Novel Drama
Chapter 54
Ibegan calling private jet brokers.
After the tenth ‘no,’ I finally got a ‘yes’ –
But it was a pricey one.
“I can have a plane for you in Hong Kong tomorrow morning at 11 AM,” the broker told me. “But it’ll be $500,000 US.”
“That’s highway robbery!” I snapped.Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.
“They have to shift two other flights around to make it work, which is extremely inconvenient. Do you want it or not?”
“…yes,” I said through gritted teeth.
“They also want the money upfront.”
I had a dozen credit cards with multi-million-dollar limits.
Four months ago, I could have paid without a second thought.
But while trying to keep the family’s finances afloat, I had maxed out every single one. Even my American Express Black Card would balk at adding another $500,000 to the tab I owed.
But there was another possible solution.
“Do they take Bitcoin?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Give me their payment information.”
Bitcoin wallets – accounts that sent and received Bitcoin – had alphanumeric ‘addresses’ that could be anywhere from 26 to 90 digits. The jet company’s was only 36.
I wrote down the string of letters and numbers and read it back to the broker. Once he confirmed the address, I told him I would call back when the transfer was complete.
I immediately opened up the Coinbase app on my phone. Coinbase was one of the largest international exchanges for cryptocurrency trading, and my account with them had the most money out of all the crypto accounts I’d opened six months ago.
After entering my password, I sent the jet company $500,000 worth of Bitcoin.
One of the benefits of Bitcoin was that it took very little time to process a transaction. An international wire transfer could take one to five days – but with Bitcoin, the recipient usually got their funds within 15 to 30 minutes.
I called the broker back and sent him a screenshot of the transaction.
“Okay, I’ll forward this to the client and send you a confirmation when they get the funds.”
“Excellent. Call me if there are any problems.”
As soon as I hung up, I texted Niccolo.
Arranged jet – leaving Hong Kong tomorrow morning at 11 AM local time.
Nic texted me back a thumbs-up.
Any word from Venice? I texted.
Not yet.
Let me know.
He sent me another thumbs-up.
Now I had to call Mei-ling and tell her we would leave tomorrow morning.
My stomach twisted slightly as I wondered whether she still wanted to go.
Of course she does.
In exchange for helping you get the gun and C4, she made you promise to take her with you.
Why WOULDN’T she go?
My fears were irrational, but they still made my guts churn as I called her cell.
She didn’t answer, so I left a message.
“Something’s come up, so I had to book a flight leaving Hong Kong tomorrow morning at 11 AM. I want you to go with me… and I just need to confirm you still want to come. We can talk about it tonight.” My voice softened as I smiled. “I’ll see you at 10 o’clock.”
Then I hung up.
My nervousness got the best of me, and I began pacing back and forth.
My thoughts flitted from one thing to the next:
My brothers and Lars…
Mei-ling…
And my failure to get our family’s money back from the Syndicate.
I began to fret over what we would do –
How we would survive the next few months –
And then I reminded myself that Massimo, Adriano, and Lars might not survive the day.
Next to that, my worries about the money were self-serving and ego-driven.
There is nothing to cut through bullshit like the threat of losing your loved ones.
As my mother told me repeatedly before her death from cancer:
If you have problems that can be solved with money, Roberto, then you don’t have any REAL problems.
I didn’t agree with her at the time – but after she died, I finally understood her wisdom.
The threat of losing Massimo, Adriano, and Lars just confirmed it.
Suddenly, my phone rang.
I pulled it out, expecting the jet broker or perhaps Mei-ling –
And was surprised to see who was calling.
“Mr. Lau. Hello.”
“Mr. Rosolini.”
I assumed he was going to put me off again, so I asked in a weary voice, “Any news?”
“Yes, actually. Mr. Gota and Mr. Xi both arrived in Hong Kong earlier today. They’re eager to discuss your family’s funds. Can you meet us here at the Syndicate in one hour?”
My stomach felt like it dropped out of my body.
Finally – at the very last minute – I was within reach of my goal.
This meeting would be make-or-break.
My family’s entire future might depend on it.
That is, if my brothers and Lars survived the mission in Venice.
I glanced at the clock in my room.
3:37 PM.
“That would be – yes, I can definitely be there in an hour.”
“Good. I can have Mr. Han pick you up, or you can take a town car from the hotel.”
“I’ll take a town car, thank you.”
“Excellent. We’ll see you in an hour.”
As soon as Lau hung up, I went to the closet and looked at my suitcase.
Take it with me, or not?
If the meeting didn’t go my way, the suitcase’s contents would be my only leverage.
But if Lau’s men searched the bag and found the gun, I would be screwed.
And if they found the C4…
Powerful Yakuza and triad bosses wouldn’t take kindly to my bringing plastic explosives to a meeting.
After a brief deliberation, I decided to leave the suitcase in my room.
If they refused to give me the money, I could figure out what to do when I returned to the hotel.
I’d been willing to leave Hong Kong without the funds…
So maybe it was best to just let it go.
I took a deep breath and repeated to myself silently, Everything will be fine.
As though receiving confirmation from the universe, my phone buzzed with a text.
Jet company just got the half mil in Bitcoin. You’re all set for 11 AM tomorrow at Hong Kong International, Hanger 32.
I smiled.
Everything will be just fine.