Untangling the Black Web

by T. F. Jacobs

  Evan is asleep in the bed across from me, and Aly is sitting in the seat by my side.

  We stopped the website from going live before we left Jones and Connelly. Now our release date is set for tomorrow afternoon, just in case Jones and Connelly have anything up their sleeves.

  All I can think about is the fact that I’ve lost. That I’ve failed Lexi. That everything I’ve worked for hasn’t mattered. I think of the lines I crossed for nothing. Brit deported, Dominique dead, and who knows what has happened to Alex and Rob.

  The only saving grace is the fact that this settlement will mean all of the treatments Lexi went through will be paid for courtesy of American True Care.

  Aly is silent beside me. I know she feels the same defeat as I do.

  But maybe she’s right. Maybe we can still work together to expose it.

  She closes her eyes, and her head falls gradually until it lands on my shoulder.

  It’s the second time, and this time, I don’t try to shrug it off.

  I let her sleep the entire way back.

  It’s dark by the time we are at John Wayne Airport in Orange County.

  Aly blinks her eyes open when the pilot announces our final descent.

  Evan lets out a giant yawn.

  Aly pulls her head from my shoulder when she realizes where it’s been. She blushes.

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  Her sleepy, almond-shaped eyes and flushed cheeks are welcoming, and it takes an extra second before my attention is drawn away.

  We thank our pilots and stewardess, then head to the parking lot.

  “Evan, why don’t you head home? We’ll catch an Uber. I’ve already caused enough trouble for you and Christie.”

  “Trouble? That was the most exciting thirty hours I’ve ever had. Just let me know how the settlement meeting goes tomorrow. And tell me if you need anything else.”

  We hug, and then he sets off on his way.

  . . .

  The Uber takes us to my car in Anaheim, and a half hour later we’re outside a hotel near Aly’s apartment in Koreatown. We figured it was safer for her to stay away from her apartment until tomorrow at least.

  She lingers a moment before getting out. I can feel it too—both of us are scared. Both of us don’t want this moment to end.

  “Well, this has been something,” she says.

  She looks me in the eyes.

  “Sure has. I’ll let you know what happens tomorrow. If all goes according to plan, we’ll each be a couple million dollars richer.”

  She smiles, but it’s an empty smile.

  “Look,” she says. The way she says it makes my heart heave. “I know we nearly died—multiple times—but I’ve enjoyed working with you.”

  My breathing stops. I can tell something’s coming.

  She smiles.

  “Maybe we can meet up for a coffee when this is all over?”

  Her words hit me like a dagger, sending a surge of emotion through my body. We both know what she’s asking me isn’t just about coffee.

  I glance forward at the steering wheel, trying to find my words. And suddenly, they come.

  “You know, I never thought I would end up with Lexi. I always dated nice girls, and Lexi was something else entirely.” I pause. “Lexi was bold and brash and some might even say rude.” I stop as I fight to keep my emotions under control. “But she stole my heart. And the more time I spend with you, the more I realize that you are one of the nice ones. In fact, you may be the nicest girl I’ve ever met.”

  I look up at her, tears welling in my eyes.

  “You are exactly the type of girl I thought I would have ended up with. Beautiful, caring, smart, and nice. But instead, I met Lexi. And although she wasn’t nice, I grew to love her more than anything in the world. Her being gone feels like a part of me is missing. And even though she’s gone, I’m still as in love with her as the first day I met her.”

  The tears start to fall. I think of Lexi’s head on my shoulder on that train. Of her chasing behind me up the steps. I think of her sitting with me on the way back to our missed stop. Of her hazel eyes and loose ribbon-curled brown hair.

  “I know you only asked me to coffee, but I’m just not ready to start something new. I’m not ready to leave her behind.”

  Aly sits unmoving for a long minute, and then nods. There’s sadness in her eyes, and I know my words hurt.

  There’s something here, but I just can’t do it. Not right now.

  “At least not today.”

  Aly nods again.

  “I get it. I wish I had someone who would do for me what you’ve done for Lexi. You are one of the good ones, David.”

  More tears stream down my face.

  Then, Aly leans over the center console, and presses her lips against my cheek. Her lips are warm and soft, and they send a tingling feeling through my neck and down my spine. They press firmly against me, then release.

  I breathe hard.

  “Bye, David.”

  She closes the door, then turns and walks inside a posh skyscraper hotel.

  A moment later, she disappears out of sight.

  . . .

  The elevator stops on level ten; the executives’ floor.

  When the doors open, I’m immersed in a world that’s completely foreign to the one I occupy on the fourth floor. This world only has glass walls, concrete floors, and spacious glass offices. Gold chandeliers light the entire stretch, and there’s a massive glass-walled boardroom straight ahead.

  Several black suits are already sitting inside with their backs turned to me, and there’s a woman by the door.

  The skin-tight dress, straightened black hair, and heavily made-up face would be recognizable anywhere: Rebecca.

  She’s probably scheming up last-minute plans on how they can screw me over.

  I approach the boardroom, and as I do a man I don’t recognize stops me. He’s younger than the men inside, and his suit is not nearly as expensive. Maybe security?

  “I’m going to need you to leave your phones with me. I’m also going to need to frisk you for any electronics or wires. This room is a secured facility. No technology allowed inside whatsoever.”

  This isn’t something I anticipated. But I don’t see any way around it.

  I nod, take out my phones, and place them in the plastic tray.

  Rebecca opens the door and peeks her head out with a fake smile. “We know how much you love to record things. Sorry, you won’t be doing that in this meeting,” she says.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  The security guy starts at my ankles and works his way up my body with extreme care. They aren’t messing around.

  After two full minutes, he lets up.

  “Clear,” he says.

  He opens the door for me.

  When I step inside, a dozen sets of eyes fix on me. Each of the men stand, and the sound of twelve chairs sliding back in unison fills the space.

  The room has four glass walls, and on my left is a window looking out over the Pasadena Country Club far below. Suddenly all four walls turn to a hazy gray.

  I’ve seen this before in high-tech movies but never in person.

  “That should help make things a little more private,” a man with a deep southern accent says.

  After surveying the faces, I’m surprised when there are several I recognize.

  First is the one with the southern accent, Ron Davies, the high-profile CFO of American True Care. His blue eyes and buzzed gray hair would be recognizable to a large number of Americans across the country from his many appearances on CNN, Fox, BBC, ABC, NBC, and who knows how many other news outlets. I’ve never actually seen him in person because he’s based at our corporate headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.

  In a company of over three hundred thousand employees, it’s not often someone down several levels of the food chain gets the attention of someone at the very top. But clearly, I’ve got it.

  The
question is: is this a good thing, or bad thing?

  Sitting beside him is the COO, John Williamson, another gray-haired man who’s had his fair share of time on the news. Beside him is Robert Simpson, a heavyset man known as one of the best lawyers in the nation. In law school I actually studied his cases from the nineties on the Russian oil crisis. He won every single one. And a few years later, American True Care recruited him for some astronomical amount of money. He’s been winning for them ever since.

  There are several other men I don’t recognize, but each looks dignified, rich, and important.

  Rebecca sits at the end of the table. Her cleavage puffed out for anyone and everyone to get a good peek.

  I won’t be one of those people.

  “Have a seat, Mr. Higgins,” Ron Davies announces as he gestures toward a seat on the other side of the table.

  On cue, all twelve sit back into their chairs, and I follow suit when I reach mine a second later.

  One on twelve. Here goes nothing.

  “As you can already see, this room is one hundred percent secure. No devices, no electronics, no recordings. Just you and us,” Davies continues. He turns to Rebecca.

  Rebecca takes over. “You obviously got the attention of some important people. Congratulations. If it wasn’t for your friends in Congress, you certainly wouldn’t have gotten this meeting.”

  There’s the Rebecca I know. I wondered if she was going to put on a milder façade given present company, but it looks like she’s sticking to her guns.

  “What is it you are looking for, Mr. Higgins?” Davies asks.

  I turn to him with conviction.

  “I want you to buy our silence. Mine, Aly’s, and my brother’s. And for that matter Alex’s and Rob’s if they are still alive.”

  The room is silent.

  This time, it’s Robert Simpson, the lawyer, who answers. “Let’s pretend we knew who these people were. Why on earth would we buy your silence? Last time I checked, you still receive a paycheck from American True Care. You also signed an NDA that allows us to sue you into another country, to put it lightly. We already have your silence.”

  I had a feeling they’d play dumb. That they’d threaten me. But they aren’t the ones with leverage anymore. I am.

  “Let’s cut the BS, why don’t we? You know exactly who they are. You also know exactly what information I have on you. All the videos. All the files.”

  I let my words sink in. Give them a little scare. Let them think I still have one of the flash drives. It’s a bluff, but they don’t need to know that.

  “That’s right. You missed one of our flash drives.”

  A few of them steal glances at each other. This tells me exactly what I need to know. They were the ones to take the drives. And none of them are confident in the fact they got them all.

  I continue. “Lastly, you know that we have the Speaker of the House and the majority whip watching our backs.”

  Wide eyes glare back at me. Some seem surprised by my bluntness. Some unfazed. Rebecca is grinning.

  I can’t wait to wipe the smug smirk off her face.

  Robert stands, his fists curled into balls on the table in a power posture. “Look, David, your intentions are admirable, but there won’t be any settlement happening today. I don’t care if you have the president or the pope in your goddamn pocket. You’re toast. You have nothing. Nada. Zip. You understand what I’m telling that small little brain of yours?”

  And this is exactly what I predicted their next move would be: strong-arming.

  Time to push their buttons.

  “I guess I should feel lucky I’m alive. That it? Lucky I didn’t take a couple bullets to the head?”

  “Look, David, I don’t care what you think you are going to get out of asking us a question like that, but like we said before, this room is not being recorded. If you think anyone is going to believe anything you tell them about this so-called meeting, you are dead wrong,” Robert snaps.

  “I’m not leaving here today with nothing. You are not just going to get away with murder. We need assurance this is over. That we can go our separate ways and never look back. So maybe you think I have nothing, but you are the ones who are wrong. I bribed a congressman with prostitution and got it approved by Rebecca here.” I point toward her, and her face goes red.

  I continue. “I also blackmailed the majority whip into putting forward an American True Care bill. And I exchanged sexual favors with Senator Ford of New York in order to put forward an American True Care bill.”

  This time Rebecca stands to reply. “David, we are well aware. We’ve all seen your performance. We really enjoy the faces you make when you get excited.”

  The room bursts into laughter.

  She stands up, drawing everyone’s attention to the curves barely concealed by her skin-tight dress. Robert’s eyes are glued to her ass. “What’s funny, David, is that you were the one to commit these crimes. And the Lobbyist Code of Ethics holds the lobbyist responsible, not the company who employs the lobbyist. So if you think those little videos are going to hurt us, you are very wrong. The only thing those videos will do is put you behind bars. And in your case, maybe that’s better than how your friends have fared.”

  I consider what she said for a second too long, because now she’s grinning again. She knows that this wasn’t part of my game plan.

  “That’s right,” she says through a devious smirk. “Your entire plan is nothing. You don’t have any leverage. We knew about your motives from the beginning. Thanks to our little friend, Stan. God rest his soul.”

  Snickers all around. They find this funny.

  She continues. “Yup. Stan came to us immediately with your plan to blackmail him into getting the government contracts recruiter position. He also showed us a video from your wife’s funeral. We appreciated your remarks on the American healthcare system being, and I quote, ‘the single largest fucking sham conspiracy cover-up of modern history.’”

  My face goes hot.

  “Stan wanted us to squash you like the bug you are. But we saw this as a golden opportunity. An opportunity to find out who you were working with.”

  Robert raises an eyebrow. He’s getting nervous about how much she’s telling me, but at the same time, they know that nothing they say in this room will get out.

  But if they truly aren’t going to play ball on a settlement, then what are they planning? Something tells me they have another motive. They want something out of this meeting.

  “If you knew I would try to expose you, then why give me real cases in the first place?”

  I know the answer, but I just want her to admit it.

  Rebecca tilts her head, surprised by the question.

  “You haven’t figured that out?” Genuine surprise in her voice.

  I shake my head.

  “We gave you breadcrumbs. We didn’t give you the White House. And if you didn’t figure it out by now, we knew these cases would incriminate you. Not us.”

  There it is. The confirmation I was looking for.

  Since she’s in such an honest mood, I figure I may as well keep going. If I am going down, I want to know how they did it.

  I nod my head in defeat. “How’d you find out about the others? Brit, Dominique, Aly . . .” I trail off.

  “You really don’t know anything, do you?” she answers. She’s smirking again, unable to stop gloating. “Your BlackBerry is tracked. We found your little hideout at the community center right away. You led us straight to them.”

  Shit. This is one I didn’t anticipate. They had me from the beginning, and I never even thought about it once. I was the reason we were compromised.

  It was me all along.

  “And you knew I was working with someone, because you had already caught one of us? Well maybe not you, but your silent ally, the Inner Medical Association.”

  Rebecca looks over to Robert. They each smile.

  “Very astute, David,” Rebecca returns. “We decided to jus
t let it play out to see if there might have been a connection between you two. We knew he was working with others, but he wouldn’t give them up, no matter how hard we tried. Why else do you think we would give you the position in the first place? Did you really believe little old Stan would be able to pull those strings?”

  As I’m hearing everything they’re telling me, it’s all becoming so obvious. All the warning signs. I knew I was a long shot for the lobbyist position, but I did actually believe that Stan could get it for me, and I didn’t believe that Stan would tell them about me. I thought what we had on him would keep him silent forever.

  “You don’t think the Speaker and the whip are going to issue investigations into Dominique’s murder and the disappearances of Lincoln, Alex, and Rob? I can assure you that they will.”

  “David, you are done. You have nothing on us. Like we said before, you will be lucky to be behind bars. We might not be able to say the same thing about your friends. So you should be thanking us. Thanking us for letting you incriminate yourself. Because if we hadn’t done that, we’d have had to get rid of you some other way. The police are actually waiting downstairs for you as we speak.”

  I can’t believe my ears. They’re serious. They plan on putting me in jail. They want me to bow down and thank them because they are putting me behind bars and not in the ground? I’ve sat back long enough and taken in every word of what they’ve told me. But what they don’t realize is that this is all part of my plan.

  There’s a fire burning in my stomach, and it’s ready to explode.

  “Putting me in jail wasn’t your first choice though, was it? You were the ones who leaked those photos of Stan. You had a camera in his office already, because you’d been watching him after he received complaints of sexual harassment. You knew that if you leaked the photos, he’d come after me. That he might try to kill me.”

  Rebecca laughs. Several of the faces are smiling. They find this amusing.

  “Accidents happen,” she says.

  I shake my head.

  “You guys got me. Had me from the beginning. Played me and my friends. But maybe you are right. Maybe I should be thanking you. At least I’m alive. And that’s more than we can say for the guy who had this job before me: Kevin.”