against hers? Curled up beside them to sleep?

  She stepped closer to Kieran. She wouldn’t have done that with anyone. There was something special about this man beside her. Last night seemed like a dream. Had it actually happened? The glances Kieran threw at her in the elevator confirmed something between them. Kindness and curiosity radiated from his eyes that made Lena blush.

  Her mission was to distract Kieran from something, and she had been distracting last night. Her future would be tolerable with the Eternal Flame. That made her wonder about some stories she’d heard from the Underworld’s gatekeeper and a few passing souls. A rumor had it that if the Unfortunate asked you for a favor, and you did it well, you could earn your freedom from the Underworld.

  She pushed the tingling in her belly away. How far would she go to make her life tolerable?

  As the elevator rose to the fifth floor, Kieran stepped closer and placed his hand on her arm. “Thank you.” Over their appetizers yesterday, his brown eyes had filled with joy and excitement. Today, they looked tired, like the eyes of a man who hadn’t slept in weeks.

  She smiled. “It’s not a problem at all. I want to help.”

  The memory of their kiss last night, and the desire to do it again, made Lena turn from Kieran, staring at the panel of light up buttons. When the elevator dinged and the doors opened, she stepped off with a smile.

  Lena had only been in Kieran’s office for a moment yesterday, but things looked…different. The chairs were pushed aside and the papers on his desk were stacked in one tall pile.

  Kieran cocked his head as his eyes roamed his desk.

  “Do you think the police looked through your stuff?” Lena asked.

  “They didn’t say they did, but that doesn’t mean anything.” Kieran circled his mahogany desk, sat at his black leather chair, and clicked his mouse, bringing his computer to life. He clicked the screen and type. Despite the flat monitors and different operating system, computers hadn’t changed much since Lena had died. “Look.” Kieran pointed at the screen. “Here’s another abnormality I noticed yesterday. Every month for as long as I remember, Gen Power Systems had sent twenty-five thousand dollars to Grief Relief Services.”

  Lena looked at the rows of data. “Every month through December. It stopped in January.”

  “Exactly. And nobody said anything until yesterday. Rod Wilson, the president here, announced to the CEO and Director team that we had to stop funding Grief Relief because we were not making any money.” Kieran shuffled the pile of papers on his desk, pulling out a neatly paperclipped packet. “I don’t know how they haven’t been making money. Here are my sales invoices for the past three months. I’m up over thirty percent. Then, when I looked here at our expense,” Kieran pulled up another screen and pointed. “We’ve been paying YABF Industries, nearly ten thousand dollars every week for at least six months. Money that could have gone to Grief Relief.”

  Lena looked at the rows and rows of payments to YABF Industries. “You said YABF Industries is a made-up company? I don’t know how someone didn’t notice the money going to them.”

  “Neither do I.” Kieran pulled a thumb drive from his desk drawer and inserted it into his computer. He clicked a few buttons. “I want a copy of this info so I can look at it at home tonight.”

  Lena thought back to the charity she ran. Her heart filled with sadness when she remembered some of the children’s names: Stephen Colton, Jenni Fortuna, Amelia Bey. You’d think after twenty-three years, she’d have forgotten them, but they haunted her solitude in the Underworld. If corruption at Gen Power Systems prevented a charity from receiving funding, Lena needed to intervene. She couldn’t watch another charity disappear when she could make a difference. “Tell me about Grief Relief.”

  Kieran looked up and a flash of pain ran through his expression.

  His office door squeaked open.

  “Kieran, you made it in.” Kieran’s boss, Frederick stood in the doorway.

  Kieran stepped out from behind his desk. “I was just going to find you. The police were at my house last night. They said you looked into that company I told you about yesterday. YABF Industries?”

  Frederick’s lips tightened. “I hate to do this, but we need to talk.” He turned his attention towards Lena. “Ms. Romano. I didn’t expect to see you today. I was going to contact you later, if that’s okay? Right now, it’s best if you escort yourself out of the building.”

  Lena’s chest constricted. “I’m okay waiting.” She shuffled to a chair against the wall.

  Frederick shook his head. “No. I’m afraid you need to leave. We have a crisis we need to deal with.”

  Kieran stepped beside Lena. “Fred, would you give Ms. Romano and I a minute?”

  Frederick looked around the room, then nodded. “I’ll be waiting outside.”

  When the door clicked closed, Kieran led Lena as far away from the door as possible, grabbing the thumb drive while he passed. He brushed her hair away from her ear, causing her heart rate to speed up as he leaned down and whispered, “I think I need help. Something big is going on, and they’re trying to blame me for it. Take this,” he placed the drive in her palm and clasped her hands around it. “Meet me at my house. I’m trusting you as a friend. Please take your reporter hat off.” He pulled his keys from his pocket and twisted one off his keychain.

  Lena’s mouth dried and all she could do was nod. Had she been responsible for this? Distract him. She was truly an evil soul.

  Kieran kissed her cheek. “Thank you.”

  Lena’s heart raced as Kieran joined Frederick in the hallway.

  KIERAN

  The walk to Fred’s office was uncomfortable. He didn’t say why he needed Kieran, and to fill the silence, Kieran asked him the first non-work question that came to mind. “Did Maggie like the new car you looked at last night?”

  “Very much. We actually bought it. It’s amazing how far technology has come in the past three years.” His boss’s words were flat and his vision leveled straight ahead.

  Fred opened his office door to two other people. The president, Rod Wilson, stood there, as well as someone from the HR department. The grim looks on everyone’s faces made Kieran’s shoulders tense.

  Fred motioned for Kieran to take the empty chair in the corner, closest to HR, while he sat behind his desk. “Kieran, you said the police stopped by your house last night.”

  Kieran nodded. “Yes. They said that YABF Industries, that company I asked you to investigate, had a PO Box connected to my name.”

  Human Resources reached out. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Melinda from HR. I’m here to take notes and to make sure everyone has fair representation.”

  Fair representation? Kieran’s heart raced. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Rod, who had been silently sitting in the corner, leaned forward. “Nobody is placing blame yet. We just can’t have you in this building while the police are investigating potential embezzlement.”

  Kieran looked at Fred, then to Melinda. “Am I being fired?”

  “No, no.” Fred said. “We just need to suspend
you until the investigation is over. What the police find will determine our next step. If you’re innocent, it will be a paid suspension. Consider it a vacation.”

  “I’ve been a loyal employee here for over ten years. I’d never take any money.”

  Rod stood. “Nobody’s accusing you. We’re just gathering information.”

  “It sounds like you’re accusing me.” Kieran was certain embezzlement would result in prison time if he was found guilty. Everything he worked so hard for could be taken in the blink of an eye. Sweat formed on his palms as he thought about his sister. What would happen to Ems? She already had such a tough life.

  Fred leaned forward. “Kieran, calm down. This is just standard procedure.”

  “If I was taking money, do you think I’d alert you to the fraudulent company?”

  The group stared with firm expressions. He was getting nowhere. Kieran’s hands tightened against the arms of the chair. He wanted to argue. He was being attacked—targeted—but he bit his tongue. When his parents died, he learned that nobody would take care of you as well as yourself. Everything he did was a struggle, but he always came out on top. Instead of fighting with words, he’d comb the evidence and figure this out.

  “Mr. Plugh, we wanted to give you the opportunity to come clean.” Melinda glanced at the pad of paper on her lap. “If you had any involvement in YABF Industries or any money laundering at this company, we’d like for you to let us know. We’ll go much easier on you with your cooperation.”

  Come clean? He stood, flexing his cramped fingers. “I haven’t done anything. I have nothing more to say. Are we done here?”