Chapter 28
Brett
Brett’s phone chimed with a text message, and his stomach sank.
As he stared at the words, his phone rang, Malcolm’s number overwriting the potential end to this insanity.
“Brett Cage.”
“We need to meet. I have information for you,” Malcolm said.
“I will be there in half an hour.” He ended the call and glanced at Felix. “I have no idea what’s going to happen or why she started this in the first place, but we have until four o’clock to figure it out. She wants us to meet at the field.”
“And what did he want?” Felix asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
“He says he has information.” Brett pushed off the table, tucking his phone into his pocket. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Stay safe. I’ll get Austin’s laptop done while you’re gone.”
Brett drove back to his childhood home again—having been there more times in the past month than in the past thirty years—and was allowed in immediately.
Malcolm opened the door as he had done not so long ago, but they didn’t venture further than the foyer, though Brett wished they had.
He never wanted to spend too much time in the area, but maybe that was Malcolm’s idea. That he could keep Brett uneasy.
“What do you have for me?” he asked.
“Alastair Moore,” Malcolm said. “I looked into him after you left. My tech guys found something that might be of interest to you, although I will never, ever admit to giving you this. Understood?” Brett nodded, and Malcolm handed over a file.
“Moore has served under Venus for years, climbing the ladder whenever she did, but he also knows everything she’s done.
Rogue missions, bypassed protocols, unauthorised use of technology.
Everything. She tried to have him killed, and he fought back, threatening her with the information he had.
She can’t kill him because he has security provisions in place for if he dies. ”
“Why did he not go to someone else? Like the police?”
Malcolm chuckled. “Because he would incriminate himself as much as her.”
Brett lifts the folder. “Thanks for this.” He turned to leave but paused, then faced Malcolm again. “When this is all over, the gentlemen’s agreement ends. I will send word. But one thing I will allow as part of our final agreement… Clean up Bernie’s. Too many people know about it now.”
Malcolm nodded. “Understood.”
Brett left the house, knowing it would most likely be the last time he ever set foot inside it, and drove back to Windsor, all the threads flying in the breeze as he tried to tie them together. As he reached Sec HQ, Felix waved him across to him and Sam, and he headed their way.
“We’ve located the calls from Adelaide and Brady, and you’ll never believe who it was.”
“Alastair Moore?” Brett guessed.
Felix’s mouth dropped open. “How the hell…?”
Brett held up the file Malcolm had given him. “It was a guess, but Malcolm had information on Moore.” He gave them a brief rundown of the information. “We need to get in contact with him.”
“Already done,” Felix said. “He’s on his way in.”
Brett raised his eyebrows. “How did you manage to persuade him to do that?”
“Probably the same way he got Venus to back down. I threatened him.” Felix grinned.
Brett chuckled. “Let’s see what he has to say.” He checked his watch. “We don’t have long. What else do we have?”
“We’ve been working on Austin’s laptop,” Sam said. “There are files on there that are well hidden. It would surprise me if Austin even knows they are there.”
“What files?”
Felix pointed to a second screen. “These. They’re communications between someone and Venus, plus photos and other information that directly point to that someone sending out information they shouldn’t have had access to.
I believe it was Maddox. He managed to create a remote access bridge through the laptop, making it nearly impossible to detect.
All communications would look like they came from Austin, even though it was a different laptop. ”
“You believe that is how he bypassed our security and surveillance?”
Felix nodded. “Yes. I’d be extremely surprised if Austin had anything to do with this, but I’m still going to ask.”
“Why Austin?” Brett shook his head. “Never mind. It’s because he was a link to you.”
“And he’s been home for a while. Easy target.
I’ve closed the link now.” Felix grimaced.
“I also had another word with Maddox.” Brett’s stomach churned.
Maddox was finally in prison for what he’d done and awaited trial.
“I asked about the execution video. He confirmed that it was supposed to put us off the scent. Using something with such low quality couldn’t be the same group as those who use high-tech stuff, could it?
” Felix shook his head. “It was also purposefully used to hide the flick between locations more easily than high-tech would.”
“Maddox is still talking?”
Felix smirked, though Brett could see the pain behind the mask. “Yes. I think he’s a little scared of me.”
Sam snorted. “I think it’s something to do with the broken fingers and bruises.”
Felix tensed but grinned. “I try my hardest. Anyway, I still need to visit my dad, so I’m going to do that now.”
“Do you need company?”
“Actually, I think that would be a good idea,” Felix said. “Having a Cage there that isn’t involved would help, I’m sure.”
As they headed for the car, Brett asked, “Do you think he knows about Frank?”
Felix said nothing until they were on their way, Brett at the wheel. “I wouldn’t put it past him to keep it a secret. Although he might’ve kept it a secret because he didn’t know Uncle Frank was training me. If he had known, he might’ve explained why.”
They dropped into silence for a few minutes, the miles passing, the world carrying on as if nothing was wrong. Brett relaxed in his company, wishing for everything to be over so they could live their lives without worry. So he could love Felix without question, without fear.
“I love you,” he said, his heart bursting with how much he needed the man beside him. “I know I said it before, but I need you to know.”
Felix’s hand rested on his thigh as he drove. “And I love you.”
Brett covered his hand, squeezing slightly. He hoped Felix’s father forgave him for being a Cage. He thought back to their declarations and asked, “Why do you never say ‘too’ when you say you love me? As in, I love you, too.”
Felix smiled over at him. “Mum once said to me that she thought saying ‘too’ felt like an add-on rather than a declaration. She said she never wanted anyone to feel like her love came with strings, and she only loved them because they loved her. So when I say it, I try not to say ‘too’ and only use the words themselves or include ‘and’ at the beginning.” He shrugged.
“It’s probably stupid, but it stuck with me. ”
Brett lifted his hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to his fingers. “It’s not stupid at all.”
Felix chuckled, low and long. “And I thought you had a heart of stone at one point. Silly me.”
He parked in the driveway of Felix’s parents’ house and cut the engine. Taking a breath, he glanced at Felix. “Hopefully, they don’t mind a Cage in their house after this conversation.”
“They won’t mind.”
They headed for the door, and Felix knocked and stepped inside. “Mum! Dad! It’s Felix!”
“What a surprise, Felix,” Ruby said, drying her hands on a towel tucked into her apron as she came down the hallway. “Twice in two days. Is everything okay?”
Felix hugged her. “We need to talk to Dad.”
Brett noticed he didn’t answer her question, but she glanced at Brett and smiled. “Nice to see you again, Brett.” He accepted a hug from her, surprised but grateful.
“And you, Mrs Jamison.”
“Oh, Ruby, please.” She turned down the hallway again. “Your dad’s in the living room. He’s spent the morning in the garage fixing the car again. Go right in. I’ll bring you a drink when it’s ready.”
They entered the living room, and Stephen sat in the same chair he’d been in when Brett last visited, newspaper spread out on his lap.
“Hi, Dad. How are you?” Felix asked, settling on the sofa.
Brett sat beside him, though on the edge rather than relaxing into it.
“Good. Finally got the car running again, but who knows how long it will last.” He folded the paper and set it aside. “What’s got you visiting at this time of day?”
“We need to talk to you about Uncle Frank.”
Stephen nodded slowly. “I thought you might have more questions after our last conversation. What do you need to know?”
Felix leaned forward. “Uncle Frank was part of the Cage payroll, wasn’t he?”
Stephen tensed and then stared at the TV, though Brett could see he wasn’t watching it.
After a few seconds, he faced them again.
“Yes. I don’t know how long he was involved with them, but I do know that when he turned twenty-four, something happened, and he changed.
The only reason I know something was because Frank got drunk once—it happened rarely—but he told me to always be careful, always look over my shoulder, always be aware of my surroundings because the Cages could be there.
He said they would use our family against him, to pull him back in, so he needed to make sure we could protect ourselves.
” He rubbed his hands together. “He never spoke of it again, and anytime I tried to get him to, he closed off. I know of the Cage family; everyone does.” Brett tried not to flinch.
“But I didn’t pry. I thought it was all over and done with once you were born. We’d never had any problems with them.”
“I’m sorry your family was involved,” Brett said. “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”
“I know. You got out. Frank got out. Unfortunately, they don’t always like people who get out.”
Felix straightened. “What do you mean?”
“Frank wasn’t killed by a distracted parent. That was the cover story. It was a hit.”