Chapter 55 Stan
FIFTY-FIVE
STAN
Luc and I reconvened at the address Aidan Jr. had forwarded us—a brownstone on the Upper East Side.
Not a grody warehouse.
That meant Conor and Star had convinced him this was the right play.
Within five minutes, four town cars pulled into the street.
Within five minutes, the most dangerous men in the city were standing on the front stoop.
A maid answered when Aidan knocked. Her eyes widened at the sight of our group but she didn’t hesitate overlong. “Please, step this way, gentlemen.”
I didn’t think it was my imagination that her head bowed a scant inch when Aidan passed her by…
“We’d like to speak with your employer,” he ordered once we were gathered in the overly large vestibule.
“Of course, sir.” The woman swallowed. Just so. Ramming home the idea that she knew him. “Please, give me a moment.”
“Is this really necessary?” Zhao tugged on his shirt sleeve, straightening his cufflink.
“It’s completely necessary. Follow the money, Zhao. Cut it off and things tend to go extinct,” Finn O’Grady drawled, but then, he would.
The Irish had a lot of skin in this game.
So did the Sicilians and the Russians. The Triads? Not so much. I understood Zhao’s reticence, even if I’d shove a gun to his temple to force his compliance.
Along with the Dragon Head and his two men, Hǎo and Wén, we’d been joined by Lyanov and his two spies, as well as the final O’Donnelly—Brennan.
I stepped over to Aidan. “The maid?”
His gaze cut to me, then his lips quirked at the corner. “Well spotted.”
“Irish?”
“Of course.”
Aidan turned to the pair of us. “No Aurora?”
“She’s in my ear,” I said dryly.
“I’ll let you take point on this conversation.”
Luc’s brows about rose to his hairline, but it was Finn who demanded, “What?”
Aidan ignored him. “You know the most about this… situation. Find his pinch point and pinch.”
“What the fuck is happening? I know you can’t talk and that I’m on mute, but holy fuck I did not expect this!”
It was hard to ignore Rory’s shrieking in my ear, or Tinu’s squalling, but I had to.
Luc didn’t have much time to do anything other than nod because stomping sounded down the grand staircase toward the entryway where we were gathered. Then Graham Brackton Jr. yelled, “What the hell’s going on?”
Luc ignored him and the rest of us, and like he’d been born for this, like we were the motherfucking kings of this city, he strolled along the hallway, blanking the homeowner entirely.
“Where are you going?” Brackton screeched, but Luc maintained his silence and just opened every door.
Once he’d uncovered the room he sought, he strolled in. The rest of us waited for Brackton to race after him before following, in time to catch my brother seating himself behind Brackton’s desk.
I hid a smirk when Brackton looked like he was about to lose his shit, but the punk didn’t strong-arm Luc out of the fancy desk chair. It seemed more likely he’d stomp his foot and toss a rattle out of his crib.
“I demand to know what’s going on here! How dare you sit behind my desk?!”
Luc rocked back in the seat and rested his hands on his belly, managing to portray the epitome of calm when I knew he had to be riled up as fuck. “A wise man teaches his heir the moves he’ll have to make once he’s long gone. It seems as if you’ve been left in the dark.
“I’ve been there, Graham. I know how it feels for a bloodline to inherit the sins of the father.” His gaze finally locked on Graham, who gulped at Luc’s statement. “Unlike yours, mine was an innocent.”
“My father was a good and decent man,” Brackton argued, but he shuffled on his feet, betraying his anxiety.
“Stan, Aidan Jr. just emailed me. He says that Brackton Sr. consulted with Finn O’Grady under the financial arm of Acuig—the hedge fund, Silverston and Grayback.
“According to this email, seventy percent of the family’s fortune was invested in KinoBit. The crypto exchange.” She paused then laughed. “Which is also Acuig-owned.”
“We both know that’s bullshit, Graham. Your sperm donor was the opposite of decent, but I applaud your need to defend him.
“If you follow in his footsteps, however, you and I are going to be direct enemies. You don’t want that, Graham. Trust me.”
Deciding to wade in, I strolled behind the desk and joined Luc. “Did you know that seventy percent of your family’s fortune was invested in KinoBit?”
“Cryptocurrency is a safe bet. Anyway, who the fuck are you? Do I know you? From…” He snapped his fingers. “…Russu. That’s right. You’re…” His lips parted. “Valentinis.”
His hand snapped up to cover his cheek just as his eyes flared wide.
“The men in this room can and will tank KinoBit. Unless you’re willing to play ball.”
Brackton’s pallor turned pastier. “Why are you doing this? He died. I’m in mourning—”
“You’re not in mourning,” Luc scoffed. “At least, if you are, it won’t be your father’s death, just his money.”
“My money.”
“There you have it.” Luc laughed. “Your money. For now. Until it’s our money.”
I dipped my chin at Finn O’Grady, whose expression was a blank canvas. “Acuig operates the hedge fund that owns KinoBit, Brackton. We have your money by the cojones.”
“You’re insane,” he wailed. “This whole thing is. Look, I’ve had enough of this. I’m going to call the cops unless you get out and—”
Aidan blazed over the threat like he hadn’t heard it. “No. Actually, we’re all very sane. Your mother is too—”
His brow furrowed. “She’s sick.”
“From what I heard,” I inserted, “that’s only because your father made her that way.”
Luc chortled. “Guess that’s what happens when you’re a morally corrupt sexpest.”
A beep sounded.
Brackton dragged out his cell.
“Cryptocurrency exchange KinoBit has reported thefts of coins worth 2 billion dollars, making this the largest crypto heist on record.” Rory practically exhaled the headline as the younger man blanched.
“No. No!”
“Yes.”
“NO!” His breathing came so fast and so loud that I knew he was scant inches from hyperventilating. “No. This can’t— This isn’t possible!”
I grabbed one of the fancy fidget spinners on Brackton’s desk and began toying with it. “Of course, you can access every cent.”
“Income and inheritance tax free thanks to one of our offshore accounts,” Finn enticed.
The guy tugged at his hair like he wanted to pull it out. “How?”
“That’s my business,” the Acuig moneyman stated. “You just get to spend your family’s hard-earned cash.”
Color returned to his pallid cheeks, but I saw the hope stirring to life, hope that not all was lost. “Nothing comes for free.”
“So, you learned something at your daddy’s knee, huh?” Luc mocked.
“W-What do you want?” Brackton asked, but it was a plea.
For mercy.
Ha.
“Rescind your conservatorship of your mother and half-sister.”
“That’s it?” he sputtered.
Luc wafted a hand. “Among other things.”
“Like what?”
I grabbed Brackton’s arm, yanked it behind his back, ignoring the pissant little fucker’s screeching, and prodded until the point of dislocation. His cuff lifted and I whistled at the sight—a brand sat there. Healed. Old. What the fuck was that about?
“STOP! Please! I’ll do anything!”
I ignored his plea and snatched the switchblade from my pocket. This was normally Luc’s MO, but I’d take one for the family.
I stuck that blade in his cheek and dug the tip in. “You know what we do to our enemies, Jr.?” When he shook his head, I clicked my tongue. “I know you do. You covered your face earlier.”
“How do we mark enemies?” Luc remarked.
“You cut a ‘V’ there.” He screamed as the blade sliced through an inch of his flesh. “Please! God, stop!!”
“You can’t mark him,” Rory screeched in my ear.
Aidan plunked the pictures we’d collated on the desk, slapping proof that President Devere was a pedophile and that Brackton Sr. had been in bed with him.
I kept the knife’s tip buried into his skin. “We’re at war with the Albanians, Brackton. If you don’t want your pretty face carved up, you’ll be at war with them too.”
“Their backers aren’t people you want to piss off. My dad’s dead. They’ll kill me next!”
Baby Brackton didn’t know his mom was behind his father’s death. Interesting.
“So, you’re not as out of the loop as you’d like us to think you are…” Brennan jeered.
“If you know their backers, you’ll have heard of Cosimo Favaro.” At his immediate stillness, I whispered in his ear, “Cosimo is currently being digested by one of our pigs. If you don’t want to join him, then you’d better start cooperating with us.”
Luc chuckled as the younger man released a sob. “You’re toying with the four factions who own New York and whose reach covers both coasts. How well do you think that’ll go for you?”
Blanching, he panted. “Oh, fuck. These people aren’t who you think they are. Their ties are ancient—”
“Then you need to figure out how to juggle two masters, Brackton. We can destroy your legacy, your family, your world through these pictures. Whatever we offer you is a gift.”
“A gift? Are you being serious?!”
“How much of the Brackton family fortune did you invest in KinoBit on Graham Sr.’s behalf, Finn?” Luc asked, his tone pleasant.
“Seventy percent of liquidated assets. The returns were of great interest to your father, Brackton. The rest is locked up tight in bonds that will appreciate in twenty-four months’ time.
That means he lost seven hundred million from the heist with the remaining three hundred million locked out from early access for maximum tax avoidance,” Finn practically chirped.
“He can use his investments as guarantors?” Aidan inquired.
“No. I made sure that no one deposit was large enough for that. Each investment outside of the KinoBit account hinges on his good behavior.”