Page 37 of Generation Lost

“What do we do, Miriam?” asked Ghost.

“I need help from the tech team. Big help. We need to find out exactly where this is going and what it’s funding, and so far, I haven’t been able to pinpoint it due to the number of servers it’s bouncing off of.”

“Get Pigsty and Victoria to work on it,” said Nine. “I think they’re best at this.”

“I can help,” said Tony, gliding into the room. They all looked at him, almost forgetting that he was the true resident genius. A ghost, but a genius.

“Tony, I think if you can help, brother, then please do.”

Tony smiled, nodding at the group of men. Had he lived, Tony would have been a grown man, probably with children of his own, possibly grandchildren. Instead, he was stuck in the life in between as a young man of only eighteen. He’d given his life for Rachelle and Alexandra, and none of them would ever forget that sacrifice.

“Just tell me what to search for on the computer,” said Miriam, looking at the ghostly teen.

“Actually, I’ve been able to use the computer for some time now.” Everyone raised their eyebrows, staring at him in disbelief. “I know it’s weird, but like food and flesh, we’re able to touch certain things. Maybe God or someone decides we’re supposed to, and we can. I don’t know.” He shrugged his shoulders, and Nine laughed, shaking his head.

“Well, I don’t care why. I’m just glad you can help us further, Tony.”

“Gaspar, y’all need to see this,” said Alexandra, coming into the room. She turned on the large television screen and turned up the volume.

“The president’s approval rating has gone from a dim thirty-seven percent to nearly sixty percent after the recent arrests of two groups of terrorists in our country. Sixteen males from Iran and twelve males and females from Pakistan have been arrested just in the last few weeks with stockpiles of weapons found in their homes.

“The anonymous tip was sent to the FBI and Homeland. Plans were made to infiltrate the group, and arrests were made. Here’s the president now.”

“Good afternoon. We are proud of our continued efforts to stop terrorism on American soil. These men and women intentionally purchased weapons with the intent to kill Americans. My administration will not stand for this, and we will wipe the streets clean of these types of people. They will be removed from our country. One way or another.”

“It’s all about image,” said Ian. “It’s about his image and the image of his cabinet. This has happened before. We’ve seen it with almost every president. They catch a war criminal or a terrorist group, they stop a bombing, and suddenly, their approval ratings are sky-high. We’ve been fucking used!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“What now?” asked Ghost.

“We find where that fucking money is going and how it’s being used, and we blow the lid off the entire thing,” said Gaspar. Nine stared at his friend, unsure if he agreed with the approach.

“I think we have to think about this, Gaspar. If we do this, we’ll make enemies of the president, his cabinet, military members, the agencies, all of them. And we may not be able to get out of that. We may become enemies with the very people we currently help, and they may still keep their jobs and come directly for us. All of them,” said Nine.

“We can’t let them get away with this,” said Ghost. “They’ll keep doing this if we don’t find a way to stop it. If our hunches are right, they’re funding this whole thing by working with crime families, arming terrorists inside our country, only to catch them to make themselves look good.”

The men sat quietly for a few minutes, just looking down at the evidence in front of them. They would still need to find the money trail and, eventually, connect it to the POTUS if possible, but right now, it was all speculation.

“You’re right,” said Gaspar. “This will come back to bite us in the ass big time if we’re not careful. But how do we walk away from this?”

“I don’t have the answer for that,” said Nine. “I wish I did. Maybe it’s enough that we figure it out and hold that evidence over their heads.”

“Wait a minute, are they doing this because they want to find the terrorists and make sure they have weapons on them, justifying their detainment or expulsion from the country?” asked Angel.

“That seems to make sense, but we still have to prove it,” said Ian.

“Prove it. We need to prove that our own government is working with crime families, allowing them to have their dirty casinos, their human trafficking, drugs, and counterfeiting, as long as they help with everything else.”

“That’s right, Angel. What’s your point?” asked Ian.

“My point is the families are the ones that go down if they’re caught. Not the government. No one would ever believe a Rizzoli or Xi or St. Pierre against the government. We need to get the families to admit to what’s happening and implicate the government. The public might not believe it all, but it would be enough to cast suspicion. They’d be watched more closely, and the terrorists would be reluctant to buy weapons.”

“It’s a good idea, but how do we do that?”

“I know,” smiled Miriam, standing with Jean. “Tony found where the money was going and how. When the counterfeit bills are passed through the casino, the original bills are sent to an account where it’s distributed to a homeland war on terror account. The customers who were fed the counterfeit bills complain to the casino, the casino files a claim with their bank and insurance, they’re reimbursed, and it cycles through again and again.”

“Sounds like a solid plan,” frowned Nine.

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