35. Reid
Chapter thirty-five
Reid
Three weeks had gone by since I’d been in placed into custody.
Surrounded by concrete and metal doors, fluorescent lights overhead that never turned off, infuriating silence.
I’d been reduced to this level when I was cast out of the only family I knew. Losing everything then, losing her, should have been worse than this. Because now I’d lived through it already. The loss, the pain, the betrayal. But this time it was different.
I sat on the edge of the cot, elbows on my knees, staring at the scuffed floor as another tray of untouched food cooled on the metal table, the jumpsuit they’d reduced me to scratching at my skin.
There were no charges, court date or updates regarding my imprisonment.
The government didn’t work like this. Sure, they had shitty proceedings and management, but I would’ve at least had an idea of what was going on by now. Even been assigned a lawyer to deal with arraignments and hearings until mine showed… but this was none of that.
This had been complete and utter silence. I was being kept in the dark by someone other than Uncle Sam. It had to be someone with money, someone with power, enough status to sway the federal government to do their bidding, keep me contained whether it was legal or not.
I let that annoyance build in my mind as I conjured up the possibilities of my outcome coming out of this. Because if not, my mind would drift back to her.
My Genevieve…
I couldn’t think too long about the time we spent apart. Her face when the elevator doors closed, the way she tore free of Raymond’s grip, the panic in her voice…
I replayed it more than I should’ve. Her silence in the past made leaving more brutal. But now, she wanted to be by my side, she didn’t want to leave me.
I hadn’t been allowed visits. I’m sure Alexander tried. I knew he was still moving the transfers. The silence alone told me that… or maybe it didn’t. All I knew was that if they’d caught him, I probably would’ve been interrogated by now. But no questions meant nothing had hit the radar yet.
I watched silently as a guard walked past my cell, eyes forward. They never looked directly at me. For some reason, I didn’t feel like a prisoner even though they tried treating me like one.
Another set of footsteps echoed, heavier and slower before entering a room and shutting it down the hall.
The door to my cell buzzed open and the door opened without any warning, officers entering in haste, pulling me to stand like an animal in a cage. And I let them.
Hands grabbed my arms. Cold metal clicked around my wrists, tighter than necessary. They probably wanted a reaction. I didn’t give them one.
They led me down another corridor, past empty cells, through a reinforced steel door, and into a separate holding wing, one meant for negotiation.
The cuffs were already digging into my wrists by the time the guards led me in. We were surrounded by more walls. Two guards at the door. One steel chair. No clocks, no time to keep. Only silence and confinement.
…And him.
The man waiting on the other side of the table wore an expensive dark suit. He sat like he owned the building and sitting in this room was beneath him. He also looked oddly familiar, but I couldn’t put a name to his face.
“Mr. Kaufman…” he began, his composure all too relaxed as the officers released my wrists from the cuffs. “You’ve made quite the mess. Stirred a bit of trouble in the last few months,” he said calmly, voice clipped with authority.
I remained silent, glancing to the door. The guards that led me in had left. But the other men in black tailored suits still stood by the exits like they were Secret Service.
“Do you know why you’re here?” he asked, voice smooth and certain.
I took a seat before I leaned back slightly, finally deciding to speak. “Enlighten me.”
He studied me for a moment with his calculating gaze.
“You’ve upset a lot of people,” he began, “powerful people who don’t like having their names on headlines or their money in unstable accounts.
” He leaned forward slightly, the faintest gleam of interest in his eyes.
“Newman Trust imploded faster than expected. And when it did, a lot of fingers started pointing. Misappropriated funds. Insider knowledge. Shifting assets. You’ve made enemies in high places, Reid. ”
“I’m not the one who collapsed the company,” I said flatly. “It was failing long before I came into the picture.”
“No, you didn’t,” he agreed. “You just decided to save face for a short little while before you planned to drain it all when you had enough fun playing the hero. You kept their investors happy, you gave them the illusion of control. But you were planning to bleed them dry underneath it all.”
“I’m sure you know I won’t be admitting to any assumptions you have…”
He quirked an eyebrow. “But…”
“But let’s say I did have a plan to burn Newman Trust to the ground. Regardless of where I would have hid the money, nothing comes back to me.”
He almost smiled. “You think rerouting it through shell accounts makes it clean?”
“It makes it untraceable.”
“Until it isn’t.” He tapped the folder on the table. I glanced down at it before looking back at him. “Paper trails are hard to follow. But the money doesn’t vanish into thin air. You played it smart. Fake accounts, loose assets, a couple hedge funds, companies disguised as start-ups…”
My eyes narrowed, my jaw clenching. He knew too much. “You sound confident enough to have proof.”
“I wouldn’t have put you here if I didn’t.”
I held his stare. “You’re the reason I’m in here?”
“I’m the reason they didn’t bury you worse than they did before.” He leaned forward slightly. “You’re smart, Reid. But you’re reckless. Impulsive… messy even. You need to be on a leash for a little while.”
“Respectfully, I’ll have to decline.”
A smile almost graced his lips. “I’m not giving you a choice. You’re walking the line of being pulled in every direction for federal investigations and becoming the sole king of Silicon Valley. Letting them take you under would be a mistake.”
“One I’m assuming you decided to take into your own hands.”
“Letting you go down as a liability instead of an asset would be foolish. You’re worth protecting, Reid.”
“Is that what this is?”
“For the time being, yes.” His hands drummed against the table, almost like a countdown.
“You will agree to being… placed. For everyone’s sake, including your own.
It’ll be disguised as federal custody. Keep you hidden for a while.
Silicon Valley has too much to lose if you go down under the Newman name. ”
“And if I refuse?”
“If you refuse, you’ll be placed in actual federal custody and we’ll let Uncle Sam come up with a list of charges that starts you from ground zero again.”
“I’ve hit rock bottom before… a few years in federal custody would be a walk in the park.” He went silent for a moment. “…Assuming I do have a choice or say in this?”
Still he didn’t answer right away… Why did I have a feeling federal custody would have been a better outcome than whatever this was turning into?
“The Feds only wanted to seize Newman assets,” he said finally. “They brought you in because you’re in my custody. Not theirs.”
“So you bought out the government to hold me hostage.”
“This is for your own protection.”
“You emphasized that already.”
He exhaled once through his nose. “You think any elite in their right mind is going to let the head of the fastest growing industry in the country go to waste over half a billion dollars? Over a failing business that’s been doomed from the start?
Not to mention the chaos you caused in less than three months.
You are an asset and a liability, Reid.” He leaned back in his seat.
“And assets become invaluable… while liabilities get buried if they’re deadly enough. ”
“I’m not your property.”
“You are,” he countered coolly, “because the only thing more dangerous than a powerful man… is a powerful man out of control, a man with too much knowledge, ambition… a man who knows the power he holds over the world… and takes it anyway.”
His gaze sharpened. “You will disappear, Reid. Permanently, if necessary.” He tapped the folder once.
“Financial terrorism, fraud, racketeering are just some charges off the top of my head—but God, with the evidence I can plant, you won’t see freedom again.
” Another smile widened across his face when he noticed I didn’t have much else to say.
“You think I won’t do it?” he asked softly.
I didn’t flinch. “I think you already decided.”
“Good.” He rose from his chair, straightening his jacket. “Then we understand each other.”
Yes we did… a little too well for that matter.
He grabbed his suitcase. “It’s been a pleasure, Mr. Kaufman.” He walked to the exit and I kept my eyes fixed on the wall ahead.
“Likewise… Russel.”
His footsteps stopped. He turned back to look at me. “You finally recognized who I am?”
“There are only a few elites desperate enough to stay in power. You’re so afraid your legacy will be targeted, so you jumped in front of the gun before it could fire.”
My eyes found his and I could see the fear in them for a fleeting moment before he motioned to the guards with only a tilt of his head.
Before I knew it, I was over the table, a hand shoved between my shoulder blades, my face pressed into the cold metal of the table.
His slow footsteps sounded again and he held the edge of the table, glaring down at me.
“Or maybe… I just took control of the hand holding it.”
I shoved back against the guards, the metal edge of the table cutting into my ribs as I fought for leverage. They held firm, pressing down harder.
He checked his watch, unbothered. Then he straightened once more, and walked toward the door without looking back.
“This isn’t over, Frederick!”
He paused at the threshold.
“No.” The door swung open. “This is just the beginning, Reid.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “Oh… and welcome to the family.”