Chapter 5 - The Betrayal Inside Reed Global
By noon, Reed Global had lost nearly nine billion dollars in market value.
By one, three government clients had suspended negotiations.
By two, federal investigators had contacted Naomi.
And by three, Graham was no longer trying to save his reputation.
He was trying to save forty-three thousand jobs.
The suite became a command center.
Phones rang constantly.
Daniel decrypted files.
Naomi coordinated attorneys.
Graham spoke with directors, banks, regulators and terrified executives.
I watched him handle every conversation the same way.
No excuses.
No panic.
No blaming employees.
Finally, at 3:40, he ended a call and rubbed his eyes.
“You haven’t eaten,” I said.
“Neither have you.”
“I had toast.”
“When?”
“Possibly yesterday.”
He pushed a plate toward me.
“Eat.”
I looked at him.
“You’re still bossy.”
“You’re still impossible.”
For one strange second, the chaos disappeared.
Then Daniel interrupted.
“Found something.”
We moved toward him.
He had recovered deleted emails from the drive.
One name appeared repeatedly.
MARCUS VALE.
Graham went still.
“No.”
“Who is he?” I asked.
“My chief financial officer.”
I knew Marcus.
Everyone did.
He had worked beside Graham’s father for fifteen years.
“He’s helping Victor?”
Daniel nodded.
“Looks worse than helping.”
He opened an email.
Marcus had approved the transfers.
Victor had directed them.
But the final authorization required one more person.
Graham.
Except Graham had never signed them.
His digital signature had been copied.
“They forged your approvals,” I said.
Graham stared at the screen.
Then his phone rang.
Marcus.
We looked at each other.
Graham answered on speaker.
“Marcus.”
“Graham, we need to talk.”
“Talk.”
“Not on the phone.”
“Then come upstairs.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
A pause.
Then Marcus said, “Because Victor knows you have the drive.”
Graham’s expression hardened.
“You’ve been working with him.”
“I made a mistake.”
“Hundreds of millions of dollars isn’t a mistake.”
“He had leverage.”
“What leverage?”
Marcus exhaled.
“My son.”
His twenty-two-year-old son had been involved in a drunk-driving accident two years earlier.
Victor had buried evidence.
Then owned Marcus.
“I’m sorry,” Marcus whispered.
Graham closed his eyes briefly.
“Where are you?”
“Airport.”
“Don’t leave.”
“I have no choice.”
“You always have a choice.”
Marcus laughed bitterly.
“That’s easy for a Reed to say.”
I leaned toward the phone.
“Marcus.”
Silence.
“Avery?”
“Victor is going to blame you.”
“No.”
“Yes. Graham is too visible. I’m too convenient. But you’re perfect.”
Marcus said nothing.
“The moment Victor gets control, you become the executive who stole the money.”
His breathing changed.
I continued.
“You know I’m right.”
“What do you want?”
“The original financial ledgers.”
Graham looked at me.
Marcus whispered, “They’re gone.”
“No. You wouldn’t trust Victor enough to destroy your only protection.”
Silence.
Then Marcus gave us an address.
A private storage facility outside Las Vegas.
Locker 417.
“The originals are there.”
“Password?”
Marcus hesitated.
“Graham’s father’s birthday.”
The call ended.
Graham immediately called Naomi.
“We need law enforcement.”
I stopped him.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“If Victor owns someone inside corporate security, he may also know Marcus talked.”
Daniel checked Marcus’s phone location.
Then frowned.
“He’s moving.”
“Toward the airport?” Graham asked.
“No.”
Daniel turned the laptop.
“Toward the storage facility.”
Graham swore.
“He’s going after the files.”
I grabbed my coat.
Graham looked at me.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“You’re staying here.”
“Those files contain evidence meant to frame me.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“And that suddenly bothers you?”
“It has bothered me from the beginning.”
His voice cracked through the room.
Everyone went silent.
Graham lowered his voice.
“You think I married you because I needed voting shares.”
“You said yourself that was part of it.”
“It was.”
“Then what’s the other part?”
He looked at me for a long moment.
“When I saw your hotel door open last night, I thought something had happened to you.”
My anger weakened.
He continued.
“And for about ten seconds, I forgot the company existed.”
Neither of us spoke.
Daniel suddenly cleared his throat.
“I deeply regret being in this room.”
I looked away.
“Get the car.”
Forty minutes later, we reached the storage facility with two federal investigators Naomi had contacted.
Locker 417 was already open.
Empty.
Graham stared inside.
“We’re too late.”
Then my phone rang.
Victor.
I answered.
“You’re predictable, Avery.”
“Where are the files?”
“With me.”
“What do you want?”
“You already know.”
“The drive?”
“No.”
I looked at Graham.
Victor continued.
“I want Graham to resign.”
“Why would he?”
“Because if he doesn’t, the original ledgers disappear forever.”
I smiled.
“You’re lying.”
Victor paused.
“Excuse me?”
“You don’t have them.”
Silence.
I looked around the locker.
Metal walls.
Dust.
Empty shelves.
Then I noticed something scratched beneath the bottom shelf.
RGR — 1965
Reed Global Rail.
The company’s original name.
Graham saw it too.
His eyes widened.
“My grandfather’s first warehouse.”
Victor said, “Avery?”
I disconnected.
Graham was already moving.
“Where is it?” I asked.
“Outside Henderson.”
“How far?”
“Twenty minutes.”
Daniel looked at the tracking data.
Then went pale.
“Graham.”
“What?”
“There are three vehicles leaving the hotel.”
“Whose?”
Daniel turned the screen.
“Victor’s.”
May you like
They were heading toward Henderson too.
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