Chapter 57
I asked Ethan what he was going to do with the money.
"Something good," he said. "I'm thinking a decentralized, open-source accountability project. An advanced system that monitors and roots out corruption, exposes backdoor deals, seeks the truth. Maximum accountability.”
I smiled. "Sounds like you're on the right track."
I arranged for deputies to take Casey and Ethan back home. They were safe now, at least until they exposed the corruption of another megacorporation or government agency.
My phone buzzed with a call from Paris.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Oh. My. God! You are not going to believe what just happened to me.”
I breathed a relieved breath upon hearing her voice. “I can believe it. We’ve been trying to find you. Where are you?”
"These jackasses dropped me off in Jamaica Village with a bag over my head and my wrists tied.
I thought they were going to kill me. I managed to get the bag off my head.
But let me tell you, that's not a place I want to be after dark.
I'm scared out of my mind, hustling through the streets, when I get surrounded by these guys.
You can imagine what's going through my brain. One of them pulls out a knife, and I'm thinking, great. This is it. This is how I’m gonna go out—violated and abused, then stabbed to death. Then one of them says, Hey, you’re that chick on TV.
I say, yes. I'm doing a story. I'm trying to see if anyone will help me.
Do you think you could untie me? They all looked around and said, I don't see no cameras.
The cameras are hidden, I said. To my shock and great relief, they cut me loose.
I'm in a Zoomber heading back to my apartment right now.”
Zoomber was a popular ridesharing app.
"Thank God you're okay," I said.
"Can you identify the guys that grabbed you?"
"No. They all wore masks.”
"Did you see any identifiable marks or tattoos?”
“No.”
"When you feel like it, come down to the station and make a report."
"What good is that going to do?”
"Can't hurt.”
"Well, I'm going to burn these guys down to the ground. I'm going to go live with the data you gave me at the first opportunity."
"I think that's a great idea. But we don't have to worry about Frank Macy anymore." I told her the story.
"I definitely want to interview those kids. I'm just pissed that I didn't have a camera crew to catch the satellites falling out of the sky."
"Don't worry. I'm sure every other network got it."
She sighed. "You sure know how to make a girl feel good."
"Are you sure you’re okay?"
"Yeah. A little frazzled but not too roughed up. My virtue is still intact."
I chuckled. “That's good to hear.”
Paris was almost home. She told me she’d be in touch later and ended the call.
By the time we got back to the Avventura, I was ready to fall into bed.
I slept for a few hours, but not nearly long enough. By the time I woke, Paris had broken the story. It spread like wildfire across the internet and was picked up by the national media. The FBI, DOJ, DHS, FAA, the SEC, and multiple other three-letter agencies opened investigations.
There would be class-action lawsuits and congressional investigations. Subpoenas would be issued for every major player at Valterion Capital. Would any of the real players go to jail? Probably not. But we’d done our part.
The shooter on the dock at Salt Point had been ID’d as Darius Malcolm.
He’d had priors for petty theft, battery, and possession, and had known gang affiliations.
He’d gotten popped on the theft charge with Jalen Reynolds and Terrance William Wilson—Jay Dub’s little brother.
You didn’t need to be a brain surgeon to put it all together.
I’d deal with them later, but first, I had one more trick up my sleeve. It was a long shot, but worth a try. We just had one small problem.
The island was covered with snow. Completely unreal.
Without any further manipulation, it wouldn’t last long, but the city was at a standstill.
Without the infrastructure to deal with it, the roads were hazardous.
There had been 50 fender benders across the island since last night.
The city had no plows, no way to salt the roads.
Many of the people here had never driven in snow before.
Fortunately, we had the Revenant. The XTV could handle anything.
After a late breakfast, we climbed into the beast and set out to find Ian Harrison.
With the island virtually shut down, there wasn’t much traffic out.
We passed a few cars that had mishaps along the way.
Some had slid off the road into parked cars, telephone poles, and ditches.
There they would remain until the roadways were clear.