Big Data: A Startup Thriller Novel

Chapter 31

Doug stormed into Thor's office. Someone had cleaned it up since he'd last been there. Thor was on the phone, but as Doug approached, he hung up without a word.

"Please explain what the fuck just happened," Doug demanded.

"Fine," said Thor, exasperated. "But it'll have to be quick. I've got a parking lot full of press up my ass."

"The press will be the least of your problems if you let things fall apart at this critical juncture."

"As you know, we've been actively monitoring Phillip's email," explained Thor. "Ever since I let him go. This afternoon, we saw an email come through from Luna's lawyer. He wanted to talk. I decided it was too high of a risk to let that phone call happen."

"Good call so far."

"So I dispatched a couple of my men to Phillip's apartment, but by the time they got there he was gone. They tracked him to the Stanford campus. There was a lot more risk doing it in public, but we couldn't risk them talking. Especially in person."

"What is Luna's lawyer doing here?" Doug asked, his head tilted. "Isn't he based out of New York?"

"I don't know yet."

"So you had your men open fire in public—on a school campus no less? Are you crazy?"

"My men were overzealous—"

"That's the understatement of the year."

"I just told them to take care of Phillip. I thought they would do it, you know, neater."

"And they couldn't even be bothered to finish the job properly? Where did you hire these goons? I'm seriously beginning to question your abilities, Thor."

"I hardly thought we would need a sophisticated militia when you hired me, Doug. Gaia was supposed to do the work for us quickly and quietly. There weren't supposed to be guns. No blood. You said—"

Doug's veins were popping from his forehead. He thought he could see Thor quivering. Yes. He was. This asinine pussyfooted lightweight corporate dipshit was quivering. Like a little baby. Doug had made mistakes like this in his past, and they nearly cost him everything. Thor was supposed to be a seasoned professional.

Thor was a full-blooded Massino after all. A distinguished crime family. A respected name. Sure, it had been a few years since Joseph Massino had been at the top of his game, but Thor was their shining hope for the future. He'd been sent to Harvard Business School. They had groomed him to be a "fixer" CEO. The guy that was brought in to take a high-profile tech startup public. He was good at it. A natural businessman. It ran in his blood.

All to prepare for a moment like this. And Doug was the one who had spotted the opportunity. The one who put all the pieces together. He had the vision. And now it seemed Thor had conveniently forgotten his roots. Forgotten where he came from. Now he was scared of a little blood? What a goddamn fucking joke. This was Doug's shining purpose. This was what he was meant to do in life. He was sure of it.

"Calm down, Doug," said Thor. "I'll clean up this mess. I heard Phillip's at the Stanford hospital."

"The place has to be crawling with cops. There's no way your two goons could make it through the red tape."

"Who said I was sending anybody? I said I'd clean it up. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go visit my chief operating officer. I heard he's in critical condition. Who knows if he'll even make it through the day?"

Good. Maybe Thor wasn't completely a bumbling idiot after all.