Chapter 1108
Alistair paused. The gun didn’t waver.
“Where?”
“The old lighthouse at Cape Fear,” Gabriel said. “He’s looping. Something about the light — it’s part of his conditioning.”
“Why tell us?” Skye asked.
Gabriel looked at her, a strange expression crossing his face. Regret? No — that was too human for him. Calculation.
“Because Parker thinks he’s bringing the Eye of Dawn to the Master,” Gabriel said. “But he doesn’t have it. You do.”
He moved toward the window. They were on the second floor.
“Wait,” Alistair commanded.
Gabriel didn’t wait. He opened the window and vaulted out into the night.
Alistair rushed over, looked down, and cursed. He holstered his gun and turned back to Skye, his eyes moving quickly over her face, her bandages. The hardness in his expression melted away.
“Are you okay?” He crossed to the bedside and took her good hand. “Did he touch you?”
“No,” Skye said, squeezing his fingers. “He just talked. Alistair — Parker has Victoria.”
Alistair’s jaw tightened. “I know. We found the guard at the Manor. Dead. Parker snapped his neck.”
“We have to go,” Skye said, trying again to push herself upright.
“No.” Alistair eased her back gently. “You’re staying here. You were shot, Skye. You’re stable, but you need rest.”
“Victoria is my friend,” Skye said fiercely. “And Parker is a victim. If he’s been brainwashed, we have to save him — not just stop him. And if he wants the Eye of Dawn…”
She looked toward the chair where her clothes had been left — her blood-soaked red dress.
“The chip,” Skye whispered. “The core of the Eye. It was in my pocket.”
Alistair followed her gaze. He went to the chair, picked up the ruined dress, and felt along the hidden pocket in the lining.
He pulled out a small rectangular drive encased in a ruby-red housing. The Ruby Drive.
“He doesn’t have it,” Alistair said. “You do.”
“Victor didn’t check the setting closely enough,” Skye said, her voice barely above a whisper. “When Conrad gave it to me, I noticed a seam in the gold. I pried the chip out before we met Victor in the alley. I gave him a hollow shell — a perfect, 3D-printed replica setting I had Felix prepare just in case. Victor was so focused on the gold that he never checked the weight.”
Alistair looked at the drive, then at her. A flicker of admiration crossed his face. “You played a con on a con man.”
“Then what does Parker have?” Skye asked.
“Leverage,” Alistair said grimly. “He has Victoria. And he’s going to want a trade.”
The room was heavy with the scent of rubbing alcohol and unspoken fear. Alistair held the Ruby Drive up to the light. It looked innocent — just a piece of technology, not a key to a global conspiracy.
“He’ll call,” Skye said. “Parker. He’ll call me.”
“Why you?” Alistair asked, pocketing the drive.