Zero Alternative by Luca Pesaro Read Free Book Online

managed to secure a temporary spot on the desk a few weeks before. ‘It’s a trading halt.’
    ‘What?’ The pimply young man looked confused.
    ‘Whenever market moves become too disorderly, the Stock Exchange freezes for a while.’
    ‘Why?’
    Walker sighed. He didn’t mind explaining things to trainees – he had been one, a long time ago – but this kid could be slow. ‘A short break, and a new dealing price. Hopefully at the re-opening markets will behave with a little more logic. Now the forced sellers are out, and people know that at least some buyers are sniffing around. It’s only a matter of finding the level where things can stabilize. The second attempt should be much quieter, with the early panickers out of the game. Maybe.’
    ‘I see. So…’
    ‘Just wait.’
    Walker turned back and glanced at his orders on the ORK monitor – they had all been filled. He’d just bought one hundred million dollars’ worth of cheap Futures in the first second of trading.
Quality
.
    The voice of a broker rumbled from the squawk boxes: ‘The Eurostoxx and all European Futures markets are suspended for the next fifteen minutes. I repeat, in
fifteen
minutes there will be another opening auction, starting level 2667.’ A short pause, interrupted by the sounds of quick fingers tapping away at a keyboard somewhere.
    ‘Globex has also informed us that since the Dow Jones, Nasdaq and S&P Futures have all beenoffered limit-down for over two hours, the US will not restart trading at all until New York comes in, at nine thirty a.m. local time, fourteen thirty in London.’
    Walker realised he had been squeezing his infrared mouse like a vice and released the poor thing. He stood up, searching for tech-support to ask for a new one. From the corner of his eye he noticed that Tony Mendes was approaching his desk, a sly smile on his round face. ‘Hi mate – since the market’s dead for now, do you fancy a quick coffee and a smoke?’
    Walker looked at his monitors: his risk-management system gleamed darkly in the middle of the top row, highlighting his current position and daily profit-and-loss. His book was showing a temporary gain of twenty-seven-point-four million dollars. He shrugged and decided to ignore all those urgent messages for a few more minutes. ‘Sure. Let’s go.’
    The little sailing boat swayed on the waves, turning in a lazy circle around the anchor line. The woman looked at Sprague, her accomplice, who was effortlessly dragging a few weights across the quarterdeck
.
    ‘
I’ll take those. Go and get Tsun
.’
    ‘
Uh uh
.’
    She liked the fact that Sprague never spoke unless it was absolutely necessary. With a grunt she shifted a heavy lead ball and then another before untangling the plastic cables they would need to tie up the thin Chinese man. Glancing behind her, she thought she could see a distant light on the horizon but the Hong Kong skyscrapers were probably too far away
.
    Sprague staggered out of the cabin, carrying the unconscious man on his shoulder
. ‘
Where?
’
    She pointed to the opening where three metal steps led down to the murky waters of the South-China Sea, and helped him lean Tsun against one of the railings. They tied the weights to the man’s ankles, checking the knots twice before Sprague pulled out a small, silenced handgun
.
    The woman slid to the side
. ‘
Just make sure you don’t spatter the entire boat. This has been a monstruos waste of time already
.’
    ‘
Okay
.’
    The muffled explosion was almost lost in the wind and she smiled as only a few blood drops splashed back onto the deck. Sprague leaned over and kicked the body overboard, where it bobbedup for a second before sinking without a trace
.
    The two traders left the Dorfmann building and went for a quick stroll around Broadgate, enjoying the sunlight. It was one of those rare but pleasant autumn days, the sun shining and the weather mild. Tony borrowed a Marlboro, as ever, and lit it with Walker’s