Chapter 966
“The Citadel is a decommissioned oil rig in international waters,” Julian said, his expression grim. “No laws. No jurisdiction. And apparently, a basement no one ever found.”
“That’s where the servers are,” Skye said, her voice hardening with resolve. “The physical connection to the AI. If we want to kill the Mastermind’s control, we have to go there — directly to the source.”
“And that’s where he has Parker,” Liam added, his fists clenching.
“It’s a suicide mission,” Julian said quietly.
“We need an army,” Alistair said, looking at their small group.
“We have one,” Liam said, pulling out his phone. “I just acquired the Aurora Shipping Company. They have a fleet of heavy freighters and a private security division — well-trained and loyal.”
𝖣𝘰𝘯’𝗍 m𝗶ѕs ո𝗲𝘄 r𝗲𝘭𝖾a𝘀еѕ 𝗈n 𝗴𝖺𝗹𝘯о𝘷e𝗹𝘴.𝖼о𝗺
“And the Vance network,” Julian said, a thread of strength returning to his voice. “We can jam their communications. Blind them entirely.”
“What about the Carters?” Felix asked, stepping out from the shadows near the door. He had stayed with the vehicle to guard Martha, but he had been listening. “Victor is hunting us,” he said, “but if I broadcast the truth about what he did to my mother, half the clan might turn on him. I can bring the defectors.”
“Three families,” Alistair said, looking around at them. “United against the Mastermind.”
“Four,” Skye corrected, her gaze steady. “The Sterlings are in.”
She looked down at the completed map, its lines and coordinates suddenly holding a terrible, clarifying weight.
“We leave at dawn,” she said. “We end this.”
The deck of the Aurora freighter was slick with sea spray. The ocean stretched before them, a black and churning void beneath a sky that promised a storm. Skye stood at the railing, the wind whipping her hair across her face. She couldn’t sleep. The weight of the coming day pressed down on her like stone.
“Cold?”
Alistair appeared beside her, quiet as a shadow. He draped his jacket over her shoulders — warm, and smelling of gunpowder and expensive soap.
“Terrified,” Skye admitted, her voice barely carrying above the wind. “Parker is out there alone. He wasn’t built for this, Alistair. He’s a hacker. Not a soldier.”
“He’s stronger than you think,” Alistair said gently. He leaned against the railing and looked at her, his gaze steady. “And we’re coming for him. No matter what.”
“If we don’t make it back—” Skye started.
“Don’t,” Alistair interrupted, pressing a finger softly to her lips.
“I have to,” Skye insisted, pulling back slightly. “Alistair, you’ve risked everything for me. You destroyed your family’s legacy. You shot your own father.”
“He wasn’t a father,” Alistair said, his voice hardening. “He was a monster. You are my family, Skye. My only family.”
He took her hand, his fingers intertwining with hers. “I love you. I’ve loved you since the moment you walked into my office and demanded I help you destroy your husband.”
Skye’s heart hammered against her ribs. She looked into his grey eyes and found something raw there — a vulnerability he rarely allowed anyone to see.
“Alistair—”
.
.
.