Number 06 │ A Leverage Fanfiction

The Beantown Bailout Job │Part 3

I crouched behind one of the larger stacks of crate with Sophie, our vantage point offering a clear view of Nate being dragged into a chair by O'Hare's thugs. The shadows danced ominously under the flickering lights as we watched O'Hare's thugs shove Nate into a chair.

O'Hare, on his phone, casually said, "Let me call you back. I've got to go." He hung up, stepping closer to Nate, his tone laced with amusement. "Why were you at the accident?"

Nate shrugged nonchalantly, though the thugs surrounding him loomed with menace. "I was following Kerrigan. I thought he was one of your guys."

"You working for the cops?" O'Hare asked, a sneer curling at the edges of his lips.

Nate rolled his eyes. "Sure, O'Hare, I'm working for the cops. That's why I called you and came down here alone, because I'm the smartest undercover cop in the world. Come on."

O'Hare tilted his head, the his eyes widened the recognition finally dawned on him. "You're Jimmy Ford's kid, Nathan. Thought you were gonna become a priest."

"Yeah, it didn't work out," Nate replied with a shrug.

"I got news for you." O'Hare drawled, "Doesn't look like this is gonna work out for you, either. But go ahead. Entertain me."

I brought a hand to my comm, voice low. "Just say the word, Nate, and I'll get you out of there in one piece..." I paused, "Okay, mostly one piece."

Beside me, Sophie chuckled softly.

Nate leaned back, keeping his tone conversational despite the obvious threats surrounding him. "Yeah no. So, 30 years ago, your father set up a bunch of fake businesses to launder your money. Ran them through a bank you guys control. How am I doing?"

O'Hare's expression darkened. "You're talking yourself into Boston Harbor."

"Then your bank got in a little trouble," Nate continued, undeterred. "A big federal bailout comes along. You figured out how to get a slice of the bailout."

"Yeah, we're done here," O'Hare snapped, motioning for his men to take Nate out.

That's when Sophie made her move, announcing her presence. "You take out millions of dollars in bad loans, you get your pet banker Leary to write you off as toxic assets just as the banks go under." Her voice echoed confidently as she stepped out from the shadows, her heels clicking against the concrete. "Government eats the loans. You don't have to shell out a single penny. Nice. I like it a lot."

She flashed her fake passport at O'Hare. Holding it out confidently. "Annie Kroy."

I followed close behind, my suit pristine and my posture imposing. The thugs shifted restlessly as Sophie continued her approach.

O'Hare took the passport, his brow furrowing. "Name's familiar."

"My family does business in North London with Terry Adams and a couple of other organizations," Sophie explained with a faint smile. "We handle the money."

"Yeah, see, what they do is they clean the money." Nate chimed in, moving to stand up.

One of the thugs shoved Nate back into the chair. Stepping forward deliberately, I made sure the gun at my side caught their attention. The thugs froze, my glare daring them to try again, the tension in the room crackling like static electricity as their hands drifted down to their guns.

"That's enough," Sophie snapped, her voice sharp as a blade. "I wasn't talking to you." She glared at Nate.

Nate grumbled, "Yeah, all right."

Unfazed, Sophie continued smoothly, "But since the new European banking laws—what do they call it? The credit crunch—shifting money on either side of the channel has gotten a bit tricky. We hired him to find us alternatives here in the States, and... he found you."