American Terrorist (The Rayna Tan Action Thrillers Book 1) by Wesley Robert Lowe Read Free Book Online

Fidelitas knew the financial details of each of their clients intimately. It was a “win, win, win” situation: a win for the client—Fidelitas never had a year where the return was less than twelve percent; a win for the investment advisor—as compensation was based on the value of a client’s book, all of Fidelitas’ investment advisors had annual compensation over three million dollars a year; and a win for the “real” Fidelitas—Barry, Paulina and Arthur had research and access to some of the worst scum on earth. Every year, at least two of their clients were killed outright or met an unlikely accident. No one ever suspected involvement from Fidelitas. These guys were so bad it was generally accepted that it was only a matter of time before someone took them out. This was the world Rayna had become part of.

    ***

    At 9 a.m., there was a meeting of the banker advisors in the conference room. Rayna scanned the room. There were six men, all at least fifteen years older than Rayna, all dressed in tailored, conservative dark suits. A quick glance down showed shoes so polished Rayna was sure she could see her reflection. All were WASP. This was due to an odd quirk about many clients of diversity. Although they themselves might be of non-Caucasian heritage, they would rather have a white representative when it came to dealing with Fidelitas.  
    They all sat around the one-piece mahogany conference table in two-thousand dollar Scandinavian custom-made ergonomic chairs as Barry addressed the group. Ignoring Rayna, he dove directly into the discussion he knew his sharks were ready to feast on—what opportunities there were for making their clients and, by consequence, themselves money. As Barry described the latest opportunity in the biomedical field, she saw the eyes of the predators gleam; this could make them a killing.
    “Okay, guys. I have to stress this investment is different from most shit we see around here. It’s either going to be a ten-bagger in two years or it’s going to go bust. Naturally, I’m working on a way to mitigate the downside. Any questions?”
    “What’s the FDA preliminaries?”
    “I’m working on it.”
    The men smiled. In Barry-speak, that meant he was “investing” in the retirement funds of key bureaucrats at that agency. As to “mitigating the downside,” that was Barry-speak for “we’ll write it off against another investment if this one goes tits up.”
    “How much do you want and when do you need it?”
    “Five hundred million and six months. I’m capping each contribution at a hundred.”
    Rayna couldn’t believe her eyes—whoops and high-fives around the table. They all got up to go hit the phones, but Barry said, “Wait.”
    The men paused, looking anxious. There was money to be made and every second counted.
    “This is Rayna Tan,” Barry announced. “I thought we needed to get a little more diversity and Rayna fits the bill. She’s a woman and she’s Chinese. She’s our newest advisor.”
    There were just a few lukewarm greetings as the guys exited the room.
    Barry smiled at a dumfounded Rayna. “Welcome to my world and your new one, Rayna.”
    “They didn’t even say ‘hello.’”
    “They’re focused on one thing only—putting money in their own pockets. I just fed raw cow to sharks. A ten-bagger means that not only do they make their initial fees but, without lifting a finger, they’ll take the ride up with their clients. As for not greeting you, don’t feel sorry for yourself that they didn’t drool over you and ask you to lunch.”
    “I wasn’t upset,” said Rayna defensively.
    “Bullshit. You are so used to being the hot babe that guys will do anything for. Doesn’t mean anything to them. One of them was married to a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, another to a Playboy bunny, porn star, Miss America... Besides, they probably all think you’re having an affair with me. That’s the only way a non-Ivy Leaguer would get hired. But