“Elias Kent was always Kian Leste,” I whisper.
It’s so obvious and yet well hidden. An anagram. How did I ever miss this?
A laptop appears before me, and I glance up.
“You’ve got this,” Maxwell says.
I slide the memory card into the slot, and a folder appears on the screen.
In it are thousands of files.
Photos. Ledgers. Videos. More folders sorted by the names of politicians, CEOs, and world leaders. There’s something here on everyone.
I snap the laptop shut and yank the card free.
I won’t risk them. The fewer people know about this, the better. The info will put a target on their heads.
“I have to go.” I bolt out of the booth, hand fisting the items.
“Hold on. What’s on the drive? Where are you going?” Maxwell hollers as I dash to the exit.
“I’ll explain later. Go home. Protect your families.”
Turning at the threshold, I flash them a wobbly smile. “I love you all. Stay safe.”
Outside, sleet pelts from the sky. John opens the car door.
“Back to the house,” I tell him. The engine roars to life.
I make a call.
“Special Agent Clarke.”
“I might have what you need,” I murmur. “But I need your help right now.”
“I’ll meet you at your place in twenty,” he answers and hangs up.
My heart beats a rickety rhythm. I unfurl my fist, staring at what the Shadow King left me.
Elias gave me his black book of secrets.
His leverage against the world.
Chapter 55: WOL?ES AT THE GATE
A late-winter squall drumsa war cry above The Syndicate Chamber in St. Michael’s catacombs.
“You sure he’ll be there?” I stare at the blueprints of Chicago Memorial and the surgery schedule printed out by Aleksei.
His fingers fly across the laptop, keys tapping a furious rhythm.
“Aleksei?”
Gaze snapping up, he halts. “What?”
“Your intel. How confident are you?”
Aleksei snorts, nostrils flaring. “What do you think?”
