Chapter 801
The war room at Cliffside Haven was a bunker buried beneath the manor.
“Celeste is trying to settle,” Felix announced. “She’s calling every five minutes. The stock price hit the circuit breaker. Trading is halted. Her board is convening an emergency meeting to oust her.”
“Let her rot,” Alistair said, pacing the room. He was fully dressed now, tactical gear over his bandages, though he moved stiffly.
“No,” I said, looking at the screens. “We use her. She’s desperate. She knows where Ethan is.”
“She won’t talk,” Liam said. “She’s terrified of him.”
“She’s more terrified of losing everything,” I corrected. “Connect the call.”
Celeste’s face appeared on the main screen. She looked wrecked. Her makeup was smeared, her eyes manic.
“Skye,” Celeste said, her voice trembling. “Call off the attack. Please. My life’s work.”
𝘙𝖾𝖺𝘥 𝖿r𝖾𝗲 𝗻𝗈v𝖾𝗅𝘴 𝘰𝗻 𝗀аl𝗇o𝘷𝗲𝗅ѕ.с𝗈𝗆
“You tried to kill my husband,” I said coldly. “Your life’s work is poison.”
“I can give you Ethan,” Celeste blurted out. “I know where he’s staging the next attack.”
“I’m listening.”
“He’s not coming for the manor,” Celeste said fast. “The bounty… it’s a distraction. He wants the Oracle servers. He’s going for your headquarters while you’re holed up at the cliff.”
I looked at Parker. “Is HQ secure?”
“It’s a fortress,” Parker said. “But if he brings heavy ordnance…”
“He has an EMP cannon,” Celeste said. “Stolen from the military prototype division. He’s going to wipe your database. The algorithm, the evidence, everything. He wants to blind you.”
“Why tell us?” Alistair asked.
“Because he cut me out!” Celeste screamed. “He took the crypto keys for the offshore accounts and left me with the lawsuits! I want him dead!”
“Give us the frequency of the EMP,” Parker demanded. “If we have that, we can shield the servers.”
Celeste hesitated. “If I give it to you… you stop the short?”
“I pause it,” I lied. “Talk.”
She rattled off a string of numbers. Parker typed them in.
“Got it,” Parker said. “Shields modulating. We’re safe.”
“Thank you, Celeste,” I said. “Parker, resume the short.”
“What? No! You promised!” Celeste shrieked.
“I’m a businesswoman,” I said, leaning into the camera. “I lied.”
I cut the feed.
“Ruthless,” Liam said, impressed.
“Wait.” Lucian stared at the perimeter sensors. “If Ethan is hitting HQ… why are there three thermal signatures approaching the North Gate?”
We all turned to the screen.
“Mercenaries,” Alistair said, checking his weapon. “The bounty hunters didn’t get the memo that it was a distraction. They’re here for the payday.”
“Three?” I asked.
“Three squads,” Lucian corrected, zooming out. “Twenty men. Heavily armed.”
“It’s a two-front war,” Alistair realized. “Ethan hits HQ to blind us, while the hunters hit the house to kill us.”
“We can’t leave,” I said. “If we leave, we’re exposed on the road.”
“We defend,” Alistair said. “Skye, you go to the panic room.”
“No,” I said firmly. “I can help. I can run the automated defense grid from the security hub.”
“Skye—”
“I’m not hiding in a box, Alistair. I see the thermal feeds. I can activate the perimeter traps. I’m your spotter.”
He looked at me, struggling with his instinct to lock me away versus the reality of our situation. He was injured; he needed every advantage.
“Fine.” He kissed me hard. “But you stay in the hub. If they breach the inner door, you lock it down. Understood?”
“Understood.”