He chuckles ironically. “I assume because Merrick wasn’t doing what he wanted.”
“How did it even happen?” I’m still battling my shock. “Who reached out to who?”
“Travis reached out to us.”
I blink in surprise.Travisset everything in motion?
Does Cross know?
I want to ask Kallister, but I can’t reveal how close I am—or used to be, anyway—to the captain of Silver Block.
There’s no way Cross knew about any of this, though. He never would’ve allowed his brother to fry their father’s brain. Cross might have a complicated relationship with the former General, he might even harbor some hatred, but destroying a man’s brain is…monstrous. And Cross is not a monster.
“He sent word through one of the loyalist Mods,” Kallister continues. “Said we had mutual interests. That we both wanted hisfather gone. And, well, you know, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
“The Authority would have had to vote on it. Something of this magnitude would need to be unanimous, right?”
“It was unanimous. All five of us approved the plan to remove Merrick using Adrienne’s corruption powers. Travis facilitated it by providing her access to the Command base.”
A queasy feeling crawls up my throat. “And then he stood there and watched her destroy his father’s mind. That is sick.” I knew Travis was calculating and ambitious, but you have to be a psychopath to do that to your own parent. Even one you don’t love.
“He approved the bombing of their hangar, too. It was one of our terms. He had to sacrifice part of his fleet to sweeten the deal for us.”
“So you eliminated his father and…now what? You just keep working together like old friends while he continues to kill Mods in the wards?”
“Of course not.” Kallister’s tone is gentle, as if he’s speaking to a child. It fucking grates. “The Jubilee was a step. The first step to possibly reaching a peace agreement.”
I’m amazed by his optimism. “You actually believed the Company would come to the table to discusspeace?”
“We believed in Travis’s willingness a lot more than his father’s. His father would’ve never even said the wordpeaceout loud. Under Merrick Redden, Mods would forever remain slaves or second-class citizens, or be dead.”
“Travis is doing the same thing,” I point out.
“Which could stop if a peace treaty is signed.”
I shake my head. “I think he’s playing you.”
Kallister surprises me by agreeing. “I think so, too. But Adrienne believes she can persuade him. They worked together once, and she’s hoping they can come to an agreement.”
“But you don’t believe that will happen?”
“I think I’m a bit more realistic than Adrienne.”
I bite my lip, shifting my gaze to the gleaming white gemstones behind his head. “Why are you telling me all this?”
“Because my brother trusted you, and I would like to trust you, too.” He slants his head. “I hope that you have trust in me?”
I nod absently, still digesting everything he’s said. I can’t see anything positive about working with Travis. My instincts tell me that he got rid of his father so he could be in charge, not to forge any peace treaties with Mods. Travis has his own agenda.
“Only the Authority knows about this,” Kallister says, a warning note in his voice. “So for the time being, you need to keep this information to yourself.”
“I won’t say anything.”
“Thank you.”
Later, however, when I meet Gray in the hangar as planned, it’s the first thing I bring up. I don’t consider it breaking a promise, since Kallister said the Authority already knows.
“Adrienne is working with Travis Redden,” I say as I climb into the helicopter.
