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The whole time, I thought I was diverting the Feds. But the bastards were redirecting me.
I move to my door window and open the blinds. Outside my office, officers and Feds work in unison. A whir of activity fills the floor. Everyone operating together to tie up the loose ends on the case.
It may look like cooperation—but it’s the calm center of the storm. I feel it charging the air. An energy buzzing with warning.
Somewhere amid the organized chaos, a suspect hides.
In plain fucking sight.
I’m out of my office and barreling toward the exit, phone pressed to my ear. Waiting with my heart in my throat to hear Avery’s voice.
Avery.
19
Empire
Alpha
Enemies.
Most people have at least one.
I have countless.
Enemies come in all forms. The obvious backstabber who invades your territory and deems to overthrow your empire. The smiling friend—the snake—who secretly strategizes your demise with the intent to acquire your empire.
Those are the most recognizable.
The ones you see coming.
Then, there are the enemies that are a little harder to spot. You’re not quite sure if they’re legitimate or not. Whether they intend you harm, or may indeed be an asset.
The logic is simple, however, on how to handle enemies of all shapes and sizes. Even those skeptical ones—because they’re the most dangerous of all.
Eliminate them.
The turf stealer, who thought it a wise business decision to use my empire as their own springboard, is given a tip about a shipment of “merchandise” arriving at a certain location, at a certain time.
Let your enemy steal your merchandise.
Let your enemy use your connections to organize an auction. Of course, make sure that all the groundwork is laid in preparation. Prearrange the auction, scout the venue. Give him the fucking keys to the kingdom.
The backstabber was easy. Dorian took the merchandise and the venue without too much coercion. Greed always trumps caution.
The snakes… They’re a little more difficult. But Lark and Gannet provided stellar resources to vet the buyers for Dorian’s auction.
One judge who decided he no longer felt obligated to return my favors. One CEO who uploaded a worm to one of my accounts to filter small increments of my money into one of his banks in the Caymans. And eight other snakes that were skimming off the top of my transactions.
They’ve been sitting on my shit-list for a while.
In one fell swoop, the Feds provided the perfect opportunity to wipe them all out.
Of course, it wasn’t all me—I’d be remiss if I didn’t give credit where credit’s due. The ACPD did a phenomenal job of helping to lead the Feds exactly where I wanted.
The Alpha is just a myth again. A moniker for indulgent criminal entrepreneurs to use to stake their claim in the market. The FBI Criminal Network Division appreciates the power of a name—they use it to track down leads.
And they did.
