Chapter Twenty-Five
Dominic Corisi
L ooking out the floor-to-ceiling office window of his Boston headquarters, Dominic rolls his shoulders back and sighs. His wife, Abby, asks him at least once a year if he’ll ever retire. They’ve already donated more than half of their net worth to charities, and still rank as the wealthiest family in the world.
Don’t they already have too much?
What Abby doesn’t understand is that it’s not about the money—has never been. It’s about the ability to never again be at the mercy of someone else. Yeah, I have issues, but I own them.
And, whenever possible, I use them for good.
Alethea, a member of his security team who has proven her loyalty to him over many years, steps into his office. The tap of her high heels is as familiar as her bold entrance. She’s not the type to knock. She’s also not the type to take a locked door as anything less than a challenge .
They’re an odd pairing, each married to someone of high moral standards and endless patience. Dominic is driven to keep the people he loves safe, even if that means manipulating situations behind the scenes to do so. Alethea’s motivation is the same, but her particular skillset lends itself more to surveillance and uncovering secrets. They respect each other’s obsession as well as the importance of hiding their escapades from their spouses.
Alethea sinks into one of the chairs in front of Dominic’s desk and crosses her legs. She doesn’t waste his time with small talk and he appreciates that. “Did you read the brief I sent?” he asks.
“I did. I thought it was concept material for a sci-fi movie, but after looking into the matter, I stand corrected. Inkwell is an actual shadow organization within the US military and has been dabbling in horrific experiments on humans since World War I.”
“How have we never heard of it?”
“We don’t find what we don’t know to look for. I had to call in major favors from several countries to prove they exist at all. They don’t receive government funding, but they do have top-level access to American defense databases. They’re the kind of organization presidents aren’t briefed on. My guess is they have dirt on enough powerful people that they consider themselves untouchable.”
“Good. We’ll use that against them.”
“Do you actually believe a unit of super soldiers from World WarII was turned into silverware and needs our help to take Inkwell down?”
“Braxton Hayes is many things, but he’s not a liar. He also demonstrated his ability to regenerate a finger right in this office.”
Alethea shakes her head. “It’s the whole silverware thing I can’t wrap my head around. I need to see a person transform into a fork and come back to believe it.”
“He can’t do that.”
“But claims the others can.”
“The way I see it, Inkwell needs to be stopped regardless of possible embellishments to their history. We’ll do this Braxton’s way, but we’ll also have a contingency plan in case that part isn’t true. All I care about is that Inkwell and everyone involved is neutralized. The world my children will grow old in won’t be one ruled by evil people with some hybrid human army. That kind of power cannot be allowed to come into being. We stop them, no matter the cost.”
“I don’t know if I like this. I have to be honest.”
Dominic goes to his desk and sinks into his chair. “Which part?”
“The part that sounds like you seek world domination.”
“My goal is world protection. Subtle difference.”
Alethea sighs and shakes her head. “I know I’ve said this on multiple occasions in the past, and it has yet to stop you, but are you aware that this could get all of us killed?”
“Not if we do it right.” He taps his fingers on his desktop. “ We lure them in. Every top executive. Every scientist. Every trusted guard. Everyone who has their hand in this operation.”
“That’s ambitious,” she says dryly. “Even for you.”
“You don’t think they’re greedy enough to want some of what I have?” Dominic shoots back.
“Oh, I’m sure they are.”
“Then we make them an offer they can’t refuse,” Dominic states, his tone unyielding. “This must be flawless. Choose a bunker we can implode afterward. No weapons allowed in the facility. We’ll use encryption so advanced even Inkwell’s top programmers won’t be able to crack it. Every message will self-destruct seconds after being read, and every device we use will be custom-built to avoid leaving a trace. We promise them funding, access, and security. Let them know if we’re aware of their existence, they’re no longer hidden and safe. Tell them all I want is the ability to profit from their discoveries. Say we don’t care about the soldiers or the military benefits of their work. Tell them I’m easy to spook, so I’ll provide the space, the resources, the security for the event. But stress that I will make my decision that night and I demand to meet everyone involved. Everyone. Show them that we already know who they all are, so hiding is... futile, but stress that the payout for doing this will be immeasurable and likely remove all of the hurdles they currently face. Make the carrot appear larger than the stick.”
“Some of them won’t want to come out of hiding. ”
“Then make them want to. Or have you lost your touch when it comes to uncovering everyone’s weakness?”
She shifts then stands, looking both slightly offended as well as determined. “I haven’t lost anything. I’ll get them all in one location for you—and then I want another raise.”
Dominic barks out a laugh. “I already pay you more than the GDP of small countries.”
“It’s the principle of the matter. If I’m going to save the world with you, I believe that should put me in a higher income bracket.”
“Done.” Dominic pushes away from his desk and comes to stand in front of it. “Judy is blossoming in college. Leonardo is already thinking about where he’ll attend. We need to do this for the children—mine and yours.”
Alethea’s expression hardens. “You’re right.”
“This isn’t just about stopping Inkwell, Alethea. It’s about protecting the people they experimented on.”
Her eyes widen slightly. “Protecting or controlling?”
“Both,” Dominic admits. “If they’re real, they’re potentially dangerous and could be exploited. I could guide them, keep them focused on the good they can do.”
“Stop them from being weaponized against you.”
“Against anyone.”
“And if they don’t want to work with you?”
“That won’t happen.”
Alethea whistles. “I’m so glad we’re on the same side.”
Dominic chuckles, a low and dangerous sound. “I’ve been tempted by the dark side plenty of times, Alethea. Who better to remind them that great power needs to be partnered with kindness?”
With a flip of her long red hair, Alethea squares her shoulders. “So I’m preparing for a negation and a potential war.”
“Not if we do this right,” Dominic says, then lowers his voice. “We’re the cleanup crew for the bunker, but prepare for anything.” His smirk turns deadly. “Inkwell is about to receive a lesson in karma, and I’m going to enjoy every minute of arranging it for them.”