by M T Stone
“I’m starting to think it was probably both,” I reply, thinking out loud. “Is Tommy in the office today?” I ask Becky, thinking maybe we should pay him another visit.
“I assume so,” she replies, “but I had to leave my phone behind, so I haven’t heard from him. He was planning on being in today.”
I click on my recent calls and tap his phone number. “Trey?” he asks, sounding surprised to hear from me. “Where are you?”
“I’m at Dad’s place,” I tell him, since he most likely already knows the location of my cell phone since Romeo has been carrying it. “I want to stop up and talk to you about something.”
“Is it something that we can discuss over the phone?” he asks, sounding distracted. There is a lot paper shuffling going on in the background and I hear the distinct sound of a paper shredder at work.
“No. I want to talk with you about Bill and Carly,” I tell him bluntly. “I think it would be best if we talked in person, don’t you?”
“That’s fine. I have an open slot at eleven, does that work for you?”
“That works great, I’ll see you in a few.” I click the end button and shoot Anthony a reserved smile. “He was cool as a cucumber yesterday, I want to see if that has changed. There is something going on at the office. It sounded like he was shredding documents or something.”
“His files from Firefly Media were dropped off yesterday,” Becky, informs us with raised eyebrows. “Today he has the office to himself, so it would be a good day to do some shredding.”
I think about the fact that he made absolutely no effort to conceal the fact that he was shredding documents. I’m starting to believe that Tommy is one of those guys who takes pleasure in flaunting the fact that he is getting away with something. That’s why I want to meet with him in person to see if he will slip up and tell us something we can use. Or at least I can pick up some cues from changes in his general demeanor.
“All right, Crusher and Gator just got off a helicopter at LaGuardia.” Anthony says with a broad smile. “I’m going to have Crusher join us for the visit with Tommy. You won’t believe the size of this fuckin’ dude.” He holds up a picture of him on his phone.
“Holy shit! He looks like the Incredible Hulk minus the green skin,” Mandy blurts out.
“You nailed it!” Anthony laughs and turns his phone to show the others. “He’s just that scary when he gets mad too. No one wants to mess with him.”
“I definitely want Tommy to meet him,” I tell him, smiling at the thought of it. “Is it okay if I introduce you guys as our personal body guards?”
“That’s what we are here for,” Anthony says, heading toward the door. “Might as well let him know that you two are well protected.” When we reach the common area, Romeo and Jules are waiting for further instructions. “Crusher and Gator are already on their way to Addison Media,” Anthony tells them. “Gator will replace Bolt up at the hospital shortly and after we are done meeting with Tommy Fowler, Crusher will come back here to replace the two of you. All three of you can crash here if you want or there are plenty of extra bedrooms.”
“Yeah, Vanessa’s parents are in South Africa so you can use any of the bedrooms except for the master. Vanessa is using that one,” I tell them. “Make yourselves at home. If you get hungry just call down to the café or grille and order whatever you want. Everything is good and just tell them you are in the penthouse. I’ll leave a tab open for you.”
“You’ll probably regret that statement!” Romeo laughs and shoots Anthony a look.
“Hey, you keep us safe and you can eat as much as you want,” I assure him. “The prices are actually pretty reasonable around here, considering it’s New York City.”
“Alright. I’m ready for a pizza,” Romeo says with a chuckle. “Those breakfast sandwiches didn’t make much of a dent.”
“Go for it,” Anthony shoots back. “Just make sure you stay alert until Crusher gets here.”
“Sharp as a tack,” he replies, instantly crossing his arms and pulling his guns from their holsters. “Still the quickest draw east of the Mississippi.”
“Yeah, you are.” Anthony closes his eyes and shakes his head, laughing to himself. “We’re out of here. Mandy and Trey are with me, so you keep everyone else here. No one leaves for now,” he instructs firmly.
“You got it boss. No one in or out,” he replies with a salute.
It’s obvious these guys have been together a long time. They have a relaxed attitude toward each other, but at the same time it’s clear that everyone knows their roles and gets the job done with great efficiency. I can’t wait to see them in action.
Mandy
While Trey stops at the café to give them his credit card number, I get a chance to talk to Anthony for a few minutes. I’m fascinated by what they do and am eager to learn as much about them as possible over the next few days.
“How do you guys find your missions?” I ask first, anxious to know if everything just comes to them through word of mouth.
“The missions just keep finding us. We haven’t had a quiet week in years,” he says, “Why?”
“People like Tommy are the reason I went to law school,” I tell him. “Working at the SEC isn’t very exciting though, its ninety percent paper pushing.” I can’t help thinking there has to be a way for me to do something similar, but with a little excitement mixed in. “Maybe I could become a private investigator.”
“You could, but that takes a lot of time if you want to be licensed in this city.” Anthony smirks. “We could use someone who would keep us from operating too far beyond the gray area and organize things for us.”
“In other words, I would have to brush up on the privacy and trespass laws?” I ask, figuring that’s where they most likely run into issues. The covert nature of their team opens them up to those types of problems.
“Yeah, Crusher and Romeo were charged with felony trespass last year for breaking into a home where a drug dealer had been holding a woman hostage,” he begins to explain. “Since he had moved the victim to one of his warehouses, he actually pressed charges against my boys and they didn’t have a leg to stand on.”
“It was a felony because they were armed?” I speculate.
“Exactly. They both have conceal and carry permits, but if you enter someone else’s property while armed…” He pauses. “Well, you know it’s not good.”
“So you had to call in a favor or two to get them off?” I ask, giving him a grin.
“Yeah, I used up quite a bit of capital getting them off,” he scoffs. “We had a dirty cop working for the other side, so it was a real mess. We eventually got the hostage back, but no one ever did any time.”
“That sucks!” I exclaim, thinking about how that would’ve felt from the hostage’s point of view. “So he got away with kidnapping her?”
“Yeah, and we couldn’t do a damn thing about it. He hadn’t directly participated in the crime, so some flunky will spend a few years behind bars while he continues to wreak havoc on society,” he says with a steely look in his eyes. “But we got our client’s daughter back and that was the mission we were hired to do.”
“Wouldn’t it be great to just be able to shoot those dirty fuckers and eliminate them?” I blurt out, not really realizing how many people were within earshot.
“Easy there tiger!” He laughs and puts an arm around me, pulling me into his side. “I kinda like how feisty you are.”
“What is she up to now?” Trey asks, coming up along side us.
“Oh, she was just talking about how nice it would be if we could just blow away the criminals,” Anthony tells him with a chuckle.
I close my eyes and shake my head, feeling the warmth spreading across my cheeks. “I wasn’t really serious, it’s just so frustrating when people continue to get away with shit.”
“But I think it’s okay to have a process that we go through to make sure someone is actually guilty first,” Trey says with a serious look on his face. �
��Otherwise, you have someone saying, I thought he was guilty. It’s hard to take back murdering someone.”
“I agree,” I tell them both. “Now let’s go, legally, kick Tommy’s ass.”
“I told you she was feisty,” Trey tells Anthony while we both climb into the back of the SUV. “I think that’s what attracted me most.”
“Yeah, right. You were attracted the moment you laid eyes on me,” I reply with a stern glare. “And it had nothing to do with how feisty I was.”
Trey just shakes his head instead of replying. He slips his arm around me and leans in giving me a quick kiss. I love to see that glimmer in his eyes. I’m glad he appreciates my sense of humor. Most people aren’t quite sure how to take it when I give them shit.
CHAPTER 9
T rey
Pulling up in front of Addison Media, it doesn’t take more than a second for me to pick Gator and Crusher out of the crowd. It’s hilarious to watch the reactions of the businessmen and women who are coming and going. They look like a couple of MMA fighters standing on the steps of Capitol Hill.
“I assume the one on the left is Gator?” I ask. He is a well-built black man who looks like he would hold his own against any pro football player. The guy standing next to him, however, can only be described by using a term like Crusher. I’m sitting in a bulletproof vehicle, but I would still be nervous as hell if he was coming at me. He looks like he could rip a door off with his bare hands.
“Yeah, that’s Gator,” Anthony confirms. “He’s my bro, you’re going to like him. We went through MARSOC training together and have been best friends ever since. Crusher, on the other hand…” He pauses and cracks a smile. “He’s pretty single-mindedly focused. He doesn’t let anyone get too close, but I would trust him with my life.”
“That’s good,” I nod, before opening my door and stepping onto the curb. I reach out and help Mandy step down from the vehicle.
“He’s even a gentleman,” Anthony comments to Mandy, before giving me a nod of approval. “Speaking of gentlemen, let me introduce you to Gator and Crusher. It’s good to see you guys. How the hell are ya?”
“We survived,” Gator, replies with a sigh.
“It was a tough fuckin’ stretch,” Crusher adds, cranking his head and cracking his neck. “Excuse my cussin’,” he adds peering over at Mandy.
“Don’t mind me,” Mandy replies. “I’ve heard it all before.”
“This is Trey Addison and Mandy Grayson,” Anthony tells the two men as we turn toward the entrance. “Trey’s family has built this company from nothing over the last hundred and twenty five years.”
“That’s impressive,” Gator says, giving me a genuine nod. “So your family still owns quite a bit of it?”
“Yeah, and we still have the majority of voting rights too, which is rare for a Fortune 500 company,” I tell him, feeling a little pride in the success my father, grandfather and great grandfather have achieved. “I’ll take you guys up to the executive suite.”
All three guys look like fish out of water as we head through the lobby and across to the elevators. I keep waiting for someone to question our presence, but everyone seems to recognize me. They probably think I am Tyler, since he has worked here for years. We grab an elevator along with several junior execs, who can’t stop staring at Crusher.
“He’s a big son of a bitch, isn’t he?” Gator finally asks, since no one else is saying a word. They all nod their heads and turn back toward the control panel to watch the light move from number to number as we climb toward the top. By the time we reach the top floor it’s back down to the five of us.
“I think I’m a little underdressed,” Crusher says as we step off the elevator, finally breaking his silence. “I didn’t think people wore suits anymore.”
“They do at Addison Media,” I tell him with a chuckle. “It’s not Mad Men around here, but it’s definitely old school.”
“Here, I have something for you,” Anthony tells me before proceeding into the Tommy’s executive suite. He hands me something that looks like a piece of transparent tape. “These circles are tiny FM transmitters made of clear graphene.”
“This is a transmitter?” I lift the edge of one of them with my fingernail.
“It uses the latest nanotechnology,” Anthony explains. “It works best if you can slip it between a smartphone and the protective case, but you can put it on the back of a watch, a computer or anything electronic. The transient energy given off will keep it charged and will allow it to send out a constant tracking signal.”
“Wow. Even if he found it, he would never guess it was anything like that,” I reply, handing them to Mandy. “Maybe I can distract him and you can stick it to the back of his phone. Even better, he seems to take off his diamond studded Rolex when he works on his computer. It’s been sitting on his desk both times I’ve been there. He will never leave that behind.”
“Sure, make me do the dirty work,” she says with an instant spark in her eyes.
“You’re the one who claims to love the adventure,” I tease her. “Now it’s time to walk the talk. Just don’t end up on your knees like you did with me.”
“Well, if you’re able to do your part, I won’t be forced to take any drastic measures,” she replies sarcastically.
Mandy
I feel a burst of excitement as I take the transmitters from him. Entering the office suite, part of me had expected Trey to confront Tommy with all three brutes in tow. Instead, he motions for them to take a seat in the reception area for now.
“I want to see if we can get him to open up first,” Trey tells the three men. “When we have gotten what we can, I’ll bring him out to introduce him to you guys.” He turns to me. “Hopefully his phone or watch will be on his desk, because that will give you plenty of time.”
Trey takes my hand and raps the knuckles of his free hand on the door before cracking it open. “Are you ready for us?”
“Sure.” Tommy jumps up from his chair and greets us just inside the door. “So what can I do for the two of you today?” He spins on his heel and heads back toward his desk chair. He’s acting as if he’s hopped up on amphetamines or something.
Trey leads me over to the chairs directly in front of Tommy’s desk and plops down into one of them. “I met with Nolan and Aileen this morning,” he says, crossing his legs and taking a deep breath. “Obviously, that conversation has created more questions than it answered,” he adds, staring intently at Tommy.
“What are you getting at?” Tommy asks, seeming genuinely perplexed by his statement.
“Okay, where do I begin? Carly introduced you to them, as well as Bill and Dad. Is that correct?” he asks, starting at the beginning of the timeline that Nolan had provided.
“That’s true,” he says without any hesitation.
“Why?” Trey asks suspiciously. “What did she have to gain?”
“Twenty-five million dollars,” he says with a nonchalant flip of his hand. He then leans back with a smug look on his face.
“So you paid her for the introduction?” I ask, as the legal aspects of the transaction begin to intrigue my law-minded brain.
“I had mentioned to her that if she knew of anyone who was interested in buying my stake in Firefly Media, I would pay her five percent of the take,” he says, obviously thinking that it was perfectly rational. “I made the same offer to several others as well.” He continues to stare intently at Trey maintaining his smug look.
“Dad and Bill were okay with her earning a commission from the deal?” Trey presses, dropping his foot back to the floor and sitting up in his seat.
Tommy pauses for a moment, rubbing his chin between his thumb and index finger. “She asked me to keep our arrangement to myself,” he finally admits. “I told her that I had set up an international corporation in Belize to protect my assets. She asked if I would do the same for her.”
“Ahh, so when the sale occurred you simply transferred the money to her account in Belize,” Trey s
urmises. Judging by the look on his face, we both just figured out why Victor lost trust in Carly.
“I actually gave her stock options that she was able to cash in,” he clarifies. Still seeming convinced that he hadn’t done anything unethical.
“You owned roughly fifty percent of the equity, so that’s about five hundred million,” Trey says, looking up at the ceiling for a couple seconds. “So twenty five million of that went to her. Not bad for making an introduction,” Trey says shaking his head from side to side. “So once Bill took control of the company, he found out that you had enhanced the financials. ‘Then he came back to you and demanded a refund, didn’t he?” Trey speculates. “Did Dad figure everything out as well or did Bill tell him?”
“First of all, I was sorry to hear about Bill’s suicide. I honestly think that he just didn’t understand a new economy company,” Tommy responds, shifting in his chair. “He thought he and Aileen could increase the value of it and Nolan could replace me on TV. I can’t help that the network pulled out once they found out I had sold my stake.”
“Seriously?” Trey asks, rising from his chair. “You hadn’t disclosed that fact to the network in advance?” He leans on Tommy’s desk, looking him right in the eyes.
“I didn’t think it would matter,” Tommy claims, but obviously he had to have known better.
“You seriously thought your could swap out the host and the network would just accept it?” Trey asks, stepping back from the desk and running his hand through his hair in frustration. “I think you wanted to bail before your portfolio companies started going belly up.” He bends down putting his hands back on the desk, staring intently at Tommy. “Early on you could use the profits from the TV show to prop up those companies, but then it got to be too much to support. Am I getting warm?”
“Did Nolan tell you all of this?” Tommy asks, suddenly becoming uncomfortable enough to spring from his chair. “Or are you looking to pick up where Bill left off?” he asks, moving around the desk to confront Trey.