Page 106 of The Five Year Lie

The elevator doors open on three. There’s a frosted glass door at one end of the hall with the name of the HR company on it, so he starts in that direction. But room 306 comes up first—it’s a wooden door right off the hallway. He hesitates in front of it, and then raps once on the door.

“Come in,” says a muffled voice.

He opens the door and steps into the room. It only takes a nanosecond to register the absence of a person behind the desk. Those battlefield reflexes kick in, and he’s already sidestepping to get clear of the man who’s hiding behind the door.

Time slows down. The door slams shut as Drew squares his body to his opponent.

It’s Ray Cafferty.

Holy fuck.

“You’re finished,” Ray says with a sneer. “Hand over your ID and go home. If you do exactly as I ask, maybe you won’t get arrested today.”

It takes a colossal effort to keep his expression neutral while his mind whirls. Ray Cafferty is behind the warrant fraud? And LiveMatch? He’d seemed far more interested in banging his brother’s wife than colluding with dirty cops.

But now he’s visibly angry. And that’s good. An angry opponent is easier to outmaneuver than a calm one.

“Arrested for what?” he asks with an arrogant shrug. “I thought this was a paperwork problem.”

“Fraud, for starters. And identity theft. Industrial espionage. Theft of digital property.” Ray’s practically spitting out the words.

“Uh-huh,” he replies in a slow, monotonous tone that’s guaranteed to irritate Ray. “If I were you, I wouldn’t send the police to my door. And certainly not the FBI. If you accuse me of identity theft,the feds will get in on the action. I’ll have some stories to tell them about you.”

Ray’s gaze is shooting bullets at him. “You’re a young punk with no money and no job. I have a team of lawyers ready to shoot down whatever bullshit theories you’re spinning. You think an overworked public defender would stand a chance against us? Is that a bet you’re willing to take?”

It’s a battle to stay calm. He’s so fucking sick of bullies. “Tell you what,” he says in the same slow cadence that ought to make Ray twitch. “You shut down LiveMatch by five p.m., and then delete Judge Kerry’s profile. Do that and I won’t email any of the thirty technology journalists on my list. There’s a guy at theNew York Timeswho I think would be particularly interested. Although CNN might make a bigger splash.”

He watches Ray’s expression carefully. There is no confusion flickering on his face. No surprise, either. Only rage. “Social Security fraud will put you in jail, Mr.Marker.”

Ouch.It’s very unlucky that Ray knows his real name. But it’s not fatal. “I admit nothing. But if I’m in jail, I’ll have lots of time on my hands to talk to journalists about Chime Co. And by the way, does your brother know that you’re banging his wife?”

That’s what finally sends Ray Cafferty over the edge. He steps into Drew’s personal space and reaches out, as if to grab him by the shirt. Just like a junior high bully.

Dumbass.

Drew catches his hands and shoves him roughly against the wall, pinning him there. “Never grab a guy who’s trained to kill you. Didn’t the cops in your family teach you anything? Now I have to frisk your ass.”

Then, before Ray has time to counterattack, he quickly pats him down.

No weapons.

“Get yourhandsoff me.”

“Look.” Drew steps back from the glowering man, putting a safe distance between them. “You don’t want to tangle with me. But I don’t want to tangle with your lawyers, either. You want me to leave town? I’ll do it. By tonight I’ll be halfway to a buddy’s place in another state.”

“I don’t ever want to see your face again. If you come back to Maine, I’ll have you jailed,” Ray growls. “And don’t gonearthe office. Just leave.”

“But I have to clean out my desk. And you asked me for my ID.”

“No,” Ray snarls. “Just get gone. Don’t say goodbye to Ariel, either. You’re going to ghost her just like the asshole you really are. No explanation.”

That blow lands, but he tries not to show it. “Okay. But there’s two more things you need to know.” He holds up a single finger. “One, I already sent my buddy a thumb drive with everything on it. If I don’t make it to the army base, he’s been instructed on what to do.”

He adds a finger. “Two, my leaving is conditional on one thing—Ariel is untouchable. If any harm ever comes to her, I’ll be back before you canblink, fucker.”

“Nothing will happen to her,” he says through a clenched jaw. “She knows nothing.”

“Keep it that way,” Drew says. And since the conversation is over, he exits the little office without turning his back on the worst of the two Cafferty brothers.