Sins of the Titanic (A James Acton Thriller, #13) Read Online Free Page A

I was able to
evade them. They grabbed me just as I was boarding but I managed to get away.”
    Astor
pursed his lips, shaking his head slightly. “I had my man deliver it. They must
be watching me closer than I thought.” He looked about, the man clearly
nervous. “Have you noticed anyone suspicious on board?”
    Dodge
smiled slightly. “Sir, I’m so on edge, I’ve convinced myself that nearly
everyone here is after me.” He bowed slightly toward Astor. “Present company
now excluded, of course.”
    Astor
smiled, returning the bow. “Of course.” He motioned toward Dodge’s pocket with
his cigar. “Guard that with your life. As my note stated, they will kill
for it, however once it is in your father’s hands, it will be too late. If I
know him as well as I think I do, he will immediately take action, most likely
reading it on the Senate floor. Once that is done, their plans will be
scuttled, hopefully permanently.”
    “You
know my father?”
    “I do
have that pleasure.”
    “Interesting,”
murmured Dodge. This revelation meant he hadn’t been selected at random to
deliver the information, but specifically because of who he was, or rather who
his father was. It made him all the more determined to succeed. “Surely they
couldn’t do anything to stop you, could they? You’re too, well…” Dodge wasn’t
certain how to tactfully suggest the man was too powerful and wealthy to be
touched.
    “Untouchable?”
Astor smiled slightly. “Those behind The Assembly are so well insulated from
consequences, I would suggest such considerations are of no concern to them. If
I were to die, no suspicions would be cast upon any of them.”
    “But the
documents—”
    “Would
be destroyed, claimed as fake should they not be.” Astor looked at Dodge.
“Which is why reaching your father is so important. He is the type of
man who will recognize its importance and reveal it to the world rather than
stop to check its veracity, as he will know full well that there will be no way
to prove it. He will recognize that the mere contents being made public will be
enough to slow down the process being driven through by The Assembly, and
perhaps derail it.”
    “Why not
arrest them? Some of their names are in the transcript.”
    “What
have they done wrong in this case? Is it illegal to try and make a profit on
the backs of others? If it were, I’d be a poor man right now. There is a
difference between being legally wrong and morally wrong, and once the Federal
Reserve Act is passed, nothing they do will be legally wrong.”
    “So my
father is the key.” Dodge frowned. A pit formed in his stomach. “Will they try
to kill him?”
    Astor
shook his head. “I doubt it, but he’s a wise man, he’ll take precautions. And
once they are stopped…” Astor’s voice trailed off as his gaze drifted over
Dodge’s shoulder. “The men who pursued you, would you recognize them?”
    Dodge
resisted the urge to look over his shoulder to see what Astor was looking at.
“Absolutely.”
    “There
are two men at the far end who seem to be taking a particular interest in us. I
will shift positions to allow you to see them.” Astor casually turned, his hand
extending toward the other end of the room, as if commenting on the architecture.
Dodge stepped forward slightly, turning back toward Astor, his heart leaping
into his throat as he spotted the two men Astor had been referring to.
    “That’s
them,” he hissed.
    “Keep
calm, young Mr. Dodge. It is curious, however. I wonder how they managed to get
on board.”
    “Could
they have snuck on?”
    “I doubt
that. If I had to hazard a guess, I would think they already had tickets.”
    “But
how? You only delivered the papers to me a few hours before the ship set sail.”
    “I would
suggest that these men had always intended to board.”
    “But
why?”
    “To kill
me, of course.”
     
     

 
     

     
     
    Congressman Bill Mahoney’s Office
Monroe Street, Rockville
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