Chapter 84: Offer

Once I parked my pickup truck in the driveway and looked in the rearview mirror, I saw someone stepping out of the black limousine.It was Doyle Johnson himself, with his burned face and the calmest, coldest look possible.

'What is he doing here?' I thought.

I got out of my pickup truck and shut the door, glancing over at Doyle Johnson as he leaned against the limousine.

"Are you stalking me? How did you know where I live?"

He looked at me menacingly. "We have access to a lot of information."

"So you're admitting to stalking me. Why did you come here?"

Doyle's gaze remained serious. "Jack... you are a very bright man..." he spoke slowly. "You figured everything out so quickly..." His tone was almost condescending.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Doyle pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a slow puff. The smoke curled up in the air as he exhaled. "I have a proposition for you," he said, his tone measured. "Instead of going public with what you've discovered, persuade Sam that it's not the best course of action."

A shiver quickly ran through me, but I showed none of it on my face.

'Who could have told them? Sam wouldn't make the same mistake again, but he could have talked about it with Mark. Was it Mark?' I thought.

"Why should I listen to you? You've made a mistake by not hiding your cards well enough and you're going to go down because of it."

"Pff. " Doyle chuckled dismissively. "You think we'll go down because of some little news?" He flicked the barely-smoked cigarette to the ground and crushed it under his shoe. "But it does pose an additional risk."

I shrugged. "Yeah... whatever," I said, turning to head toward my porch.

"You will be greatly rewarded for it!" Doyle called out loudly.

I stopped and turned back to him. "What rewards are we talking about?"

"If Johnson Trading's Orlando branch goes down and Sam gets removed from the board due to restructuring, we will ensure that you keep your shares. As the company recovers and grows again, you will get wealthier than you are now."

I thought about Doyle's offer. He wasn't really interested in the company itself; he just wanted to make Sam look bad in their father's eyes.

"What do you want me to do exactly? Sam will probably go along with the plan even if I don't push him."

Doyle looked at me with a steely gaze. "I want you to stop him from giving the information to the media. Instead, let's use his plan. Let him report it to the SEC."

I frowned. 'Wait... how does he know about this? We just talked about it today. Is Ricky a mole? No-no, no way; he's been loyal to Sam till death.

The new bodyguard then?'

A smile slowly crept across my face. I looked at Doyle. "...I like the way you think, Doyle. I will take you up on your offer."

Doyle opened his limousine door. "You'd better." He gave me a final, icy look before sliding into the back seat. The door of the limo shut, and it drove off.

I hurried inside my house and dialed Sam's number. After a few rings, he picked up.

"Jack?" Sam whispered, like he was talking secretly behind someone's back.

"You're in Miami?" I asked.

"Yes... I can't really talk now."

"Sam. I need you to listen carefully," I said. "I want you to check for spy bugs in your car. Get Ricky to inspect it thoroughly, inch by inch."

"What... why?" he sounded confused.

"Your brother was just at my house. Don't ask questions. Just do it."

There was a brief pause on the other end. "I'll get Ricky on it right away. But are we sticking to the plan or not?" he said.

"There is no change in plans."

I hung up and booted up my notebook.

I searched for "bodyguard services" and found a firm specializing in executive protection. They had been on the Johnson family's radar at one point but were never hired.

Perfect—they wouldn't have any direct ties to them.

I dialed the number listed on the website.

"Good evening; this is Sentinel Security. How can I help you?" A middle-aged man spoke on the other end.

"Good evening. I'm interested in hiring two armed bodyguards for personal protection," I said. "I need them to have separate vehicles as well."

"Certainly. Could you provide some details on what you're looking for? For instance, the duration?"

"I'll need security 24/7," I said. "They should follow me and be stationed outside my house during the night."

"Understood... Sir, we need to know the reason for the protection and some of your details to proceed."

"I'll be revealing an illegal activity by a financial institution to the media. It's a sensitive matter."

The agent listened carefully. "And as for your details?"

I took a breath and provided them with all my details. He then told me how much it would cost.

"I understand." I said.

"Thank you, Mr. Somnus. We'll get back to you shortly."

I sent the required payment and waited. An hour later, the agent called me back.

"The bodyguards will be dispatched to your area within the next two hours," he said. "They should arrive around 11 p.m. They work a night-shift, tomorrow there will be two different bodyguards protecting you."

I thanked him and hung up. As the time approached 11 p.m., I watched out the window.

At exactly 11 p.m., two cars pulled up in front of my house: a white Toyota Camry and a red Ford Fusion.

I went outside and gave them a brief nod to let them know that I was inside and aware that they had arrived. Sёarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Once back inside, I picked up my phone and I was about to dial 9-1-1, and tell the police that I was being stalked and that someone appeared in front of my house giving me threats, but then I stopped.

'If I do that, then Doyle will know way earlier that I'm not going with his plan.' I thought.

I needed to take care of the situation with Luna Park first.

Before I went to sleep, I checked the latest news about the invasion of Iraq. The main difference was China's support for the decision.

China was gaining more from the agreement than America.

I had no idea why the current administration seemed to be dead set on making better relations with China.

Now that Hu Jingtao had become the new Chairman of the People's Republic of China, I wondered how this relationship would evolve.

Many economists also thought that the decision was rushed and had little benefit. They argued that forming a full alliance with China could destabilize global peace and that it would also be practically impossible to unite the people of the two countries because of the vast cultural differences.

On the other hand, if China and the USA were truly united, no other country around the world could rival them in economic and military power.