by Brad Meltzer
Nodding, Ben let Lisa get a good handhold on his left ankle. With his right leg primed for impact, he counted, “One, two, three,” and slammed his foot against the support.
“Again,” Lisa said as Ben hit the support. “Keep going.” Wildly kicking over a dozen times, Ben felt the wooden support start to splinter. “You’re almost there,” Lisa said. After one more blow, the support snapped, allowing Lisa to slide the handcuff off the chair. With one arm still tied down, she turned her chair around. “Do the other one.”
“Quietly,” Nathan warned, carefully watching the door that connected to the other suite.
When Ben had kicked through the other support, Lisa was free. With the handcuffs still dangling from her wrists, she walked to Ben’s chair and prepared to start kicking.
“Screw the chair,” Ben said. “Run and get help.”
“No way,” Lisa said.
“Don’t argue, just go,” Ben said as the handcuffs pulled against his wrists. “There’s no way we’ll all get free without them hearing.”
“They didn’t hear you, did they?” Lisa asked. “Besides, if I leave and they find out I’m gone, who knows what they’ll do to you?”
“We’ll be fine,” Ben said. “Go get help.”
“I’m not going,” Lisa said. She started kicking at Ben’s supports. “I don’t need your death on my head.”
“They won’t kill us,” Ben said.
Lisa stopped to look Ben in the eye. “Are you kidding me? You think they’d beat us, kidnap us, and chain us up, but not kill us?”
“Go get help,” Ben said.
“Nathan?” Lisa asked.
“Kick the chair,” Nathan said. “I watched them dance on my face. Rick enjoyed it.”
Standing on one leg, Lisa slammed her foot against the support. It refused to buckle. “Damn.”
“Get out of here,” Ben said.
“Shut…up,” Lisa said, pounding the support. Slowly, it began to fracture. After six more kicks, it broke in two. Lisa ran to the other side of the chair.
“Hurry,” Ben said.
“What do you think I’m doing?” she asked as she started working on the other side. Within a minute, the second support broke. Quickly running to Nathan’s chair, the two clerks each took a side and kicked the old wood.
Nathan’s adrenaline was pumping. “It’ll give,” he said. “It’ll definitely give.”
Her legs tired from the attack, Lisa stopped to catch her breath.
“Keep kicking,” Nathan said. “You’re almost there.”
As Ben shattered the wood on his side, Nathan pulled his arm free. Running around to help Lisa, Ben heard a quiet click.
They all looked up.
“Shit,” Nathan said.
“Why do you even bother?” Rick asked. Standing in the corner of the room, he pointed a gun at the three friends. “I want them separated,” Rick demanded as he and Claremont walked toward the large glass table. He pointed the gun at Lisa. “Put her in the bathroom. Lock the cuffs to the pipes under the sink.”
As Claremont grasped her left handcuff, Lisa swung her right one through the air, smashing him in the side of the head. Gripping both her hands in one of his, Claremont smacked Lisa in the face and sent her flying to the floor.
“I’ll kill you!” Ben screamed, racing toward Claremont.
Rick pointed his gun at Ben. “DON’T MOVE!”
Suddenly frozen in fear, Ben stared down the barrel of Rick’s gun.
Just then the door that connected to the second suite crashed open.
“EVERYBODY FREEZE! U.S. MARSHAL!” Carl Lungen screamed as he ran into the room, erratically pointing his gun in every direction. Ben’s mouth dropped open.
“You’re all under arrest!” Lungen yelled.
“Where the hell have you been?” Rick asked, unfazed by the entrance. “You were supposed to be here hours ago.”
Lowering his gun, Lungen looked over at Ben and started laughing. “Oh, man, you should see your face,” he said. “You really thought I was coming to your rescue, didn’t you?”
“Help us tie them up,” Claremont said. “They almost got out.”
“How’s it feel to be the fool, Addison?” Lungen asked, pointing his gun at Ben. “Now get your hands up.”
“What the hell is going on?” Ben asked, raising his hands in the air. “You’re working for him?”
With his gun in Ben’s back, Lungen led Ben to a chair that wasn’t broken. “Don’t take it personally,” Lungen said. “Money’s money.”
“Was Fisk in on it as well?” Ben asked as Lungen handcuffed him to the chair.
“I should be so lucky,” Lungen said. He turned toward Rick and added, “That’s where I was all day. Sorry I couldn’t help you bring these three in.”
“Fisk giving you a hard time?” Rick asked.
“Are you kidding? It’s taken every excuse I can think of to keep him from rushing in and arresting everyone. He’s more anxious than a virgin on prom night.”
Rick smirked as he watched the shock on Ben’s face. “Will he stay quiet?” Rick asked.
“He seems okay now, but I’m worried he’ll go nuts when Ben doesn’t show up for work tomorrow.”
“He won’t do anything,” Rick said. “From what you’ve told me, Fisk won’t take a crap without your permission.”
“I don’t believe this,” Ben said as Lungen turned his attention to Nathan.
Lungen reattached Nathan’s loose handcuff to the armrest on Nathan’s chair. “C’mon, Ben,” Lungen said, “did you really think you were that good? Without me, Fisk would’ve bugged your office weeks ago instead of days ago. And that lie detector test—you would’ve never passed without my help. The way I see it, you should thank me.”
“I don’t get it,” Ben said. “Fisk administered that test.”
“But who do you think rigged the machine?” Lungen asked, sitting on the couch next to Rick. “You couldn’t fail that test if you tried.”
“And you thought your roommate gave you placebos and you passed anyway,” Rick said.
Ben turned toward Nathan. “I never thought…”
“It’s okay,” Nathan whispered, his voice trembling. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Oh, man,” Lungen laughed, slapping Rick’s knee.
“Did you see their faces when I ran in here? They thought it was all over.”
“It will be,” Rick said. “In less than eleven hours.”
By four in the morning, all but one of the lights in the suite had been turned off, and an eerie silence pervaded the darkened room. A small tabletop lamp next to the sofa provided just enough reading light for Lungen to see his newspaper. In the bathroom, Lisa was asleep on the tile floor, her fear overwhelmed by sheer exhaustion. In the living room, Nathan struggled to keep his eyes open, even as his head bobbed down with sleep. Ben was wide awake in the corner of the room, his eyes blazing as he stared at Lungen.
Sitting on the sofa and flipping through his newspaper, Lungen stood guard over the three friends. When he looked over his shoulder, he caught sight of Ben. “If you’re going to stare like that, you might as well say something,” Lungen said. Getting no response, he added, “Why don’t you just go to sleep?”
“I’m not tired.”
“Fine, stay awake,” Lungen said, turning back to his paper. “Like I care.”
“I hope the money’s good.”
“The money’s great.”
“How much does integrity go for these days?” Ben asked. “A million? Two million?”
Lungen folded up his paper and turned back toward Ben. “I don’t need morality lessons from you.”
“That’s fine,” Ben said. “But I hope you realize you’ll be a fugitive for the rest of your life.”
“What are you talking about?” Lungen asked. “This isn’t some rinky-dink operation. When this is over, I’m going right back to my job. And when I walk in with Ben and Lisa, the two most wanted clerks in America
, I’ll probably get a promotion.”
“Sure you will,” Ben said.
“Believe what you want,” Lungen said. “But by tomorrow night, Ben Addison is going to be a wanted man. When the SEC traces our stock sales, guess whose name will be attached to the transfer? And that bank account Rick opened for you during CMI—don’t think that baby’s not getting another big deposit. When you put that together with the tape of you giving out the decision, there’s not a person in the world who will believe your story.”
“You don’t have a prayer.”
“I won’t need one,” Lungen said. “Who do you think America is going to believe—the clerk with the million-dollar bank account, or the marshal who brought him in? And if you try to finger Rick, what proof do you have? At this point, you can’t even prove he exists.”
Ben was silent. As his shoulders tensed, the handcuffs pulled against his wrists. “No matter what you say, Rick is out for himself. And that means he doesn’t give a damn about you. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of his information points a finger at the Marshals Office. If I were in your position, I’d get out now.”
“C’mon, Ben, do you really think you can trick me into switching sides? I’m not some simpleminded, misunderstood lackey. I’m fully aware of every possible consequence. Rick and I planned this a long time ago, and I plan to see it through to the end.”
“So you’ve been in on this since CMI?”
“How do you think Rick knew so much about the Court?” Lungen asked. “Without an inside man, it’d be impossible to pull this off.”
As the door in the corner of the room opened, the bright light of the connecting suite cut through the darkened room. Rick followed. “Are you two bonding?” Rick asked as he walked toward the center of the room.
“Absolutely.” Lungen got up from the sofa and moved toward the second suite. “Ben convinced me to switch sides. I’ve realized what a fool I’ve been, and now I’m going to turn us all in.”
“That’s great,” Rick said, patting Lungen on the back as he passed him. “Just make sure to get some sleep first. We have a busy day tomorrow.”
Stopping as he reached the door to the connecting suite, Lungen turned around. “Have a good night, Ben.”
“I hope you choke in your sleep,” Ben said as the door slammed shut.
“It looks like it’s just the two of us,” Rick said, noting that Nathan was fast asleep.
“So what?” Ben snapped, trying to look over his shoulder. Standing behind Ben, Rick slowly tipped back Ben’s chair. “What are you doing?” Ben asked.
Rick didn’t answer. Dragging the chair to the center of the room, Rick made sure that Ben faced the sofa. With a better view of his most resourceful captive, Rick took a seat. “Don’t pout,” Rick said. “Every game has to have a winner and loser. You just happen to be the loser in this one.”
“And you’re the winner?”
“I am,” Rick said. “You could’ve been a winner too. The offer was there from the beginning. You simply refused to accept it.”
“There was no offer,” Ben said. “You didn’t ask me. You just manipulated my trust.”
“So sue me. Would you have given me the information otherwise?”
Ben said nothing.
“Exactly.”
“Well then, I guess that’s it—you must know everything about me.”
“Ben, do you have any idea what the main difference is between us?”
“Besides the fact you’re a psycho?”
“I’m serious,” Rick said. “It’s a subtle difference, but an all-important one.”
“Oh, I get it,” Ben said. “This is where you tell me some cheesy story—like how we’re opposite sides of the same coin or something.”
“Not at all. We may have similar qualities, but as far as I’m concerned, we’re not even part of the same currency. And it all stems from our one major difference: You think society’s right, while I think society’s a joke.”
“Aren’t you the maverick.”
“Think about what I’m saying and you’ll understand I’m right,” Rick said. “You scheme and lie and manipulate just as much as I do. But you love the way society’s set up. You stick to the rules. Work hard, get the perfect job, find the perfect wife, buy the perfect house, lease the perfect car. You’ll be chasing that carrot for the rest of your life. As long as you follow that path, no matter how smart you are, you’ll always be the predictable pragmatist, and I’ll always have the advantage. And that’s the real reason I picked you.”
“You don’t know me at all,” Ben said coldly.
“Really?” Rick asked. “Then let me ask you the question I’ve always held back on: How about being my partner?”
“What?”
“I’m not joking,” Rick said, his tone deadly serious. “We become partners. I let you go. You go back to the Court. You finish out your term, and you feed me all the lucrative decisions. By summer, we’ll be swimming in money. You’ll never have to worry again.”
“Are you serious?”
Rick smiled. “No. Not at all. Do I look that stupid?”
Ben swung his right leg forward and kicked Rick in the shin. “You’re an asshole.”
“I sure am,” Rick responded. With a swift shove, Rick kicked Ben’s chair. As the chair fell backward, Ben struggled against his handcuffs. Unable to stop the momentum, he braced for impact. With a loud crash, the chair fell back, slamming Ben’s head against the floor. Lying on his back, Ben kept his eyes closed, refusing to show any sign of pain. “Get a good night’s sleep,” Rick said, leaning back on the sofa. “Tomorrow’s a big day.”
“Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!” Rick shouted out at a quarter to nine the following morning. Jarred awake when she heard Rick bang on the bathroom door, Lisa jumped and slammed her head against the pipes directly above her head. Groggy as she sat on the floor and leaned against the bathtub, she rotated her wrists to encourage circulation to her pale white hands.
In the living room, Nathan slowly rotated his neck. Still lying on his back, Ben had slept the best of the three friends. He licked the morning film from his teeth. “I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Hold it in,” Rick said, lifting Ben’s chair and setting it upright.
“You two look terrible,” Claremont said to Ben and Nathan, who had matching bags under their eyes.
“Where’s Lungen?” Ben asked, glancing around the room.
“At work,” Rick said as he walked toward Nathan. “Placating Fisk.”
“When are you going to call the broker?” Claremont asked impatiently. “It’s almost nine.”
“I’ll call him in a minute.” Rick tipped back Nathan’s chair and dragged him to the center of the room.
“What’s going on?” Nathan asked. “What are you doing?”
“Testing a theory,” Rick said, letting the chair down. Turning to Ben, who was now facing Nathan’s side, Rick asked, “Do you have a clear view of your friend?”
“Don’t touch him,” Ben warned. “I told you the decision.”
“You also told me the Grinnell decision,” Rick said as he rolled up the sleeves of his white, button-down shirt. “And look where that got me.” Rick pulled his arm back and cracked Nathan in the side of the face.
“Stop!” Ben screamed.
“Does American Steel really win?” Rick asked as Claremont looked on.
“It wins. I swear.”
Rick smashed Nathan in the jaw. “Are you sure that’s the right outcome?”
“Stop it!” Ben yelled. “It’s right.”
As blood dripped from Nathan’s mouth, Claremont said, “He’s telling the truth.”
“We’ll see,” Rick said, walking toward the bathroom. He dragged Lisa out by the handcuffs.
“Don’t you dare!” Ben yelled, seething.
“Shut up,” Rick said. Claremont pulled Nathan’s chair away and brought an empty one to the center of the room. Lisa kicked and fought furiously against
Rick.
“Get the hell off me!” she screamed. “I’ll kill you!”
“Quiet,” Rick said as the two men forced her into place. When they had handcuffed her to the armrests of the chair, Rick stepped back to watch Ben’s expression.
Ben exploded as he felt his face turn a bright crimson. “Stay the hell away from her! I told you the damn decision!”
“My,” Rick said. “I didn’t realize you were so attached.”
“Hurry up,” Claremont said, looking at his watch. “We don’t have time for this.”
“Believe me,” Rick said, “if we don’t have the right decision, all the time in the world won’t mean a thing.” Turning back toward Ben, he continued, “Now, Ben, does American Steel really win?”
“Don’t tell him,” Lisa said.
Rick punched Lisa in the face. “No one asked you.” A red patch blossomed around her left eye. “Now you and Nathan match each other.”
“Get away from her!” Ben screamed, his arms struggling against his handcuffs and his body convulsing in a rabid rage. “I’ll kill you!”
“I asked a…question,” Rick said as he hit her again.
As blood and saliva flew from Lisa’s mouth, Ben fought uncontrollably to break free. “I’ll fucking kill you!”
“That’s not the answer,” Rick said. He slapped Lisa across the face. Her head flew sideways.
Enraged and screaming, Ben couldn’t contain himself. In a mad frenzy, he fought against his restraints. “IT’S THE TRUTH!” he shouted as tears rolled down his face. “WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?”
“What’s the vote?” Rick asked.
“Five to four,” Ben said. “Dreiberg’s the swing vote.”
Rick pulled out his gun and pointed it at Lisa. “Are you sure?”
“C’mon, Rick, that’s enough,” Claremont interrupted.
“Shut up,” Rick said. Holding Lisa by the hair, Rick shoved the barrel of the gun in her mouth and repeated his question. “Are you sure?”
“I swear,” Ben pleaded. “On my life.”
As he pulled back the hammer, Rick put his finger on the trigger. “I’m not joking. I’ll do it.”
“I swear it’s true,” Ben said, his body tensed. “Steel wins.”
Rick paused, searching Ben’s face for a glimmer of deceit. “Fine,” he said, removing the gun from Lisa’s mouth. “I believe you.” Rick walked to the desk in the corner of the room and picked up his cellular phone. Quickly dialing a number, he said, “Hello, Noah? It’s me. Here’s the story. The moment the market opens, I want you to liquidate all those preferred stock certificates I gave you. Then take the proceeds and buy every American Steel option you can find.” Listening for a moment, he continued, “Exactly. I’m positive. Then at noon, I want all the proceeds cashed in and sent to my usual account. Exactly. You got it.” Rick hung up the phone and turned to Claremont. “Now all we have to do is wait.”
