“Honey, I’m always with you. Even if it means women’s prison. Who knows, I might meet the love of my life.”
7
Ben
“Where are we on the drive?”
I glowered at Bridge as I stared up at him from East’s couch. The sun had long set. And we could see St. James Park and Westminster lit like twinkle lights as cars and buses darted around and tourists cavorted and enjoyed London nightlife.
“Working on it.” I knew they weren’t going to be happy. Hell, I wasn’t happy. I still couldn’t believe she had said no to me. No one said no to me. I usually charmed them into compliance. But not her. What burned the most was how wrong I’d read her. Going by the closet, she’d felt that instant hum and buzz between us, like you could hear the electricity.
But in her office, she’d been much more reserved. Cool and distant. Like the woman who’d moaned and molded herself to me had never existed.
I’d been so out of sorts after striking out with Miss ass-so sweet-I-want-to-take-a-bite-out-of-it, that I’d asked for lunch with my father. Clearly, I hadn’t been in my right mind. But at least I wouldn’t be coming to the damn meeting completely empty handed. So finally, something the old man was good for. I only hoped what he had told me would bear fruit.
East lifted a brow. “Mate, working on it? Everything hinges on you getting that drive. Do I need to remind you that Van Linsted already has a head start with whatever is on that drive?”
“I know, and I’m working on it.”
Drew came in from the kitchen holding a bacon butty. “What he means is he struck out.”
I scowled at my mate. “With the best restaurants just downstairs that will deliver, you’re eating a bacon butty? And what it means is that there’s work to be done. I’ll make it happen.”
Drew took a bite of his sandwich as he flipped me off.
East ran a hand through his hair. “We’re not playing around here. You want me to do this?”
I dragged my feet off the coffee table and sat up, leaning forward on my elbows and pinning him with a direct glare. “Do you really think I’ll give up? Even if I have to steal it from her, I’ll do it. I was the one who walked into that fundraiser and made it happen. So, when I tell you I will get it back, what does that mean?” I wasn’t used to being questioned. They knew me. They knew how single minded and determined I could be. Not to mention if East went near Olivia, I might consider hurting him. But I kept that to myself.
Bridge, uncharacteristically, acted as peacemaker. “East, mate, he’ll get it. I know he will. No one wants to get payback for Toby more than Ben does.”
I ground my teeth. I knew East wanted revenge. So did Bridge, and so did Drew. There was no one-upmanship when it came to our pain. “Sorry. Things didn’t go well the first time. But I have this. Don’t worry. But even more pressing, I had lunch with my father today.”
Bridge and East exchanged glances. Ever since the Lila situation, my father and I hadn’t exactly been on speaking terms, so likely they were wondering if I was pretending he wasn’t still alive. I had been, but I needed information, so I’d swallowed my pride.
“I asked for a little background and got more than I bargained for. He didn’t really tell me anything we didn’t already know about the Van Linsteds, but what he did bring to light is how much of an uphill battle we have. For starters we’ll need to make friends and influence people. With two hundred members of the Elite, it will take too much time to talk to them all. We need the Five to assist and sway opinion in the preliminary member votes for Director Prime.”
The Five were the most influential members of the Elite. They were hand selected by the senior council. Terms were for life once selected. The Five each had ten votes, so physically, they could change the outcome of a Director Prime vote. But also, their job was to sway and influence within the Elite. They were never supposed to reveal their identities, and if they were compromised, they were to step down and allow the senior council to select another. Each member of the Five was an expert in politics and negotiation, and in their early days, each would have excelled at all aspects of Elite training.
There were procedures for stepping down because of being compromised and in the case of death. But since the terms were for life and there was such secrecy, members of senior council having to select a new member was a rarity. And as members of senior council served ten-year terms, it was rare for any member to know the identity of more than two members of the Five at a time.
Rumor was that there were provisions in case all five members died in a freak accident. But as that had never happened, there was no one who could know who they all were.
“Not news, I know. Here’s something that is. We need to put forth a candidate to run against Bram. It’s not enough to make sure he’s not elected. We must suggest a suitable replacement. That’s how the Elite works. The Five need someone to point the membership to. Bram’s running unopposed at the moment.”
East said, “So we’re fucked.”
“I wouldn’t say that exactly. Dear old Dad might have finally done one thing for me after all these years. He let it slip that Rowan Downs is one of the Five.”
Bridge’s mouth fell open. “Holy shit.”
East just gave me a satisfied nod and then pressed a button so that a massive screen descended from the ceiling, covering the TV. Another couple of taps on his keyboard, and our plan projected on screen so we could all see it. “Okay, so Benny boy has just given us all some hope. As you know, the name of the game is vengeance. Phase one, Ben getting the download from Bram’s hard drive and phone is in progress. The next step is to identify the Five. Thanks to Ben, we have one name. But likely, so does Bram. If not more.”
The drive Olivia was holding hostage had everything, the history of council votes, meeting notes, and travel schedules. Vital information that would at least help us narrow down who the other members of the Five might be. The Five were supposed to be a method of checks and balances on the Elite, just in case power was corrupted. If we could find out who the rest were before Bram did, we could find leverage to get them to block a vote for Bram as Director Prime and loosen the Van Linsted stranglehold on power.
Easy now, who is your viable candidate?
One problem at a time. We’d figure something out.
Blocking Bram was just the first step. I intended to destroy the family.
East continued. “We have to assume that since his father is currently Director Prime and the senior council has inducted a new member into the Five in recent years, Bram Van Linsted already has at least one of the names. So we’re starting on our back feet.”
Bridge nodded. “Yeah, but Marcus is an old-timer, and as much as he wants Bram in power, wouldn’t he just work the back channels for him? I find it hard to believe he’d give up the name. You remember Marcus’s training exercises. A gentleman above all, private matters stay private, and secrets whispered are never revealed. He’s a bloody true believer. No way he’d give Bram a name.”
Drew took a sip of his scotch as he rattled the keys in his pocket with his hand. “He might not have given him a name, but I’ll bet Bram still has it. Remember, Bram’s specialty is politics. He had the same clandestine training as us, and he knows how to play the game. As much as we would like him to be, he’s not a complete idiot. So he might have found another way to get the other names.”