Before she got close to Teton, she pulled off the road near a Wi-Fi hot spot and sent a few work documents and emails to her personal account. Not quite legal, maybe, but she wasn’t taking any chances with Keith. The laptop had important information on it, and it was company property. If she confronted him at the resort, he could confiscate the laptop before she had a chance to review her emails and documents.
The question was...would she confront him?
The rational part of her brain was telling her no. Don’t confront him. You haven’t done anything wrong. They can’t pin anything on you. Just keep your head down. Or better yet, give two weeks’ notice and get out. That rational voice in her head told her that confronting Keith wouldn’t do her any good.
But the irrational part of her brain, which seemed to make up the vast portion of her mind at that moment, told her she didn’t have to put up with this. That she couldn’t put up with this. That she needed to take a stand.
After all, keeping her head down hadn’t done her any good in Tahoe. More than that, this time she actually knew. She knew they were engaged in something illegal, and she couldn’t just walk away.
But, her rational brain poked in to say, it’s only another case of rich-on-rich crime. Those people and their money are none of your business.
“That’s true,” she whispered to herself as she pulled up to the resort. Rich people stealing from their rich investors. That had nothing to do with her.
Except that they’d pulled her into it.
She had no idea what she was going to do when she got out of her car. And no idea as she got off the elevator. And still no idea as she entered her office and closed the door.
But she got a glimmer when her door flew open a few seconds later and a self-righteous executive manager stepped in. “Where exactly have you been?” Dawn snarled.
“Out.”
“Oh, is that right? And did you happen to see my husband while you were out?”
God, they were back to this again? Charlie did not have the time or patience for this today. Or ever again. “No,” she managed to choke out.
“I checked the video, you hussy. I saw him go into your apartment!”
“What?” Charlie shot out of her chair. “Are you kidding me?”
“Oh, please. If you think—”
“Lady!” Charlie screeched. “I am not screwing your husband! Now show me the damn video!”
That snapped Dawn out of her rage. Unfortunately, Charlie was just starting hers.
“Unbelievable,” she muttered as she brushed past Dawn, who blinked several times and drew her hands close to her chest as if to make herself less of a target.
Charlie headed straight to the surveillance room. “When?” she demanded over her shoulder.
Dawn seemed to be regretting her outburst now. “Oh. I’m not sure. It was probably... I was probably mistaken. I’m sorry, Charlie. Just forget I said anything.”
“That is not going to happen. So either tell me when you saw it or I’ll spend all day looking and I’ll announce to everyone what I’m doing.” She nodded at the man currently sitting frozen in front of the monitors. “Hi, Eli.”
“Um...hello, Ms. Allington.”
Dawn snapped, “You can go, Eli!” and he stood and slipped past them. “Listen,” she continued as soon as he’d left. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I’ve been under a lot of pressure.”
“Just tell me already.”
Dawn looked over her shoulder as if she were afraid her husband were standing there. Or she was hoping he’d come save her from her idiotic outburst. But no one arrived to offer rescue, and Dawn slumped in defeat. “Around twelve-thirty.”
“This afternoon?”
“Yes.”
Charlie muttered, “We just can’t keep our hands off each other, I guess,” and pulled up the correct camera feed.
There he was, giving a perfunctory knock on her apartment door, as if he already knew she wasn’t there. Then he used a key and slipped right inside. “When does he leave?”