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money, but I’ve seen people get in deeper over far less. Chimpo’s uncle once took a galvanized pipe to the kneecap over just a few grand, but that was only because Chimpo’s uncle had nothing else to offer, so when he couldn’t pay, they put him on disability and collected that. But not Martin. Martin is far too valuable for that. He’s someone they can exploit. Currency transfers, money laundering, wire fraud—all the things that would land Martin in prison if he got caught. “How long do we have?” I ask.
    â€œI can make payments for thirty days. After that, I’ll have to make other arrangements.”
    Other arrangements . That’s always how they get you.
    â€œMy back is to the wall now, isn’t it?” Martin mumbles. “There’s no other choice now, is there?”
    Martin looks to me as if for confirmation.
    â€œNo, there isn’t,” I say. But that’s only because I fully expect him to say that he’s going to have to take the offer from Grumwell. I mean, that would be the reasonable assumption, wouldn’t it?
    â€œWe’re going to have to run.”
    Run? “Run where?”
    â€œInto the squatter settlements. It’s the one place the syndicate won’t come after us.”
    My jaw hangs open. Was he kidding? “It’s the one place the syndicate won’t come after us because even they won’t mess with the settlement cartels.”
    â€œDon’t worry, we’ll be fine.”
    I immediately think of Dexter, who had to move into the squatter settlements when he was 5 after his family lost everything they had in the big asset crunch. The Drakes didn’t have any choice at the time. We do.
    â€œNo. No way. We’re not moving again.” It’s not a response but an assertion. “This is our home, Martin. We’re not leaving it. What about the offer from Grumwell?”
    I can see Martin grind his teeth. “That’s not an option. There is no way I would ever work for Grumwell!”
    Even in a storm of fifty-foot waves, or in our case one giant fifty-thousand foot wave, Martin clings to his ideals like a life preserver. Ever since the takeover of Martin’s old company, Grumwell has had a standing offer for Martin loaded with benefits, perks, and a substantial signing bonus. I know this because they never let a month go by without reminding him of it. They want him, and they are willing to pay anything to get him.
    â€œDo you have any idea what they did to me?” he says.
    â€œI know, Martin. They stole your company away from you.”
    â€œNo, Jack. If only it were that simple. Companies get swallowed all the time. That’s business. Grumwell didn’t just take Delphi away from me, they blackballed me among my own peers. Do you think it’s just bad luck that no other firm will touch me?”
    I know it isn’t because Martin and I don’t believe in luck.
    â€œGrumwell made it known that any other firm who hired me would suffer the same fate as Delphi.”
    â€œWhy would they do that?”
    â€œBecause that’s the way Miles Tolan operates. When he wants something bad enough, he doesn’t just take it by force. He orchestrates it so that the thing he wants comes to him. He removes all other options until Grumwell is the only one remaining, then he sits back and waits for his prize to come to him.” Martin drives his index finger into his head like he’s tapping at his brain. “This is what they want, Jack! This is what they’re after! But I will never let Miles Tolan have it. You have to take a stand for something in this world, and this is mine. I believe that knowledge is the shared intellectual property of all who seek it—not something to be owned by the few, or controlled by the one. My intellectual property is my own, for me to share with whomever I choose. It is not for sale to anyone. Especially not Miles