Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 136425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 682(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 682(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
Lacey’s head shook as though that was a terrible idea. “I don’t think we need to do that at all, but Zach is right about one thing. I’m not about to go out and shout it to the world. The truth is I don’t care. I have my job and that is to infiltrate an organization called Disrupt. Particularly Disrupt Europe.”
“I don’t know what that is,” Devi admitted.
She wasn’t alone. Outside of politicians and some think tanks, it wasn’t a wildly advertised group. “It’s a bunch of wealthy people who got together with intellectuals and politicians to create new ways to solve problems. Like water in Africa. They basically brought together a group of innovators and are working on real solutions to bring water to dry areas of the continent.”
“That doesn’t sound bad.” Devi sat back, seeming to find some calm.
“Yes, it certainly seems fine from the outside,” Lacey agreed. She scooped up some of the beet, carrot, and kale salad she made.
Zach sighed and wished he had a burger. “There’s a second level to Disrupt. A darker one.”
“And that man who took my cousin is involved.” Devi winced. “I need to stop saying cousin.”
“You don’t. I was serious. I have a vague interest in some of the stories Zach has told me about Ms. Magenta. I won’t talk about it to anyone,” Lacey promised. “I owe Zach a lot. So to answer your original question, I have to talk a bit about my mum. She’s a legend in activist circles. She works mostly on the environment, but she will champion animal causes as well. One of her friends was working with Disrupt Europe on animal testing. She called my mum one night and said she found evidence that there was a group within the group, and they were buying bombs.”
“Why would they need bombs?” Devi asked.
“A good question, and very specific bombs.” Lacey passed Devi the wine she bought. “Do you recall the terrorist attacks in Jakarta a few years back?”
She nodded. “Yes, because I was working on a project with a company at the time. It was some post-grad work I did for a professor designing a sportswear line. Our manufacturer was in Indonesia, and we ended up having to shift to Vietnam because the shipping lines were screwed up for months.”
“Yes, the word disrupt works for both parts of the organization,” Zach agreed.
Devi looked thoughtful for a moment. “Why would they want to blow up some transportation sites in Asia?”
“Because of what comes out of Asia. An enormous amount of merchandise, and more importantly, parts we use to build things here come out of Asia. Disrupt those shipping lanes and you disrupt the world,” Lacey explained. “I know it’s hard to understand, but what I’ve uncovered is a group of extremely wealthy people behind the front-facing organization who use the legitimate parts of Disrupt to do what they actually want to do. Which is burn the world down so they can make a profit and rule over what’s left.”
“What happened to your mom’s friend?” Devi asked.
Lacey stopped and put her fork down. She took a long sip of wine. “She disappeared. She was supposed to meet my mum in Munich to give her the files and the evidence she found. She didn’t make it. Three weeks later her body was dragged out of a river in Croatia. Any reports you read will claim she was drunk and fell in. She didn’t drink.”
“So she was murdered,” Devi surmised.
“She was, and my mum was heartbroken. She’s strong but she’s not capable of violence. It’s not in her soul. It is in mine. My father had another life before he married her, and it seems I take after him. My original plan was to find her killer and bring some justice. I brought blood and pain. I don’t think it qualifies as justice, but it did feel good,” Lacey said, her voice steady. “However, I found nothing that would stand up in a court of law, so I decided to keep my cover and go further. And that is when I met Shannon Reed.”
“Zach’s mom.”
He nodded. “I’ve told you about her. True things, like she was in and out of jail.”
Devi studied him as though she could see to his soul. “For drug possession. You told me she cooked meth.”
Not exactly what he’d said, but he could understand her confusion. “She created designer drugs. My mother was…is a gifted chemist. My father met her while she was on a full ride to Stanford. He was a low-level drug dealer who started to move up the ladder once he convinced his girlfriend to make his product. My mom managed to refine his drugs. She did some time in California. When she came out, she went right back to my bio dad, and I was conceived. She managed to stay out of jail while she was pregnant with me.”