Читать книгу The Manhattan Puzzle - Laurence O’Bryan - Страница 15

The dining table in Lord Bidoner’s Fifth Avenue apartment was set for breakfast. The silver coffee pot in the centre of the table was letting out a curl of steam.

Lord Bidoner was dressed in a black kimono, as was Xena, though hers went only to her thigh. He poured coffee into a thin gold-edged cup, as Xena went to answer the doorbell.

The two men who entered, the head of trading and the head of risk at the New York securities division of the Ebony Dragon hedge fund, were both Harvard educated and experienced in the animal world of Wall Street.

‘Come in, the coffee and pastries are both warm,’ said Bidoner.

The two men took coffee and stood near the picture window. They were both quiet and watchful. It wasn’t often that they were summoned to meet the chairman of the fund they worked for at his apartment. It had only happened once before for each of them, when they were being recruited.

‘Sit, gentlemen,’ said Lord Bidoner. He stood with his back to the wall of glass and its million-dollar view. The sun still hadn’t risen, but the buildings around them were starting to come to life.

The two men sat on the edge of the leather sofa, a few feet apart. Xena stood at the far end. Her long legs glistened, but neither man glanced at her.

‘As I told you when I approved your salaries, there will be times when each of you will be asked to do unusual things. This is one of those times.’

Neither man responded.

‘You know our fund has larger goals than simply making a profit.’

The head of trading, who wore a black suit and a blue knotted silk tie, nodded curtly. The other man stared at Lord Bidoner, then spoke.

‘Isn’t profit what our shareholders want?’

‘And we will make a profit from all this,’ said Lord Bidoner. He walked closer to the two men. ‘A serious profit. And we will need it. There are scum out there who threaten us all. There is a change coming and you can be part of it.’

The head of risk, who had spoken, pressed his lips together and nodded.

‘Soon, gentlemen, we will know who will be the new slaves and who will be free in this world. You may think I overstate it, but when you see people lining up everywhere outside banks that have stolen their money, you will know I wasn’t lying.’ Lord Bidoner pointed at the two men, first one then the other.

‘Many things must be destroyed before they can be reborn. And you will have a role in this, if you follow my instructions to the letter. With no deviation. Is that clear?’

The head of risk spoke. ‘What exactly do you want us to do?’

‘You will spend every dime we have on BXH’s shares and options. And then you will start selling it all at a loss, until the price dives, because there is so much of BXH on sale.’

‘We could be ruined in a day, sir,’ said the head of risk.

‘That’s not your problem, gentlemen. Those are your instructions.’

The two men looked at each other. Both were pale under their perma-tans.

‘Are you sure you want to do this, sir? This is a major gamble,’ said the head of risk.

Lord Bidoner walked to where Xena was standing and whispered something in her ear. She went out of the room.

‘Gentlemen, consider this,’ said Lord Bidoner, coming up to the two men. ‘My friend is very strict when it comes to relationships. She was raised differently from us. An eye for an eye is what she believes in.’ He leaned towards the men. ‘It was said in her village that she wore a cloak of darkness after what happened to her family.’

He stepped aside to let her pass him. She was carrying a newspaper.

‘Would you like to see what happened to one of the other bankers I worked with, gentlemen? It was such a shock I kept the article.’

The two men just stared at him. Then the head of risk nodded.

Xena dropped the paper on the glass table. The newspaper was the Times of India. The main article was accompanied by a picture of a stretcher being carried out of an office building. People were milling around and whoever was on the metal stretcher was clearly dead, as they were in a fully zipped up body bag.

The headline read – CASTRATED BANKER DIES.

‘This was a few years ago, but it was a sad day for the man’s family, I can tell you. To die in such a way is dishonourable in India. It implies so much. But I am sure it was a lot more painful for him.’ Lord Bidoner picked up the newspaper and passed it back to Xena. She left the room with it.

‘This man didn’t believe my warnings. I hope that doesn’t happen with you two.’

The two men shook their heads.

‘I want you to understand where I’m coming from. There will be no turning back on my directive and there will be no discussion of what happened in this room after you leave here. Is that clear?’

The head of risk nodded first.

‘Yes, sir. You don’t have to worry. We will carry out your instructions to the letter.’

They walked slowly to the door and exited without saying another word. Lord Bidoner was already on his phone, as the front door of the apartment closed behind them.

Red, he typed into the email. Then he sent it.