Generation Lost (Gray Wolf Security #17)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“What the hell is happening in Washington?” asked Nine. “Why would we get into bed with these assholes?”

“We’re missing something big,” said Gaspar. “I know one thing. I’m getting fucking tired of presidents who aren’t playing straight. I feel like we’ve been lied to, manipulated, and used for every damn purpose known to man. I want to protect my country. I want to serve my nation but not under any of these assholes. It doesn’t matter what party they belong to, it doesn’t matter if they’re left or right, they all seem to be giving us the shaft.”

“I couldn’t agree more with that,” said Ian.

“So, do we just stop?” asked Nine. “Do we stop this altogether?”

“No,” said Ghost. “We all know we can’t. We’ve tried that. But taking shit on from the government? No. I think we talk to the boys and come to an agreement on what things we’ll take or not take. I know we’ve done that before, but this time we mean it.”

The others chuckled, shaking their heads.

“We always mean it,” smirked Trak. Miriam knocked on the door, entering with a frown on her face.

“Shit. What now?” asked Ghost.

“Be nice, and I’ll tell you,” she said with a sly grin. “I’ve been doing some research on the mortgage industry.”

“I thought that was solved,” said Nine.

“The one we were looking into is solved. But I started looking at all the small lenders in the country. Not the big banks or big lending institutions, small ones like this one.”

“And?” frowned Gaspar.

“Many were doing the same thing that Midwest Mortgage was doing, but on a smaller scale.”

“What do you mean?” asked Ian.

“I mean, over a period of ten, fifteen, twenty years, they raised required escrow amounts, interest rates, or insurance rates just enough that the homeowner didn’t complain too much. It wasn’t out of sorts like Midwest. They did it in a smart, underhanded way.”

“Smart and underhanded don’t usually go together,” said Wilson.

“In this case it does. I only went back twenty years, but do you know what all those additional fees add up to?” They all stared at her, waiting for her answer. “One hundred and ninety billion dollars. Billion!”

“What the fuck?” was the echo in the room.

“Checks were sent at the end of the year to a government-owned account, although for the life of us we can’t seem to find what department owns that account. This was done with the government’s knowledge, and the money was being sent to them. Rizzoli got greedy and took it too far. She did it all at once.”

“And these other homeowners, were they displaced? Was their land turned into casinos?” asked Nine.

“A few sold off, but not many. Those that did, it was a variety of things built in their place. Shopping malls, casinos, parking, it didn’t make any sense at all. But it’s not about what’s getting built. It’s about this funding something for the government.”

“That’s what you think this money is doing?” asked Jean, looking at the woman. “You think they’re funding something with all of this?”

“I think it’s obvious they are, but it’s something they don’t want the American public to know about and something that could cause problems for every administration. Think about it. This has been going on for at least four, maybe five different presidencies..”

“What do we do, Miriam?” asked Ghost.

“I need help from the tech team. Big help. We need to find out exactly where this is going and what it’s funding, and so far, I haven’t been able to pinpoint it due to the number of servers it’s bouncing off of.”

“Get Pigsty and Victoria to work on it,” said Nine. “I think they’re best at this.”

“I can help,” said Tony, gliding into the room. They all looked at him, almost forgetting that he was the true resident genius. A ghost, but a genius.

“Tony, I think if you can help, brother, then please do.”

Tony smiled, nodding at the group of men. Had he lived, Tony would have been a grown man, probably with children of his own, possibly grandchildren. Instead, he was stuck in the life in between as a young man of only eighteen. He’d given his life for Rachelle and Alexandra, and none of them would ever forget that sacrifice.

“Just tell me what to search for on the computer,” said Miriam, looking at the ghostly teen.

“Actually, I’ve been able to use the computer for some time now.” Everyone raised their eyebrows, staring at him in disbelief. “I know it’s weird, but like food and flesh, we’re able to touch certain things. Maybe God or someone decides we’re supposed to, and we can. I don’t know.” He shrugged his shoulders, and Nine laughed, shaking his head.

“Well, I don’t care why. I’m just glad you can help us further, Tony.”

“Gaspar, y’all need to see this,” said Alexandra, coming into the room. She turned on the large television screen and turned up the volume.

“The president’s approval rating has gone from a dim thirty-seven percent to nearly sixty percent after the recent arrests of two groups of terrorists in our country. Sixteen males from Iran and twelve males and females from Pakistan have been arrested just in the last few weeks with stockpiles of weapons found in their homes.

“The anonymous tip was sent to the FBI and Homeland. Plans were made to infiltrate the group, and arrests were made. Here’s the president now.”

“Good afternoon. We are proud of our continued efforts to stop terrorism on American soil. These men and women intentionally purchased weapons with the intent to kill Americans. My administration will not stand for this, and we will wipe the streets clean of these types of people. They will be removed from our country. One way or another.”

“It’s all about image,” said Ian. “It’s about his image and the image of his cabinet. This has happened before. We’ve seen it with almost every president. They catch a war criminal or a terrorist group, they stop a bombing, and suddenly, their approval ratings are sky-high. We’ve been fucking used!”