Chapter 13 Con
CON
The wind bit through my jacket as I stood, staring at the empty driveway, rooted to the steps as if my presence might somehow reverse time and bring her back.
When the cold finally drove me inside, I headed straight to my ops hub, hoping work would distract me from the hollow space she’d left behind.
I kept replaying our argument, dissecting each word. She was right about one thing—I hadn’t treated her as an equal partner. Yet I couldn’t shake my conviction that my approach to Labyrinth was correct. Time wasn’t a luxury we could afford with a threat of this magnitude.
My secure mobile buzzed with a message from one of my London operatives.
Unusual activity at Canary Wharf location. Equipment arriving via Thames shipping route. Being staged for immediate outbound shipment. Destination unknown.
I forwarded the message to Gus, then pulled up recent overhead footage of the Aberdeenshire estate.
What I saw confirmed my growing unease—the site was bustling with unusual activity, vehicle convoys leaving the compound, and external power boosters being disassembled.
The compound was clearly being abandoned.
“Bloody hell,” I spat, typing commands to pull up the transportation records for the surrounding area.
The data told a story. Multiple freight vehicles had departed the Aberdeenshire location over the past twelve hours, their routes diverging.
While some headed south, toward London, others pointed north on the A96.
Cross-referencing it with the London reports suggested a complex operation—equipment being rerouted through multiple channels to mask the ultimate destination.
The timing was too perfect. Our observation had somehow compromised the site, forcing the consortium to relocate.
Unless they were deliberately creating confusion, splitting shipments between multiple locations to obscure their true center of operations, the diverging transportation routes suggested a more sophisticated plan than a simple consolidation.
I raked my fingers through my hair, keenly aware of the empty chair beside me, where Lex should have been. We would have bounced theories off each other, her analytical mind complementing my instincts in a way I’d never experienced with anyone else.
My private channel pinged—Kestrel requesting connection. I encrypted the line and accepted.
“Your visit stirred the hornets’ nest,” Kestrel stated.
“They’re relocating equipment from Aberdeenshire while also staging through London,” I replied, skipping the pleasantries. “Any word on the final destination?”
“That’s not my primary concern at the moment.” The voice modulator couldn’t mask the tension. “My sources are suggesting Russian handlers are putting extraordinary pressure on Orlov to accelerate testing.”
My fingers stilled on the keyboard. “Why now?”
“A key component is failing—something in the neural interface. Unable to get anything more specific, but Orlov is pushing back, claiming he needs more time.”
“And they’re refusing to give it to him,” I concluded. “Hence the rushed relocation.”
“Yes, but there’s more.” Kestrel paused. “I’ve picked up chatter about a high-ranking AI-weapons specialist working with SIS being targeted.”
Ice flooded my veins. “Targeted how?”
“Unclear. Could be for elimination or acquisition. The terminology was ambiguous.”
But there was nothing ambiguous about who they meant. Lex was one of only three AI-weapons specialists at her level in SIS, and the only one actively investigating Labyrinth.
“Time frame?” I asked, already calculating how quickly I could reach London.
“Imminent. Within twenty-four hours.”
After ending the call, I tried phoning Lex, but when it went to voicemail, I sent a text warning her of an urgent threat and to contact me immediately.
I slammed my fist against the desk. My priority should have been protecting her, not driving her away with my stubbornness. Now, she was in London, vulnerable and unaware she was being targeted.
“Bastion,” I called, hitting the intercom. “Prepare the helicopter. I’m flying to London within the hour.”
“Very good, sir. Shall I contact Mr. MacTaggert and Mr. Drummond as well?”
“Negative.”
While gathering my essentials, my mind raced through the scenarios, none of them comforting.
If the consortium believed Lex possessed information that could derail their plans, they wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate her.
If they valued her expertise and thought she could identify the reason for the interface failing, abduction was equally plausible.
Either way, I needed to reach her before they did.
On the way to my helicopter, I kept trying her mobile, each unanswered call increasing my anxiety.
At the airfield, I transferred directly to my waiting jet, barely acknowledging the ground crew.
Aboard, I paced the cabin like a caged animal.
Mrs. Thorne had packed a small bag for me, including a garment bag with formal wear I hadn’t requested.
The attached note simply read: “For when you apologize properly.”
The woman knew me too well.
As the plane climbed through the cloud cover, I pulled out my mobile and dialed Viper’s direct line. She answered on the second ring.
“Infidel,” she greeted. “I wondered when I’d hear from you.”
“Where is she?” I demanded, dispensing with the niceties.
“I don’t believe Lex would approve of my sharing her location with you.”
I closed my eyes, counting to five before responding. “Bellamy, I’ve received credible intelligence that Lex is being targeted by the consortium.”
A pause followed. “How credible?”
“Kestrel.”
“I see.” Her tone shifted to business. “She’s here at VX.”
“I’m landing at Biggin Hill in ninety minutes. I’d like to speak with her.”
“That’s not my decision to make.” Her voice cooled. “She’d throttle me for saying this, but you hurt her, Conrad. Not just professionally.”
The accusation stung more than I’d expected. “I know.”
“Do you? Because from what she’s told me, you’ve demonstrated a remarkable talent for keeping people at arm’s length while simultaneously drawing them into your orbit. It’s quite a gift.”
“I was wrong,” I confessed, the words unfamiliar on my tongue. “About many things.”
Viper sighed. “I’ll tell her you’re coming. The rest is up to her.”
After the call ended, I stared out the window at the clouds below, contemplating the mess I’d made.
My father had been exactly the same—brilliant, driven, utterly convinced of his own correctness.
It had cost him his marriage and relationship with me.
Now, I was repeating his mistakes, driving away the one person who understood both sides of my life.
My private mobile buzzed with a message from Tag.
Picked up Scottish police chatter. Gunfight reported at estate near Aberdeenshire. One casualty. Russian national, believed to be security personnel. No sign of Orlov.
I read the message twice, my pulse quickening.
A security breach severe enough to result in casualties would explain the frantic relocation.
The consortium would be moving Orlov and his work to safety.
If rival interests were making bold moves, it made Lex’s knowledge exponentially more valuable—and her danger more acute.
I rang Tag rather than messaging. “Send everything you have on the Aberdeenshire incident to my protected network. And contact Ash—I want firsthand observations from the scene ASAP.”
“Already done. Gus is examining the shipping manifests from London ports. Equipment matching what we observed is being loaded onto a vessel registered to yet another shell company.”
“Keep me updated.” I ended the call and leaned back in my seat, pinching the bridge of my nose.
The pilot’s voice came through the cabin speakers, informing me we’d encountered unexpected air traffic at Heathrow, requiring us to circle. We’d be delayed approximately thirty minutes.
I nearly put my fist through the bulkhead.
Unable to reach Lex directly and trapped in a metal tube, thousands of feet above ground, I did something I rarely allowed myself—I acknowledged I was afraid. Not just for her safety, but that I’d destroyed something irreplaceable before it had truly begun.
My fingers found the small object in my pocket—the silver brooch with Scottish river pearls I’d shown Lex in the family archive room. I’d grabbed it on impulse before leaving, thinking it might serve as a peace offering. Now, it felt like a talisman, connecting me to what mattered most.
Elizabeth Carnegie had worn this while protecting Jacobite soldiers. She’d done so because she believed in the cause, regardless of the risk. It struck me that Lex possessed that same courage—the willingness to stand her ground, even against me, when principles were at stake.
As the plane began its descent toward London, I made myself a promise. If—when—I reached Lex, I would lay my pride aside. For once in my life, I’d put someone else’s opinions before my own, not because it was expedient, but because I trusted her judgment. Because I respected her as my equal.
Because I was falling in love with her.
The realization hit me with unexpected force. This wasn’t mere attraction or professional admiration. Somehow, amid the danger and discovery, Lex had slipped past the barriers I’d maintained all my life.
I needed to tell her. If I wasn’t too late.
The moment the wheels touched the tarmac, I checked my mobile. Nothing yet from Lex. However, a message from Viper provided an address—not MI6 headquarters, but a safe house in a Notting Hill mews.
I sent a brief reply. On my way.
As the plane taxied to a halt, I gathered my things, checked my weapon, and prepared to face whatever awaited me in London.
Whether Lex would forgive me remained uncertain, but one thing was clear—I would do whatever necessary to keep her safe.
Not just now, but for the rest of our lives if she’d let me.