Chapter 24
ERRYN
I had been watching the screen for the better part of an hour, trying to focus on the other hundred things I needed to do after a sleepless night while Helena showered.
The damned device had remained stubbornly silent until that moment, the dark glass reflecting nothing but the thin strip of light from the lamp above the desk.
I was strung so tightly that when the screen finally lit up, I lunged for it.
“Yes.”
There was the faint sound of a car door closing on the other end before Theo’s voice came through the line. “Package secured.”
Two simple words. And yet it felt like an unsurvivable weight had been taken off my chest.
Helena emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, and I put my phone on speaker and placed it on the table. “No complications?” I asked.
“No,” Theo replied. “I tailed her to the accommodation and took her clean. No witnesses.”
“And the target?”
“She has a fucking mouth on her but is unharmed and taking a nice little nap in the trunk.”
Helena snorted softly, coming to lean against my chair, her fingers toying with the loose hair at the nape of my neck.
“Report to my office at 1030hrs,” I said. “I’ll have further directions for you then.”
I ended the call, closing my eyes and letting out a long sigh.
“Well, this is going to ruin his entire week,” Helena said, chuckling. “How are you going to break the news?”
I leaned back in my chair, giving her a sly smile. “I thought I would let Maxim give him the good news after the meeting today. I’m interested to see how fast Maxim starts trying to lick my shoes when he realizes I’m coming for him next.”
I typed out an email as I spoke, sending it to both the Head and the other two Chairs.
“Come and play, boys,” I muttered as I hit send.
The email vanished from the screen with a soft digital chime, disappearing into the Triarchy network where it would arrive in three different cities within seconds.
Boucher would see it first, I suspected.
The Parisian Chair had always been an early riser, and that hadn’t changed since his surgical vacation and recent return to work.
It was a shame he recovered as he did. I’d started to enjoy the efficient way Artemis managed Paris, instead of the constraints of his oversight.
Maxim would see it next, and I wish I could see his face as he did.
He had grown far too comfortable over the past month, his communication taking on an edge of unearned superiority.
It was like watching a chihuahua in a yard of pit bulls when it realized an alpha had its back.
I wondered how long it would take him to realize exactly how badly he had miscalculated.
Helena’s arms slipped around my shoulders from behind, the towel still wrapped around her body as she leaned down and rested her chin lightly on the top of my head.
“You look entirely too pleased with yourself,” she murmured.
“It’s been a long couple of months.”
“So, kidnap and ransom are how you unwind?”
I leaned back slightly into her. “They help.”
She laughed softly and pressed a quick kiss into my hair before straightening. “You heading in now?”
“Yes.”
Helena sighed dramatically. “Well, that ruins my plan to drag you back to bed.”
“I’m sure you’ll recover.”
She wandered back toward the bedroom to dress while I remained seated for a moment longer, staring at the quiet screen of my phone.
It had been nearly a year since Theo and I had last stood in the same room together. Our final conversation had ended with a slammed door and a transfer request that sat on my desk for exactly twelve minutes before I quietly denied it.
Theo Lancaster was many things, but disposable had never been one of them.
She was one of the rare people I could trust, regardless of our history, but that did not mean it would be comfortable to see her again.
Pushing the thought aside, I stood and gathered the files I would need for the meeting before slipping into my jacket.
The drive to headquarters took just under thirty minutes, the early London traffic still light enough that the journey passed quickly while the city woke beneath a dull grey sky.
The Triarchy headquarters occupied five otherwise unremarkable floors of an office building near central London, its real purpose hidden beneath enough shell companies and administrative fog that no one looking from the outside would ever question the steady stream of suited professionals passing through the lobby each morning.
By the time we reached my office, the operations floor was already alive with quiet activity, not one agent knowing the fight for power that had been going on directly under their noses.
The system chimed softly the moment I set my files down, alerting me that the secure conference room was ready.
Right on schedule.
“Good boys,” I said, accepting the meeting and sending it to the conference room. “That’s better.
Helena leaned against the doorframe as I slipped the tablet under my arm, pausing to brush a kiss across her lips in the privacy of my office.
“Have fun,” she whispered.
I huffed a laugh, kissing her once more before I headed in. The conference room lights dimmed automatically as I stepped inside, the two wall screens flickering to life as the encrypted connection established itself across the network.
Boucher appeared first, his silhouette settling into place against the dim background of the Paris office. Maxim followed seconds later.
“I appreciate you joining me on such short notice,” I began, sliding my gaze briefly toward Boucher before letting it drift to Maxim. “We have a great deal to discuss, so I will get straight to the point.”
Both men waited in silence.
“The situation regarding Vanguard Technology has…evolved.”
Boucher shifted in his seat.
“I thought that matter had already been addressed. The Washington transition was agreed.”
“Yes,” I said evenly. “It was.”
My fingers rested lightly against the tablet in front of me.
“The original arrangement assumed that Mr. Vanguard’s involvement with the Triarchy infrastructure would support the transition of the Washington faction into what was intended to become our fourth Chair,” I said evenly.
“In reality, the agreement was intended to be something far more productive. The integration of Vanguard tech, combined with William Vanguard’s operational experience, was meant to form the foundation of what would eventually become our fourth Chair.”
Boucher nodded slowly on the Paris screen as Maxim stayed utterly silent.
“Yes, that was my understanding.”
“Indeed,” I said. “Unfortunately, William appears to have interpreted that opportunity somewhat differently.”
Maxim had become so still, he could have been a statue.
“Rather than preparing to assume the responsibilities of the London faction,” I continued, “and leaving me to prepare for Washington, he instead chose to exploit his access to our infrastructure in an attempt to leverage it for his own political interests. My personal belief is the intent is to align with future elections, and that is not something we have ever, nor will ever be involved in.”
If Boucher was more involved than I assumed, he was a decent actor. He jerked slightly, glancing to whom I assumed must have been Artemis off-screen. “That would be unwise.”
“Yes,” I agreed mildly. “It would. As a result, the London faction has taken steps to correct the misunderstanding before it had the opportunity to become a larger problem.”
Maxim cut in. “And what exactly does that mean?”
I leaned back slightly in my chair.
“It means,” I said calmly, “William will learn that the Triarchy does not respond particularly well to coercion. Nor do I tolerate anyone trying to undermine my position here, regardless of who they are.”
Boucher gave a short chuckle, but Maxim remained silent. I tapped my tablet, and an image appeared on the display screen.
“To guarantee William’s continued cooperation with the terms of our agreement,” I said evenly, “a small precaution has been taken in the form of his daughter.”
“And what exactly do you expect Vanguard to do once he receives this education?” Maxim’s voice was noticeably colder now.
I met his shadowed gaze directly. “I would expect him to realize when he is beaten.” I paused.
“As you have maintained such a productive working relationship with William during the past few weeks,” I said mildly, “and Boucher is still in recovery, I thought you might appreciate the opportunity to deliver the message personally, Maxim.”
Maxim’s eyes flicked down as I forwarded my documents to him.
“The ultimatum is this. His daughter will remain in my custody, unharmed, while he initiates the removal of his software. Or I will send her to him in pieces.”
“And where is the girl now?” Boucher demanded.
“My agent, Lancaster, has her secured,” I said.
Maxim scoffed. “The same one who butchered the Obáir job? We need Vanguard’s security to ensure the consequences of that do not cripple our corporation.”
“Regardless of the outcome of that contract, she is among my most skilled, loyal agents. And I am personally overseeing this. Are you going to question my authority, too, Maxim?”
I was met with silence.
Didn’t fucking think so.
There was a beep from the access panel leading into the conference room, the door opening a moment later as Theo strolled in. She caught my gaze and held it for a long moment, familiarity settling around us both, even after a long absence.
“Good morning, Lancaster,” I said, and it took a surprising amount of willpower to keep my voice neutral as I forced my gaze away from her.
She hadn’t changed at all in a year. She was shorter than me, barely reaching my chin, something I had teased her about when she had tried to loom over me during an argument.
Her hair was pulled back into the same long braid she had worn for as long as I had known her, the dark strands tightly bound and practical.
She wore a plain black T-shirt tucked into cargo pants, both fitted closely enough that nothing could snag if she had to move quickly.
Her boots were military issue, scuffed in the places that suggested hard use rather than carelessness, and the sleeves of the shirt exposed the familiar lines of tattoos that ran along her arms and climbed the side of her neck before disappearing beneath the collar.
But it wasn’t the tattoos or the clothes that defined Theo Lancaster.
It was the way she stood.
Perfectly balanced, shoulders relaxed but ready, every movement controlled in the way soldiers carried themselves after years of training. She looked like someone who could cross the room and break a man’s neck before he realized he had made a mistake.
And I knew every inch of her.
I had traced those tattoos with my fingers more times than I cared to count, memorizing the shape of them in the dark. And I knew the expression on her face now.
She was uncertain, the tension in the set of her shoulders and the careful way her eyes flicked briefly toward the screens before returning to me, calculating the room as she always did.
“Good morning, Chairs,” she replied coolly.
“Your current contract is being extended,” I said. “The package you retrieved last night is to remain under your direct guard until further instruction.”
Theo’s jaw tightened.
For a moment, she didn’t respond, her eyes sliding briefly toward the two illuminated screens behind me before returning to my face with the same calculating focus she had always worn when deciding how far she could push a situation.
“I brought in the Vanguard girl as requested—but babysitting, Erryn?” she said bluntly. “Give it to one of the others.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, warning her not to push me, but Boucher interrupted.
“Loxley has assured us of her faith in your ability, regardless of your disgraceful handling of the Obáir job.”
Theo slowly lifted her eyes from mine and met the screen with open irritation. “My specialty has never been in this division of the company,” she said bluntly. “I have no knowledge of the protocols, nor am I placed to detain hostages for long periods. I have always detained and then hand—”
“I have arranged a task force for you and assigned myself as handler,” I cut in smoothly. “And your cells are perfectly adequate.”
She raised a brow at that. “You?” She shifted slightly, turning just enough that the screens behind me were blocked from her line of sight as her gaze drifted lower along the line of my black dress before settling briefly at my hip. “I didn’t realize you were still taking field jobs.”
I didn’t look at her as I leaned down to retrieve the file waiting on the desk.
“I have assigned Zichen and O’Malley to you,” I said, flipping through the file briefly before handing it to Theo.
“O’Malley has experience in this sector.
I’m sure he will be happy to offer some guidance. Use them as you need.”
Theo gave me a look of open disgust. “O’Malley couldn’t guide himself out of a one-way tunnel,” she argued. “Are you being serious right now?”
I crossed the space between us with slow, measured steps.
Then I handed her the file. “Deadly fucking serious,” I said under my breath.
“Don’t fight me on this, Theodora. You have no other options.
Everything you need to know is in there, and I’ve arranged for your team to report to you at noon.
I trust you will handle this with discretion. ”
For a moment, our eyes met. There was something in her expression that said more than her words could. She knew damned well there was a reason I was assigning her this job, even if she didn’t have the full picture just yet.
She took the file.
“Good girl,” I murmured quietly, smirking to myself at the flash of ire in her eyes. She had always hated how much she loved those words in the quiet moments just between us.
Theo was gone a moment later with the file that would explain everything she needed to know about how important her hostage was to the future of the Triarchy.
Now the war really began.