Chapter 25 Summary

At the FBI office late into the evening, Javon Morris eats a quiet meal at his desk while reviewing new developments in the Walter Jenkins case. Email analysis reveals Jenkins’s last message had been sent from Florence, Italy, shortly after he arrived there on vacation. Yet the message was addressed to an unidentified Hotmail account, leaving its recipient a mystery. With Jenkins’s whereabouts still uncertain, whether alive, captive, or dead, Javon drafts an urgent message to the FBI’s Rome office, specifically to Special Agent Angelina Bernardi, requesting assistance in tracking Jenkins’s movements after Florence. He hopes that the time zone differences will allow for progress by morning.

Meanwhile, at the Hyatt Regency, Tony Russell arranges to meet Jennifer Bennett for drinks and dinner. After a brief call to her room, they meet in the hotel’s bar, where their casual conversation drifts from the Jenkins case to more personal details. Jennifer shares her family background and love of sailing, while Tony speaks about his Seattle upbringing, passion for flying, and constant battle against corporations like GenaSeed. Their evening continues with a planned dinner at Luigi’s Trattoria. As they stroll through the warm night toward the restaurant, their connection deepens, marked by an unspoken yet evident attraction.

Chapter 24 Summary

Jeffrey Kruger quietly finishes his covert search through Jenkins’s vacation emails, then calls Special Agent Javon Morris to say he’s forwarded the messages. Javon discovers an email indicating that Jenkins suspected he was being followed, sent to a Hotmail account whose owner Javon needs to identify. Javon forwards that email to the FBI Technical Forensics team and asks his local IT department to retrieve routing metadata, hoping a header trace will reveal the message's origin and provide the investigation with a fresh lead.

Meanwhile, in Austin, Bravo takes charge after incapacitating his unreliable partner, Larry, and drives to scout the assigned target: Steven Schroeder’s upscale apartment. He parks discreetly behind a construction embankment and slips into the building using intercom confusion, picks the maintenance-room lock, and finally quietly works Schroeder’s apartment lock while the occupant is in the shower.

Inside, Bravo surprises Schroeder, drags him from the tub, wraps him in a shower curtain, and demands he memorize a menacing, scripted warning phrase. When Schroeder struggles to recite it, Bravo physically coerces compliance. Then, savagely inflicts multiple fractures on Schroeder, leaving him unable to flee or fight, and leaves the warning message on the pillow beside the unconscious man. Bravo places a 911 call from Schroeder’s phone claiming an attack, trips an emergency exit alarm to create chaos, and bolts out into the courtyard. He returns to the hidden car, finds Larry as he left him, and drives away as sirens close in. The operation, now completed, was violent, precise, and chillingly effective.

Chapter 23 Summary

Roger Cortez turns to his network of hired enforcers, contacting a volatile pair through a burner phone to arrange a new assignment. The target is Steven Schroeder, who is to be injured, severely enough to be sidelined for months, but kept alive to deliver a chilling message. Negotiations over payment spark tension, and when Larry demands more money, Bravo, the stronger and more pragmatic partner, knocks him unconscious and takes control of the job. Cortez approves, providing the exact warning Schroeder must recite before being beaten. Bravo, calm and efficient, agrees to carry out the task and later deliver Larry to Houston, unaware that Cortez has already set plans in motion for a separate operative, “Remington,” to eliminate Larry once they arrive.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Bennett concludes her interview with Sandra Brown at GenaSeed, pressing the VP of Communications on the company’s controversial practices. Their exchange grows sharp, with Sandra defending GenaSeed as a solution to global hunger while Jennifer highlights the long-term stranglehold their products place on farmers. The meeting ends curtly, leaving Jennifer both frustrated and intrigued. As she leaves, she recalls her dinner plans—not only with Anthony Russell but also with Javon Morris. Realizing she must cancel one, she phones Javon to apologize. Though disappointed, Javon keeps his composure, and they tentatively agree to reschedule if Jennifer’s editor allows her to remain in St. Louis. Their conversation closes on a note of possibility, with Jennifer privately hoping new developments might buy her the time she needs.

Chapter 22 Summary

Jeffrey Kruger combs through Walter Jenkins’s emails, searching for anything that might expose GenaSeed. Most appear routine, though one message stands out: Jenkins confided to a private contact that he believed he was being followed. With no proof attached, Kruger dismisses the concern as vague paranoia. Still, he forwards select emails to himself before logging out, relieved that nothing he uncovered could harm the company.

Meanwhile, Cortez rejoins Bruner after escorting Tony from headquarters. Bruner views the hostile meeting not as a failure but as part of a larger game, convinced Russell now believes he has leverage. He instructs Cortez to dig into Russell’s life and company for weaknesses. Cortez outwardly agrees, but inwardly, he settles on a harsher solution: eliminating Russell.

Elsewhere in the Met Building, Jennifer Bennett unexpectedly encounters Tony in the lobby. Their polite introductions soon lead to an impromptu walk toward the Gateway Arch, where they discuss the LAB Conference, GenaSeed’s tactics, and Tony’s frustrating meeting with Bruner. Their exchange is candid and guarded, with Tony insisting much of it remain off the record. The conversation shifts as Tony proposes dinner, sealing the plan with a coin toss that favors his charm. Before they part, Jennifer suddenly remembers her imminent appointment with Sandra Brown. Laughing at her own forgetfulness, she dashes back toward GenaSeed, Tony trailing after her with amused persistence.

Chapter 21 Summary

Anthony Russell arrives at GenaSeed’s corporate headquarters, escorted by Roger Cortez to Daniel Bruner’s top-floor office. Bruner greets him with polished charm, offering drinks before steering the conversation toward “clearing the air” between their rival companies. What begins cordially quickly escalates into a clash of principles. Bruner frames GenaSeed’s dominance as progress, emphasizing their efforts to feed the world and partner with farmers. At the same time, Tony condemns their contracts as modern-day serfdom, trapping poor farmers in debt and dependence.

The exchange grows heated. Bruner insists on legality; Tony counters with morality, accusing GenaSeed of profiting at the expense of the vulnerable. When neither side yields, Cortez intervenes to calm the room, but Tony refuses to soften his stance. Declaring his mission against corporate exploitation will continue, he ends the meeting and leaves. Bruner retreats to the window in silence, but Cortez listens closely. For him, Tony’s words are more than rhetoric; they are a threat. By the time the elevator doors close, Cortez has resolved that Anthony Russell is too dangerous to GenaSeed’s future to remain alive.

Chapter 20 Summary

In the basement of the Met building, Jeffrey Kruger sits beside IT manager Scott Gray, learning how to navigate the company’s email servers. Scott explains the hierarchy of folders and distribution lists, warning that sensitive emails must be deleted from every recipient’s folder if they are to be fully removed. Though disappointed by the complication, Kruger presses ahead, insisting on privacy as he begins his search. His aim is clear—find Jenkins’s emails and erase anything that could draw suspicion.

Elsewhere, journalist Jennifer Bennett follows Javon Morris after his exhausting press conference and persuades him to join her for coffee. Their conversation softens the edge of Morris’s day, revealing personal histories—his long career in the FBI, her roots in investigative journalism, and their differing paths into the case. Jennifer admits she only has one more day before returning to Chicago, but she hopes her meeting with GenaSeed’s VP Sandra Brown will yield something useful. Javon doubts it but asks her to share anything she uncovers. The two part with plans to reconnect later over dinner, a spark of personal intrigue flickering between them beneath the shadow of the unfolding case.

Chapter 19 Summary

Tension thickens in Austin as Bravo and Larry endure the monotony of their enforced confinement. Breakfast in silence underscores their hostility; Bravo barely restrains his impulse to deal with Larry permanently. While Bravo showers, Larry secretly contacts an associate, confirming the Director’s plans are nearing execution, but insisting that he and Bravo remain invisible. Larry distracts himself with television, his thoughts drifting to his troubled past and the loss of his mother, before Bravo returns, suspicious of his phone call. Their exchanges reveal growing resentment, each man chafing under the waiting game.

Meanwhile, in St. Louis, Jeffrey Kruger schemes to secure temporary admin access to the company’s email servers. By manipulating IT manager Scott Gray, Kruger positions himself to comb through Jenkins’s emails, intending to erase anything that might draw Morris’s suspicion. At the same time, Javon Morris prepares for a high-pressure press conference with little new evidence to present. Forensic reports tend to support the authenticity of the Jenkins video, although doubts persist. Facing an unexpectedly large media turnout, Morris delivers his cautious update, managing the barrage of questions until frustration boils over. Drained and irritable, he escapes the swarm of reporters, realizing the strain of the case is already beginning to wear him down.

Chapter 18 Summary

At GenaSeed headquarters, Daniel Bruner receives a call from Roger Cortez regarding the previously postponed meeting with Anthony Russell. Bruner, though preoccupied with the fallout from Walter Jenkins’s abduction, insists the meeting must go forward. With EnvironLife gaining influence after the LAB Conference, Bruner feels compelled to confront Russell directly and protect GenaSeed’s market position. Cortez agrees to coordinate, but also mentions that Jeffrey Kruger reacted with anger upon learning of the plan—something Bruner promises to smooth over later.

Left to his thoughts after the call, Cortez reflects on his own role within GenaSeed. As Vice President of Corporate Development, his career has been built around ensuring the company’s relentless expansion. His background, from modest beginnings in San Diego to securing an MBA through a military family scholarship and eventually joining GenaSeed through Bruner’s personal recruitment, is traced out in his thoughts. Though successful and respected, Cortez has not hesitated to rely on shadowy contacts and questionable methods to “remove obstacles” standing in the company’s way. With Russell now emerging as a significant competitor, Cortez quietly considers him the next problem that may need to be eliminated.

Meanwhile, Tony Russell finishes breakfast and turns his attention to his plane. A call to Sam’s Avionics brings good news: the repairs are complete, and the aircraft will be ready for departure by late morning. Relieved, Tony arranges his flight plan for St. Louis and reconnects with Cortez to confirm that the meeting with Bruner can take place later that afternoon. Both sides agree on a two o’clock arrival, though Tony declines an offered limousine, preferring to travel discreetly on his own.

Before leaving the airport, Tony takes a moment to express his gratitude to the mechanics who worked on his aircraft so quickly. At the terminal restaurant, he arranges a paid dinner for the entire team, presenting them with a voucher for twelve full meals as a token of appreciation. The gesture is warmly received, and the staff, surprised by his generosity, thank him enthusiastically. For Tony, it is a small but meaningful way to acknowledge their efforts in getting him safely back in the air.

By mid-morning, Tony settles his invoice, refuels the plane, and prepares for departure. As the Piper’s engines roar to life, he is reassured by their renewed strength. Taxiing to the runway, he exchanges a final wave with Sam and his crew before takeoff. In less than thirty hours since narrowly escaping disaster in the mountains, Tony is airborne once again, this time headed directly into the heart of St. Louis, where his long-anticipated meeting with GenaSeed awaits.