DOUBLE-DEALING

Patrick McDermott is a sharp and courageous gay investigative reporter in the modern thriller “DOUBLE DEALING.”

His phone rings in his San Francisco apartment at 2AM. His best friend Burt is on the line. Burt spits words like a machine gun, throwing pieces of information about a political story he’s covering in Argentina and the dangers he’s encountered. He’s about to be cornered, hangs up and sprints into the deserted streets of Buenos Aires, but not before begging Patrick for his help in order to get back to the United States. That’s the last time anybody heard from Burt.

Patrick and his co-worker Kevin fly to Buenos Aires to look for Burt and to get his notes. There, they meet Burt’s girlfriend Helena, who gives them the first clue on Burt’s story. But the politicians Burt was about to uncover are aware of the meeting and secretly wire-tap Kevin to gain insight into Patrick’s investigation. Unbeknownst to Patrick, his friend Burt was murdered as he was ready to expose a corrupt group. Patrick unwittingly sets up a deadly game that will put his life on the line in order to save his country.

But the clandestine cartel has an Achilles’ heel: soaring greed has triggered internal dissent, making them lose their unity. Alexei Ivanov, one of the organization’s most powerful member tries to take control. After a series of behind-the-scenes machinations, Alexei’s nemesis convinces some of the members that Ivanov has become a liability and should be assassinated. Looking for revenge, Ivanov decides to secretly help Patrick.

The first clue leads Patrick and Kevin to interview an Argentinean pseudo-journalist living in Miami. They step into the man’s residence; unaware the man had just been murdered. Patrick and Kevin are arrested, but not before gathering valuable financial information on the murdered man.

The information they uncovered takes them to Boris, a Lithuanian hacker living in Lyon. Together, they discover a powerful multi-national organization whose objective is to secretly control many of the world’s prime resources for their own profit by interfering with elections and putting their carefully groomed cronies at the head of major governments. And the President of the United States is their latest acquisition.

As Boris hacks the Ivanov’s cybersecurity company, he’s being hacked himself in a cat-and-mouse game. The Russian’s agents storm into Boris’ place, forcing Patrick, Kevin and Boris into a hasty escape.

At the same time, the American President, fearing exposure, puts a price on Patrick’s head. Ivanov disagrees, creating a fracture in the group’s actions.

Patrick and Kevin dodge a hard-core chase in Lyon and board a train to Patrick’s network’s branch in Paris. But the corrupt group has put a bomb on the train.

Patrick and Kevin barely survive the explosion and are taken to a nearby hospital. Ivanov now seizes the opportunity to kidnap the Americans and take them to a remote location in the French countryside.

Patrick and Kevin manage to interview Ivanov, gathering all the elements they need to expose the conspiracy. Just as they are ready to leave for Paris, Patrick realizes the group knows their every move, and heads to London instead. Patrick has now one chance to expose the sinister organization and bring down the President of his own country before time runs out.