Bound by Power

Nina's day had been hell, but she was about to walk into something worse.Twenty-one floors in an elevator that moved like it was powered by asthmatic hamsters, clutching a bottle of wine that cost more than Ryan's contribution to rent this month, which was zero, as usual. Fourteen hours of making rich bastards richer, and all she wanted was to surprise her boyfriend with something that didn't involve spreadsheets or his hand.The spare key turned smoothly. Inside, the lights were low, candlelight spilled from the bedroom in warm, golden pools. For one blissfully stupid second, Nina thought maybe he'd actually done something romantic.Then she heard a woman moan, low and disgusting. "God, Ryan, your mouth.... don't stop..."Nina's brain short-circuited. That wasn't the TV, that was live. That was some bitch moaning her boyfriend's name in her god-damn apartment.The wine bottle hit the floor, she didn't even feel it leave her hand. Her feet moved on autopilot, carrying her toward the

Nina's apartment looked like a crime scene, but at least it was hers again.Well, not hers exactly, she'd checked into a hotel last night rather than deal with collecting her things from the apartment she'd paid for. But this morning, fueled by spite and coffee, she'd hired movers to grab everything while she avoided a second encounter with the happy couple. Now she sat cross-legged on her hotel bed at 2 AM, surrounded by financial documents that made her accountant brain light up.."Holy shit," she whispered.The numbers didn't add up. Actually, they added up perfectly, which was the problem.Hale Corporation' quarterly reports showed consistent growth, healthy profit margins, everything looking squeaky clean on the surface. But Nina had spent six years finding inconsistencies in corporate finances. She knew what cooked books looked like.And these were cooked to perfection.She cross-referenced the operational expenses against the reported revenue. Then she pulled up the bank state

Nina didn't sleep.How could she, with a marriage certificate contract sitting on her coffee table and forty-eight hours ticking down like a bomb timer?She sat on her destroyed couch, reading the same pages over and over until the words blurred together. One year, voting rights transferred to Victor Hale. Public appearances as needed, 24/7 security for her family.Nina's phone buzzed, it was her mom.Mom: Sweetie, are you okay? You haven't called back. Your sister said someone was following her from school today. I'm worried.Nina's hands started shaking. Someone was following her her baby sister.She typed and deleted three replies before settling on: Everything's fine. Stay inside tonight, I'll explain soon.Another text, this time an Unknown number.36 hours remaining.Nina threw her phone across the room.She couldn't go to the police. Victor was right about that, even if they believed her story about embezzlement and murder, an investigation would take months. David's people wou