Page 21 of Billion-Dollar Ransom

The banter between Kaitlin and Mike usually amused Nicky, but occasionally it drove her up the wall. Especially when neither of them seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation.

Or maybe they completely understood, and this was their way of dealing with the stress.

“Meanwhile,” Nicky said, “here in thereal world,I’m going to be back late tonight.”

“Because you’re working that huge kidnapping case involving the billionaire and his family. Got it.”

Mike said, “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you all about it, K.”

“No, he won’t.”

“If Mike wants to crash here later, it’s cool,” Kaitlin said. “I know it’s a long drive back to Pasadena.”

“I appreciate that, K.”

Nicky wrapped up the call: “Okay. Dinner. Homework. Only alittleheroin. It’s a school night, after all.”

“And save those Bloody Mary ingredients for me, K. I have a feeling I’m going to need one in the morning.”

“Love you,” Nicky said.

“Love you more,” Kaitlin replied, then quickly disconnected. She also loved having the last word.

Nicky guided her car along the curves of Sunset Boulevard. When traffic slowed, as it always did, she put on her lights and drove in the turning lane until it was time to take a left up into the hills of Bel Air.

“Have you ever met Schraeder?” Nicky asked.

“Nope. I’ve only seen him on TV,” Mike replied.

“I don’t watch much cable news. What’s he like?”

“He’s paranoid about his privacy, but he alsoreallylikes being on TV—go figure. He’ll patch in from some undisclosed location and try to scare the American public into hoarding supplies and buying crypto and never trusting the government.”

“And bythe government,he means…”

Mike Hardy smirked. “Oh, yeah. He freakin’ can’t stand the FBI.”

“Good to know.”

“If it makes you feel any better, he thinks most politicians are bottom-feeders and parasites.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better, because that means you and I report to those bottom-feeders and parasites.”

Mike squeezed his eyes shut, nodded, and smiled in that way he had that put her completely at ease, like he was saying,We both know this is ridiculous, but this is the hand we’ve been dealt, so let’s have fun.Nicky appreciated it.

“Just keep in mind,” he said, “that we’re not dealing with a rational human being here.”

“What do you mean?”

“The guy lives in a ten-billion-dollar bubble,” Mike said. “Even worse, he’s a self-made billionaire, a man who started out with nothing in a small town in Nebraska. Which means he believes his decision-making skills are right up there with Warren Buffett’s and Jesus’s. To him, there isn’t an obstacle in the world that money can’t overcome.”

“Except maybe this one,” she said.

“So how do you want to play this? I’ve got some ideas if you’re interested.”

“Clearly you have more experience with ornery billionaires than I do.”

“It’s not the money thing. It’s the politics. Like I said, the old boy doesn’t mind local cops too much, but he hates the feds. And he’s probably not too fond of lady cops. No offense.”