The Loyal Nine by Bobby Akart Read Free Book Online Page B

billion at once, followed by another $400 million in stock manipulations. What did it matter? Forget the dollar amounts, make the trades and go home to your family.
    He pulled off his jacket and flung it into an empty chair. Unbuttoning and rolling up his sleeves, Donald executed the first in a series of steps that would make front-page news tomorrow morning.
     

Chapter 6
    December 15, 2015
    Newbury Street
    Boston, Massachusetts
     
    After turning right on Clarendon Street, Sarge crossed Commonwealth Avenue and started looking for a parking space. He considered parking at home and walking—Newbury Street would no doubt bustle with Christmas shoppers. He passed the First Baptist Church and admired its architecture. The congregation’s history dated back to the mid-1600s and was commonly considered one of the oldest Baptist Churches in America. The current church, built in the late 1800s, was on the National Register of Historic Places. The Sargent families had been prominent members of this church since the Boston Baptists congregated in the North End. His grandfather, former Governor Francis Sargent—of “Put Sarge in Charge” fame—attended services regularly. The current-day “Sarge in Charge” had not attended since he was a boy.
    Easing his Mercedes SUV onto Newbury Street reminded him of the maze of one-way streets created in Back Bay. Tourists must think the street layout was designed as a sadistic game to keep them out. Clearly, the city’s nineteenth-century planners didn’t anticipate thepopulation boom. The Newbury Street shopping district had an interesting history. Until the mid-nineteenth century, this area of Boston was under water—part of the Boston Harbor.
    A massive public works project was undertaken in 1857 to remove dirt fill from neighboring communities and their once substantially higher hilltops. Boston Harbor was slowly landfilled to create the affluent Back Bay section of the city. Completed in 1882, a majority of the original European-designed buildings were still standing today. By 1900, the prestige and exclusivity of Back Bay surpassed the renowned Beacon Hill. Today, Newbury Street was commonly known as the “Rodeo Drive of the East” and was home to a unique mix of shops, high-end fashion stores and stylish restaurants.
    Sarge, like most men, was not a shopper. He was a buyer. He ventured onto Newbury Street with a singular mission—buy a Christmas gift for a Harvard colleague who loved Tommy Bahama products. Sarge noticed the sidewalks were not bustling with happy shoppers. In fact, the bulk of the inhabitants were not carrying any packages. Is December 15 th too early for Christmas shopping?
    Sarge spotted a parking space in front of Steve Madden shoes. He wondered if the customers of Steve Madden would care that Madden was a former bunkmate of my friend Donald Quinn at Fort Devens. Probably not, he surmised. What’s a little income tax evasion among friends, right? He maneuvered the G63 into the space, hitting the pavement with a mission as he strode towards Tommy Bahama. Hello, ladies , he thought as a group of female boutique shoppers marched up the sidewalk toward him. Give them plenty of room ; you’re on their turf now . They looked expensive in a “how much would it cost to keep them satisfied” sort of way. Plenty of casual smiles were exchanged except for the one toting the most bags. I need to introduce her to my brother.
    His smartphone buzzed, stopping him long enough to avoid a speeding SUV in the Dartmouth Street crosswalk. Looking at the display, he grimaced.
    “Well, if it isn’t Julia of the Jungle,” answered Sarge.
    “Fuck you, Sarge!” was the caller’s retort.
    “You don’t scare me, lady,” he replied.
    “Well, you should be scared. Is your phone broken? Did you not pay the bill? Lose my number, perhaps?” interrogated the caller. He was doomed.
    “No, no, no and no. I’ve been winding up the semester,” replied Sarge, knowing the