Page 71 of Affair
She went there.
“The BlackStone Group.”
The second she saidBlackStone,all of the Marines knew they were fucked, and even Remington looked twitchy.
That said a lot.
Merry was curious, and she didn’t understand why they were all frowning.
“Uh, civilian here. Who isThe BlackStone Group?” she asked.
Maura broke it down for her.
“They are a military contractor, who betrayed lots of soldiers, sold off their weapons, and made soldiers’ lives miserable in the Middle East. They are rich, powerful, and a pain in the government’s ass. We lost quite a few men and women due to them funding the Taliban to keep the country off balance.”
She looked horrified.
“So shitty military contractors who betrayed us?”
“Capitalism,” Maura said. “They were allowed to work independently there, and made it look like they were bringing in privatized soldiers for hire.”
“So mercenaries?” Calyx asked.
Everyone who knew, nodded.
Elizabeth went there next.
“We can be involved in a war, but we can’t stop paramilitary from getting involved on the ground. If a country lets them in…”
Now, they all got it.
This had to be done incredibly quietly. No one wantedThe BlackStone Groupup their asses.
“And they are behind this?” Boone asked.
She shrugged.
“The CIA heard that‘someone’is looking for the money to keep it. I had to go to the Pentagon and pull some favors to get that name. It was like yanking teeth out of an unwilling person’s head too. They didNOTwant to give me that intel.”
“What do you have on the brass at the Pentagon?” Zayn asked.
She laughed.
“You don’t want to know,” she admitted. “Anyway, if their name came up in this, then they are definitely involved. No one says their name unless there is a good reason. It’s hella suspicious that a whole unit of soldiers from the US and UK are dying off, and that money is MIA with them involved.”
Maura sighed.
“It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that someone in that platoon took the money, and they are trying to recoup it.”
Merry stopped them.
They seemed to think this was a physical kind of a deal. It wasn’t.
“You can’t just take Cryptocurrency without the key,” she stated. “It’s electronic and the key unlocks it. You don’t put it in antiquities and ship it to the country. It’s out there floating around. So if the hunt is on for the money, they aren’t looking for the cash, per se, but the key to unlock the money and withdraw it.”
The Marines all looked at her.
“So anyone who has the key has the money?” Maura asked.
