Free Shattered Trust by Leslie Esdaile Banks Page B

don’t like the sound of that,” Steve said, shaking his head. “Splitting up the team is too risky.”
    â€œIf there’s some paperwork, thus money, at the root of this, then most likely it was something I’ve orchestrated. James is top gun on security. He and I can cover much more ground without risking any family as targets,” Laura argued. “As it is, my sisters and their kids are still in the states. If they came for uncle, they’ll eventually go for them in an attempt to smoke me out of hiding.”
    â€œWe do this thing as one family, Laura,” Jamal argued.
    â€œYeah. We’re all in this together,” Najira contended, standing to go get a bottle of wine.
    James and Akhan had remained strangely silent. The dissenters looked at them. Akhan broke the silence first.
    â€œLet’s study the pattern,” he said, slowly pushing his finished plate away from him so that he could make a tent before him with his fingers. “This all began with a transfer of power by the late Donald Haines, correct? What part of that had federal ties?”
    Laura nodded. “Yes. You and I gave him a slate of approved programs that he sanctioned. We set up those programs on abandoned old factory lands earmarked for redevelopment. But it was city- and state-owned land, any federal money was sent down from Washington, hit state coffers, and then trickled down to the city. We got our apportionment from state and city budgets.”
    â€œAh,” Akhan said, nodding. “And we have a dead state senator, and a dead son of a state senator.”
    â€œAll right,” James finally said, entering the conversation. “But those boys aren’t feds.”
    â€œBut they used to go back and forth to Washington all the time,” Laura added, her gaze never leaving Akhan.
    â€œAnd our dear friend Donald met an untimely demise ... which may have unsettled deals he had to repay those federal connections—a scratch-your-back arrangement to make it lucrative for certain monies to be released, so that those who gave up thirty-year land leases at the state level could be renumerated.”
    Laura closed her eyes and let out a hard breath. “With Senator Scott getting screwed and losing power, who knows who at the federal level didn’t get their itch scratched.” She opened her eyes to Akhan’s wise gaze.
    â€œIt’s always a very delicate balance, Laura,” he said, no emotion or judgment in his tone. “I had oversight, locally, over those program lands—given your shutdown of Rainmaker’s, Inc. With Scott gone ...”
    â€œThere’s no way for them to wrest back the leases or get a cut off the program funds,” she said with a groan.
    â€œPrecisely,” Akhan said.
    She stood and began to pace. “OK, then we have to find out who Scott was dealing with. Who would have stood to benefit in some way in exchange for him funding the city to do the programs?”
    â€œAshé,” Akhan said quietly, taking up his tea again. “Or, what will most likely happen is, you’ll witness an erosion of those programs. Good grassroots organizations discredited for fiscal mismanagement, programs not getting funding the following year, thus the land leases voided, somehow, and the monies redirected to new ventures and new so-called priorities.”
    â€œDamn, that’s some crazy shit,” Jamal muttered, shaking his head.
    â€œIndeed, son. Nothing is stable. All of this is built on shifting sands.”
    â€œI’ll go with the theory,” James said. “But why a hit? That part of it is personal. They could shake the programs out from under your or Laura’s control, and get back whatever money they felt they were owed. However, when bodies start dropping ...”
    â€œIt’s real personal,” Steve said. “Sending a message.”
    Both James and Steve nodded.
    â€œYeah ...” Laura said