30AshReasonable Demands
Ash
Reasonable Demands
Ash’s phone rang, and he glanced at it, half-expecting it to be Rowan with more Mom news, but it was Mason. Ash grimaced. He didn’t want to talk to Mason. He was about to swipe down when a text from Harper popped through.
This is Piper on Harper’s phone. Harper’s been…
The preview cut off, and Ash fumbled for the phone, trying to get the text to open. Instead, he managed to answer Mason’s call.
“Shit! Mason, I’m going to have to call you back. I think there’s an emergency with Harper.”
“Harper’s fine,” said Mason, calmly.
“What?”
Ash switched to speaker and pulled up the text.
This is Piper on Harper’s phone. Harper’s been kidnapped. We called the cops. Well, we ALSO called the cops because Cooper wants to press charges against Harper, so he called them too. It was that skank bitch ex-girlfriend of yours—Emma.
“Uh…” Ash realized he was making the vocal equivalent of static.
“Ash,” said Mason firmly. “Harper is fine. For now.”
“For now? What the fuck did Emma do?” demanded Ash.
“Ash, it’s kind of a fluid situation.”
“Fluid? What is fluid about kidnapping my girlfriend?”
“Stop freaking out,” said Mason, and Ash had never wanted to punch anyone more.
Seriously, you’re leaving me on read?
“We can take care of this. It’s not that big of a deal,” Mason continued.
I’m talking to her kidnapper!
Oh! Shit.
“Mason, what the fuck are you talking about? Kidnapping is a felony.”
“She’s not kidnapped,” said Mason. “She’s… taking a scenic tour of the harbor with Emma and Steph. It’s fine. It’s for her own good.”
Ash took a breath. If Mason knew where Harper was, then Ash could talk him out of whatever bullshit Emma had cooked up. Mason was his friend. He was a reasonable person.
“Explain to me how this is for anyone’s good,” said Ash.
He remembered attending some Van Lanken summer party on a yacht.
Ash had looked into buying one for himself but then aborted when he realized they cost two million, needed to be staffed, and came with moorage fees.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford it—it was just a waste of money for something he’d only use twice a year.
But apparently, the Van Lankens thought it was worth the price.
“Look, I know things have been weird between you and Emma.”
“She was stealing and selling proprietary research,” said Ash icily. “She put my reputation and my company at risk. She’s lucky I didn’t pursue charges against her.”
The cops want to talk to you. Detective Caine says you need to call her ASAP.
“But that would have meant telling everyone you got scammed, and no one wants to do that,” said Mason easily. “And the same is true here. We don’t want things to go public. We want to handle this privately.”
Would love to. Still on phone with Mason.
“OK,” said Ash. “Privately. Sounds great.”
She wants to know if you can record the phone call?
What was he—James Bond? He had no gadgets. He was not prepared for kidnapping.
No.
“Here’s the thing,” said Mason, and Ash’s instincts flared to life. Mason was about to try and convince him to pay double the asking price on something. “We need the Miller Project.”
Never ask why. Ask what.
“What’s driving this, Mason?” asked Ash. “What do you really need?”
Mason hissed out an angry breath.
“This is about money, Ash. Like everything.”
“I can get cash,” said Ash slowly while he looked around his condo for some hint of an idea. He walked with quick steps over to his computer and opened the Slack channel to Mel.
On the phone with Mason. Stephanie and Emma have kidnapped Harper. He says she’s taking a tour of the harbor. Piper has Harper’s phone and is with the cops.
Romeo is calling Piper. I’ve already hacked the office email address they’ve been using. Might be able to triangulate on whoever’s checking the email.
“Cash isn’t going to cut it,” said Mason. “You’re not hearing me. I need the Miller Project. I need all the research, and I need it now.”
The Van Lankens have a yacht. It might be under their father’s name. I think that’s where Harper is.
“What are you going to do with the research?” asked Ash.
The box of papers was devouring his dining room table. It would be easy to scoop it up and deliver it to Mason. He could even call the Pentagon and explain the situation. He had to do it—Harper’s life was at stake.
“That doesn’t really matter, does it?” snapped Mason.
It did matter. What was Ash supposed to tell Shihan Brad? Sorry about your brother’s entire livelihood, but I gave it to the Chinese. Or the Russians. Or whoever Mason was working for. Ash wanted to dive into the silence and yell at Mason.
Let the question hang.
Silence was always the hardest part of a negotiation for him.
“I get that you’re all noble about your investors,” said Mason. “And I appreciate that about you, but not all of us have that luxury.”
Be sympathetic but practical.
“Mason, you’re my friend,” said Ash. Had been his friend. The past tense was definitely on their relationship after today. “We can fix whatever is going on.”
“Ash,” said Mason, tiredly.
Normalize the idea.
“I get it,” said Ash. “You’ve got something going on, but honestly... we’re smarter than most people. Just tell me what you need. We can make it happen. Just like we always do.”
“What I need is for the Donil to get off my ass about the Miller Project. I need him to stop showing up at my house, and I need him to stop staring at my wife. You think Harper going for a boat cruise is bad? Try having a six-foot-six asshole deciding which part of her to carve off.”
“Russians,” said Ash evenly. “OK. That’s what we’re up against.”
“What we’re up against is that the Van Lankens have no idea how to live within a budget. Their father ran off with their trust fund, and Steph promised Daddy’s special friend Donil that we could totally get the Miller research.”
“Well, that is...”
It was a hard place to be, but mostly it was a fucking stupid place to be. Ash couldn’t believe Mason had let himself get roped into the situation.
“It is what it is,” said Mason. “So, you’re going to bring me the research, and we’ll bring Harper back, and we’ll all be fine.”
Ash tried to type quietly to Mel.
He says I have to bring him the Miller research. Then he’ll give Harper back.
Cops say agree to it.
Ash was being pushed into an agreement he didn’t want to make. All negotiation was about give and take, but he felt like he was being prevented from negotiating the way he usually would.
“I get that you don’t want to do it,” said Mason.
“But I swear no one will ever know it was you that leaked it. Just bring all the files on a thumb drive; no one will ever know.” Mason was normalizing the idea and sounding sympathetic.
Ash had learned a lot of his techniques from Mason, and he recognized that this was a stand-off.
Doing what he normally did wasn’t going to work.
Find another option.
That wasn’t a rule of business. That was karate. If Shihan was right and life was like karate, then he needed to find another option. Don’t do the expected.
“I want Harper back with me immediately after I hand you the damn research,” said Ash.
Emma is still using the phone you gave her. I’ve got a ping on her. I’ve given it to the cops. She’s definitely on a boat.
“She’s on a boat,” said Mason. “She’s perfectly safe.
Cops say go for Bell Street Pier as a location. No cruises are expected, and they can control the facility.
“But it won’t be instantaneous. Harper will have to disembark at a marina. Once we have the research—”
“No,” said Ash. “We’ll meet at Bell Harbor. I know some people. They can dock at the cruise ship terminal.”
“You know some people,” muttered Mason derisively.
“Yes,” said Ash. “I do. They’re the kind of people who like cash. Talk to Marty when you get to the terminal gate.”
Ash had no idea if there was a Marty or not, but he figured the cops could find a pretend Marty.
“Fine,” snapped Mason. “Meet me in an hour.”