Chapter 16 - Desperate Moves in the Shadows
With Charles Vance behind bars without bail and Audrey facing federal charges, the immediate corporate threat against Apex Dynamics had been dismantled. But the personal tragedy lingering within the Hayes family was far from resolved.
Robert Hayes had avoided immediate arrest on the trading floor because his primary federal charges were tied to the upcoming grand jury indictment. Stripped of his executive power, ejected from Hayes Capital, and frozen out of all family accounts, Robert was living in a cheap airport motel near SFO.
He sat on the edge of a stained mattress, surrounded by empty bourbon bottles and takeout containers. The once-mighty billionaire was reduced to a twitching, paranoid wreck.
His phone rang. It was an burner phone he had purchased at a convenience store.
Robert answered frantically. 'Hello? Who is this?'
'Robert,' a rasping voice spoke. It was Victor Kozlov, a dangerous Russian shadow broker whom Robert had previously used to route illegal offshore tax havens.
'Victor! Thank God,' Robert whimpered. 'I need to get out of the country. I have fifty thousand in cash hidden in a safety deposit box. Can you get me a passport?'
'Fifty thousand is pocket change, Robert,' Kozlov sneered over the static line. 'You owe my associates two million dollars for the Cayman transfer fees that got canceled during your son's stock squeeze.'
Robert's heart stopped. 'I... I don't have two million! My assets are frozen!'
'Then you better find a way to pay us, my friend,' Kozlov said, his tone turning dangerously dark. 'Your son Nathan has unlimited money. Your ex-wife Margaret controls Hayes Capital. Get us the money from them, or we will collect the debt in blood.'
May you like
Robert hung up the phone, trembling violently. His mind, broken by desperation, alcohol, and humiliation, snapped into a dark, terrible place.
If Nathan and Margaret wouldn't give him his money willingly, he would force them.
