Dark Market (eBook)

A Brea James Adventure

Jaime Blaise (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2023 | 1. Auflage
258 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-0635-6 (ISBN)

Infos

While still carrying the haunting memories of her last mission, accomplished mediator and risk expert, Brea James, reluctantly accepts a lucrative assignment to heal the rift between the enigmatic founders of the world's most notorious software company. But the task takes a complex turn when she becomes personally involved with the tragic backstory of one partner, while becoming increasingly mistrustful of the other. Threatened by shadowy figures to abandon the case altogether, Brea discovers the partners are entangled in a much larger conspiracy that seeks to undermine the very security of America. From the steamy streets of Cuba, to the dark markets of Mexico City's ruthless cartels, the odds against Brea's chances of success seem stacked against her as she increasingly finds herself with no one to trust. Pitted against rivals who seek to destroy her, Brea must learn to survive on her instincts alone all while battling the ghosts of her past.

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While still carrying the haunting memories of her last mission, accomplished mediator and risk expert, Brea James, reluctantly accepts a lucrative assignment to heal the rift between the enigmatic founders of the world's most notorious software company. On the eve of launching a revolutionary new software product the flamboyant Daniel McFarland and his genius partner, Edison Richie, have fallen out over a mysterious reason. As Brea works to heal the dispute, the task takes a complex turn when she becomes personally involved with the tragic backstory of one partner, while becoming increasingly mistrustful of the other. Threatened by shadowy figures to abandon the case altogether, Brea discovers the partners are entangled in a much larger technological conspiracy that seeks to undermine the very security of America. In a relentless adventure that takes her from the steamy streets of Cuba, to the dark markets of Mexico City's ruthless cartels, the odds against Brea's chances of success seem stacked against her as she increasingly finds herself with no one to trust. Pitted against rivals who seek to destroy her, Brea must learn to survive on her instincts alone all while battling the ghosts of her past.

Textauszug

1| NEW YORK

Aja quartered down to the edge of Riverside Park, almost lost in the gathering gloom of nightfall, occasionally stopping abruptly, as if sniffing the late autumn air for any hint of snow coming up the Hudson.

‘Not that way girl,’ I whispered to her, “when it comes, the winter’s coming from upriver.’

The park was emptying now, with dog walkers and joggers heading in for the warmth of home and the embrace of lovers, and as I pulled my jacket around me the chill became more noticeable. Just as the Parisians have their sacred blue heur, I was thinking that we have this; this brief crepuscular moment when New York takes a pause to rest, then sighs before beginning the mischiefs of the night. I was so lost in my thoughts that I was startled by a large shape that separated itself from the darkening shadows. As it came bounding up to me, it took the identifiable profile of a gleeful Golden Retriever. A dozen paces behind, a man came hurrying after.

“Bella, Bella! …. I’m sorry, I’m afraid she just slipped away!” he shouted, exasperated.

“That’s fine,” I shouted back. “No one’s been this pleased to see me in a long time!”

I knelt in greeting as the dog collided into my arms.

“Well hello Bella, pleased to meet you,” I laughed, as the big, golden red dog nestled exuberantly in my arms, all fur, wet nose and wagging tail. From her distant position, Aja watched carefully, weighing the threat of a potential rival, then disdainfully resumed the more serious business of scoping the park perimeter.

“I’m sorry,” the man repeated as he caught up to us and, visibly out of breath, grasped her leash.

“It’s fine,” I said, straightening up, “she was just saying hello.”

The man scanned the park, settling on Aja. “Wow, that’s an interesting…?”

“…. A Formosan, she’s a Mountain Dog. I get asked a lot,” I said. “She adopted me on a trip, and then, well, I had no choice but for her to come home with me.”

“Can you tell I don’t know the first thing about dogs?”

“I’m sure Bella will be happy to teach you,” I laughed.

“Can I also take it that you don’t know who I am, Miss James?” the man said, turning his attention to me. Dressed in ubiquitous jeans, black tee and hoodie he could have been anything from an NYU student to the latest pop heartthrob, but it bothered me that he obviously knew who I was.

“I feel I’m probably seconds away from learning that mystery.”

He smiled, tightly. “Yeah, your dry sense of humor precedes you. I’m Daniel McFarland.”

I thought momentarily, wondering why the name initially meant nothing to me. “The Commune.com guy?” I asked, doubtfully dragging the name from somewhere in my memory. For the first time, I noticed the sleek town car, headlights on, waiting by the park’s entrance.

He nodded, “The same, and it’s good to know the people in PR aren’t totally wasting my money.”

“You look…”

“I know, shorter, right? I wear lifts most of the time for public appearances. I’m told being short affects my stock rating,” he added earnestly. Somehow, I suppressed a laugh, but he continued.

“I was hoping to run into you here because I need to speak to you about a job – to hire you I mean.”

“Which is how you know who I am.”

“Exactly, I like to research the people I have working for me.”

“And you’ve…researched me?”

He nodded. “Glowing references Miss James.”

“Well, that’s just swell of you to mention it, but I also have office hours, Mr. McFarland, so I tend to avoid business meetings in the dog park.” I gestured to the poop bag I was clutching, along with the combat jacket and Chuck Taylors I was wearing.

‘Of course, but it’s actually better we meet this way; this is … well, it’s very confidential, you might say.”

“Might I say that?”

He seemed to pause for a moment as if considering exactly what to say next, and our breath hung in the gathering dark as we both intently watched our dogs.

“Why is it so fucking cold here?” he said, eventually.

“It’s New York. In the winter.”

“I know, but all the same, I left Palo Alto for this.”

“For what, exactly?”

“Well, the thing is, I need someone to negotiate an extremely confidential acquisition,” he said, his train of thought returning.

“You do understand what it is that I do Mr. McFarland? I’m an insurance loss adjustor and a mediator, this sounds more like a proposition for a mergers and acquisitions specialist, or even a consulting firm.”

“Danny, really - and that’s why I want you. Can’t have all the clutter of appointing some firm of hot shot idiots running riot all over my company, I need someone who can work under the wire, someone who can be in and out, operating like a freaking Ninja and who can get me what I need without all the attention. Someone with remarkable negotiating chops, who can think on their feet without having to raise a trail of emails.” He paused for a moment and looked around as if expecting a throng of paparazzi to appear suddenly from the bushes, then leaned in closer, his voice now little more than a whisper. “Besides, what I need you to secure for me isn’t a company, it’s actually more of a…. well, a person, a guy. It’s Edison Richie.”

I think I sensed his disappointment when the name meant nothing to me.

“Again, that’s really not what I do,” I said. “Typically, I recover items that have been lost, stolen, damaged or rendered inoperable. I’m really hoping none of those apply to your Mr. Richie?”

He almost laughed. “No, I get that, I do. I understand that it’s unusual, but Edison’s unusual; talented, smart - even unique you could say, and it’s absolutely key to success of my company that we secure him.” There seemed to be something like admiration, and almost a sense of loss as he described the man. But then, without missing a beat, the bluster returned. “But here’s the part that should interest you - I’m prepared to offer you more money than I’m pretty sure you’ve ever been offered before to make that happen.” He looked at me expectantly, as if waiting for my amazed appreciation.

“Well – Danny, that would be a whole lot of money now, wouldn’t it?”

He shrugged. “I want the best.”

“So, I’m curious, why don’t you just ask him yourself?”

“Ha! Ask him? We were partners for a while – or so I thought,” he huffed. “Now he’s just walked out on me – on our whole company! He’s not talking to me, or to anyone.”

“Then it sounds like you have your answer, and I’m really not sure how on earth you expect me to change his mind and ‘acquire’ him for you. Good evening Mr. McFarland, please don’t try to ambush me again.” There was something about his arrogance that bothered me, along with his assumption that I would presumably drop everything to help out his company if enough money was dangled in front of me. I called over to Aja and moved to walk away, but he came hurrying after.

“Listen, Sweetie, you’d think that changing the internet – aggregating the canon of all human knowledge and providing millions of people across the planet with the kind of information they can actually use, and all with total transparency – while just happening to get rich and successful at it, is some kind of crime!” It sounded to me like a well-rehearsed speech, but he clearly wasn’t done.

“I know I’m not the most likeable guy in the business - I get that - but I also answer to thousands of people; employees, shareholders, investors and manufacturers in over eighty different countries, not to mention the millions of people who use our products every day. This is what I do Brea, I’m a businessman first and foremost so I’m not going to apologize for that, or for getting the things I want.”

“Or who you want, apparently.” I kept walking. “You have, I’m guessing, whole campuses full of legal eagles, talent scouts, human resource people, all of whom would be far more qualified than me for this.”

“…and they’re all on my payroll, they’ll all tell me what they think I want to hear. They’re highly competent people who still want to refer everything to me for approval,” he said, the desperation rising in his voice. “But you have a reputation for… I don’t know… being tenacious, acting independently, speaking your mind – getting results and, as I’ve said, this is very confidential. If anyone finds out he’s gone AWOL, well… it would just be a disaster for the company.”

“No one knows he’s left the company?”

“We don’t say left, Brea, the official story is he is on ‘sabbatical’...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 18.8.2023
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3509-0635-6 / 9798350906356