Chapter 43: Come Talk to ME
A/N: On legal advice, I’m taking liberties with the admissibility of their evidence in court. The fines and jail time for this sort of activity have been increased, but proving it . . . well, proving it is still difficult.
Hehe…..Release. . . . the Kraken!
Bobby’s POV
We drew straws to see who would get to go to NYC for this ‘branch visit’. I was determined to go; liaisons fall under me, and I was determined to administer Liam’s outgoing ass whooping. Les was equally determined to go; the branch falls under his review, and if it’s been failing because Liam couldn’t keep his mouth closed—well, Les really wanted to draw blades.
Tank resolved it by reminding Les that I was in charge of ‘exit interviews’.
I won. Lester will travel to the branch shortly after Bomber arrives to back her up in person. If NYC responds to her like Atlanta did, I doubt there will be many problems, but considering we’re getting rid of 2/3 of management, he wants to ensure that the men understand she’s in charge.
No biggie. I have the traitor to execute.
I touch down at LaGuardia and travel the few miles into Brooklyn. My arrival is a complete surprise to everyone except Manny. Diego is unconcerned. He knows that whatever is going on, he’s not in trouble, so he’s going to continue to do what he needs to in order get the branch operating again. Javier is instantly nervous, but he hides it well. Liam is stunned and nervous but immediately becomes cheerful. He thinks I’m here to fire Javier.
Wrong, fucker. I’m here to make your life a living hell.
I haven’t said a word to anyone. I travel up to the 6th floor and stash my gear in Lester’s apartment. Manny followed orders precisely. The dossier detailing Liam’s treachery is in the apartment ready for my review. I do a quick sweep with the bug detector, but the apartment is clean. Good. I would have had his ass for that too. 47 motherfucking bugs. . . I swear if there’d even been one, the guys would need to scrape Liam off the concrete. I take a shower, kick back and start reading.
Over the next three hours, I have to stop repeatedly to let off steam. Manny’s done an excellent job, as befits a former cop. He has audio recordings and transcripts of Liam’s calls with CombinedSecurities, printouts of documents and emails from his computer (from Hector and Nate), and videotape from Liam’s skulking in the perimeter of the building. He even tailed Liam and actually caught him at a restaurant talking to a man from CombinedSecurities, handing over information and taking a payoff.
Hector hacked his personal email and bank accounts and has accounted for all payments and has copies of all communications. It’s enough to convict and it’s airtight; Manny sent it to the lawyers and they’ve confirmed that he is in violation of his contract and non-disclosure agreement. They have a laundry list of other charges, but it doesn’t matter. In short, this is definitely corporate espionage.
Liam can’t claim that he was involved in ‘competitive intelligence gathering’ because he’s an employee of RangeMan and this information would have been available to him. It’s not public knowledge or knowledge that could be gained through public sources. He’s in violation of his contract, in particular, his non-disclosure agreement. He did it with the expectation, and receipt, of monetary gain from those he sold the information to, and he’s not an independent operator.
The state and federal laws have been tightened recently. Fines in the millions and significant jail time are being handed out if you can prove it. Thanks to Manny, we can. Excellent.
I call Javier up to the apartment. He steps in with the face of a worried man. Les had a point. We need to back this man up more. He did his best while being undermined constantly. Poor fucker; with our eyes on Trenton, we damn near left him to die. I feel a bit ashamed of myself right now.
I motion for him to take a seat while I grab some beer. I’m contemplating what I need to say to Javi right now, what he needs to hear from me, and I remember what my grandmother used to tell me: If you have to apologize, start with ‘I’m sorry’.
“On behalf of the Leadership Core, I apologize to you, Javier. We are sorry.”
The apology stuns him. After a moment, he swallows hard and nods.
“You asked us repeatedly for the things you needed to survive, and we didn’t heed your call until it was almost too late. We didn’t provide you with the RangeMan brotherhood we should have. We should have come up here sooner to investigate why you were having so many problems. We left you here to handle it on your own when you had made it clear you needed help. So, again, I’m sorry. It will never happen again. You can always call on us and we will answer the call from now on.”
Our eyes meet and I can see that he’s trying not to cry. I move off toward the bathroom to give him a moment to pull himself together. When I return, his eyes are red-rimmed but he’s calm. His face is clear.
“What do you need from the Leadership Core? I’m listening. I’ll work with the CO to make it happen.”
He nods and I grab another beer for each of us. I told Manny and Diego to have dinner out, not to expect either of us. I call Lucia to bring dinner for Javi and me. I grab my folio and return to the living room.
Javier has squared his shoulders. “I want Liam gone.”
“Done. His ass is grass tomorrow. That’s why I’m here.” I smile. “I won Rock Paper Scissors with Les to be the one. Otherwise, Lucia would be cleaning up blood right now.”
Javi chuckles and sits back. “I don’t want Shane back either. They had no respect for me, but I backed them up and never let anyone question or disrespect them. I didn’t allow anyone to question their decisions and they stabbed me in the back. I’ll never trust Shane again.”
“Done.” Ranger’s issued the warning, but he’s gone from Miami too. RangeMan brotherhood will apply to Armando. Otherwise, we’ll always have to watch Shane to see if he betrays Armando. No. We’re not going through this again. Let’s get the evidence necessary to show cause and fire his ass.
He nods. “Manny and Diego have some great ideas for my pipeline, but I already know that Diego won’t stay. He hates NYC, but he does acknowledge that he knows the CO is going to leave him here until the branch is back in the black. So, I’m asking for permission to have Manny search the company for a strategist for me.”
I nod. “Done. I’ll ask Manny to get on that. I’ll tell Les too, in case he has some candidates in mind.”
Javi smiles. “I’d like to use the Trenton model to find a liaison. I have three guys that might be good in the role, and I’d like you to meet with each of them while you’re here. If you’re OK with them, I’ll try them out.”
“OK.” I make a note. All these are reasonable so far.
“I’d also like to get some more men on a short term basis. I don’t have a lot of contract workers. My pipeline there is dry also because my contract workers have all pretty much been hired on. If I’m going to survive another quarter, I need men. Manny and Diego asked for men from Atlanta, Boston and Trenton, but I think I need a few more.”
I nod. “Reasonable. Done. How many do you need?”
Javi thinks. “Can I get five total from each branch?”
Twenty total. I nod. Matter of fact, we can send five from San Antonio, RangeMen not recruits. Now that the new hires are starting to get the idea, we can start moving our men back to their home offices slowly. I’ll check with Lester about moving the NYC RangeMen back faster, if possible. “Done. I’ll have Steph send the order out.”
“I’d also like permission to hire for the business investigations unit Diego and Manny have come up with. It means I’ll also need capital for computers, desks, all that stuff. Whatever they think is necessary to make it work.”
“Coordinate with the guys, Hector, and Steph on that. We’ll give Steph an account to pull from.” Leadership Core may have to pull from reserves on this, but if Manny and Diego think it’s a good idea, we’ll pilot it. Les loves it already and wants to see it up and running.
Lucia arrives with dinner, so we move to the dining room. After grace, we start chowing down.
“Anything else you need?”
Javi thinks then shakes his head. “No. I think that will do for the moment. I just want to get the branch back up on its feet.”
I nod. “Don’t hesitate to ask Steph or Les for what you need. Steph is committed to backing her XOs. She’ll be here tomorrow morning.”
He looks up sharply. “Why?”
I grin. “I have an outgoing ass whooping to administer.”
A/N: The following scene is graphic and disturbing. If you don’t want your opinion of Bobby to change, skip to the next section. Remember, Bobby is beyond furious and he has the training necessary to make this beyond painful. The Kraken is being released!
My sincerest thanks goes out to Lyllyn for reviewing this to prevent medical impossibilities!
Amazingly, Bomber is in the gym at 0450. So is every NYC RangeMan, and they’re quiet. Everyone knows this is going to be very serious. I demanded that all NYC RangeMen present themselves at this session, no excuses. The men from the other branches are manning the monitors and performing all necessary duties right now.
Still, the RM-NYC men can’t help but steal looks over at the CO and the Trenton liaison who has accompanied her. Both are dressed in SWAT black, both look mean and mad as hell, and both are standing on the side of the mats, arms crossed. Hector has overridden all cameras; the feed is going out company wide.
‘Exit interviews’ are rare. Every man needs to see the initial penalty for treason.
Upper Management walks in at 0455 and stands to the sides of the mats. All are dressed in SWAT black and have their blank faces on.
I’m standing in the middle of the mats, barefoot and stripped to the waist. I flex and smile.
“Liam. Come talk to me.”
Liam looks astonished, then terrified. Ranger’s mat reputation is well earned but mine? Mine is the one that makes men piss themselves. I rarely take men to the mats, but when I do, they don’t get up again for weeks. There are 43 major pressure points on the human body and, when I’m pissed, I hit all the ones that won’t result in instant death. I’m beyond pissed right now.
When I take men to the mats, I call ahead and order extra pain relief and casts for the unlucky fucker.
Liam looks as if he’d rather do anything aside from step on the mats with me.
“Liam!” Bomber yells. I’m amused but hiding it. “I’m here at 5 in the fucking AM. Get your ass on that mat! NOW!”
The fury in Bomber’s voice would almost make you think she has some mat skills. I’m buying her an ice cream cone later. I’m sure, somewhere, Ranger has a woody he can’t explain. I feel mine stirring.
Liam has gone completely white but he finally steps onto the mats. The moment both feet make it, I rush him. Blow to the sternum and he’s flat on his back wheezing.
“Get up. You wanna talk? Talk to me.”
I haul him up and hurl him to the center of the mats. He lands, sprawled, and goes sliding right to Bomber. She stops him with her foot, kicks him in the knee, and shoves him back to the center of the mat.
How in the hell is she giving me a woody when my mind should be on this fight? Sorry, interview.
I pull Liam back up by the throat and dodge his attempt at a punch. Quick elbow strike on the side of his head easily knocks him backwards. Strike from the heel of my hand to his jaw produces pain and shock. I don’t want this over too quickly. He’s going to know pain when I’m done.
“Talk to me, Liam,” I croon gently. “Talk to me about what a great job you’ve been doing here in NYC. Tell me about how you and Shane have been backing your XO.”
“We have!” he croaks. “We have, but Javier’s too stupid to be in charge. He constantly screws up. We can’t get the branch going because of him.”
He’s hobbling because of the knee, and I sweep his legs to take him down again. A little pressure on the pulse point on the side of his shin and his right leg is now out of commission for a few minutes.
“Really? How does bugging his office help him? 47 motherfucking bugs? Sounds real fucking helpful. Why not talk to him? You like to talk. Talk to your XO. Talk to me now. Talk to me, Marine, and tell me what the penalty for treason is.”
I’m waiting for him to stand back up. It takes him a while but he’s finally standing. His eyes reflect that he knows what’s happening now and that he’s in a fight to his death. He finally takes a fighter’s stance. Good. I hate hitting passive targets.
I unleash a flurry of punches, jabs, and kicks to every vulnerable spot on his body. He’s hitting back, but I’m twice as fast and I studied kinesiology. While he’s trying to cover one side of his body, I’m hitting another. I strike his right ear hard. A little known move, striking the ear will leave an opponent thinking of nothing more than how to stop the ringing and pain and how to regain their balance. Hell, let’s double the fun and hit the mastoid process while we’re at it. Might make it hard for him to hear me, but he’s not answering questions anyway.
“You haven’t answered the question, Liam. How does bugging the XO and the strategist help this branch? How does sinking contracts help? How does sinking the strategist’s ideas help? How does putting the livelihood of every man in this room at risk help them? What is the penalty for treason?“
Blow to the ear did the trick. His balance is shot. Open season for me. Sternum, jaw, chin, nose, ribs, knees, toes, every soft and delicate place is getting hit. Time to pull those hamstrings. Time to bruise the delicate bones in his foot with my heel. I like to work my way up the body.
“Liam, you’re quiet. Talk to me. You like to talk. Let’s talk. After all, I can see you didn’t pay attention during Semper-Fu. Did you get past the Tan belt, Marine?”
Unrelenting jabs to his diaphragm keep him wheezing and huddled over, not good with balance problems. Back of the knees, kick to the ass, crack a rib, bruise a vertebra. There’s a lot to be said for professional wrestling; they have a lot of interesting moves, like the Go to Sleep.
“How does selling RangeMan secrets to CombinedSecurities help these men, huh?”
I pick Liam up and drop him in a way that sees his face meeting my knee. It’s a hard and painful life Liam will lead when I’m done. More importantly, I’m fixing Javi’s reputation. The men were confused, but now they’re starting to look angry. Now they understand why the liaison is on the mats instead of the XO.
“How does ruining the reputation of this branch help these men? You realize that he’s passed review? You realize you failed? Manny and Diego set both of you up. They wanted to see who would leak where. Surprise surprise. The XO, the one with the rep, doesn’t leak.”
Now every man in the room looks murderous. Good. No one will help him home. Hell, no one will help him out this gym.
Two jabs to the lower back at the base of the spine. Kidneys are located here but, little known fact, the main muscle cords and nerves branch out from this area. This is a foul shot in boxing, but I’m not boxing. I’m conducting an ‘exit interview’. Floating ribs, another kick in the ass, glancing blow to his dick. I’m a man. I won’t hit him there, but he will know some pain in that region. He’ll piss blood painfully.
“I’m your fucking boss! You report to me and you have the nerve to lie to me. You think I’m going to tolerate that? You think I’m going to stand for it? No! Fuck, I’m going to make sure you can’t stand.”
He’s trying to fight back, but it’s not much of a fight. I give him some credit for remaining on his feet though. I guess he knows that if he stays down I might just kill him.
“Iss no thrue. I didn’t leak. I didn’t tell nothin’.”
He speaks to tell me lies. Nothing I hate more than a liar. Blow to the philtrum, the area between the nose and top lip. Don’t swallow your teeth, Liam. It’s irritating enough you’re dripping blood. I hit the muscles in his thighs from the sides. Combined with the earlier blows to the hamstrings, walking might be shot for weeks, if not months. Good.
“We’re standing behind the man who cares about this branch. Who is here to ensure that the men he leads have jobs and can support their families. Tell me, how were you helping his efforts?”
Blows to the arms. I twist his wrist, taking a blow from his other fist. I break his elbow and he goes down crying in pain. I break his fingers. Try holding your dick to piss now, motherfucker. I’d break all ten but you have paperwork to sign later. A knee strike to the insides of his thigh where the peroneal nerve is located and he drops in pain.
“You’re not talking, Liam. I’m here in person. Talk to me.”
Blow to the solar plexus and he drops again. I stand over him, bouncing on my toes.
“You always have so much shit to say when I call you. Talk, goddammit! Tell these men why NYC has the reputation of leaking like a sieve. It’s because the liaison talks too fucking much! Not the XO! Now get the fuck up.”
The men are shifting, murderous. It’s becoming clear Liam will not walk out. He finally stands, wheezing, limping, and I’m back to work. Diaphragm, shoulder, ankle, shoulder, ankle. I hear ligaments in his ankles pop and he goes down. Good. That’s painful, but I step on his foot. Ankle broken.
“Do you understand why you’re on the ground, Liam? Do you understand why I’m not giving you any mercy? It’s because you have betrayed the RangeMan brotherhood! You have betrayed these men! You were a leader here, you were in management, and you sold them down the river! You destabilized this branch to the point of near collapse! And now, when I question you about it, you have the nerve, the gall, to lie to me about it! And since you won’t answer the question, the penalty for treason is death!”
Bladder punch. He pisses himself. Humiliation complete. He’s down on the ground, crying, whimpering. I survey the damage. It’s not enough. Not nearly. A phone rings and I look around for the culprit. Bomber. She passes the phone.
“He’s still identifiable. Fix that.” Lester. I hand the phone back to Bomber and nod.
I smile and look back at Liam. He knows I have his life in my hands right now.
I pull him up by his shirt and look at him. “You will sign your resignation and your non-compete agreement. You are barred from working in this industry for fifteen years. Hector will be watching to see what you’re up to. I will be talking to CombinedSecurities today to let them know that if they act on any of the information they received from you, we’ll take them to court. You don’t have a job there.”
I end this statement with a flurry of blows to his face. Chin, nose, cheeks, eyes, he’ll need reconstructive surgery when it’s over. Bomber steps onto the mats and I look over at her, eyebrow raised. She steps in front of me and lets that lethal knee fly.
Shiiit. I couldn’t have done it, but she did. Every man in the room winces slightly. She glares at Liam.
“I don’t appreciate lies, about me or about these men. If you haven’t figured it out, you’re fired.”
Ram and Javier escort Liam to Javier’s office, where Manny has him sign a thick stack of papers, one of which is a full confession of his activities. Lucia has already cleared his office of his personal items, and she hands Manny the box as he and Diego walk him out. While they’re doing that, I’m still in the gym with Bomber.
Time to address the men. Here in NYC and all over the company.
“If you haven’t figured it out, Liam was the biggest problem at this branch, not Javier. We’re waiting to see the results of Shane’s performance in Miami, but he won’t return here. I meant what I said on the mats. We’re standing behind Javier. He cares about all of you. He cares about getting it right. He cares about succeeding here.”
The men are standing at attention. Every man looks solemn.
“Of course, if you don’t give a damn, please let me know now. I’m feeling good right now, feeling limber. I am more than happy to accept written and verbal resignations right now.”
None of the men move.
“That was a RangeMan ‘exit interview’. If you want one, fuck up after today. My expectation is that when Stephanie and I leave, you men will throw your support behind your XO. Work with him. Do what’s right. NYC will soon see a temporary influx of men from the other branches in order to stabilize this branch. They are your RangeMan brothers. You will work with them. Put the word out to anyone you think might be a good employee that we’re hiring.”
The men nod. I look at Bomber and nod. She turns to the men.
“I am not starting the review today. I am here solely to back up my XO and to ensure you understand that I stand behind the firing of Liam. He’s spread lies that have cost this branch dearly. Work with the strategists I’ve sent to help Javier pull this branch back into the black. Show the company that NYC is a force to be reckoned with, not ignored.”
“HUA!“
Bomber and I are both taken aback by the response. The men are nodding now, some smiling. Bomber smiles.
“I read all emails I’m sent. I take all suggestions seriously. Talk to your XO, talk to the strategists, talk to me. We will listen. Bobby and I will both be here all day to listen to your concerns and answer your questions. We want to leave knowing that you men stand behind your XO.”
The men all have small smiles and are nodding now.
“Dismissed.”
I clean up while Bomber surveys Les’s NYC apartment. I walk out in my boxers and she whistles.
“Bobby, you’re giving me thoughts.”
I grin. “Act on them. Please. I don’t get enough action.” My balls are tingling. I’m insane. Ranger will kill me, and I just spent 10 minutes getting rid of those thoughts.
Bomber’s eyes widen and she grins, then laughs. “Really? Let me see your phone.”
Lester. I’m going to hurt that idiot. I slide into my cargoes and find a black T-shirt. “Tsk tsk. Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to tease?”
“Are you kidding? Burg 101.” She shifts into a teasing, sing song voice. “Teasing men is a gateway to hell. They start lusting. They start thinking things that no good girl should be interested in until marriage. For lust is a shameful sin, a devastating fire that destroys to hell.” She collapses back onto the couch in a fake swoon, and I drop next to her, laughing.
Same thing my sisters were told when I was a kid. Nice to see some cultural norms are the same. “Job 31?”
Bomber shrugs. “I didn’t think lusting after a triple decker cone was a gateway to hell. Sticky fingers, yes, hell, no. So I usually ignored my mother. Curiosity, not lust, was my problem.”
I shake my head. “Still is, nosy.”
She sticks her tongue out at me, and I kiss her forehead. My third little sister. God, I hope she and Ranger finally get their shit straight. Life would be excellent if they did. We sit in silence, smiling for a few moments.
“I apologized to Javi yesterday.” Bomber looks over at me and I nod. “We’ve talked a lot about what happened here in NYC. We didn’t back up our own statements about loyalty. We left him to die. We owe him a lot of support.” I kiss both her cheeks and smush her face between my palms. She grins. “You are doing an outstanding job, Bomber. Believe me, we’re proud of you. We knew you could do it, and just in case you didn’t know, you have our full support. Give ’em hell, Bomber.”
“Thanks,” she says quietly. Then she grins. “I’d like my face back please.”
I laugh and let her go, pulling her off the couch. “Come on, let’s go back up our XO.”
We spend the rest of the day making sure the men know we back Javi. I meet his three candidates for the liaison position and approve all three to take the reins for a week. I remind Javi not to feel pressured to make a decision now. If he likes all three, give them each another week at the reins and remember that this person will also become management. The liaison has to be someone he likes, trusts, can work with and can support the branch. It’s a big job and it’s more than just doing communications. Bomber walks in and volunteers Adam in Atlanta to help.
“I would leave Ram, but if I move Ram from Trenton again, Hal will chain me in front of the monitors for the rest of my life.”
Javier and I smirk. Hal’s nervousness about Bomber’s willingness to poach from Trenton is known. Javi calls Danny and requests Adam for three weeks.
“Man, you’re taking my men, now you want my liaison? What next? Kidney? My sons? You can’t have my wife. I can’t afford for her to be anywhere near Madison Avenue.”
Javi and I laugh.
“Three weeks, man. Just to help me weed through liaison prospects.”
“Surprised Steph didn’t suggest Ram. He’s excellent at it and he’s closer.” Ram grins. He walked in just in time to hear that statement.
“I can’t take on Hal,” Bomber replies. “If I leave Ram here without returning Manny, Hal will kill me.”
Laughs from Danny. “Hey CO! Didn’t know you were there. Yeah, I can believe that. Hal wants his men back. I keep closing in on him every week.”
Ah. Makes sense now. Hal and Danny’s little competition is hilarious and it’s good for their branches. Danny agrees to send Adam up for three weeks to help. Javier meets with his liaison candidates and tells them they’re auditioning under the Trenton model. Adam will be here by 9AM tomorrow to assess them and help back them up. Each man smiles; he’s being gifted an opportunity to join the leadership of the branch.
Bomber is drooping now. It’s 1½ hours back to Trenton, which means that she and Ram have been up since at least 3AM. It’s 11AM now and if they don’t leave by 3PM, NYC traffic won’t let up until 7PM. Plus, she keeps checking her phone. I raise an eyebrow.
“Hector.”
Every man in the room stiffens. “How is he?” I ask.
“Pretending he’s not in pain,” she replies quietly. “Are you sure you have time to come check on him? I mean, Zero did a great job of getting us through all the tests and—” She bites her lip and looks away. Damn. Hector must be more serious than we thought.
“I won’t leave without seeing him,” I tell her. Her eyes are shining from unshed tears, and I pass my handkerchief over. We all sit in silence for a moment. I don’t doubt that Hector will live, but the very thought that someone might take him down . . . that requires a moment of silence. Hector is fucking indestructible. Hector is one of the few men in my life I trust without reservation.
I consider what needs to be done. “Crash the couch,” I tell her and Ram. “I’ll drive back tonight and you two can sleep in the SUV.” They both nod. I run upstairs and pull my suit. I have one last trip to make.
An hour later, I’m in Paterson, NJ standing in the reception foyer of CombinedSecurities. I smile at the lobby attendant and ask to speak to William Crawford, the CEO. She scans me up and down and asks my name.
“Robert Brown from RangeMan.”
She smiles and calls up to the executive suite. A few moments later, her smile falls and she glances at me nervously. Before she can open her mouth, I speak.
“He can speak to me now or Carlos Mañoso later. His choice.”
She nods and conveys the message. She hangs up. “He’ll see you now, sir. 10th floor.”
I smile and thank her. Moments later, I’m looking at a phalanx of lawyers and the CEO in a classic power seating move. I’m amused. I hope he doesn’t think I’m intimidated. He’s tipped his hand by having this many people around him on a Sunday. I wonder if he was expecting me. Oh Liam . . . I should have cracked your skull.
“Bobby! How can we help you?”
I smile, take a seat and decline the water. I open my folio, place it in front of me, and relax into the seat.
“You can start first, Bill, by calling me Robert. Or Mr. Brown. I prefer Mr. Brown.” I’m not smiling anymore, and he wipes that silly grin off his face. This is business, motherfucker. We are not friends. You are a competitor.
“I’m here to inform you personally that Liam Hannigan has resigned from RangeMan. We are well aware that he was passing trade secrets to you,” he opens his mouth to respond, “and before you open your mouth to lie to me, I want you to consider the fact that RangeMan does not make allegations we can’t back up.”
I pull my phone from my pocket and play the recording. It’s a conversation from two weeks ago at a local restaurant. Liam is describing the information in the file and Bill is giving him the check and promising more. Clear cut case.
The lawyers look antsy, and Bill has his blank face on.
“Of course, it’s backed up with hours of surveillance, emails, pictures, you name it, we’ve got it. You can’t term him a kite. It’s clear you hired him for unethical purposes.”
There are significant looks around the table now. I mean, it’s lawyers, so they’re discreet, but again, kinesiology. I pick up all facial tics. I’m looking at a lot of nervous men right now. Our lawyers gave me the correct buzzwords to use and they’re working.
I’m waiting for the counter offer. Since I’m sitting here and I’ve made it clear they won’t run from this charge, they don’t have time to regroup. Crawford nods at one man, who nods.
“Mr. Brown, my client maintains that he had no knowledge of the actions of your employee—”
I’ve cued up the next recording.
Crawford: “So, are you sure that you’re going to be able to get a full customer list? Not just for your branch, but Trenton too?”
Hannigan: “Trenton will cost you more. Much more. They’re harder to break and the company CIO is based there. I won’t be able to pull it off the computer and they’re notorious for secrecy. I’ll have to actually snoop there.”
Crawford: “Well, it doesn’t matter to CombinedSecurities how you do it. How much and how long?”
Hannigan: “Let’s say one month? And it’ll cost $100,000.”
Crawford: “One month is too long. I’ll pay $100,000 if you can get it in two weeks. Otherwise, the usual $25,000.”
Hannigan: “You don’t know the reputation of our CIO. The man committed at least 20 murders and walked scot free. If he catches me, no one will ever find my body.”
Silence.
Crawford: “That’s your problem, not mine. We’ve paid you handsomely to sink contracts and get us information. I’ve told you what we want and how soon we want it. Just get it.”
I stop the recording. Kinesiology is a beautiful thing. Everyone is antsy. Crawford is red and his lawyers are scared. Bankruptcy is in the company’s future and they know it.
“Let me make RangeMan’s position very clear. We’re filing suit tomorrow. The man who collected this evidence is the VP of Investigations at our Trenton branch. A former FBI agent who left the Bureau with at least 20 commendations and no demerits. The file is thick and our lawyers can’t wait.”
I smile and stand to leave.
“And no one can prove those 26 bodies were the work of our CIO. It’s simply an allegation.”
