Read Stones: Theory (Stones #4) for Free Online

us.”
    Elsa drops her head down to her palms, elbows on the table. “Can’t wait to hear about it.”
    “I’ll let you do the honors.” Kalani turns to Jing-wei on his right, followed by all eyes in the room.
    She drops her hands to the table. “We asked ourselves a simple question. Where does the money flow? I’m not talking about where the money
sits
. Static bank accounts and asset values of the rich and powerful aren’t much help to us. I’m more interested in
movement
.”
    Jing-wei’s eyes are met by blank stares around the table.
    “I’ll give you a hint,” she says. “Mesh transactions.”
    “Are you talking about the IMU Exchange?” Elsa brushes a lock of stray blonde hair out of her eyes. “The IMUX handles all Mesh transactions.” She sounds like she’s reciting lines from rote memory. “It’s administered by the United Nations. The nominal fees they receive go to support poverty eradication projects around the world. World commerce making its contribution.”
    Picking up her slate, Jing-wei glances at Kalani. “That’s what we thought too. It’s the standard explanation you’ll get if you search the Mesh. But we wanted to see exactly how it worked, so we hacked the IMUX and got an anonymous look at its actual inner workings.”
    As Jing-wei talks, Kalani becomes visibly excited. His fingers drum on the table top, and he twists back and forth in his chair, looking like a caged cat. Finally, he can’t hold back any longer.
    “The thing is,” he says. “I discovered the IMUX was already hacked months ago. Remember that splinter group of cardinals excommunicated by the Vatican?”
    Jerek speaks from across the table. “The New Communion?”
    “Right. When they left the Church, they took more than enough assets to fund their organization. It was all over the Mesh at the time. Looks like they hired some hotshot Meshrunners to do their dirty work.”
    Elsa lets out an audible sight. “Is there a point to all of this?”
    “Yes, as a matter of fact, there is.” Kalani’s fingers drop down to his side and wrap around the handle of his knife.
    Blowing smoke across the table, Ryzaard clears his throat. “Then I suggest you get to it quickly. We all have multiple projects we’re working on. Time is short.”
    Kalani coughs into his hand. “The New Communion found a way through the outer defenses of the IMUX and inserted a sophisticated skimming algorithm. The IMUX thinks it’s getting a full share of transaction fees. If they investigate and run a calculation, the numbers will check out. They never get suspicious, and the New Communion gets rich, very quickly. At least that’s the idea.”
    Elsa sighs again. “And so—”
    “And so we’re going to cut out the New Communion. Not all at once. We’ll work into their position slowly over the next few days, gently bleeding them. In a month, their trickle will run dry. By that time, I’ll have new encrypted security in place. They’ll never be able to get back in to see what happened.” Kalani relaxes his grip on the knife and puts both white palms up on the table. “With them out of the picture, we’ll increase our take until IMUX itself is completely cut out. A few strategic bribes should make sure no questions are asked. Then we start pulling from every transaction that passes through the Mesh.” He slowly turns to face Elsa. “Any questions?”
    “Bravo,” she says.
    Ryzaard turns to face Jing-wei. “Have the attack ships arrived at the location in the Smokey Mountains?”
    “Just getting there.” Jing-wei glances down at her jax. “We should know in a few minutes if
The Finder
is still there.”



CHAPTER 7
    “W e have to leave soon.” Matt walks back up the hill to the campsite, hand in hand with Jessica. “The dreams won’t stop. I’ve seen bits and snatches of images. This camp destroyed. Somehow, I think he knows we’re here.”
    “But you said he wouldn’t be able to detect your Stone anymore, even when