The Mafia’s First Love

The First Warning

A week later

Maya

I had been staring at the same three transactions for almost twenty minutes.

Something wasn't right.

I opened the first record again.

Then the second.

Then the third.

Different departments.

Different dates.

Different amounts.

But the same authorization trail.

I leaned closer to the screen.

"Come on..."

I opened the internal authorization directory.

The reference number wasn't there.

I searched again.

Nothing.

My fingers moved quickly across the keyboard.

There had to be an explanation.

"You're still here?"

I looked up.

Cecilia stood in my doorway.

I glanced at the clock.

It was almost six.

"I didn't realize it was this late."

She walked in and looked at my screen.

"You've been working on those records all afternoon."

"I found something."

She pulled a chair beside me.

"What?"

I turned the monitor toward her.

"These payments shouldn't be connected."

She studied the figures.

"Why?"

"Because they came from different departments."

I pointed to the authorization codes.

"But someone used the same internal authorization."

Cecilia frowned.

"Could the system have duplicated it?"

"That's what I thought."

"And?"

I shook my head.

"The system doesn't do that."

She was quiet.

I opened another record.

"Look at this one."

Her expression changed.

"That's a high-level authorization."

"Exactly."

"Who has access?"

"I don't know yet."

Cecilia leaned back.

"Shouldn't Dave know?"

"Probably."

"Then tell him."

I hesitated.

"I will."

She gave me a knowing look.

"You don't want to."

"I want to be certain first."

"You're stubborn."

"So I've been told."

She smiled.

Then her eyes moved back to the screen.

"Maya?"

"Yes?"

"Be careful with this."

Something in her voice made me look at her.

"Why?"

"Because if you're right, you're not looking at a simple accounting error anymore."

She stood.

"And people don't usually like it when someone starts finding things they're supposed to miss."

I watched her leave.

Her words stayed with me.

I turned back to the computer.

Then I opened the first transaction again.

The authorization belonged to someone with access far above mine.

Someone inside Garun Holdings.

Dave

I had three meetings left.

I cancelled two.

The third could wait.

I wanted to see Maya.

I wasn't entirely sure why.

Maybe it was because of the report I'd received.

Maybe it was because she'd been working on those accounts for hours.

Or maybe I simply wanted to know what had kept her attention longer than anything else in the building.

I walked toward her office.

Her door was open.

She wasn't there.

I stopped.

Then I heard voices down the corridor.

Ray.

And Maya.

I looked toward them.

Ray was holding a file.

Maya was explaining something, her expression serious.

I almost walked away.

Then I heard Ray say,

"That authorization code isn't in the compliance database."

I stopped.

Interesting.

I waited until Ray left.

Maya returned to her office.

I followed.

She looked up when I entered.

"Mr. Garun."

"You found something."

It wasn't a question.

She looked at me for a moment.

"Maybe."

I walked toward her desk.

"Show me."

She turned the monitor toward me.

I studied the records.

Three transactions.

Different departments.

Same authorization.

"How did you find this?"

"I was checking the payment history."

"Nobody else noticed it?"

"No."

I looked at her.

She didn't seem pleased with herself.

She looked frustrated.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wanted to make sure I wasn't mistaken."

I almost smiled.

Maya had stopped to verify it.

"You weren't."

Her eyes met mine.

"I wasn't?"

"No."

I pointed to the screen.

"This authorization shouldn't be appearing here."

Her shoulders relaxed slightly.

"That's what I thought."

I studied her for another moment.

She looked exhausted.

There were faint shadows beneath her eyes.

"When did you last eat?"

She blinked.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I had lunch."

"That's not what I asked."

She frowned.

"I'm fine."

"You've been sitting here since this morning."

"I'm doing my job."

"So am I."

She looked confused.

I wasn't entirely sure what I meant by that either.

I straightened.

"Go home."

Her eyebrows rose.

"Excuse me?"

"You're done for today."

"I still have work."

"You'll finish it tomorrow."

She stared at me.

"Are you always this controlling?"

"Usually."

That surprised a laugh out of her.

A real one.

I didn't expect it.

Neither did she.

For a second, the room felt strangely quiet.

Then she looked away.

"I'll finish this tomorrow."

"Good."

I turned toward the door.

"Maya."

She looked up.

"Don't discuss these records with anyone else."

Her expression changed.

"Why?"

"Because we don't know who has access to them."

She nodded slowly.

"Understood."

I left.

But as I walked away, one thought stayed with me.

Maya wasn't simply good at her job.

She was observant.

And that could become very important.

Ray

I was halfway through reviewing the compliance records when Maya's message came through.

Can you check something for me?

I smiled.

Send it.

A few seconds later, the authorization code appeared on my screen.

I searched the database.

Nothing.

I searched archived compliance reports.

Nothing.

I tried a restricted internal directory.

Access denied.

I leaned back.

That wasn't normal.

I picked up my phone.

Ray: This authorization isn't registered in the normal system.

Her reply came quickly.

Maya: Can you find out who used it?

I stared at the screen.

That was harder.

Much harder.

I opened the access logs.

The authorization had been used several times.

Not by one department.

By multiple departments.

I scrolled further.

Then I stopped.

There was a gap in the records.

Someone had deleted part of the access history.

I sat upright.

That wasn't an accounting mistake.

Someone was cleaning up after themselves.

I typed:

Ray: Maya, don't investigate this alone.

I stared at the message before sending it.

Then I pressed send.

Maya

I read Ray's message twice.

Don't investigate this alone.

I looked around my office.

The building was quieter now.

Most people had already left.

I should have gone home.

Instead, I opened the access log again.

The missing entries bothered me.

Someone had erased them.

Which meant someone knew those records existed.

I searched for another transaction using the same authorization.

Found one.

Then another.

Then another.

My pulse quickened.

I pulled up the departments.

Finance.

Procurement.

Logistics.

Corporate Compliance.

All connected.

I stared at the screen.

"That's impossible."

I checked the authorization again.

Then I checked the employee access level attached to it.

My stomach tightened.

Whoever was behind this didn't have ordinary access.

They had high-level clearance.

I reached for my phone.

I was about to call Dave.

Then I stopped.

What if the person responsible could see who was investigating?

I lowered the phone.

No.

I needed proof first.

I opened another file.

The screen flickered.

I frowned.

It flickered again.

Then everything went black.

I sat upright.

"What?"

The computer restarted by itself.

The Garun Holdings logo appeared.

Then disappeared.

A blank black screen remained.

One line of white text appeared in the center.

I stopped breathing.

STOP LOOKING.

I stared at the screen.

For several seconds, I couldn't move.

Then I heard footsteps outside my office.

Slow.

Measured.

Coming closer.

I turned toward the door.

The footsteps stopped.

And someone knocked.

Once.

I stared at the door.

Another knock.

Twice.

My hand tightened around my phone.

I didn't answer.

The handle began to turn.