The Samurai Strategy Part 70

Well, DNI was nothing if not organized; "global trading" was on a roll.

There would be no way to trace Noda--or to stop him. By the time anybody realized what was afoot, he'd be well on the way to having us literally bought out. G.o.d knows, j.a.pan had the money.

"Jim Bob," I yelled across. "Mind telling me what the h.e.l.l it is you really think you're up to?"

"I'm making history." He grinned and waved his Uzi in the air. "You're getting to watch the dawn of a new age."

"For your wallet." I beckoned him over. "Tell me something. You didn't actually sell any of the high-tech stocks on Tam's list after all, did you?"

"h.e.l.l, no." He was still grinning. "All we did was play games a little.

Whenever I sold anything, I just turned around and bought it back a few minutes later."

"So where's all the money coming from for this big blue chip takeover?"

"We got a whole new financial network in place. Mr. Noda worked it out with the pension funds over there."

"Well, it seems to me you ought to be doing this thing right. Why think small? Pick up some more shares of those high-tech issues in the old portfolio too."

He stared at me with his bloodshot eyes. "How come we'd want to bother with that?"

"Just thought maybe you'd like to make a score."

"Huh?"

"Besides, down the line it'd probably impress h.e.l.l out of Noda. The man admires initiative."

"What was it you said about a score?" He was blinking in erratic bursts, still flying on uppers.

"Forget it. Just a crazy idea that crossed my mind." I turned and walked back into the office . . . where Tam was waiting.

"What was that all about?"

"Tam, did you hear what those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds did?" I was steaming. 'They blew my daughter's college money."

"I heard."

"Well, it p.i.s.ses me off like I can't begin to describe."

"I gathered that." She looked at me strangely. "He finally

got to you, didn't he? Noda finally pulled your cork. No more Mr.

Cool."

"You got it, lady."

She continued to study me, and into her eyes crept a kind of affection I didn't even know they possessed. "Guess that makes two of us, Matt.

He found out how to get to me, and now he's found out the one thing you care about."

"Guess he did at that."

"Well, now you know how I feel."

"He broke the rules, Tam. That's not part of the game. But do you understand what this means? Now I'm free to do anything I want. Honor is out the window."

"This isn't a game."

"You're right. It's a battle. But even battles have rules."

"My G.o.d, macho to the end."

"Call it what you want. But I am now going to destroy them both, totally. Wipe them out. They've given me no choice."

"How exactly do you propose doing that?"

"I made the opening move just now. Next I'm . . . later." I glanced up to see Jim Bob approaching. He was staring at me, gla.s.sy-eyed.

"What was that you were saying a while ago?"

"Don't remember, Jim Bob."

"Something about a score."

"Oh, that. Nothing really."

"Don't start getting cute, Walton." He sighted his Uzi around the office.

"n.o.body screws with you, right?"

"Better believe it, sport."

"Well, I was just wondering, since Noda's tied up at the moment, if you might want to go ahead and make a little money on the side."

"I'm not doing so bad."

"Fine. Since you're not interested anyway, we can just skip it. No big deal."

"Hang on a second." His eyes seemed to be trying to focus as he stared through his gunsights. "What's the play?"

"Merely a wild idea, that's all. I was wondering what would happen if you bought a few call options on those stocks already in the portfolio, then boosted the prices on those too?"

"You mean on those high-tech outfits we were supposed to start selling?"

"Well, the setup's just sitting out there. You've got all that

j.a.panese pension money and Noda's computer. No reason not to kite those high-tech issues a little and pick up some pocket change. Fun and games to while away the time. But then maybe you've already made all you want to."

"Hey, a.s.shole, there's two things you can't ever get too much of, and one of them's money." He was rocking mechanically. "Matter of fact, this action we're generating is driving up the March calls for our new buys to the point where the price is getting way out of line."

"Had to happen. Everybody else in town has figured out somebody's driving the market. They're getting on the options bandwagon too, bidding them up. So why not play a little market sh.e.l.l-game with those issues already in the portfolio, buy some calls and then kite the price on them as well? Show Noda a thing or two."