Ford's Rise - L. Ann Marie Page 0,58
closed door isn’t an option. I sigh turning to my office then I smile. I’ll get another chance tonight.
Chapter Eight
Three days
Web
“No more calls?” Cort asks as we sit for Inner Circle.
“No. I let everyone know the procedure she has for calls. Hannah and Stella will keep watch and answer anything. Hannah says Alexia knows more than she does but isn’t a Lead. Her questions are procedure and why.”
He nods not surprised. “She has Marks then Raid and me here. Hannah, Stella and AJ said they’re in. AJ loves Alexia. Akai and Anton too.”
I smile. Everyone loves her. “Yeah. She’s working through the leads fast. The NIT hook is playing in our favor. I’d like her on the CIA shit but don’t want to move her to it with her father mixed in there somehow. Everything she finds adds to our leads.”
His eyes go sharp. “Justice and Stella are on the kids. Who do you have from Princes?”
“Jason and Brantley. He jumped from kids to CIA. The try for Alexia has pressure on EROP. It’s rolling our way. Brantley had me pull Finn from Delta. He’s IT from Virginia. He worked with the Paddy that was on the Mason-Badass list.”
His head turns. It hits me. “Fuck, the Mason from Ireland.” Pulling my glasses, I send Finn a chat to look at that angle for the date. He agrees right away, he must be on the threat file now. “He’ll follow that one. The boards are huge.”
Cort nods. “Alexia and Team Two keep adding to them. Finn is following the Ireland lead? Alexia didn’t have anything on that one.” He’s reading the boards.
“Not yet. She’s still following the leads from the last Op. The sold kids are working on deep Ops programs for the CIA. The Alpha-Bits are going through the files Alder sent back. He’d be the one that bridges it all together. I’m glad he’s back tomorrow.” I throw chin to the Officers walking in quick.
He shakes his head. “You’ve been working, Brother. You have so much shit on the boards Brantley has two techs to assist him just from your work. Ben asked when you were taking time so he can get the techs up there a break.”
The Brothers laugh. I put my hands up. “I have a building full of techs helping me.”
“He isn’t seeing the warp speed he’s working at. It’s normal for him. Before, the stakes weren’t so high or we didn’t have so much at once. Alexia, the Alpha-Bits, Brothers and Masons dying made it personal and felt by us all. Fucking Alder is on back-to-back Ops collecting kids. When the fuck did that become normal?” Banks has me watching him while the Officers comment. It does feel normal to me but he’s right about so much at once. Brantley said they had shit like this before too.
“The gaslight. Princes went through shit like this. The calls and tries are gaslights. We’re running exhaustive leads with them. They don’t know shit because they aren’t part of it, they’re paid by the job. I’m going to move those leads to training and get IT all on the threat file. I can’t keep up with Alexia’s leads. With more techs we might.”
Cort smiles. “Warp speed just went into hyper mode, Brothers.”
They laugh and comment talking shit. I stop that. “Brantley said they spent years sifting through leads. If we learn from that, we won’t be in this shit for years. Our main threat looks CIA with a Mason tie. I don’t think it’s someone still in the CIA. This is someone contracted by them. The Mason tie is someone else, the Director, deputy and a shit load of agents got fired. The FBI went rogue. That’s part of it. Alexia’s dad is trying to shut shit down without full government backing. I bet it’s because he doesn’t want something known. It’s a few men with hidden, albeit big agendas. Maybe two or three. We have thirty-eight boards holding pieces of information waiting for a tie to those two or three men. A long-term threat is higher than the quick shit rival clubs throw. That’s done and over. Long-term, they have time to set up, learn our movements, prepare for our reaction or any mistakes we make. Your first words, Banks, Alexia, the Alpha-Bits, Brothers and Masons dying. Thirty-eight boards are holding information to stop Alexia from being taken, the Alpha-Bits to be found and kept safe with us and more Brothers dying. That’s right now. Years isn’t