LEVERAGE AU - volume one

Introduction

Jackson Krushnic, former insurance investigator, sat alone in a hotel bar, drinking a cheap vodka that required an acquired taste. As a man approached him, he raised an eyebrow. Someone coming to talk to the tall scary guy drinking? Well this was new...

"I'm sorry Mr. Krushnic, sorry, I know who you are I've, uh, excuse me. I've read all about you. I know for example that-that when you found that stolen Monet painting in Florence you probably saved your Insurance Company what 20-25 million dollars. Then there was that identity theft thing and you saved your insurance company I don't even know how many millions of dollars but I just know that when you needed them... What happened to your family is the kind of thing-"

Jack put his glass down all too calmly for the words that next came from his mouth, "You know that part of the conversation where I punch you in the neck nine or ten times? We're coming up on that pretty quick."

The man, named Dubernich shook his head. "Only here to offer a job."

"....Listening."

"Do you know anything about airplane design?"

"I could give it a shot, you know, you give me a pencil and one of those little rulers..."

"Somebody stole my airplane designs."

"No. I know where they are. I want you to steal them back. This man, Nathan Pierson stole them and I need them stolen back."

Jack scoffed in surprise. "You're sure Pierson stole your designs?"

"Look, my engineer goes missing, he disappears with all my files and then one week later Pierson announces an identical project. Come on."

"I don't know. Stealing them back, it seems like a stupid risk, there are other ways..."

"Listen. Listen to me. At the end of this month I have a shareholder's meeting Mr. Krushnic. I've spent, already, five years, 100 million dollars on R&D. If I go to that meeting with nothing to show for it? Then I am dead." He passed a folder across the table to Jack, "I'm serious. Look, look at the people I've already hired. Do you recognize any of these names?"

Jack flipped through the pages and stopped at one. "Alice? You've got Alice Young?"

"Yes... Is there someone better?"
"No, no, but Alice is insane."

"Which is why I need you, Mr. Krushnic."

"I am no theif."

"Oh, no, thieves I've got. What I need is one honest man to watch them. You in?"

"It's not going to work, these people you hired they all have the same rep. They work alone, they always work alone, there's no exceptions and there's no way they're going to work for you."

"No, they will, they will. For $300,000 each, they will, and for you, for running it, it's double that. And it's off the books, completely off the books. Look at me, I'm desperate here. And that's just the salary, there is a bonus. Pierson is insured by I.Y.S., your old bosses. It's a 50 million dollar intellectual property rights policy. Mr. Krushnic, how badly do you want to screw the insurance company that let your son die?"