Somehow, despite the multitasking and sensory overload, Pixie sensed Jake’s arrival and looked up. The headphones came off and the boy stood, seemingly with some trepidation. He remained quiet for a time—no greeting, no hello. While Pixie’s purpose might have been guarded, his anxiety was evident. The boy’s feet tapped out a rhythm, even though the music was off, and he massaged his interlocked fingers vigorously.
“Pixie, good to see you, buddy. What brings you here? Is Andy with you?”
Jake wheeled over to Andy’s friend, who shook his proffered hand a bit timidly.
Something was up with this kid, Jake thought. Something had him unsettled.
“Hello, Mr. Dent, and no, to answer your question Andy’s not here. I came alone.”
“Please call me Jake. We’ve been through a lot together, so I think we can skip the formalities. What brings you to ‘The Pleasure Pit’?”
Pixie went silent, eyes to the floor, hands in his pocket, feet shuffling.
“Talk to me, Troy.” Most everyone called Troy by his nickname, but Jake wasn’t big on joining the crowd.
“I’ve been doing some work,” Pixie said, keeping his voice soft.
“Work?”
“Trying to figure out who stole the bitcoins from us.”
“Yeah? How’d it go?”
“I wasn’t getting anywhere. The public key was still there, but the amounts had changed, meaning somebody had transferred or sold some of the coins to a different public key that I didn’t know about.”
“How?”
“Well, that’s the thing. I figured the thief—well, the other thief, not us—might use Bitcoin Fog to try and hide the transaction.”
“ ‘Bitcoin fog’?” Jake needed clarification.
“It’s a bit complicated, Mr. Dent—Jake—but let’s say, you can use the service to sell the coins anonymously. Anyway, I had set up a monitor because I thought David was the thief, and I wrote a program that would alert me if he ever accessed that service from his school computer.”
“And?”
“And he didn’t,” Pixie said.
Jake contained his disappointment.
“But I realized something about my program. I was actually logging a lot more data than I was looking at. I was scanning the IP address of everyone at the school.”
Jake’s expression came alive. “Let me guess. You got a hit, right?”
“I did.”
“Whose computer was it?” Jake asked.
Pixie did something on his smartphone and held up the device so that Jake could see the display.
Jake’s mouth fell open wide. “Are you sure about this, Troy? Are you sure?”
“Only a thousand percent.”
CHAPTER 51
One month later
Jake and Ellie hovered by the closed door of the large conference room adjacent to Lance’s expansive office. In addition to Lance, six members of The Shire waited inside for Jake and Ellie’s arrival. Jake was dressed in a gray suit and no tie, and Ellie wore a cream-colored top accented by a silver necklace, dark pants, and no gun. She was on medical leave, which was fine by her. It gave her more time with Kibo and her other dogs.
Jake was still using his cane, an oak shaft with a brass-embossed collar and classic derby-style handle. While the surgery on his shoulder and hand had been a success, he’d never be the same again. The fingers didn’t move quite as dexterously, and the pain never completely went away.
Jake was about to step inside, but paused at the door to take Ellie in his arms. She was not in much better condition: hours of surgery followed by extensive rehab, which was still ongoing. But her hands were fine, and on one finger was the diamond ring Jake had put there while she was still in the hospital.
Jake touched her face with his injured hand. She reached up and clutched it to her cheek, unable to get him close enough.
“Are you ready for this?” Jake asked.
Ellie’s expression implied the concern was misplaced. “Are you?” she asked.
“What choice do I have?”
“We always have choices, Jake.”
Jake gave Ellie a gentle kiss. “Then I choose to love you,” he said.
He opened the conference room door. Ellie went inside and Jake followed.
Lance, dressed in a crisp blue suit and striking red tie, rose from his seat at the head of a long mahogany table and came over to give Jake and Ellie each a hug. He might not have endured the tunnels, but the experience had an aging effect on Lance as well.
The kids, wearing new school uniforms, remained seated. Andy and Hilary sat next to each other, holding hands. They were an official couple, though from the Facebook messages Beth MacDonald had been sending Andy, not everyone was pleased. David, Rafa, and Pixie were to the left of Andy and Hilary. Solomon was to the right. The six former members of The Shire sat glum-faced, deeply solemn, and quiet in an uncomfortable way.
Jake had just returned from a long meeting with Leo Haggar and the FBI, and he had news to share. To this day, nobody knew for certain the identities of who’d been held hostage inside the school. Everyone in The Shire denied they were involved and provided credible alibis for their whereabouts. It was intentional, given they could still be targets for retribution. Jake had been treated for his injuries, which he explained away as a camping accident—a knife to the hand followed by a tumble off a trail. Rumors swirled, of course; but like the tunnel maps that cropped up from time to time, some of those were close, while others were way off base.
From his hospital room, until today, Jake had functioned as the group’s ambassador, a spokesperson for leniency. It was a necessary role, too. The six students were technically criminals. They were computer hackers, and bank robbers, and while their actions might have been well-intentioned, their methods could hardly be condoned or go unpunished. There had been extensive conversations, with the threat of arrest hovering over the students’ heads, but so far no formal charges had been filed. No public records existed, which also helped safeguard the identities of the hostages.
The FBI still had their hands full. Bodies had long been removed, statements taken, forensics done, and evidence gathered. The FBI initially had been quite harsh with Jake, threatening to press charges, but it was all bark and no bite. For all their bravado, the FBI was profoundly grateful and pleased with the outcome. In total, fifteen murdering cartel operatives were dead, opening cracks into Arturo Soto’s seemingly impenetrable criminal empire. Still, the threat of retaliation from Soto remained a constant worry, a scar left behind that might never fade.
Consequences.
Now it was time for a different moment of truth. Had Jake and Ellie worked their magic with Haggar and the other higher-ups at the Bureau? Could an immunity deal be struck?
Lance returned to his seat, with Jake to his right and Ellie to his left.
Jake’s expression remained grim when he said, “We cut the deal. Nobody is getting charged.”
It was good news, what everyone wanted, but that didn’t make it cause for celebration. “I have the paperwork with me,” Jake said. “You’ll have to sign it with your attorneys and your parents present. Speaking of parents, the ones you stole from don’t want the money returned. In fact, many of them have given to the same organizations you donated to on their behalf. So that’s done.
“But here’s the thing. And I mean it, too. No more hacking. Not once. Not ever. You do it and get caught, you’re going to jail and they’ll charge you as adults. It’s in the paperwork, but I wanted you to hear it from me as well. No hacking. Is that understood?”
Heads nodded, but nobody spoke. The mood was too intense for words.
David broke the heavy silence. “What about school?”
Jake looked over at Lance. “Not my department,” he said.
Lance spoke up. “Business as usual,” he said. “We don’t want to draw any attention to your identities. Go about your lives. It’s the best for everyone involved. But know this—I’m deepl
y disappointed in your choices and your actions, but I’m far more grateful that you’re all here at this table.”
“So I can still run track?” Rafa asked.
“Yeah, Rafa, you can still run track. You’re lucky kids. In so many ways.”
There was a bit of chatter and dialogue while Jake showed everyone the paperwork prepared by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Later, Jake said, “I have to speak with Lance alone. Andy, I’ll drive you home after school, as usual.”
The kids stood. Andy locked eyes briefly with his father. There had been a number of difficult conversations at home, but Jake continued to make it clear that he forgave his son. The therapist they’d hired believed Andy was making good progress at forgiving himself. Nobody had imagined what would come of Andy’s secret club. Nobody could have foreseen the terrible events that followed. What mattered was moving forward. That was what Jake focused on. He couldn’t change yesterday, and the future would always have uncertainties, but Jake could live for today. He chose to live in the light—after all, he no longer had a tunnel hideaway to retreat into. All windows to his past were closed up tight.
Hilary paused at the doorway and looked to Ellie. “What about the money?” she asked.
“The drug money?” Ellie asked.
“Yeah. Two hundred million in missing bitcoins,” Hilary said. “We didn’t have it. We never did. What happened to the money?”
“I guess that’s for the FBI to figure out,” Jake said.
Jake and Pixie locked eyes for a moment.
“Go on to class now,” Lance said.
The kids all left.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Lance asked, once everyone was gone.
“No, I’m fine,” Jake said, taking a seat at the table.
“So, how did the meeting go?”
“It went fine,” Jake said. His voice had changed, more somber.
“What’s going on?” Lance asked. “You look strange, Jake.”
Jake hefted his cane, lowering it in front of Lance like a barricade going down.
“What gives?” Lance asked.
Without a word, Jake sprang to a standing position and pressed his cane under Lance’s chin. He used the shaft to coax Lance out of his seat; then he applied enough pressure to the throat to force Lance to move backward until he came to an abrupt stop against the wall.
“You son of a bitch,” Jake said, his face turning crimson. The cane stayed flush against Lance’s throat. “How could you do it, Lance? How? To Andy, to his friends, to Ellie? You could have gotten everyone killed!”
“What? What are you talking about?” The pressure on Lance’s throat made it difficult to talk, but not hard to breathe.
“Don’t,” Jake said through gritted teeth. “Don’t lie to me!”
“Jake, please . . . please . . .”
Ellie came forward and put a hand on Jake’s shoulder. “Jake, don’t make it worse,” she said.
Adrenaline turned Jake’s breathing shallow. He hesitated before he lowered his cane. Lance sank to the floor with a grim expression.
“I’ve been thinking about this moment for so long,” Jake said, still breathing hard. “What was I going to say to you? How would I react? Just be grateful Ellie’s here, Lance. Just be grateful Andy wasn’t hurt.”
Lance looked as if he was about to get physically sick.
Jake went on. He used the cane for balance now, not as a weapon. “You can thank Pixie for figuring it out,” he continued. “Guess you tried to sell some of the bitcoins and he was watching for it. What? One Patek Philippe isn’t enough for you?”
“The Lion is already in jail and you’re next, Lance,” Ellie said. “The FBI knows you helped The Lion steal the money from Andy and his friends. For all his skill, Javier’s computer expert still needed a person on the inside to breach the network. You were that person.”
“Javier didn’t know The Lion’s identity, but once Pixie nailed you, it wasn’t hard to find him,” Jake added. “The FBI has been building a case against you for a while, keeping you under surveillance, so I had to keep quiet and keep my anger in check. Believe me, that was harder than the toughest game I ever pitched.”
Lance said, “Jake, I—I—don’t know what to say.”
Jake kept his calm, but inside he was seething.
“I can understand why you did it. You got tired of being the poorest guy at the party. But you should have come forward when Andy was in danger. You knew, but you didn’t do anything to help.”
“What did you want me to do, Jake?”
Jake let the cane fall from his grasp. Then he bent at the waist and seized Lance by his shirt. In a fluid motion, Jake hoisted Lance to his feet as though his brother were weightless. A second after that, Lance was back up against the wall, with Jake holding him in place.
Jake’s eyes were wide and wild. He’d been in plenty of bench-clearing brawls in his day. Throwing a punch was never something he shied from, but somehow he found the restraint to keep his hands from becoming fists. Even so, Jake got right in Lance’s face.
“What you should have done is told the FBI!”
“I d-didn’t know what—what was happening,” Lance stuttered out the words.
Jake was incredulous. “What? Did you think a hostage situation at The Pep and your two-hundred-million-dollar heist weren’t connected? When Andy and his friends couldn’t be found, the kids you stole from, did you not think to be concerned? They all could have died because of your greed. All of them, including me!”
Jake cocked a fist and Lance flinched. Twice Jake went to make the punch, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, Jake let go and Lance sank to the floor. Lance kept his head bowed, hands covering his face. Jake turned his back to his brother, stood there a second with his hands at his sides, shaking, and then he, too, sank to the floor, resting against the same wall Lance used to stay upright. The brothers’ shoulders were touching.
“You don’t have long before the FBI gets here, Jake,” Ellie said.
“Long for what?” Lance asked.
In a soft voice, Jake said, “I wanted to get you alone beforehand so I could tell you something.”
“Please, Jake,” Lance said, his bottom lip trembling.
Jake returned a sympathetic look. “I’ve got a lot of conflicted emotions here, brother, so hear me out,” Jake said. “When I was at my lowest, you were there for me. I’ll never forget that. I love you, Lance. You’re my brother. And I won’t turn my back on you. Not ever. But you did the crime. Stealing from anybody, even if the money originally came from a drug cartel, is still illegal. There’s a whole host of charges coming your way. Javier is going to jail for a long time for money laundering, tax evasion, and probably wire fraud. They might try to get you on similar charges. Either way, you’re going to be criminally punished for what you’ve done—that’s for certain. I don’t know how many years you’ll get. First offense. Who knows? But I’ll help you make bail, no matter what.”
“Jake, I can’t go to jail,” Lance said. “This school is my life. How can I just leave it and the kids?”
“Yeah, well, that’s all in the past now. Trust me, you’re going to have to move on. And you’ll adjust eventually. What matters most is that you have a choice to make.”
“Choice?”
“In the closet of your bedroom, I’ve prepared a GOOD pack for you. It has everything you’ll need to survive on the run. If you don’t think you can do the time, then I’ve given you a way out. It’s the best I can come up with. My way of taking away some of the sting of your mistake, just like you helped take away some of the sting of mine. I’ve spent weeks writing a detailed handbook for you to follow. It’s everything I know about survival, about prepping. It’ll teach you to live off the grid. Follow the rules. Don’t break them. Don’t even bend them a little, and you’ll have a chance. There’s a map for you to use. It shows how you can get to New York by foot. Buy some disguises. It’s all in that hand
book.”
Jake stood and Ellie came to his side. They held hands while Lance hid his face once more.
“I’m so sorry,” Lance said, blubbering the words as the tears came out.
“Yeah, I know you are,” Jake said.
Jake helped Lance to his feet eventually, and all three were soon seated in silence at the conference-room table, waiting. At some point, the doors to the conference room burst open, and in came a swarm of FBI agents. Seconds after that, Lance was in handcuffs. Jake came over to his brother while he was being read his rights.
“I swung for the fences, little brother,” Lance said. “But you got to understand, I had to take the swing.”
Jake set a hand on Lance’s shoulder. “If you play your life like it’s a baseball game, then someone has to lose,” Jake said. “Those are the rules.”
The FBI escorted Lance in handcuffs to the door, where he paused and looked back at Jake.
“Please tell Andy I’m sorry,” Lance said, “and tell him I love him.” With those parting words, he was gone.
Jake and Ellie stayed awhile, but it was too painful to watch Lance’s life get dismantled. They walked to The Quad and sat on a stone bench and listened to the leaves rustling in the trees. The Pep was in full bloom, and school was just about done for the year. In September, a new crop of students would arrive, and they’d hear stories about what had happened in those tunnels. The Feldman Auditorium would be reopened by then, with all new seating. Pixie’s dad would see to that.
Ellie gazed up at a cloudless sky and took in a breath of fresh air. “What if Soto comes looking for you, Jake? What if Javier talks? What if Soto finds out who you are and what you did?”
Jake looked to the sky as well, put an arm around Ellie, and pulled her in close. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll be prepared.”
Acknowledgments
I love reading the acknowledgments in novels, as much I like writing them. As a reader, it gives me a greater appreciation for what the author went through, and as a writer, I can reflect on those who helped me along the way. Constant Fear was hardly a solo effort. Many people lent their time, expertise and considerable knowledge to the telling of this tale. I’d like to start by thanking my editor, John Scognamiglio, who believed in the story concept from the start and encouraged me to bring it to the page. Equally important is the team at the Jane Rotrosen Agency, especially my fabulous agent, Meg Ruley and fellow agent Rebecca Scherer, who offered keen insights and encouragement along the way.
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