Page 91 of Discretion at Its Finest

…And him.

The man waiting on the other side of the table wore an expensive dark suit. He sat like he owned the building and sitting in this room was beneath him. He also looked oddly familiar, but I couldn’t put a name to his face.

“Mr. Kaufman…” he began, his composure all too relaxed as the officers released my wrists from the cuffs. “You’ve made quite the mess. Stirred a bit of trouble in the last few months,” he said calmly, voice clipped with authority.

I remained silent, glancing to the door. The guards that led me in had left. But the other men in black tailored suits still stood by the exits like they were Secret Service.

“Do you know why you’re here?” he asked, voice smooth and certain.

I took a seat before I leaned back slightly, finally deciding to speak. “Enlighten me.”

He studied me for a moment with his calculating gaze. “You’ve upset a lot of people,” he began, “powerful people who don’t like having their names on headlines or their money in unstable accounts.” He leaned forward slightly, the faintest gleam of interest in his eyes. “Newman Trust imploded faster than expected. And when it did, a lot of fingers started pointing. Misappropriated funds. Insider knowledge. Shifting assets. You’ve made enemies in high places, Reid.”

“I’m not the one who collapsed the company,” I said flatly. “It was failing long before I came into the picture.”

“No, you didn’t,” he agreed. “You just decided to save face for a short little while before you planned to drain it all when you had enough fun playing the hero. You kept their investors happy, you gave them the illusion of control. But you were planning to bleed them dry underneath it all.”

“I’m sure you know I won’t be admitting to any assumptions you have…”

He quirked an eyebrow. “But…”

“But let’s say I did have a plan to burn Newman Trust to the ground. Regardless of where I would have hid the money, nothing comes back to me.”

He almost smiled. “You think rerouting it through shell accounts makes it clean?”

“It makes it untraceable.”

“Until it isn’t.” He tapped the folder on the table. I glanced down at it before looking back at him. “Paper trails are hard to follow. But the money doesn’t vanish into thin air. You played it smart. Fake accounts, loose assets, a couple hedge funds, companies disguised as start-ups…”

My eyes narrowed, my jaw clenching. He knew too much. “You sound confident enough to have proof.”

“I wouldn’t have put you here if I didn’t.”

I held his stare. “You’re the reason I’m in here?”

“I’m the reason they didn’t bury you worse than they did before.” He leaned forward slightly. “You’re smart, Reid. But you’re reckless. Impulsive… messy even. You need to be on a leash for a little while.”

“Respectfully, I’ll have to decline.”

A smile almost graced his lips. “I’m not giving you a choice. You’re walking the line of being pulled in every direction for federal investigations and becoming the sole king of Silicon Valley. Letting them take you under would be a mistake.”

“One I’m assuming you decided to take into your own hands.”

“Letting you go down as a liability instead of an asset would be foolish. You’re worth protecting, Reid.”

“Is that what this is?”

“For the time being, yes.” His hands drummed against the table, almost like a countdown. “You will agree to being… placed. For everyone’s sake, including your own. It’ll be disguised as federal custody. Keep you hidden for a while. Silicon Valley has too much to lose if you go down under the Newman name.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Ifyou refuse, you’ll be placed in actual federal custody and we’ll let Uncle Sam come up with a list of charges that starts you from ground zero again.”

“I’ve hit rock bottom before… a few years in federal custody would be a walk in the park.” He went silent for a moment. “…Assuming I do have a choice or say in this?”

Still he didn’t answer right away…Why did I have a feeling federal custody would have been a better outcome than whatever this was turning into?

“The Feds only wanted to seize Newman assets,” he said finally. “They brought you in because you’re in my custody. Not theirs.”