19. ENCRYPTED
ENCRYPTED
KARSON
On the surface, I didn’t allow myself to brood about the newly discovered underbelly at SolStar. But it wasn’t easy maintaining the pretense of normality.
As well as my daily visits to the punching bag, I had essays due, so I’d distracted myself with assignments. But I took some time out to meet Tyler and Jamie for a swim at Summer Beach while Gus waited nearby. We laid our towels down, then sprinted across the hot sand and into the cool water.
“You can’t beat this place,” Jamie said, floating on her back.
“You got that right.” Tyler beamed. “We should come here more often.”
“Sounds good to me.” I nodded, looking around at the water, which was as still as glass.
A large school of colorful fish swam toward us. Tyler—afraid he was being attacked—accidentally swallowed a mouthful of salty water. Tyler spluttered as he hurried ashore. Laughing, we followed behind.
I grabbed my towel and watched a surfer catch a wave. A smile tugged at my lips as I remembered Ivy promising to teach me.
“No matter how often I come here,” Tyler said, glancing my way, “I’m always surprised at how shredded everyone is.” He laughed as he looked around. “Remind me to start working out more between assignments.”
Jamie sprang to her feet. “Hey, guys, who’s up for a game?” she asked, pulling a soccer ball out of her bag.
“I’m up for that.” My toes dug into the sand as I sprang up.
“Me too. Let’s go,” Tyler said, his smile lingering on Jamie.
She met his gaze, tilting her head to one side as she kicked the ball to him.
After he returned it, she juggled it over to a bare stretch of sand as he watched in awe.
I slapped him on the shoulder. “You should ask her out, man,” I said, then ran over to Jamie. Tyler followed, grinning sheepishly.
In a last-second dash, she blocked him from kicking the ball across the line we’d drawn in the sand. “Sorry, Tyler, I’m just too good,” she teased with a cheeky smile.
He laughed and threw his hands up in surrender.
We retreated to our towels; the sun tingled on my skin, a cool breeze swept over me, and I closed my eyes, soaking it in. But there was still a void in my chest. I could never fill it, not until things were right again.
“Who’s up for another swim?” said Tyler. “Last one in pays for lunch!” He whooped and hollered as he sprinted down to the water’s edge with Jamie right beside him.
They jumped into the crashing waves, diving under when they reached the deeper turquoise water.
Guess I’m paying, then, I laughed to myself as I pulled myself lazily off my towel and dawdled down to the water. After our swim, we dried off and headed toward the cafes across the road.
“I’m famished,” Jamie said as we wandered up to the shops.
“Same. What about that place?” Tyler gestured to the burger chain across the road.
“I’m in,” I answered.
After we found a seat, we feasted on burgers and I chugged iced tea as Tyler and Jamie nervously snuck flirty looks at each other.
That feeling was familiar to me. I’d had it the night I met Ivy on the Gold Coast—like the flick of a switch, flooding me with light. “Guys,” I said, rising to my feet after I polished off my fries, “this has been fun, but I’ve got assignments to finish. I’ll get the bill.”
“Good luck, man,” Tyler said. “And thanks for covering lunch.” He smoothed his still-damp hair.
“Yeah, thanks, Karson. And if there are any issues with your assignments, just ask Kelvin for help,” Jamie said before her attention wandered back to Tyler.
“Good tip.” If only she knew how much Kelvin’s helped already. “See you guys in class.”
I paid the bill and made my way back to where Gus was waiting. With every step, I wondered what else Kelvin would unearth about the hidden companies…
It was like waiting for a bomb to detonate…
I just hope Kelvin can defuse it in time.
***
I stepped toward the back door of the Range Rover. “Screw this. Gus, are you good if I ride shotgun?” I asked, already heading for the front seat.
“Sure you can, my boy. Just don’t tell me how to drive.” He chuckled, stuffing his newspaper into the side pocket of his door as his wet hair dripped onto his shorts and T-shirt.
I was glad he hadn’t wasted his time at the beach. “The rip’s strong out there. I hope you wore your floaties when you went for a swim.”
“Of course! And they’re one-size-fits-all, so let me know if you want to borrow them.” He burst into a belly laugh, making me laugh too.
As we drove back to Bronte, we chatted about Gus’s daughter and his plans for when he retired one day, then he filled me in on the latest football game he’d been watching.
He pulled into the driveway as sunlight glinted off a familiar black motorbike parked a few doors up. I swung open the door. “I’m off for a quick walk, Gus. Gotta work off that burger! I won’t be long,” I called out from the sidewalk.
“You know the deal. Don’t go far or for long,” he said wearily, the glow from his swim giving way to worry lines.
Images of what could happen if my father found out Gus was giving me these privileges flashed through my mind. My stomach twisted into a knot.
The park came into view. Kelvin sat rigidly on a park bench beneath the shade of a eucalyptus tree.
Apprehension creased his brow. “Hey, Karson. You’d better sit down for this.” He scanned the park nervously as I sat down next to him, my mouth suddenly dry.
“I’ll cut straight to the chase. No point sugarcoating it.” He raked an anxious hand through his hair. “Karlos acquired millions of dollars’ worth of illegal assets in your name.” He slowly rose to his feet, pacing back and forth as he bit down on his lip.
“Kelvin?” The hair lifted on the back of my neck. “What assets?”
He stopped pacing and looked at me as I waited, searching his face for answers.
“Illegal arms. Masses of weaponry.” A vein in his neck pulsed erratically. “Once he buys them—or technically, once you do—he marks up the price and resells them to clandestine terrorist organizations.”
I stared at him, unable to take it all in.
“He’s making a killing… in more ways than one.” A siren wailed up the street. “If they pin this on you, it could mean a life sentence.”
My heart lurched. I couldn’t catch my breath. It felt like I was underwater, struggling to break through to the surface. My lungs emptied as I gasped for air.
“Breathe, mate. There’s more than one way to fight a battle. I won’t let this fucker take you down,” Kelvin spat.
I slowed my breathing, forcing myself to calm down. “Holy shit,” I croaked, “that’s a lot to take in.”
“That’s the bad news out of the way,” he said with a hint of a smile.
“There’s good news?” God knew I needed some. “What is it?” I asked cynically. “Did my father fall off a cliff?”
“Um, not in the physical sense. By the way, this wasn’t easy to find.
” He sat down, glancing around to make sure we were still alone.
“The encryption was damn near impossible to break, but it was driving me crazy. I went at it nonstop and eventually cracked it.” He gave a double thumbs-up.
“Pretty genius, really. I ended up having to—”
“Kelvin!” I pleaded. “Just tell me what you found.” It’d better be good—or I’m going to prison.
“Right. Where was I?” He scratched his head absentmindedly.
“Oh, yeah. I’ve got evidence that it was Karlos who placed the order for those shell companies to be established in your name.
So, you shouldn’t have to spend the rest of your days rotting behind bars.
” He gave me a smug look. “You’re welcome. ”
My jaw hung slack.
“My brain almost had an aneurysm, but I also decrypted the data showing instructions from your father to purchase the weapons. If nothing goes wrong, we’ve got him by the balls,” he said, swiping away the beads of sweat on his brow.
I stared blankly into the distance as I drew in a shaky breath. “Are you absolutely certain that’s what he’s been doing? There’s no room for doubt?” I asked, appalled… even though I already knew the answer.
Disbelief turned to anger. How could my own father do this to me?
Kelvin came closer, resting a hand on my shoulder. “Look, I know it’s not what you wanted to hear—”
“You’re right. It’s fucking insane.”
“I get why you’re angry,” he said calmly.
Angry didn’t even begin to cover it. But beneath the horror, relief cracked through.
“You did good, Kelvin. You’re a freaking genius.
” I laughed, pulling him in for a hug before lifting him jubilantly off the ground.
“You’ve given me my life back. How can I ever repay you? ” I asked, setting him back down.
“You can start by never doing that again!” With a grin, he smoothed his hair down and straightened his collar. “I hope you still feel that way when you see the invoice. But seriously, Karson, watch your back. This isn’t over. He’s a slippery one.”
“Thanks, Kelvin. I owe you big time,” I called as he walked to his motorbike.
“No problem. And you know how to reach me if things go south. I have a great lawyer who helped me when things were looking very grim a few years ago,” he said with a wink before pulling his helmet over his head and racing off up the road.
Weapons. Killing. Prison. I shook my head to clear my thoughts as I strode back to the house. I need to stop him before he sells any more weapons or steals more land from innocent people. That bastard is going down.
***
It was time to sort out the mining project issues once and for all. Drawing myself up to full height, I thrust my shoulders back and hatched a plan.
And by the time my father realized what I’d done, it’d be too late for him to do a damn thing to stop me.
With my mind running at full speed, I flopped down on the lounge in the living room, switching on the flat-screen TV. It didn’t help. I reached for the remote to switch it off, but the newsreader mentioned BioBuild.
I turned up the volume and leaned closer to the screen.
“Whoever the venture capitalists were that invested in the startup BioBuild, it may be the best decision they’ll ever make,” said the newsreader.
“The company has only recently been formed, but growth has exploded at a record pace. Next quarter’s profits are on track to exceed the billion-dollar mark, cementing their place as the top-performing startup this financial year. ”
Bam! Did he just say that?
“That’s all in finance news for now. Over to you, Emily, for the Lotto draw.”
I switched the TV off as the news report replayed over and over in my head. “Growth has exploded at a record pace… profits are on track to exceed the billion-dollar mark…”
Now I can finally break free—
My phone beeped.
DYSON: Not to say I told you so, but check the news! You’re rich (but I’m richer). Haha. Crazy busy here, talk later, bro.
Smiling from ear to ear, I sent a victory hand emoji and a few laughing faces.
I felt a pressure lift, but it was time to set things right with the mining deal.
I pulled up the contract for the land acquisition on my laptop and scanned through it.
Nobody deserved to be forced off their land and out of their homes.
Maybe if my father had paid them a fair price, it could have worked.
But in reality, it was a mystery how he convinced them to accept the deal.
Kelvin offered to reach out to him if I needed any more help. Pulling out my phone, I opened my email and hit Compose.
Hey Kelvin,
I’ve got another job for you. Keep it CONFIDENTIAL. Whatever the cost.
SolStar made a land acquisition recently, but it hasn’t settled yet. Have your lawyer set things up so the contract stalls at settlement. That will give me time to sort Karlos out before he finds out. And have the money for the purchase price donated to the landowners.
You can find the details below.
There’s a bonus coming your way, bro.
Talk soon, Karson
I hit Send and smiled, glad that story would have a happy ending.
But what’s next for me?
If Ivy and I were together, I didn’t care what we did. Surfing, sailing. Traveling, or staying in one place. As long as it made her smile, I was up for it.
I already had a boat in mind I wanted to buy. I won’t be stuck in a gilded cage much longer. I’ll find a berth for it up in Brisbane. Then, when the time is right, I can be closer to Ivy, until we can figure out our next move.
I called Ivy to share the news, but she didn’t pick up.
Soon it’ll be time to deal with my father. And I knew exactly where to drive the stake—into the one thing he cared about the most. His final resting place as the great and powerful Karlos Wells would be the upcoming annual black-tie dinner for energy investors.
There would be nowhere to hide.