Page 94 of Dark Duet: Platinum Edition

“I understand you have a job to do, Agent Reed. I do as well. I will continue to gather information on the private aircraft, passenger lists, arrival times and scheduled departures, etcetera. In the meantime, I suggest you get in contact with your superiors. I will do the same and perhaps we can come to a mutually beneficial agreement?”

“Fine,” Matthew growled into the receiver.

“Until tomorrow,” SSgt Patel replied coolly.

“You can bet on it,” Matthew repeated and waited until the line went dead before he placed the handset back onto its cradle. He was careful not to slam it. He didn’t need the attention.

He had a few hours before Sloan finished with Olivia, so he decided to dig out his research on Demitri Balk. If Rafiq and Caleb were set on getting to the elusive billionaire, then Matthew would have to do the same. He was hesitant to get too close to the man through traditional channels. He didn’t want him spooked. He might decide to stay clear of the auction, and then Matthew wouldn’t be able to use him as bait.

Demitri Balk didn’t have much of an identity until the mid-90s. Balk Diamonds had appeared seemingly overnight with a long list of prominent investors that catapulted the price of the stock within minutes of it becoming public. Demitri Balk had been the primary share holder and was listed as the CEO of the company.

The large conglomerate was primarily billeted as a jewelry company but was also supported by a myriad of other businesses. The company had its share of controversy surrounding it. More than one story claiming Balk Diamonds did their mining in Africa could be found by doing a cursory search, but ultimately no formal investigation by any government had been conducted.

Blood diamonds were highly contentious, but no one had been able to directly link Balk Diamonds to any of the mines in Africa – probably due to the web of companies and subsidiaries associated with them. One of the subsidiaries caught Matthew’s attention. AKRAAN was established in Russia and dealt in weapons manufacturing and sales. More research revealed AKRAAN had been part of Balk Diamonds when it first went public, meaning the CEO would have direct knowledge of it.

Matthew wasn’t surprised to see a diamond company involved in weapons. However, what was surprising was the weapons company existed first, as early as the 1960s. The manufacturer, run by the government, sold weapons to several countries – most notably, Iraq and Pakistan.

How did Demitri Balk come to run both companies? As CEO, no less?

Demitri was described byForbes Magazineas a “self-made billionaire with humble roots in soviet Russia.”

Matthew scoffed. “Humble, my ass.” He winced at his own words, remembering the very real way his ass had been humbled the night before. Sitting was definitely a chore. He tried not to fidget.

Finally, inspiration struck and Matthew made a call to his home office. After a brief conversation with his boss, the man had finally relented and agreed to give Matthew all the resources he would need to put his case together. He also agreed to start cutting away at the red tape between Matthew and the FIA.

Within the hour, two techs were running every picture and story associated with Balk Diamonds, AKRAAN, Demitri Balk, Vladek Rostrovich, and Muhammad Rafiq through facial recognition software and the National Security Database. Matthew predicted something would show up sooner rather than later.

He looked at his watch. He should probably get to the hospital. He called the nurse’s desk on Olivia’s floor to make sure Sloan had left for the day and then he gathered his belongings and headed for the door.

***

Olivia was furiously writing when Matthew walked in. She seemed in better spirits than the night before. Matthew gave Sloan credit.

“What are you writing?” Matthew asked. He put down his briefcase and took a seat. The chair was far more comfortable than the one in the recreation room. Also, sitting in her hospital room had the added benefit of making her more talkative.

“Dr. Sloan gave me a journal. Pretty sweet, huh? It’s been so long since I’ve written anything, I almost forgot how much I love it,” Olivia said. She smiled.

“Not what I asked, Miss Ruiz,” Matthew replied, but there was no bite in his words.

She sighed. “I’m…you know. I just want to preserve my memories before I stop trusting them.”

Matthew really didn’t know what to say, except, “That could get subpoenaed, you know?”

She looked stricken, dropping her pen with a rattle. “Seriously? Why would you do that?”

“Never mind,” he said easily, “forget I said anything.”

She looked at him, then down at her notebook and up at him again before she raised a suspicious brow and snapped the journal shut. “I don’t forget anything you say, Reed. Only an idiot would.”

Matthew inclined his head and winced. “Thanks for the compliment.”

“What’s wrong with your neck?”

Matthew focused on not letting his embarrassment show and did a fairly good job of it in his estimation. “Hotel bed. Hurts my neck.”

“Aww, poor Agent Reed,” she teased gently.

“Funny girl, but let’s get this over with so I can go home and sleep in my own bed,” said Matthew.