“And the others?” Will asked.
“Well,” Finn said, “I got a German, an American, a few locals, and a Colombian, but all appear to be hired guns with no connection to the Illuminati that I can discern. My guess is they’re mercs Poleski hired.”
Will’s phone began to buzz at his hip, drawing his attention away from the monitors. He snatched it from his belt and glanced at the number.
Shit.“I gotta take this,” he said to his men. “Keep digging on the mercs and make sure we can’t connect them to any known operatives.” He waited a beat until after they’d left his office and closed the door before he answered his phone. “Asher.”
“I thought we had agreed that you would not pursue this obsession you have with the Illuminati.”
“Good evening, Grandfather,” Will replied to the Alliance’s High Commander, forcing his voice to remain even and unconcerned. “I figured you might be calling.”
“William, I have warned you about what could happen if you continue to persist with this nonsense. And now I find an urgent email from you to the Grand Council on this very topic.”
Will’s stomach churned at his grandfather’s words. The man had been instrumental in destroying the Illuminati’s stranglehold on the world, decades earlier. And they’d all believed the Illuminati to be defunct, never questioning the High Commander’s insistence that the problem had been taken care of. Not until everything had come to a head with Jacob Stone, and evidence pointed to the man being in league with the Illuminati organization.
But in spite of Will’s assertions to the Grand Council that their enemy was thriving and making a play to regain their ruthless grip on the world, there were only a handful taking the threat seriously. He wished his grandfather, as High Commander of the Alliance, was among them.
“And I’ve warnedyouabout what is going to happen if we don’t act,” Will returned. “We’ve confirmed that the man who went after Tad Ralston was Illuminati.”
“Have you now?” the High Commander drawled. “And how exactly did you confirm this theory of yours? Atattoo? He could’ve had it done at any tattoo parlor. The symbol is hardly a secret.”
“You think I don’t know the difference?” Will demanded. “After all the years of studying those assholes and what they did to my father?”
“Have you considered that Jacob Stone has created an elaborate little charade to make you think there is a threat? To keep you chasing phantoms and shadows instead of the very real threat that is a spoiled, pampered little bastard who feels he’s entitled to my position within the Alliance because of some imaginary wrong against his family?”
Will held back a sigh and ran a hand through his sable hair. “Perception is reality. Regardless of whether he has revived the Illuminati himself and fooled others into believing him, or if the remnants of the Illuminati have re-formed and are using Jacob as their poster boy, there’s still a threat that we can’t continue to ignore.”
“I will not order additional resources to aid this quixotic little endeavor of yours, William, until I have undeniable proof that the Illuminati are among us—in the truest sense, not some trumped-up smoke screen for Stone’s ambition.”
Will’s grip on his phone tightened as he attempted to keep his frustration in check. “Sir, all I ask—”
“If I hear another word on it, I will be forced to set aside the fact that you are my only remaining grandson, and respond accordingly,” the High Commander interrupted. “I will not be challenged and humiliated in this manner. Are we clear?”
Will ground his back teeth together, his jaw muscles twitching from the strain. Finally, after a long, tense moment, he ground out, “Of course, sir.”
The moment the call disconnected, Will stormed from his office, his heavy footsteps echoing through the concrete tunnel that connected their ops center to the homes aboveground.
“Where ya headed, boss-man?” Finn called out from behind him.
Will glanced back to see Finn leaning out the door to his situation room, a concerned frown creasing his brow. “I’m going out.”
“Want some company?” Finn asked.
“No,” Will snapped, not bothering to offer any other explanation. After all, he didn’t want Finn tipping off Jack to the fact that Will would be waiting for his team the moment they deplaned. No point giving Jack time to figure out a way to avoid him. There were only a couple of reasons Will could think of for Jack to keep intel from him, and none of them were particularly pleasant options. But he didn’t give a shit. Whatever the reason, Will was determined to get some goddamned answers.
* * *
Jacob Stone rose naked from his bed and silenced the ringer on his cell phone as he glanced behind him, ensuring the call hadn’t wakened his wife. He strode into the adjacent sitting room, which was bathed in moonlight, adding an eerie quality to the already heavy silence.
“Do you have it?” he demanded by way of greeting.
The caller hesitated a moment, telling Jacob all he needed to know before he even answered, “No, Master. The Alliance intercepted Ralston before we could.”
Jacob clenched his fist, his manicured nails digging into the palm. “And the team responsible for this ineptitude?”
“Dead.” There was no hesitation this time.
“At whose hand?” Jacob pressed. “Pleasetell me that they were executed before an audience of their peers to illustrate what happens to the Faithful who fail me.”
