Perfect Fit by Brenda Jackson Page B

with a client,but he should be on his way back to the office. He indicated he would be working late tonight. You may want to try him on his cell phone.”
    “Thanks, I’ll do that.” She then tried reaching Erol on his cell phone but got his recording instead. Deciding not to leave a message, she had disconnected the call and placed her mobile phone back into her purse when Adam Montgomery returned. She could tell by the look on his face that he was not about to deliver good news.
    “It seems, Miss Dunbar, that all but one hundred dollars was taken out of that account as well, on the same day, and again by Mr. Carlson, who is listed on your account.”
    Sage’s blood immediately went cold. She didn’t want to believe what Adam Montgomery was saying. It couldn’t be true. There was no way Erol would have touched her money without first discussing it with her. There was no way.
    “Are you sure?” she asked, in a voice that trembled so bad she could hear it.
    Sad, apologetic eyes met hers. “Yes, Miss Dunbar, I’m sure. Here is the document for that transaction if you would like to see it.”
    Sage took the second document he handed her. She had to see it for herself. When she did, a part of her wanted to believe it was all a mistake and this couldn’t be happening. She tried to think of some explanation, some excuse, but couldn’t come up with anything. She took a deep breath, forcing herself not to panic, not to jump to conclusions. There had to be a logical, acceptable reason why Erol had done this, and she intended to find out just what it was.
    She stood on shaky legs. “May I keep these papers?”
    “Certainly, and if there’s anything further we can do, please call and let me know.”
    Sage nodded and turned and walked out of the man’s office, literally fuming. When the elevator door opened she rushed inside, quickly pushing the button on the console that would take her to the parking garage. She had to see Erol. He had a lot of explaining to do.
    By the time Sage walked into Erol’s office less than fifteen minutes later, she was boiling mad. After leaving the bank, the more she had thought about what Erol had done, the angrier she had gotten. Since it was past closing time, she had met his secretary on her way out.
    Without wasting any time, she walked down the hallway to his office and immediately opened the door. He glanced up, both startled and surprised to see her. He stood and came around his desk. “Sage? What are you doing here? When did you get back in town?”
    She inhaled deeply, again trying to find a logical explanation for what he had done. “I returned earlier than planned,” she said as calmly as she could. “Didn’t your secretary tell you that I had called?”
    “Yes, but I assumed you had called from Alaska.”
    She clutched the straps of her purse that hung on her shoulder as she struggled for control. Before her stood the man she loved, the man she was planning to marry. Suddenly she was seeing him as a man who had taken over fifty thousand dollars out of her bank accounts without telling her.
    “No, Erol, in fact I was calling from the bank. Iwent there when my bankcard was declined for a purchase and I couldn’t understand why.” Her heart broke with the expression that suddenly appeared on his face—one of guilt.
    “Sage, I can explain,” he said, taking a step toward her.
    She automatically took a step back. “Can you? How can you explain taking fifty-two thousand dollars from my account without mentioning a word of it to me, Erol?”
    He breathed in and said, “I was trying to find the perfect time to tell you. In fact, I had planned on telling you everything when you got back.”
    Sage became livid. “When I got back! What was wrong with telling me before you did it!”
    “I knew you wouldn’t go along with the reason I needed the money.”
    “Which was?”
    For a long moment he didn’t say anything; then he said, “An investment deal. Edwardo told me about