The Survivors
1842 Words
The hotel room was quiet. Cole sat by the window. The sun had set. The city glowed below.
Three days had passed since the warehouse. Three days of interviews. Statements. Briefings. The FBI had taken everything. The evidence. The recordings. The bodies.
Now there was nothing left to do but wait.
Clark sat on the bed. His arm was out of the sling. The wound was healing.
“You should sleep,” Clark said.
“I can't.”
“You haven't slept in three days.”
“I know.”
Cole turned from the window. His brother's face was tired. Worried.
“The text,” Cole said. “The one about the board's partners. I can't stop thinking about it.”
“Kane is investigating. Let him do his job.”
“Kane is CIA. He has his own agenda.”
“Everyone has an agenda. That doesn't mean they're wrong.”
Cole walked to the minibar. Pulled out a bottle of water. Drank half.
“I need to see her,” he said.
“Who?”
“Lauren. Her grave. I haven't been. Not since the funeral.”
Clark stood. “I'll drive.”
They walked to the sedan. The streets were empty. The city was asleep.
The cemetery was on a hill. Old trees. Old stones. Lauren's grave was near the back. A simple marker. Her name. Her dates.
Cole knelt in front of it. The grass was wet. The air was cold.
“I'm sorry,” he said.
The wind blew. The trees swayed.
“I should have protected you. Should have seen what was happening. Should have stopped him.”
Clark stood behind him. Silent.
“I loved you,” Cole continued. “I know I didn't say it enough. Didn't show it enough. But I loved you.”
He placed his hand on the stone. The marble was cold.
“I'll make sure he pays. Everyone who hurt you. Everyone who helped him. I'll make sure they never hurt anyone again.”
Cole stood. Wiped his eyes.
Clark put a hand on his shoulder. “She knew you loved her.”
“How do you know?”
“Because she told me. The night she died. She said no matter what happened, she wanted you to know that.”
Cole looked at his brother. “You saw her that night?”
“I was there. To warn her. About Father. About what he was planning.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I was scared. Because I thought I could stop him myself. Because I was wrong.”
Cole turned back to the grave. The wind had stopped. The night was still.
“What do we do now?” Cole asked.
“We live. We try to be happy. That's what she would have wanted.”
Cole nodded. Walked back to the sedan.
They drove in silence. The city passed. The lights blurred.
The hotel lobby was empty. The front desk clerk was reading a book.
Cole walked to the elevator. Clark followed.
The room was dark. Evelyn was asleep on the couch. Ava was in the chair.
Cole covered his mother with a blanket. Turned off the light.
He sat by the window again. Watched the city.
His phone buzzed. A text from Kane.
“I found something. Meet me at the office. 8 AM.”
Cole replied. “I'll be there.”
He turned off the phone. Closed his eyes.
Sleep came slow. But it came.
---
The office was in Arlington. A small building. No sign. Kane was already there. Coffee in his hand.
“You look better,” Kane said.
“I slept.”
“Good. You'll need your strength.”
Kane led him to a conference room. A projector screen on the wall. Files on the table.
“The board had twelve members. We killed all of them. But they had partners. Investors. People who funded their operations without knowing the details.”
“How many?”
“Seven. All offshore. All hidden behind shell companies.”
“Can we find them?”
“I already have. Their names. Their locations. Their assets.”
Kane clicked a remote. Photos appeared on the screen.
“This is Marcus Webb. British. Hedge fund manager. He invested fifty million dollars in Aegis over ten years.”
“Does he know what the money was used for?”
“He claims he didn't. But the evidence suggests otherwise. He attended board meetings. Signed off on operations.”
Cole looked at the face. Middle-aged. Expensive suit.
“Where is he now?”
“London. But he's moving. He knows we're coming.”
“Then we go to London.”
Kane shook his head. “We can't. The FBI is handling the investigation. We're civilians now.”
“Since when do you care about rules?”
“Since I almost got killed last week. I'm taking a step back. You should too.”
Cole stood up. “I can't step back. Not while these people are still free.”
“They'll never be free. Their assets are frozen. Their passports are flagged. They can't leave their homes without being arrested.”
“Arrested for what? You just said they claim they didn't know.”
“The FBI is building a case. It takes time.”
“Time is what they're buying. Time to destroy evidence. Time to pay off witnesses. Time to disappear.”
Kane was quiet. Then he nodded.
“What do you suggest?”
“We go to London. We find Marcus Webb. We convince him to testify.”
“And if he refuses?”
“Then we make him an offer he can't refuse.”
Kane smiled. “You sound like your father.”
“I sound like someone who's tired of losing.”
---
The plane landed at Heathrow at 7 AM local time. Cole hadn't slept. Clark was beside him. Kane was in the row ahead.
They walked through customs. Fake passports. Fake names. Kane had arranged everything.
A car was waiting. Black. Unmarked. A driver held a sign: Mr. Smith.
They drove into London. The city was gray. Cold. The buildings were old.
The hotel was in Mayfair. Expensive. Discreet. Kane had booked three rooms.
Cole unpacked. Checked his pistol. Loaded.
Clark knocked on the door. “Kane found Webb. He's at his country house. Outside the city.”
“Then we go.”
“We need a plan.”
“The plan is we knock on his door and ask nicely.”
“And if he doesn't answer nicely?”
“Then we stop asking.”
They drove to the country house. It was a manor. Stone walls. Iron gates. A long driveway.
Kane parked on the road. They walked to the gate. A camera watched them.
Cole pressed the intercom.
“Yes?” A voice. British. Formal.
“We're here to see Marcus Webb.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No. But tell him it's about Aegis.”
A pause. The gate opened.
They walked up the driveway. The front door opened. A butler stood there.
“Mr. Webb will see you. In the library.”
They followed the butler through the house. Marble floors. Oil paintings. Chandeliers.
The library was large. Books on every wall. A fire in the fireplace.
Marcus Webb stood by the window. He was older than his photograph. Gray hair. Tired eyes.
“Mr. Mathers. I was wondering when you'd come.”
“You know who I am.”
“Everyone knows who you are. You're the man who destroyed Aegis.”
“I'm the man who exposed the truth.”
Webb nodded. “Sit down. Please.”
They sat. Webb remained standing.
“I didn't know what they were doing,” he said. “Not at first. I thought I was investing in a security firm. Legitimate. Profitable.”
“When did you find out?”
“Three years ago. When your father came to me. He wanted more money. I asked questions. He told me the truth.”
“And you kept investing.”
“I tried to pull out. They threatened me. My family. My business. I had no choice.”
Cole leaned forward. “You had a choice. You chose yourself.”
“Wouldn't you?”
“No. I chose the truth. Even when it cost me everything.”
Webb walked to the fireplace. Stared into the flames.
“What do you want from me?”
“Testimony. In court. Against the remaining partners.”
“They'll kill me.”
“We'll protect you.”
“Like you protected Juliet Cross?”
Cole's jaw tightened. “Juliet made her own choices. She knew the risks.”
“And so do I. My answer is no.”
Cole stood. “Then you're no different from them.”
“Maybe I'm not. But I'm still alive. And I intend to stay that way.”
Webb walked to the door. “The butler will show you out.”
Cole didn't move. “I have evidence. Your name is in the files. Your payments. Your emails. If you don't testify, I'll release everything. You'll go to prison for the rest of your life.”
Webb turned. His face was pale.
“You're bluffing.”
“Try me.”
They stared at each other. The fire crackled.
Webb sat down. His body sagged.
“What do you need me to do?”
“Testify. Publicly. In front of a grand jury. Name names. Tell the truth.”
“And then?”
“And then we protect you. New identity. New country. New life.”
Webb nodded slowly. “I'll do it. But not here. Not in London. I want to go to the United States. I want to testify in person.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to see their faces when I send them to prison.”
Cole looked at Kane. Kane nodded.
“We leave tonight,” Cole said.
They walked out of the library. The butler showed them to the door.
The driveway was long. The gate was open.
A black SUV was parked across the road.
Cole stopped. “That wasn't there before.”
Kane pulled out his pistol. “Get down.”
Gunfire erupted. Bullets hit the stone wall.
Cole dove behind a hedge. Clark dropped beside him.
Kane returned fire. The SUV sped away.
Cole stood. Brushed himself off.
“They found us.”
“Webb's people,” Kane said. “He warned them.”
They ran to their car. Drove back to London.
The city was crowded. The streets were narrow.
Cole's phone buzzed. A text.
“You can't protect him. You can't protect anyone. Give up. —The Partners”
Cole showed Kane the text.
“They're watching us,” Kane said.
“Then we stop running. We fight.”
“How?”
Cole looked out the window. The buildings blurred.
“We find them before they find us.”
- Writer
