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“How much trouble do you think I’d get in if I just went to London without telling anyone? For one night?”
“Don’t you dare.”
Jessica sighed. She’d considered doing exactly that. It wouldn’t be horribly difficult to escape the protection of the FBI currently watching them, but in the end, it had seemed like an ill-advised plan. Because of her involvement with Robin, it was believed that her name was now on the radar of these very dangerous people. In terms of being useful to the investigation, she was practically burned. Her and Samuel, which was why there was so much security around them at all times. Though it had gotten more relaxed as of late.
She’d pursued lines of investigation as far as she could from a hospital bed. Money could only get her so far. For the things they really needed to know, she’d have to meet with people face-to-face and take that risk. She got the distinct impression the guy wasn’t keen on talking to her in the first place either, but couldn’t say no. She had called in a number of favors to get to this point.
“It’s a shame,” Jessica muttered.
“It really is.” Robin huffed into the receiver. “Someone’s at the door. Who could it be? Oh. It’s Kelsey.”
“Tell her hi for me.”
“She hasn’t forgiven you for that pocket comment.”
“What? I was coming off anesthesia and hopped up on pain pills. Besides, she is pocket-sized.”
Robin laughed.
“Go. Have fun. Love you,” Jessica said then hung up before things dragged out.
She was so damn happy Robin had found a place to belong. Jessica recalled seeing Robin around campus those first few weeks before they’d connected through their sorority. She’d always looked sad and hadn’t been terribly open to conversation. The fact that amidst the chaos of the last few months she’d found someone who loved her, a place to belong, and a purpose? It couldn’t happen to a more deserving person. And Jessica wanted to preserve that. She wanted to protect Robin and people like her.
The only way to do that was to remove people like Maxwell Edward from the board. They were a cancer on society, but this cancer could be cured. It would have to be cut out. Jessica feared it might already be too late, though.
Wednesday. London, UK.
Maxwell stared at the board he’d set up last year. He’d never imagined his subterfuge campaign would have led him here. If Skilton hadn’t gone and mucked it all up, they’d be in a completely different power dynamic now.
Truth was, Skilton had been a much more crucial part of the overall machine than anyone had wanted to admit. It was difficult for those with seats on the council to admit that, but it was a fact that Maxwell had long since accepted. Just as he’d also acknowledged that Skilton would never break loyalty with the chancellor.
Losing Skilton had set a number of unexpected events in motion. First of all, the decline in profits was expected. Not just anyone could step into the vacant position. Skilton had decades of fostering relationships with sources and building a network. That wasn’t something that could be passed on without a lot of work ahead of the transition.
Most of the council believed Skilton had vanished into obscurity and retirement. But Maxwell knew better.
Skilton was rotting away in a CIA black site somewhere in the USA. The fact that a small army hadn’t descended on them was proof that Skilton wasn’t talking. And wouldn’t. The man was too loyal for his own good.
Which left the power vacuum.
Daar Suleiman’s arrest had been a messy affair that couldn’t escape notice. The rest of the council was aware, and many suspected the chancellor had a hand in it. Maxwell wasn’t certain about that. Daar was another blindly loyal fellow. Maxwell had tried. He’d warned Daar that the chancellor was spinning out of control, and here they were.
It would be Daar who spelled the downfall of the council.
Already Maxwell’s sources had alerted him to CIA movement. The list of people the chancellor could trust had shrunk. Top of that list was one, Mohammed. No last name. He was simply known as The Armsman.
It was smart to take him out before making a move on the chancellor. If the Armsman was removed from the board…
Maxwell reached out and plucked the alabaster statuette off the map and rolled it between his fingers.
This would do.
He could work with this.
That would leave him facing a weak chancellor and the old guard. It was merely a matter of time until the chancellor spun out of control and was either killed or captured. The old guard relied too heavily on the way things had been done. They operated in a time since past. They were dinosaurs. They would pose no real barrier to assuming control of the crumbling empire.
Maxwell grinned and pocketed the small statue.
“Sir?”