Chapter 4 - The MoleThe body was found in the upper security room.
One of Cassian's most trusted men.
Elias Cole.
His throat had been cut.
His access card was missing.
Cassian stared at the corpse.
“Lock the estate.”
Marcus nodded.
“Already done.”
“No one leaves.”
Elena entered the room.
She crouched beside Elias.
Cassian watched.
“What are you looking for?”
“Something he carried.”
She searched the pockets.
Nothing.
Then she looked at his shoes.
One lace was tied differently from the other.
Elena smiled faintly.
“What?”
“She knew him.”
She cut open the heel.
A microchip fell into her palm.
Marcus swore.
Cassian stepped forward.
“Can you read it?”
“Eventually.”
A sudden alarm sounded.
Marcus grabbed his radio.
“North garage has movement.”
Cassian's eyes hardened.
“Who has access?”
Marcus checked.
“Six people.”
Elena looked at the access terminal.
“No.”
Marcus turned.
“What?”
“There are seven.”
She pointed at the screen.
The identity appeared.
Dante Silva.
Marcus immediately turned toward him.
Dante raised both hands.
“Wait.”
Cassian's pistol came up.
Dante backed away.
“I didn't do this.”
Elena studied him.
“Your card was cloned.”
“How do you know?”
“Because you still have your original.”
She pointed at his belt.
Dante touched it.
His access card was still there.
Cassian lowered his gun.
Then Elena looked at the terminal again.
Her expression changed.
“That's not the problem.”
“What is?”
“The system isn't being accessed from outside.”
Cassian stepped closer.
“Meaning?”
“Someone is changing security permissions from inside the house.”
Marcus's jaw tightened.
“There's another access terminal.”
“Where?”
Elena looked toward the wall.
“Below us.”
Cassian frowned.
“There's no basement beneath this wing.”
“There is.”
She walked to a decorative portrait.
Behind it was a hidden keypad.
Marcus stared.
“You knew that was there?”
“No.”
Elena touched the panel.
“I knew there had to be.”
She entered a sequence.
The wall unlocked.
A staircase descended into darkness.
Cassian looked at Elena.
“How did you know the code?”
“I didn't.”
“Then how did it open?”
Elena turned.
“It was never locked.”
They descended.
Below the manor was an underground command center.
Monitors covered the walls.
Maps showed every major port on the West Coast.
Shipping routes.
Bank transfers.
Political connections.
Photographs.
Cassian stopped.
This was not his operation.
It was larger.
Much larger.
Pinned to the central board was a photograph of Elena.
Taken eight months ago.
Below it was a handwritten sentence.
SUBJECT ROSTOVA CONFIRMED. KEEP UNDER SURVEILLANCE.
Cassian looked at her.
“You knew about this.”
“No.”
He pointed at the photograph.
“Then why is your face here?”
Elena walked toward the board.
Her fingers touched another photo.
Her former commander.
Dead seven years ago.
Except there was a fresh timestamp beneath his image.
Cassian saw it.
“That's impossible.”
Elena's face went white.
The timestamp read:
THREE DAYS AGO.
Then one of the monitors turned on by itself.
A live video appeared.
A man sat in a dark room.
Older.
Scarred.
Alive.
Elena stopped breathing.
The man leaned toward the camera.
“Hello, Elena.”
She whispered one word.
“Alexei.”
Cassian looked at her.
“Who is he?”
The man smiled.
“Tell Cassian Thorne I have his mother.”
May you like
The screen went black.
And Cassian's entire expression collapsed.
