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Chapter 25
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THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR Chapter 26
Here’s the gist of the article, which we read huddled over the kitchen table – with a couple cups of coffee.A bizarre turn of events has revealed that billionaire architect Grant Carlson, one of the richest men in the US, has a secret art collection probably worth as much as his private fortune. Unfortunately, all the paintings are stolen.NYPD officers responded to a call on Tuesday afternoon by security staff at Carlson’s private residence. It appears there was a raid by a group of men posing as FBI agents, who presented a warrant to Carlson’s security staff. But the men were not who they said they were.“Everything looked official – it was like a real raid with the warrant and the body armor and the blue jackets with the yellow letters and everything,” said Jim Kucher, the head of Carlson’s private security detail. “But they weren’t the FBI.”The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington headquarters confirmed Tuesday night that they had not conducted any raid on Carlson’s prop
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR Chapter 27
Grant stands over me nervously. “What are you doing, again?”“I’m going through a deep web connection and filtering it through a – nevermind. I’m making it look like we’re in Mexico. That’s all you need to know.”“You sure it’s foolproof?”“Nothing’s foolproof, because fools are so ingenious.”He looks at me like Quit fooling around.“Hey, I don’t have to do this,” I say. “In fact, I don’t want to do this.”“Just go ahead and do whatever you’ve got to do.”“Then quit hovering over me like a helicopter parent.”“Fine.” He starts pacing behind me, which is only marginally better.“What happened to that ice water in your veins, dude?” I say as I put the finishing touches on the reroute.“It’s there when I have control over the situation. I don’t have any control over the situation here.”“I don’t know that being chased by Dobermans is ‘control over the situation.’”“It is when I’m in the moment. It comes down to what I do. Here… I can’t do anything. I’m totally reliant on you.”For some
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR Chapter 28
Grant parts the Venetian blinds and looks out at the street. “There’s an old Chrysler out there I can hotwire pretty easily.”“You can hotwire cars, too?” I ask, incredulous, as I root in a closet and find a baseball cap for him and a hoodie for me.“We rappelled down a skyscraper. You think hotwiring cars is complicated?”“Okay, okay. How fast can you do it?”“30 seconds and we’re on our way.”“Why not a taxi? Is it really worth taking that risk?”“Considering our pictures are plastered all over every newspaper and television broadcast in the state right now, yeah, I’d say it’s worth the risk.”I sigh. “Alright, let’s go.”“By the way, that was really hot how you handled Epicurus on the computer,” Grant says, giving me a mischievous look. “Stupid, but hot.”“Funny, I’ve been thinking the same about YOU since I found out your ‘hobby’ yesterday. ‘Hot, but definitely stupid.’”He grins. “Are you ready?”“No. Does that matter?”“Not really. Let’s go.”And then we’re out the door.The hot
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR Chapter 29
First we make our introductions, which are awkward to say the least. You know, given that we just broke into their home through the bedroom wall. The brunette’s name is Lily; she’s Connor’s fiancée. The bodyguard’s name is Johnny. Grant met them months before, but they didn’t recognize him because of the sheetrock dust.Speaking of which, we wipe off the worst of the white powder, but we’re not offered showers or clean clothes. There’s the unspoken threat that we might be going to the police station very soon.Grant tackles the elephant in the room immediately. “I’m assuming you’ve seen the news?”“News? What news?” Connor jokes. “You mean the national, wall-to-wall coverage?”“It’s not what it looks like.” Grant looks over at Lily. “Someone’s trying to destroy me through the media.”“I have a little bit of experience with that,” Lily sighs – and suddenly I know where I’ve seen her. She and Connor were part of a huge scandal about six months ago where they were photographed having se
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR Chapter 30
“Why the hell do you need my private jet to take you to Paris?” Connor asks.“I can’t exactly arrange my own flight, now can I?” Grant answers. “Law enforcement has probably grounded all my planes, and good luck trying to bribe a private pilot to get me out of the country.”Connor shrugs. “For the right price…”“I don’t know who I can trust. I don’t even know if I can trust my own men right now. You’re the only one I could turn to.”“Lucky me,” Connor sighs. “Why Paris? Why not somewhere they can’t extradite you?”“Because I’m not worried about being extradited; I’m worried about Epicurus. I need a country that has cutting-edge technology if Eve is going to have a shot at discovering who he is, and Mauritania or Cambodia isn’t going to cut it. Plus, I have connections in Paris. It’ll be easier to go underground there.”“Hm,” Connor says. “Look, I want to help you…”“…but?”“If the authorities find out, I’m in as much trouble as you are.”Grant scoffs. “Unlikely.”“Well, a shitload of
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR Chapter 31
The take-off goes smoothly, and we settle in for the long flight. The cabin is sumptuous but small. Completely unlike Grant’s plane – which makes sense for a small jet kept off the record books, to be used only when ‘the shit hits the fan.’But since there isn’t any real privacy, there isn’t any hanky-panky this time around.“It’s almost noon, so that should put us into France around 7PM Eastern time, which is… 1AM local time,” Grant calculates.Connor arranged to have us land at a small private airfield, where Mike would get refueled and then turn around and head back.“What’s the plan once we get to France?” I ask.“I have some property in Paris – ”“We can’t use it.”“It’s owned by a shell company.”“What, Palladin Terminus Inc.?”Grant gives me a dirty look.“I found it when I was trying to get my cell phone back from you,” I say. “If I know about it, you can bet Epicurus does.”Grant shrugs. “Fine. We’ll find some empty place like we did in New York, and we’ll lie low while I co
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR Chapter 32
The French-accented voice echoes over the megaphone again. “I repeat, this is the Police Nationale! You are surrounded! Exit the airplane and surrender!”Grant jumps back from the light flooding the windows and turns to Mike. “We’ve got to get out of here. Now.”Mike just flew us here, from New York to France. He’s a former fighter pilot who went on combat missions in Iraq. I doubt much gets to him, but even he looks a little rattled. “What?!”“Take off. Get us back in the air.”After the initial burst of shock wears off, I realize it’s not so crazy an idea. Let me rephrase that: it’s technically possible. The jet’s engines are still running. Mike never shut them off after we landed.Definitely a crazy idea, just not… so crazy.Mike looks stunned, then points out the obvious. “That’s the French police out there!”I’m about to say, He’s right, Grant. Give it up – we tried, but we lost. Then he rips the rug out from under me.“You don’t know that,” Grant says.“Don’t know what?” Mike a
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR Chapter 33
The wind is whistling eerily through the bullet holes in the glass windows. But I realize that no oxygen masks have fallen out of the ceiling.Come to think of it, I have no idea if small jets like this even have that capability – but then I decide they must. Billionaires are even more invested in keeping themselves alive than airlines are.“How come we can still breathe?” I call out.“We’re flying relatively low. We can’t go too high or we’ll depressurize,” Mike shouts from the cockpit.“Just as long as you can get us to the Channel,” Grant yells back. “How long till we’re there?”“Ten minutes.”“Can’t we go any faster?”Mike looks back over his shoulder in irritation. “Ten minutes is pedal to the medal, bud! We’re flying full throttle here!”Grant walks up to the cockpit. “Can you do me a favor?”“What, besides flee the French authorities and get myself shot at?”“Five million should buy me that and more,” Grant retorts.“You’re going to milk that for all it’s worth, aren’t you.”“Y
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THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR Lily
The only part that was slightly sad was that Connor’s mother and brother didn’t attend. His mother was still under heavy psychiatric care. She wouldn’t have even known what was going on, according to Connor. As much as I disliked Lenora Templeton, that news saddened me. I only wanted her out of my life. I didn’t want her to end up like this.His brother had checked himself into rehab. Though he sent his congratulations, Vincent told Connor that he didn’t think he could attend, knowing what Miranda had done and how she had met her end. He felt he was still in too precarious a situation emotionally to leave the safety of the rehab center.I know that Connor still bore a lot of anger and hurt towards his mother and brother, but he would have liked to have had them there – as long as they behaved themselves.Things were improving, though. His mother was gradually getting better, and Connor had worked out a deal to take over as interim CEO of the Templeton Group while his brother was in r
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR Lily
But as far as wedding days go, it wasn’t the only one.Come on, I’d gotten married in sopping wet clothes, on a deserted island in the Caribbean, with only four people total in attendance.Did you really think I wasn’t going to have a billionaire-style shindig, with all my family and friends?Connor and I decided on it spontaneously, as soon as we got back home. But rather than hold it in New York City, with all its bad memories from the last couple of weeks, we held it two weeks later in Lake Cuomo, Italy. Have you ever seen pictures of Lake Cuomo? It’s like an Italian Renaissance fairytale. George Clooney bought a residence there, with good reason – it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth. And that’s where we had our wedding.There was only one shadow hanging over the entire day.After we were escorted back to St. Vincent by the policemen, Connor immediately hired a team of divers to go down to inspect the yacht’s wreckage. There was one body in particular he wanted found.B
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR Lily
It turns out Johnny was right: we didn’t see a single shark the entire way.That doesn’t mean it was a piece of cake. What with Johnny and Connor’s wounds, and my needing to rely on their help when I was tired, it took us almost an hour. By the time we got to the island, we were exhausted. But Sebastian was there to greet us. As we approached where the waves started to break, he saw us and started yelling and waving ecstatically from the beach.“A little help!” Johnny shouted at him. Sebastian immediately raced out into the waves and dragged me to shore. “Thank God, thank God,” he kept sobbing as he helped me lie down on the sand. Then he went back out and helped Johnny and Connor limp their way onto the beach.We all collapsed next to each other. Connor and I held hands as we stared up into the blue sky, too weary to speak.“I thought I’d never see you again,” Sebastian said, wiping tears from his face.I was touched; it was the most vulnerable I’d ever seen him.“No such luck,” Co
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR Lily
The happiest moment of my life was when Connor proposed to me.The second was when he burst through that door.And the third was seeing the look of surprise on Miranda’s face when she realized what I had done to her.While Connor kept her talking, I picked the lock and undid the handcuffs from my right wrist. (Bobby pins to the rescue!) Then I grabbed Miranda’s arm and slapped the cuffs on her.Anytime I’m ever depressed about anything from now on for the rest of my life, I’m just going to remember the look of surprise on that murderous bitch’s face, and everything will be better. Instant anti-depressant.Miranda yanked her arm up with a clank! of the chain, but she was locked to the metal armrest of the chair – which was bolted to the floor.She screamed in fury, and pulled the gun’s trigger.BLAM!But I’d purposefully bumped her aim away from Connor – so all that happened was one of the creepy glass spider cases shattered into tiny shards.The gunshot hurt my ears, but I’d been expe
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR Connor
I couldn’t take the shot. I wasn’t Johnny; my aim was good, but not stellar, and the floor was already at a 20 degree tilt. Miranda had her gun at point blank range to Lily’s head. If she pulled the trigger before I got her – I slowly held my .45 away from my body and let it fall to the floor.All the ugliness I knew was inside Miranda revealed itself on her face. It was the evil leer of a serial killer, the grin of a Great White Shark.“I win,” she gloated.My heart sank.It was over. I had failed.I looked at Lily, both sorrow and love welling up at once. She was seated in some sort of chair bolted to the floor, and was handcuffed to the metal armrest.Lily’s eyes were frantic, but her lips were moving. She was mouthing something…Keep her talking.I couldn’t tell for the life of me what she had in store, but I complied. I looked up at Miranda. “You win. You can do with me whatever you want, but please – let Lily go.”“Don’t waste your breath,” Miranda snarled. “Walk towards me w
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR Lily
The door suddenly burst open, and there stood Connor with a gun in his hand, just like the star of an action movie.My heart soared with love – and fear. Because Miranda was standing behind my chair, just like the villain in an action movie.I was between them – Miranda’s human shield.I felt the barrel of Miranda’s pistol jam against the back of my head.“Drop it,” she commanded, “or I kill her.”Connor looked at me helplessly.“Don’t worry about me – shoot her!” I begged him.But he wouldn’t take the chance. He held the gun slowly away from him and let it fall to the floor. CLUNK.I felt Miranda’s pistol stop pressing against my scalp, then saw it appear next to me as it pointed at Connor.“I win,” she said, and I could hear the sneering triumph in her voice.
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR Connor
I rushed over to Leo’s body, staggering in the tilting hallway as I ran.He was lying face-up on the ground, a pool of blood spreading out beneath him on the floor.He saw me coming. Tried weakly to lift his AR-15 – I put two more rounds in him with my .45.BLAM BLAM.He lay still after that.Adrenaline coursed through me like a drug, sharpening my senses while making everything unreal.I felt sick. I had just killed a man. I had just taken a life. He was a traitor, yes, and someone who was planning to hand me over to be killed – but still, I felt queasy.Lily.She was all that mattered. I pulled myself together.“Nice shooting,” Eve said in my ear. “Oh ye of little faith.”“What?” At first I thought she meant something about me doubting my abilities to shoot someone, which didn’t make any sense.“You thought I was a turncoat? AGAIN?”“Oh,” I said sheepishly. “Sorry about that.”“Hmph. We’ll talk later. Go down the hallway the way you were originally heading – there’s a half-dozen g
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR Lily
BOOM.There was a massive explosion somewhere on the ship. Every glass pane in the spider terrariums rattled, and a couple cracked.“What the hell?” Miranda said, and stumbled to her feet as the yacht began to tilt to one side.After my initial shock from the blast, I watched Miranda’s face. She was reacting with more fear – in fact, with more emotion – than I’d ever seen her display before.She looked back at me, her eyes wide with surprise.After all the indignities the bitch had put me through, I couldn’t resist. “Guess my fiancé’s here,” I said, and gave her a little smile.
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR Connor
I was halfway down the deck when Eve spoke in my ear. “Connor, there’s a problem.”“What?” I whispered.“Juan and Leo are on the other side of the yacht, but I’m not getting any video feeds of them.”There was a dull WHUP in the distance, then another one a few seconds later.Not like gunshots, exactly. But they did sound like a heavy book being dropped on a wood floor.I ducked into an alcove with a door in it, and hunkered down into a squatting position. “Juan? Leo?”“We separated, and Juan ran into a guard,” Leo’s voice said. “Juan’s dead, but I got the other guy before he could sound the alarm.”SHIT. Already things were going to hell, and we’d barely engaged the enemy yet.But… something didn’t make sense…I frowned. “I heard two silenced shots. How come I didn’t hear any regular gunfire?”“They’ve got suppressors, too. The first one was the guy shooting Juan, the second was me shooting the guard.”I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something seemed off. I just chalked it up to
