Chapter 32 Ghost in the Grid #2
“The things Sebastian couldn’t find for you. Don’t blame him. It’s a skill set issue,” Aleksei says. “Your little email did come from the Kong residence—that part our psychopath got right. But the sender was spoofed.”
He taps the page.
“It was sent from inside the residence, but not from the actual account.”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone wanted to make you think your kill order for Blake came from the Kongs,” Elias says, his voice low.
Sofia gasps, but I ignore her.
“Someone used the Kongs’ Wi-Fi to hack into Cornelius’s secured inbox. They sent the order in his name,” Aleksei says.
My jaw locks.
“Are you sure it isn’t Cornelius playing mind games with you—”
“He wouldn’t. The snake is too proud. There’s no reason for him to spoof the sender only to make it appear like it was from himself.”
“It’d have to be someone with access,” Elias says slowly. “Someone who knew you’d carry out orders without question.” His gaze sharpens. “Now why would anyone want the good surgeon dead?”
The room tilts. The spoofed order. The key they think Aria has. The sunflowers with cryptic notes that were dead ends. They seemed like separate pieces until now.
“Which brings me to the next thing.” Aleksei motions to the packet. “Turn the page.”
“This is a life insurance policy on my mom.” I flip through the document. Signed, countersigned. Issued a month before Mom died.
It makes no sense. Mom mentioned nothing about a policy. Celia and I didn’t get a payout.
“Shell company. Caymans. The policyholder’s identity is hidden.” Aleksei crosses his arms over his chest. “Unusual, because insurers don’t gamble on terminal heart patients.”
“Can we trace the money?”
“Already on it. But it’s the Caymans, which means it’ll be hard to breach, if not impossible.” Aleksei purses his lips. “Did you ever notice anything unusual about your mom before she died?”
Memories replay in my head. Mom looking worried, claiming it was because of her heart. Her smiling at Cornelius more, like she was trying to get on his good side.
I remember her face when I pulled her out of the pool. She looked so peaceful. Makeup done, her bun still intact. I was thankful. It meant she didn’t suffer. That her death was swift.
But now…
She didn’t look like someone who had drowned. Or someone whose dying heart betrayed her.
The room shrinks. My hands curl into fists. “You’re saying—”
“Do you remember how your dad died?” Aleksei asks. He pulls up a chair next to me.
As if I could forget being eight and watching Mom collapse in the courtyard when Cornelius told her the bad news. As if I could forget when he told me it was my job to serve the Kongs and protect my family.
It was the day my tears dried up.
“A border dispute with the Russians. Both sides had casualties.”
“I looked into that too,” Aleksei says. “The records were deleted, but I recovered some snippets. Your father brought a grenade to our warehouse. He pulled the pin first. Later, Uncle Igor died under mysterious circumstances, and Cornelius Kong was installed as the head of the Triads.”
His words sink into my skin, cold and barbed.
No, he’s not saying what I think he’s saying.
“And what happened next?” Tristan asks, his sharp gaze pinballing between us.
I became a slave to the Kongs. To protect Mom and Celia.
Ignoring the fed, I launch out of my chair and slam Aleksei against the wall.
“Do you have proof?” I snarl, not wanting to put together the clues he’s laying out in front of me.
Because that’d mean one thing.
My entire life was a lie. Someone, most likely Cornelius, set up Dad’s death. Maybe Mom’s too. He rose to power afterward. Then he cinched a leash around my neck and made me their guard dog.
“You already know.” Aleksei meets my eyes. “Coincidences don’t happen in our world.”
I collapse into my chair. Every moment of my life was engineered and meticulously planned.
Steady steps reach us, followed by the slow clicking of a lighter.
Elias stands next to the hacker. He pulls Aleksei into a firm hug.
“Thanks for coming through,” Elias says.
“Always,” the normally arrogant hacker rasps. “I owe you.”
“No. A life for a life. You did what you had to.” Elias turns to the rest of us. “Aleksei and I had a chat, and I forgive him. But I get it if you can’t. He’s on probation. Test him. Make him work for it. Do what you need to do.”
For a moment, it’s so quiet you can hear the water rushing from the pipes behind the walls.
A chair squeaks.
Rafe stands and clasps the hacker’s shoulder.
“The prodigal son returns. We missed you.” He smiles. “I’m just glad you’re safe and alive.”
Of course, Rafe will choose forgiveness. I’d expect nothing less.
Aleksei nods, seemingly too overwhelmed to speak.
“I sure as hell don’t forgive him,” Sebastian mutters. “Oh, you’ll be working for it, asshole.”
The hacker nods. “I’ll prove my loyalty again.”
“So, what’s the plan?” Tristan asks, his voice dry. “Your happy family is back together. Do you still need me?”
“Will you leave if I tell you we don’t?” Sofia hurls a seething glare at him.
Tristan ignores her.
“No. We still need you in our plan,” Elias says.
“And pray tell,” Tristan cocks his brow and drawls, “what is this brilliant plan?”
“It all depends if Ren wants what I think he wants.”
“To save Celia. Protect Aria. Eradicate the Kongs and their damn trafficking ring.” I curl my hands into tight fists. “And if Cornelius killed my parents, I’ll strangle the motherfucker with my bare hands.”
“That’s what I thought you’d say.” With a nod, Elias paces the room. “Aleksei is chasing down a few leads. Remember the bug that you planted in Cornelius’s computer?”
“Yes.” That was the day I found Aria’s file.
“It would’ve been faster if it were my bug,” Aleksei mutters.
“Shut up before I end your life efficiently,” Sebastian says, flipping open the penknife and pointing it at the genius hacker. “And I haven’t forgiven you yet.”
“I thought you didn’t have emotions.” Aleksei grins.
“No. But I am vengeful as fuck.”
“Once we confirm Cornelius’s role in your parents’ deaths,” Elias begins, “we can end this.”
“Whatever it is, we protect Celia first. I need their donor data to see if there’s another heart out there for her.
” There’s no way I’m killing the innocent kindergarten teacher.
But a cold-blooded prick with a body count?
No hesitation. “Her condition is getting worse. If the Kongs know I’m against them, they’ll take her. ”
“Yes,” the strategist murmurs, flicking his lighter. “Our plan has to be delicate. Extract Celia without them knowing. Isolate Cornelius.”
“What if the extraction goes bad?” Tristan asks.
“We split up,” Elias responds. “Lana has connections to hospitals around the country. We can take Celia to one of the facilities.”
“What about Aria?” The FBI agent furrows his brows. “I still have my safe house, but it’s in the city. May be too close for comfort.”
“I have a place to take her.” My mind drifts to the one place I hold in my heart. “Off-grid. No one will find her unless they know where to look.”
“Contingency plans. I like them,” Tristan murmurs. He thumbs open his wallet for a split second. Something in his expression tightens before he snaps it shut. “Everyone should have one.”
“So where’s the boom going to take place?”
A collective groan rolls through the room. Aleksei’s back. So, apparently, are the boom jokes.
Elias sits and snaps his lighter shut. A secretive smile curves his lips. “The Kong trafficking machine narrows in one place, where Cornelius, the trafficking records, and the most sensitive contracts are all unlocked and accessible at the same time.”
My gaze locks on his as everything connects. “The weekly consolidation meeting.”
He nods. “That’s when they review the donor pipeline, organ requests, legal paperwork, executive sign-offs, and medical transfers. If we hit it right, we can take Celia, their records, and kill the snake at the same time.”
Click. Click.
The flicks of his lighter echo in the tense room.
“With Aleksei’s help,” Elias continues, “once we get into Cornelius’s laptop, we can see what he saw on Phantom’s USB. Then we’ll know what the key unlocks. Cornelius is willing to risk war to keep that info buried, which means it can take down his entire organization.”
“So we kill him.” I pull out my gun and slowly take it apart. “And use the info to burn the Kong machine to the ground.”
And Aria will finally be safe. Far away from monsters.
Far away from me.