continue to pile up as well. It was that frighteningly simple. “Hedge yourself.” They sat so close together Jack couldn’t help but overhear how Russell had positioned his portfolio during the last month. There were no secrets on a trading floor. “You have to.” Plus, Russell had one of those inescapable, obnoxious, foghorn voices. “You can’t risk losing any more.”
“My father wasn’t CEO of this place for thirty fucking years,” Russell snapped. “I can’t just eat twenty-seven million bucks in losses. The hell with a bonus, I’ll be fired tomorrow morning when they sort through this shitstorm. I’ve got to let it roll. I’ve got to hope this thing turns around in the next hour. But you ,” he said, stabbing the air at Jack, “you don’t have to worry about a thing.”
“Oh, yeah, I do.”
“Your father got you this job. You’re safe even if he is missing. He’s still a legend around here.”
Last December Bill had left the Jensen compound—set in the countryside outside Greenwich, Connecticut—to “get some things at the store.” He’d never returned.
No one had heard anything from him in nine months, and state and federal law enforcement officials assigned to his high-profile disappearance still had no leads as to his whereabouts. People were starting to whisper that he was dead. A few months ago First Manhattan’s board of directors had replaced him as CEO.
“I’m just like you, Russell. I’ve got to make this work every day. No one cuts me any slack because of my last name.” Jack gestured at the phones in front of them. “Stop the bleeding. Make the trades. Don’t be an idiot.”
“Fuck you!” Russell screamed at the top of his lungs. He slammed the bulkhead again, reached into a drawer, grabbed a huge nickel-plated Colt .44 Magnum lying inside, and pointed it at Jack. “I’m done here. And I’m taking you and everyone else I can shoot with me!”
CHAPTER 3
“H OLD UP, ” Troy called ahead to Pablo.
They’d just moved into a small clearing covered by smooth rocks. The jungle canopy was thick, and this was the first time Troy had gotten a good look at the sky since leaving the campground. It was becoming overcast as evening approached, he saw as he gazed up. Torrential rains were on the way, but that was good. They needed as much cover as they could get tonight.
“How far to the compound?”
“Four kilometers,” Pablo answered, “maybe five.”
For the last two hours the five men had walked, climbed, and crawled through the rugged jungle terrain in a single file with Pablo leading the way, Troy second, Bennington behind Troy, and Bennington’s two subordinates at the back, Heckler & Koch MP5s out and ready. All five of them were covered in perspiration after their grueling up-and-down through the reptile- and insect-infested jungle, and it was time to hydrate. There was nothing more important in these jungles than staying hydrated, Troy knew. It was even more crucial than steering clear of the snakes and jaguars, though not by much. Fortunately they hadn’t encountered any serious wildlife problems—yet. Of course, the animals were much more active at night.
He glanced over his shoulder at Bennington. “We take ten here. It won’t be dark for another two hours, and I don’t want to start anything until at least midnight. So we’ve got time.”
“Yes, sir.”
Troy moved to the edge of the clearing where he pulled out several creased pictures from his pants pocket. The first was of his girlfriend, Jennie Perez. He and Jennie were going through a rough time, and he grimaced as he thought about what he’d done back at the tent. Despite the troubles, he and Jennie hadn’t broken off the relationship. They weren’t married, they hadn’t even talked about it yet, but they’d made a pledge to each other over the summer, in better times. So, technically, he’d cheated.
He shook his head. And there’d been that woman in Spain six weeks ago.
He
“My father wasn’t CEO of this place for thirty fucking years,” Russell snapped. “I can’t just eat twenty-seven million bucks in losses. The hell with a bonus, I’ll be fired tomorrow morning when they sort through this shitstorm. I’ve got to let it roll. I’ve got to hope this thing turns around in the next hour. But you ,” he said, stabbing the air at Jack, “you don’t have to worry about a thing.”
“Oh, yeah, I do.”
“Your father got you this job. You’re safe even if he is missing. He’s still a legend around here.”
Last December Bill had left the Jensen compound—set in the countryside outside Greenwich, Connecticut—to “get some things at the store.” He’d never returned.
No one had heard anything from him in nine months, and state and federal law enforcement officials assigned to his high-profile disappearance still had no leads as to his whereabouts. People were starting to whisper that he was dead. A few months ago First Manhattan’s board of directors had replaced him as CEO.
“I’m just like you, Russell. I’ve got to make this work every day. No one cuts me any slack because of my last name.” Jack gestured at the phones in front of them. “Stop the bleeding. Make the trades. Don’t be an idiot.”
“Fuck you!” Russell screamed at the top of his lungs. He slammed the bulkhead again, reached into a drawer, grabbed a huge nickel-plated Colt .44 Magnum lying inside, and pointed it at Jack. “I’m done here. And I’m taking you and everyone else I can shoot with me!”
CHAPTER 3
“H OLD UP, ” Troy called ahead to Pablo.
They’d just moved into a small clearing covered by smooth rocks. The jungle canopy was thick, and this was the first time Troy had gotten a good look at the sky since leaving the campground. It was becoming overcast as evening approached, he saw as he gazed up. Torrential rains were on the way, but that was good. They needed as much cover as they could get tonight.
“How far to the compound?”
“Four kilometers,” Pablo answered, “maybe five.”
For the last two hours the five men had walked, climbed, and crawled through the rugged jungle terrain in a single file with Pablo leading the way, Troy second, Bennington behind Troy, and Bennington’s two subordinates at the back, Heckler & Koch MP5s out and ready. All five of them were covered in perspiration after their grueling up-and-down through the reptile- and insect-infested jungle, and it was time to hydrate. There was nothing more important in these jungles than staying hydrated, Troy knew. It was even more crucial than steering clear of the snakes and jaguars, though not by much. Fortunately they hadn’t encountered any serious wildlife problems—yet. Of course, the animals were much more active at night.
He glanced over his shoulder at Bennington. “We take ten here. It won’t be dark for another two hours, and I don’t want to start anything until at least midnight. So we’ve got time.”
“Yes, sir.”
Troy moved to the edge of the clearing where he pulled out several creased pictures from his pants pocket. The first was of his girlfriend, Jennie Perez. He and Jennie were going through a rough time, and he grimaced as he thought about what he’d done back at the tent. Despite the troubles, he and Jennie hadn’t broken off the relationship. They weren’t married, they hadn’t even talked about it yet, but they’d made a pledge to each other over the summer, in better times. So, technically, he’d cheated.
He shook his head. And there’d been that woman in Spain six weeks ago.
He
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