Brain(65)

He started to say something, but I spoke fast, before he had a chance. “I’d like to travel to Miami, open a bank account with another identity, and transfer the Swiss money to the U.S. account. From there, it’ll take me three days to move the funds through several financial systems until I have the money in forms that can’t be tracked back to the original identity, and also isn’t connected to the Harmony ID, but will allow me to legally access it in the future without danger.”

“Why Miami?”

“I spent two years on the eastern coast of Florida, I know my way around. It’s a large city, easy to get lost in.”

“Three days? You have to know they’ll show up and find you if they’re keeping an eye on the account.”

I shook my head. “A wig with heavy bangs, big designer colored glasses that look prescription but aren’t, silicon injections in my lips just before I leave for the trip, deep contouring under and around my eyes, and bright lipstick… no one’ll get an image they can compare to the new Harmony. I’ll be in and out of the bank in under an hour to set up the account, and will use someone’s free wi-fi to transfer the funds from the Swiss bank to the Miami bank. I’ll hack the router while I’m there, and then the next day we’ll go somewhere else, and spoof the IP of the place we were the day before, for me to do the first dozen or so transactions.”

I detailed my plan, and he stayed on the grass, looking up at me, and let me talk.

When I finished, he said, “How about we talk to Aaron Drake about hiring one of his planes and a pilot to get us to the Caymans, get the money out in person, so you’ll have it as untraceable cash, and then you let me work on a way to get us to Switzerland without dealing with Customs. I don’t like any of it, and if it were just about the money I’d tell you to forget it, let it go. However, since you know they’re likely watching the accounts, it feels like this is more about you making a statement that they can’t hurt you, can’t affect you. It’s your money and you should be able to get it.”

I nodded, unable to talk because my emotions swelled into my throat. There was no way he picked all of that up with his sense of smell, how had he known?

He sat up and pulled me into his arms. “Okay, then. We need to talk about Drake’s offer, figure out how to respond to him, because he’ll ask us about it when we contact him about hiring the plane.”

I nodded. “It makes sense, for him to hire both of us, list me as snack shop manager and pay me an appropriate salary, and pay you the difference in what I’m making and should make, but it bothers me.”

“Because it means we have to stay together? Ties us together financially?”

I nodded. “It shouldn’t trigger the IRS on Harmony, as her occupation will basically stay the same, so it’ll work…” I shrugged. “It just doesn’t sit well with me.” Changing the conversation, I pointed out, “If we do the Cayman trip, we’ll be there three days. I’ll have to walk in and make the request, and then go back to pick up the cash two days later. I use a private bank — they won’t balk at the large withdrawal, but they don’t keep millions on hand in the vault.”

Brain sat with a heavy sigh. “That complicates things.” I was afraid he’d completely nix the idea, say he wouldn’t help, but he surprised me by saying, “Just means we need to plan everything to the nth degree and have more than one escape plan in case things go sideways.”

I threw my arms around his neck. “Thanks for understanding I need to do this, but I can’t ask you to go with me. If anyone puts you there, they might start watching you, and then they’ll find me. I have to do this, Brain. Just me.”

His arms wrapped around me as he said, “You’ll have to walk into the bank alone, or with someone Aaron provides who can’t be traced back to Drake Security, but you won’t be going to the Islands alone. We’re a team, Buttercup.”

Part of me wanted to set him straight, the other part of me wished I could keep him. Bottom line, though, was I had no idea what the future entailed, and if anyone put the old Ice together with Brain, I’d have to exorcise myself from his life, forever.





Chapter Thirty-Four




Brain



Harmony didn’t believe me when I told her we were a team, but she didn’t argue, either.

I’d have to see if I could get permission to take her through The Summerlands to Switzerland so she could withdraw the cash, and then come back the same way. Swiss banks let accounts sit idle for ten years before they try to find the owner and then turn the funds over to the government, though, so we had a few years before we’d have to make our move.