The FBI Billionaire

Episode 4 Second Encounter With The Monster

7:00 AM. The morning light felt intrusive, mocking the chaotic thoughts Kristen had wrestled with all night. She didn’t wait for the sun to hit the Los Angeles skyline before she asked Ashley to come to her apartment. She needed a second pair of eyes—unbiased, non FBI eyes, to scan the file on her tablet.

“Look at him, Ash. Really look,” Kristen whispered, sliding the device across the kitchen table.

Ashley squinted at the digital image of Alex Hunter. She leaned in, furrowed her brows, with her nose almost touching the screen. She stayed like that for a few seconds before finally shaking her head with a definitive huff.

“No. There’s no way, Sis. This guy? He looks like a monster. His eyes are cold, and his jawline looks like it was sharpened to hurt people. The man from the restaurant… he was like a dream, Kris! He was warm, even for a stranger. This guy in the photo looks like he eats souls for breakfast.”

Kristen released a breath she had been holding since the file opened.

“Right? That’s exactly what I thought. The guy we met was sophisticated and put together. This suspect looks like he’s just… averagely rich. A fraudster playing dress-up. There’s no way Prince Charming is a financial predator.”

“On point,” Ashley agreed, already shifting her focus as she sat on the kitchen stool. “Now can we focus on my healing process? My heart is in literal pieces, Kris. I need spaghetti; freshly cooked, not the basic boxed stuff. My soul is slowly recovering from that breakup, and carbs are the only medicine that works.”

Kristen sighed, and walked toward the pantry. As she pulled out the pasta, Ashley started rambling about her workplace.

“And honestly, maybe the breakup is a blessing from God,” she continued. “Because there is this new guy at the office. He’s been eyeing me near the coffee machine for three days. He has this way of looking at me, Kris, like he’s trying to read my mind, or maybe my heart,” she said, fluttering her lashes.

“Hmm,” Kristen murmured.

“He’s tall, not as tall as your restaurant guy, but he has these dimples that—“

“Ashley stop!” Kristen interrupted, her voice strained. She gripped the edge of the counter. “Let’s postpone the romance talk. I can’t process your workplace drama while a National Security crisis is sitting on my kitchen table. Everything is happening at once. The Thorne case, the orphanage, this Hunter guy… my head is spinning, and I’m supposed to be on leave too.”

Ashley pouted, crossing her arms. “Fine. No tall guy talk. But you’re making the spaghetti right?”

“Yeah,” Kristen answered.

Not long after, Kristen’s phone buzzed on the counter. It was Mike.

“Hey, what’s up,” she answered, leaning against the sink.

“Just a heads-up, FBI. The SAC is going to call you soon. He’s in a mood, and he’s asking for your status. Be ready for anything,” Mike said, his voice unusually short and sharp.

Ten minutes later, the call Kristen dreaded arrived. It was SAC Timothy.

“Bell,” he barked. “I’m not discussing this over an insecure connection. Meet me at the park near Downtown, the one off 5th street. Be there at 7:00 PM sharp. We have matters to discuss.” He hung up before she could even utter “Yes, sir.”

————

By 7:00 PM, the Los Angeles heat had faded into a gentle, cooling evening breeze. Kristen scanned the park’s shadows until she spotted Timothy’s broad frame sitting on a secluded bench under a weeping tree.

“Sir,” she said, approaching him.

Timothy didn’t look up at first, he was staring at the city lights.

“Your leave is over, Bell. I know you just concluded the Thorne case, but crimes don’t stop for a job well done. The state’s AI Defense Code is missing, and the trail leads directly to Alex Hunter. We believe he’s planning to auction it to the highest bidder,” Timothy stated firmly.

Kristen felt a weight settle in her chest. “So it’s official? I’m back on the go?”

“You never left,” Timothy countered, finally looking at her. “Hunter is a master of deception. He doesn’t just steal money; he steals identities. He’s a ghost in a bespoke suit. I need you to go through every scrap of data we have. We must find his weakness before he disappears with that code.”

They spoke for nearly an hour, with SAC Timothy detailing every single thing he had drawn from the incident. He painted a picture of a man who manipulated people as easily as he did with their bank accounts. As soon as they were finished, Kristen’s mind was a fog of security risks and legal insignificance.

“Go home, Bell. Get some rest. I expect you in the office at 6:00 AM tomorrow,” Timothy ordered before disappearing into the darkness of the park.

Kristen turned to leave, her mind in overdrive as the name Alex Hunter hijacks her thoughts. She reached the end of the park and stepped out to cross the street to her car.

SCREEEEEEECH—a high pitched scream of tires ripped through the air.

Kristen froze, as a sleek, black car swerved, the bumper stopping just inches from her knees. The smell of burnt rubber filled the air.

The driver’s side window glided down, with the door kicked open. A man stepped out, but because of the blinding street lights behind the car, he was mostly a silhouette—his face hidden in the shadows.

“Are you okay?” he asked. The voice was a rich, smooth baritone—one that made the hair on Kristen’s arms stand up, though she couldn’t place why. It was calm, almost soothing, despite the near-accident.

“Ye-yes,” Kristen stammered, her heart hammering against her ribs.

“Please, be careful. The streets aren’t safe tonight,” he replied.

There was a hint of something in his tone—authority, maybe, or just the confidence of a man who owned the road. He didn’t wait for her to respond before he strolled back into his car and drove away.

Kristen stood on the asphalt, paralyzed for a long moment. She didn’t recognize him—not yet. In the shock of the near-miss, the connection to the man from the restaurant didn’t click.

The moment she entered her house, she didn’t even bother to take her shoes off. She pounced onto her bed, exhaustion finally winning. She drifted into a heavy sleep, unaware that she had just survived a second encounter with the very man she was destined to chase.