How About Seven? ✔

43. Clash of Empires

"Well done." There was the sound of clapping. "Very well done indeed. Of course, your sophisticated systems would have scanned and detected the men hidden inside and informed you of this Trojan horse. I expect no less from our arch-nemesis. The cyber criminal empire - Black and Tan."

I shivered. The echoey effect of the storage bunker turned Jasper's voice even more insidious. 

Cognac had stood up and was looking hard at the container. After a second, he said, "They have a built-in speaker and mic. That's probably how orders were given to the men in the containers. There's also a camera filming us as we speak."

Jesús stood up and Blake's limp body fell to the floor. "Should I take the camera out, Madame?"

Madame Debicki gave a single shake of her head. "No need. Let us hear what he has to say. Even a dying man is allowed some final words."

In my ear, William was still demanding for me to come in, and it seemed like Emrys was struggling to hold back Kaylan from blowing his cover and running straight to my rescue. I pressed my earpiece.

"Sorry. I'm here, safe and alive." Quickly, I gave them a rundown of what had just happened.

Emrys whistled. "Jesus. A kid. Damian isn't ever going to live that down. Getting his phone locked and taunted by a kid? Damn."

"Oh, he looks proper pissed, alright," William reported. "Trying to control his facial expression as we speak."

"William, can you tell us anything about what's going on at Jasper's side?" I asked. "I'm guessing Damian still can't talk to us." 

I didn't like how chirpy Jasper was sounding considering that his ambush had just completely failed. 

My eyes returned to my father's dead body. Here was the man who had made me suffer all my life. There was a pang of something, empty and hollow, in my chest. I averted my eyes.

"Well, they look horrible. One of the brothers - the younger one - had to be restrained because he was screaming and threatening to rush inside Octagon. The other brother just looks ... odd."

"Odd?" I repeated. "What do you mean, odd?"

"Well, he's got this sort of a - blank look on his face. At first I thought it was just shock. But I don't think it is." There was a pause. "In fact, both he and Jasper don't look the least bit surprised at all. The rest of the team look shocked - even Damian. But not those two. It's like they fully saw this coming ..."

My brain turned furiously. Almost immediately, I realized I was the key source of information now; clearly, Jasper had plans set in motion which he told no one about. Not even Damian. Whether that was an overabundance of caution on his part or whether this meant Damian had aroused Jasper's suspicions - and was therefore in danger - remained to be seen. Either way, it meant that Damian, whom we had counted on as the main informer of Jasper's plans, was just as clueless as the rest of us. And without being given an opportunity to slip away he couldn't tell us anything that he did knew of.

Meanwhile, Emrys and Kaylan were watching Eric downstairs, waiting for a signal on our part. They were completely cut off from everyone and therefore the most clueless. William being on the outside was the safest, but even so, that didn't mean he was out of danger. The longer I looked at our situation, the worse it all become.