Brian Haig - The Capitol Game

As if reading his mind, Mia added, “Don’t even dream of counteroffers. You’ll pay the full 5.5 billion, Jackson. We’ll be listening closely. At the slightest hesitation, even a hint of resistance, Jack will suddenly remember the thirty tapes he sloppily misplaced.”

Jackson locked eyes with her and had no doubt they meant it. His mind immediately turned to ways to reverse his earlier advice to the board. The Capitol Group’s earnings this year were already an unsalvageable wreck. Now, after a month of wretched press coverage, the last thing CG wanted was a long, contentious brawl that only further dragged its name through the mud and antagonized an already furious Pentagon.

Jack added, “The Defense Department is also going to try to throw a one-billion-dollar penalty at you. Coincidentally, that equals my reward. You’ll smile and pay every single dime of that, too.”

Jackson grabbed his throat and looked like he was going to be sick. Six and a half billion dollars! That was the cost of keeping him out of prison. The board was going to howl, yet there was not the slightest doubt in his mind that he’d find a way to force them to pay it.

Mia said, “Somehow, we enjoy the thought of you paying our bill.”

“Up yours.”

“Don’t be that way. Think of the good cause it’s going to when you sign the check.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes, one other thing,” Jack told him as he got to his feet.

Mia stood also. She looked down at him and said, “Tell all your friends out there in the big defense companies that we’re here. We’re not going away, Jackson. Now we have a boatload of cash, and plenty of clever ideas. We’ll be keeping a close eye on you and them.”