Chapter 364: Saving the Silly Girl
Life Robotics Company? Isn't that the company Beca works for? Ron immediately made the connection.
Ron's mind raced. If Life Robotics was indeed cooking the books to inflate their valuation, as Andy suspected, in order to go public on NASDAQ and fleece investors worldwide, then hiring a forensic accountant made perfect sense.
They needed to find the holes in their financial statements before NASDAQ's final pre-IPO audit, to prepare for the upcoming scrutiny. To achieve this goal, they'd be willing to do anything.
Including silencing everyone who knew.
Wait! If that's the case, doesn't that mean Beca is in danger?
"Andy, as far as you know, how far along is the new accountant at Life Robotics in their audit? How much longer until he uncovers the fraud?"
"Hard to say," Andy shook his head thoughtfully. "Every accountant's efficiency varies. But if he's skilled enough to handle books for major criminal organizations, then I'd estimate his level is comparable to mine. He should be able to crack Life Robotics' financials in two days, max."
As a former Wall Street financier who, even after prison, received VIP treatment behind bars thanks to his elite accounting skills, Andy had every reason to be confident.
"Okay, so if nothing goes sideways, the mysterious accountant will crack it today, right?" Ron's question was answered with a nod from Andy.
"Alright, I need to head out."
Solving the mystery would definitely bring trouble to the mysterious accountant, but for a professional operator capable of solo headshot eliminations of seven hostiles, it wouldn't be a problem. The real issue was Ron's old friend, the oblivious Beca.
Ron took off immediately, driving to the address Aubrey had given him. He kept calling Beca along the way, but she didn't pick up a single time, making Ron's stomach drop.
Had something already happened to this clueless girl?
Fortunately, just as Ron was about to lose it, the call finally connected: "Hey, Ron, are you calling to ask me out to dinner?"
Ron was dumbfounded. What kind of time is this to be thinking about food?
"Listen, you airhead, I don't care where you are—go home right now!" Ron blew through a red light while continuing his call: "Get back to your apartment, grab anything you can use as a weapon and keep it on you, then lock yourself inside and wait for me. Don't open the door for anyone until you hear my voice!"
"What happened?" Beca picked up on the urgency in Ron's tone: "Wait, I know—you're messing with me again, aren't you? It's Halloween, you're definitely trying to prank me. Nice try, but I'm not falling for it this time, ha!"
"I'm not pranking you this time. The reason your company, Life Robotics, hired an outside forensic accountant is because they're preparing for their final pre-IPO audit. But their fraudulent scheme was discovered by that new guy, and to cover it up, everyone who knows is getting eliminated!"
"What?! How could they do this?" Beca was certain she hadn't told Ron anything about work, yet he knew so much, which meant something serious was actually happening. She gasped in shock.
"Shh, keep your voice down," Ron sped past a semi in front of him, now only two blocks from Beca's apartment. "Get home right now and find somewhere to hide. I'll be there in three minutes."
With that, Ron looked at the clear road ahead and floored it.
Meanwhile, Beca, after ending her call with Ron, nervously scanned her surroundings. Only when she confirmed the hallway was empty did she relax. She immediately cancelled her plan to check the mailbox and bolted home like a startled deer.
With a series of clattering sounds, she ransacked the place, tucking a chef's knife and paring knife into her waistband before diving under the bed.
A moment later, she poked her head out, reconsidered, then crawled back out, grabbed a small pot from the kitchen and put it on her head like a makeshift helmet, and finally crawled back under the bed, satisfied with her preparations.
Just as she finished her improvised fortifications, a knock echoed at the door, making Beca jump.
"Building maintenance! We're here to inspect the gas lines. Anyone home?" Two men in utility company uniforms called out, knocking persistently.
Beca pressed herself deeper under the bed, remembering Ron's words: don't open the door until you hear his voice.
"Damn it, looks like nobody's home. What's the play?" When no one answered, one of the workers asked the man in the suit keeping watch in the hallway.
"Bullshit! The security feed clearly showed her coming home. She's definitely inside. If she won't open up, kick it in! Do I need to spell it out for you?!" the suited man said menacingly. "Before her neighbors call 911, let's wrap this up! Move it!"
The man in coveralls pulled a crowbar from his toolbox and jammed it into the doorframe, attempting to force entry. Just then, the elevator dinged as it reached the floor, and a handsome man in an impeccably tailored suit stepped out.
"Excuse me, we're conducting routine maintenance on the door locks in this building. Could you give us some space?" the suited man said, gesturing to a bogus work permit clipped to his belt.
"Really? I'm the landlord. I never authorized any lock maintenance."
"We were contracted by the property management. Here are our credentials," the suited man said, his expression immediately shifting as he reached toward his waistband, as if to retrieve documentation.
But the bulge at his waist didn't look like paperwork at all. The newcomer smiled, patted the suited man on the shoulder, and the man's hand came up empty.
Where the hell was his piece?!
Just as cold sweat broke out on his back, the newcomer lowered his hand, revealing what he held: "I'm guessing you were planning to show me this, right? A 1911, Para Ordnance P14-45 with a double-stack mag. Pretty solid choice, but are you sure you know how to use it?"
With that, Ron pressed the muzzle against the man's temple: "Any last words?"
"I—"
"Bang!" The suited man had barely gotten a syllable out before his head exploded. Ron shoved the corpse aside, smoothly transitioned forward, and opened fire on the two workers preparing to breach the door.
"Bang bang bang..."
(End of Chapter)
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