“So, using the tracking device, someone was going to find and steal your luggage at some point during your trip.” Declan shrugged. “Or maybe it was going to be stolen at the airport in the Cayman Islands. Right off the plane. Very clean.”
“So she’s a mule,” Ryan said.
“Excuse me?” That didn’t sound flattering at all.
Leon shot his youngest brother an icy look, but he explained it to me. “He means you’re transporting something. Usually, it means drugs. In this case, you’d have no idea what you were carrying. You’d simply be a med student leaving the country on vacation during holiday break.”
“It’s a risky plan for physically moving the wallet out of the country,” Declan added. “It’s clear they wanted to avoid crypto forensics getting back the funds if they started using exchanges again. They’re going to dump all the cryptocurrency into dollars or Euros and hide it in the Cayman Islands.” He gestured at the laptop screen. “So the question is, what do we do with this?”
“We hold onto it for now,” Leon answered immediately. “It’s leverage.”
“If you lose this thumb drive with this wallet, all the money evaporates. I mean it. It’s as good as gone.”
“Is there a way to cash in on all this crypto?” I asked, not sure how I felt about it—or that I’d even asked the question.
Ryan shot me a lopsided grin that reminded me of Leon. “I like how you think.”
Declan rubbed his chin as he considered my question.
“The safest way would be to convert it from crypto coin to another currency and hide it in a Swiss bank account. Or in an account in the Cayman Islands. Otherwise, we run the risk of crypto forensics tracking it to the account and seizing it all. Even if you keep moving it from account to account, they’ll follow the trail until you get somewhere that won’t give the U.S. Justice Department access.”
I nodded. That made sense. It was stolen money. The fact that I’d had it in my carry-on without knowing it made me feel used and violated, like I’d been taken advantage of and would’ve been blissfully unaware of it.
Was my father really behind this? Would he put my future, my life, in danger for a hundred and twenty-five million dollars?
I was afraid of the answer to that question.
“Why are we still sitting here, talking about this?” Ryan asked, spreading his arms wide. “Come on. That money’s not like stealing from real people. It’s all rich-people speculation money. Stuff they toss around to play with because they have to dosomethingwith all that money. Hell, I think it’s even a tax write-off as a loss. I vote that we all take a trip to the Cayman Islands.”
“You don’t get a vote,” Leon growled before he turned to me. “Will you join me outside, Sofia? We need to talk.”
I blinked, suddenly uncertain. “Talking” hadn’t gone particularly well the last time we’d been out there. It was also strange that he was asking instead of ordering me around.
I was tired of being out in the cold today, but the back deck seemed to be the happening spot around here. So I nodded to Leon and went to put on my heavy coat again.
Declan shut down his computer and handed Leon the thumb drive. Leon’s brothers remained in the living room as Leon opened the backdoor for me. I stepped out into the chilly air again, a little dazed by how surreal this had all become. First Leon had pointed a gun in my face. Now he was holding the door, pretending to be a gentleman.
The afternoon was just as gloomy and gray as earlier. The cold air made my skin prickle. I shoved my hands in my coat pockets, wishing I had gloves and a hat. My hair was already an un-styled mess. I wasn’t looking to impress anyone, but I didn’t enjoy appearing frazzled and scruffy. Not that I’d had much choice after Leon tossed my luggage.
Outside, Leon dragged over a deck chair for me. “Do you want to sit?”
“Why are you suddenly being so nice to me? Is it because of all the money on that USB drive?”
His mouth twisted. “Not exactly.”
“Then what?”
“I’ve never told an outsider about what happened to Cal before.” He shrugged. “Not any details. It was always family business. I’m trying to figure out why I trusted you with the truth.”
I stared at him standing there in his dark overcoat, still dressed in the same suit he’d worn last night—which was now wrinkled and as untidy as my hair. He still had a hand on the chair he’d brought over for me.
“Thank you for the chair, but I’ll stand. It’s too cold to sit.”
“Fair enough.” His green eyes met mine and my breath caught. Why could this man unsettle me so easily—even after promising not to hurt me? “Thank you for not running off.”
“I don’t have the car keys.”
He moved closer, his eyes still fierce but with that half smile on his lips. “Thanks for not calling the cops.”
