“What are you doing in Puerto Rico?” Dono asked in surprise.
“Athena and her gang showed up with guns blazing,” Jake replied.
“How did she find you?”
“My wife made a phone call from her mobile phone. One hour later, our maisonette was ripped apart like a pinata. We narrowly escaped alive.”
“Didn’t you tell her not to use her phone?”
“Well, that won’t happen again because we left our phones behind in the Bahamas. We’re all stuck with this VPN-enabled phone now.”
“Good. And Mamba?”
“She’s dead.”
“Are sure?”
“Yes. I put a bullet in her head after my wife kicked her around. If she survives that, then it means she’s immortal and I strongly doubt that.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get a confirmation of that from Peggy and Brutus. They’ll clean up the place t
“I am sorry to inform you that we’ve reached yet another dead end in the investigation,” Detective Fred informed Jake. “We still can’t figure out who blew up your villa like that.”“Hasn’t anyone identified the attackers?”“No. The bodies found at the scene did not match anyone in our database of criminals. We did find some Russian-made weapons at the scene but we couldn’t trace them to any group or persons specifically.”“That’s disappointing.”“I understand but don’t lose hope. We’re still hoping for leads from various sources but for now, we’re closing the case.”“Already? It’s only been three months.”“Trust me, Jake. The state isn’t ready to invest any more resources into this. We’ll keep our eyes and ears open but that’s how far we can go for now.”“I see. T
“I’m glad you agreed to meet me in public,” said Jake, making himself comfortable on the cane chair.He was sitting across from the Russian guy who had demanded to meet with him 48 hours ago. Jake had chosen the patio of a classy restaurant as their meeting point.It was a pleasantly sunny afternoon and people were going about their business as usual, oblivious to the presence of armed security men in the area disguised as tourists.Ivan shrugged indifferently. “I could still kill you here if I want. Makes no difference to me.”“So, it doesn’t matter to you that you’ll be killed too?”“Unlike you, I do not fear death. As long as I succeed in my mission, nothing else matters.”“I see… what is it you wanted to discuss with me?” Jake asked, changing the topic which was now making him uneasy. “What do you want from me?”“That is a two hu
Jake’s private jet landed in Helsinki three days later. Along with Shadow and three of his fellow, Ninjas, he was escorted into a waiting limousine sent for them by the Russian Don.They were driven to another town and led to the outskirts where Bori Aleksander had built an imposing castle for himself and his minions. Jake and his security went through different levels of stops and searches before they finally arrived at the front door.“Only you must come in,” said the armed butler in halting English. “your men must wait outside.”“At least one of them has to follow me inside for my safety,” Jake insisted.The middle-aged butler snorted. “If we wanted you dead, you would not have made it here. You came for a meeting and you shall have it but without your men.”Shadow took a menacing step forward to let the butler know that he wasn’t going to stay outside while his boss was left exposed an
Jake remained tight-lipped about the details of his meeting with Boris. He didn’t want to ruffle the feathers of his existing security allies and he also didn’t want anyone to know of his business dealings with the Russian mafia boss.“The more you seek protection, the more you get involved with people of questionable characters,” Meg complained when he returned home.“What would you have me do? Call his bluff and put our family in danger? It’s better to have these people on our side than against us.”“You’re right, of course. I just hope that when the authorities clamp down on them, they won’t drag you along.”“Don’t worry about that. I’m very careful.”Life as Jake knew it went back to normal – nobody was threatening to kill him or steal his empire, business was booming again and his family was flourishing.He threw a lowkey dinner party to cele
“I’m not sure I quite follow your explanation, Mr Turner,” said Detective Reeves of the Hawaii County Police Department.“What part do you not follow?” Jake asked him casually.The men were seated in the guest living room downstairs. It was a few minutes past 2 a.m. and all the party guests had already left.“The deceased wasn’t invited to your party but he showed up anyway and then attacked you in the presence of your bodyguards.”“That’s correct.”“And he was armed.”“Yes.”“Why didn’t your bodyguard search him for weapons before letting him in?”“He did but the deceased refused to drop his weapon. If you’re wondering why he let him in anyway, it’s because I told him to?”“Why?”“Because the fellow and I have a history together but fell out after his father sold th
“Emilio has put a hit on us,” Shadow announced to him later that day.“I saw that coming,” he replied.“It was inevitable. He has withdrawn the rest of my team and instructed them to return to Sicily. He will send an elite squad to come after us.”“Why do I feel as if he was looking for a perfect excuse to come after me? He knew what Joaquin was like and he wasn’t even fond of him, to begin with.”“This is the kind of moment Emilio lives for. He probably wanted to use his nephew to get you out of the way and then come after your wealth.”“You’re right. I find it hard to believe that Emilio wasn’t aware of the deadly games Joaquin was playing with me. I suspect he was secretly pulling the strings behind the scenes while using Joaquin as a front to attack me.”“What will you do now? Emilio doesn’t play fair. He’s not just going to come a
Emilio took the bait and within two hours of Jake’s phone call to him, the men began to hear a series of automatic gunshots going off outside the cabin.Five of them were safely tucked away under the cabin trap door, listening to the battle going on above them. The gunshots sounded far away and lasted for nearly 45 minutes.The silence that followed that mayhem was deafening. Everywhere was deathly quiet and nobody moved a muscle.“Mr Turner!”“That’s Yuri,” he whispered to those around him when he recognized the muffled voice coming from somewhere above them in the cabin.“He doesn’t sound distressed,” Darius noted.“He probably has a gun to his head and he has been ordered to call you out of your hideout,” said Mailman.“Mr Turner!” Yuri yelled again. “You can come out now. They’re all dead.”“I kinda feel like that’s a
“Welcome back home!” Jake greeted his family cheerfully. They had just returned to Hawaii after their impromptu 2-week trip to Japan. “I missed you, Daddy,” Victoria said and hugged him. “I missed you too, pumpkin. Did you enjoy your trip?” “Yes! Aunty Aoki taught me how to use makeup.” “My little sister is obsessed with makeup,” Megumi explained. She handed James to his father and the baby giggled deliriously when Jake blew bubbles on his big belly. “Man, it’s so good to have you guys back,” Jake sighed. “I was almost dying of boredom.” “So, is everything settled?” Megumi asked him in a low voice. “Yes. Everything has been resolved. I believe we have nothing more to worry about,” he assured her. “Then it’s safe to say that our lives are about to be normal again?” “Define normal,” he joked and she laughed. “Daddy, Meg and I have been talking about my 8th birthday party. I want it to be a pool
“In a shocking plot twist, all speculations about Jake Turner, also known as the Underdog Billionaire possibly faking his own death have finally been laid to rest following a confession from his former PA, Gregory Lowe, who has admitted in a social media post to being the brain behind the leaked emails. “According to Lowe, he conceived the idea after months of battling with emotional instability due to a terrible break-up that he never recovered from. He created deep fake emails and posted them to gain attention and create excitement in what he has described as a boring life.“The story is still developing and we have with us in the studio a behavioural analyst who will break down this topic and – “Pierce flipped a button on the remote control and the TV went dead instantly. He swung his swivel chair around to face Jake on the desktop computer screen where he’d been watching the news report f
As Pierce already predicted, the hacker sent Jake another email two days after the viral leak, threatening to reveal Jake’s location. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, he had doubled his fee and was now demanding 200 million dollars.“This is ridiculous,” Jake laughed after reading the email. He showed it to Shadow a.k.a Fransisco, and he too laughed.“What an idiot.”“I hope Pierce is wrong about his suspicion though. It would break my heart if he’s right.”“At this point in your life, nothing should surprise you anymore. I could even be your enemy.”“Please, don’t be. Let me have at least one human being that I can trust.”Shadow smiled. “I’m just kidding. I value loyalty and integrity above everything else in life.”“That’s refreshing to know.”“I better go out and catch us some fish for dinner. We do
On the seventh day after Jake received that dreadful email from the anonymous hacker, a troll account on IG released several pages of what was purported to be emails sent from Jake Turner’s email account since his death.Several media outlets and online bloggers were tagged in the post and within minutes, the news was everywhere. The Underdog Billionaire might still be alive after all.Pierce was hounded by press people who stormed his villa and camped outside the Turner Group office building, demanding answers to this explosive revelation. Even the CIA wanted in on the details.“Is it true that your boss is still alive?” Tessa Sanders asked him over the phone.“I am just as surprised as everyone else,” he lied.“But you’ve been communicating with him. Everyone has read the leaked emails and I’m made to believe that they are authentic.”“Is that so? Then it means someone is imperson
“I’ve got some not-so-good news for you,” Pierce said gravely.“What is it?” Jake asked eagerly.“Your wife is selling the Hawaii mansion and relocating to Japan with James.”“What? Why? Is she broke already?”“I don’t think so. I guess after that tragic incident that happened at her party last month and the ensuing negative media coverage, she has decided that it’s time for a change of scene.”“That’s a rather drastic move.”“I agree. Victoria is pretty upset about this. She doesn’t want her brother to be taken away from her but there’s nothing any of us can do to stop it.”“Damn… even if something happens to Meg, her family will step in and take care of James. The only way we can get him back is to prove beyond reasonable doubt that her family is unfit to care for him.”“That’s
Megumi’s case against Pierce was thrown out of court because the law supports the provisions made in Jake’s will regarding how the Turner estate is to be divided and who can be Victoria’s legal guardian.The same thing happened with Jude Weiss and members of The Association who had crawled out of their holes to try to rock the Turner Group boat with hopes that something would come out.It had been six months since the fatal explosion that supposedly took Jake Turner’s life and the world was starting to move on quickly. The CIA finally beams their searchlight on Irina, tasking her to produce her boss in exchange for a commuted sentence.The offer was way too juicy for her to pass up, so she agreed. Unfortunately, she never lived to deliver her end of the deal.She was shot in the head by a long-range sniper at the airport as she was being escorted onto the flight that would take her to Finland. She died instantly and her killer was
“That’s incredible!” Victoria gasped after Jake had finished speaking. “So, it’s really you. You’re alive.”“Yes, Vicky. I’m alive,” Jake replied with an apologetic smile.Victoria’s eyes misted and she reached forward to embrace her father. He wrapped her in his arms and let her weep on his chest.Even he was overcome with emotion. It felt good to be reunited with his daughter.“I am so sorry for deceiving you like that,” he said softly as she continued to cry. “It was the only way to make sure that I could escape from Hawaii without being discovered.”She broke the embrace and nodded slowly. “I understand. You did what you had to do to protect yourself.”“You’re wiser than your age.”“You’re braver than you look.”“What about Megumi? Are you going to tell her the truth?”
San Fransisco, three months ago…“What you’re asking me to do is not impossible, but the time frame for its execution makes it seem… undoable.”“I’ll quadruple your fee if you can get it done in 24 hours.”The Ferret’s eyes widened slightly. His services didn’t come cheap, so earning four times that amount on a single job was too juicy to pass up.“If I may ask, why the urgency?”Jake shrugged. “Many people want me dead anyway, so I might as well beat them to it.”“You have an army of bodyguards to protect you. So why did you choose this drastic option instead?”“Do you want the job or not?”“I’m just curious.”“Don’t be. Pierce told me you’re very discreet. I hope that’s true.”The Ferret looked insulted. “Of course, I am discreet. I just like
Victoria was silent throughout the boat ride. She was thankful for the noisy boat engine that made normal conversation impossible.The boat rider sat in front of them and looked straight ahead. Victoria wondered if the elderly man spoke English.Would he help her if she told him now that her father’s PA was kidnapping her and taking her to an unknown destination? Or was the man in on the plot?The ride took over an hour and by the time they reached their first stop, the sky was dark. They stopped on an island that was anything but secret.The place was alive with tourists and locals dancing to music, eating, drinking and laughing loudly. Gregory led her past the noise to a beach on the other end of the small island.They got into another boat and began another silent ride across the ocean. At this point, Victoria lost all hopes of ever getting found.Not even the FBI can track her to this remote destination. She should’ve probabl
“So… where are we going?”“Indonesia.”“For real? I’ve never been there before!” Victoria said excitedly.“Me too but I’m looking forward to exploring the place,” Gregory replied with equal enthusiasm.For the first time since her father died, Victoria did not feel that heavy weight of grief that constantly clouded her thoughts. For once, she felt eager and excited to see what the rest of the day would bring.The only thing she found odd about this trip was that Uncle Pierce had insisted that they travel without any of the bodyguards. She never went anywhere without them since her kidnapping, and she felt a bit nervous about not having them around this time.It didn’t matter that they were flying in one of her dad’s private jets. Not having an armed guard nearby just in case something unexpected happened, didn’t quite sit well with her.She could only