“Yes, okay.”
Austin gave him the login details and ended the call.
“Everything okay?” Brett asked.
“Yeah. Austin wasn’t very happy with having his laptop removed.”
“Do you think he’s hiding something?”
Felix shrugged. “I don’t think it’s anything to do with what we’re going through, but he will definitely have secrets he wouldn’t want to get out.” He exhaled. “I’m so tired of this.”
“I’m sorry. Why don’t you head home?”
“You don’t need to be sorry. They do. And no, I can’t. I need to look at Austin’s laptop when it gets here.”
Brett’s phone broke the silence, and he stared at it for a second before flipping it around so Felix could see who it was. Venus. He put it on speakerphone.
“Brett Cage.”
“Beloved brother, it’s about time you answered my calls. I’m beginning to think you don’t care about me.” Venus’s voice lacked the warmth most people would have.
“That’s because I don’t particularly. What do you want, apart from to control everyone around you?”
Venus’s chuckle sent shivers down Felix’s spine. There was no humour in it at all, but there was something about Brett’s words that had Felix trying to link things together, and as they did, Felix’s eyes widened. Brett frowned at his expression, but Felix waved him off, silently telling him to keep going.
“I want what I’ve always wanted, Brett. I want permanent martial law.”
Brett snorted. “That will never happen.”
“Of course it will. It’s already in the pipeline, brother. I just need to complete two more steps, and it’s in the bag.”
Brett licked his lips, gaze locked on Felix. “And what two steps are those, may I ask?”
“Wouldn’t that be telling? What I can tell you is that you and lover boy need to meet me for a rendezvous. I’ll send you a message with the details. Anyway, I’m glad you’ve finally started catching up. I was getting a bit bored, if I’m honest. I thought you were cleverer than this, Brett. It’s taken you far too long to realise you’re already in the web and the silk is tightening as we speak. Slightly different analogy to normal, but you get the picture.”
The call ended, and Brett gripped the phone tight enough that it started complaining.
“First, how did she know we were getting closer?” Felix asked. “And second, I think I might have just figured out her plan.”
“Which is?”
“When you were talking to her, you said, ‘What do you want, apart from to control everyone around you?’ Correct?”
“Yeah. She’s always wanted more. She has never been happy with where she was, no matter what it was she was doing.”
“Okay. What if it’s not just martial law she’s looking for? What if she wants control of everything?”
“How?” Brett asked.
“She has control of the military now, right?”
“In some ways, yes.”
“And Malcolm has control of the cartel, and they are supposed to be in a relationship, right?”
“Yeah.”
He said the next sentence more slowly. “And you have sway with the royal family, right?”