The Revenge (The Insiders Trilogy #3)(84)

“You went after his assets, but you didn’t see the two assets he had in your camp, under your nose. Quinn and Victoria.”

I knew about Victoria. Quinn? I knew she knew Calhoun, but working for him?

“Victoria was supposed to seduce and control you. Quinn was sent in to control your environment. She targeted Peter, seduced him. She cemented her hold on Peter by having Cyclone.”

Wait.

I frowned. “But not Seraphina?”

He shook his head, his features tightened, as a haunted look flared in his eyes. “Calhoun is old. He doesn’t respect women. He looks at people how he can use them, and the only use he could see for a daughter is as someone to sell for further gain later. He only believes in sons. Calhoun didn’t trust Quinn, thought that she didn’t have as much control over Peter as she claimed she did. All that changed when she had Cyclone. Only then is when Calhoun eased back and gave Quinn some freedom to just live. She brought in Victoria to seduce you.”

My irritation was flaring. “Keep talking. As of now, none of this is surprising me.”

Surprise flashed over his face before he covered it up. “He let me loose because he wanted me to observe you. I was to transition and take over your life. That was his plan for me. But when I got on that airplane from Thailand, I never had any intention of doing anything to harm you. I know you don’t have to believe me, but it’s the truth. I’ve been living under his control until you, until you started fighting back. Then I saw my chance.”

“Your chance?”

Now his nostrils flared. “For freedom.” The haunted expression came back, coupled with an almost dead look at the same time. “I’m tired of hurting people. You want to keep your loved ones alive; I just want to have a loved one. I want the chance to live a normal life, as long as I can.”

“You were going to defy Calhoun?”

“I didn’t think it would happen, but you kept fighting him and you kept winning. He’s so far hidden and isolated right now. I’ve never seen him this vulnerable. You did that to him. He’s a cornered animal now. I made my move when I went in and took your woman’s mom from her guards.”

Now this was new.

“Explain why Bailey still has nightmares seeing her mother’s head getting blown off.”

He winced. “Theatrics.”

My nostrils flared. “Explain better.”

“Bailey did see Chrissy, but it was a blank in the gun, and they rigged this pouch on the back of her head. When enough air punctures it, the contents inside explode. They use it in movies. Chrissy would’ve fallen forward from the impact of it, and they would’ve dragged her body out before Bailey could’ve registered what she was actually seeing. I’ve seen it. It’s … traumatizing.”

Jesus. All that for what? Why? “Tell me more.”

“I didn’t get to her in time. They were starting to brainwash her. They were going to use her to do something for them, and I know it’s altered her. She’ll never be the same woman, but she’s fierce. She’s strong.” Pride and respect rang from him. “I’d be damned proud to have her on my side, and she knows what side I’m on.”

I stilled at that.

Chrissy never said a word …

As if reading my mind, he kept going. “We had to keep it quiet. When the feds took us in, I knew they’d release her back to the Chesapeake. And I knew they’d keep me. I tried to prolong it, give her as much time as possible. ”

“Time?” I was standing, slowly, every nerve in me stretched thin. What had Chrissy done? What was really going on? “For what?”

“Time to turn.”

“Turn who?”

Chase didn’t answer right away. He waited a beat, then said the last piece, the part that I knew I’d been blind to. “The new asset.”

“Who?”

He didn’t answer that, but still continued. “Calhoun messed up, easing from Quinn. She started to actually love Peter, got obsessed with him. Got obsessed with never losing him. When she sent Arcane in after Bailey, she did that on her own accord, but she never got Calhoun’s permission. She was supposed to get permission to do anything. That’s how he thinks. She’s only been given the go-ahead to fuck her man and be a mom to the kids. Our grandfather got wind something was going down, ordered by Quinn, and that’s why he sent me in.”

I was reeling.

He was sent in?

“Where?”

“With Arcane, the first time they tried to take your girl. That was me. That’s why they thought Calhoun was really behind the job, why they let me in on their team. I was sent to see what they were doing. I was supposed to report back to him what Quinn was doing, but I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. I’m the one who told Bailey that men were coming in to kidnap her. I was trying to help.”

Bailey had reported all this to Bright and Wilson.

“Keep going,” I grunted.

His head dipped once. “Have you been keeping up to date with Quinn’s trial?”

That was from left field.

“No.” I scowled. “Why? ”

“Because Quinn made amends with Calhoun when she was arrested. They’re going to help get her acquitted. After, she’s supposed to set up a meet with you. She’s supposed to kill you, and I’m supposed to transition into your life. You asked if I was supposed to have plastic surgery to make us completely identical? I was. The surgery was supposed to happen last week.”