Page 65 of Fearless

Sean nodded his agreement. “Knowing Serena, that’s one of the reasons she’s using these clues.” He glanced over at Xavier. “There’s a whole book in the Bible devoted to Esther.”

Ash’s eyes roamed the room as he explained, “It’s the story of a young woman who became a queen, and by risking her life, she was able to save her people from being murdered. Her uncle, Mordecai, told her that she had come to that position for a time such as this.”

“So what Sean said is correct,” Eve said. “She wants to stay there and get as much intel as she can. She doesn’t want us to rescue her yet.”

“Correct,” Ash said. “When she’s ready, she’ll let us know. And we’ll be ready to get her at a moment’s notice.” He glanced over at Sean. “But I think Sean has more to tell us, don’t you?”

Finally feeling as though he was part of the team again, he said, “Yes. And that’s why Kingsley sent someone to kill me. I know a helluva lot.”

“How’s that?” Xavier asked. “Didn’t they take you to get intel from you?”

“Yeah, but Kingsley apparently has no close confidants. Since he couldn’t get anything from me and never planned to release me, he used me as a sounding board.”

“Then we’re going to want to hear all of it,” Ash said. Glancing over at Belle, who had been quiet since she’d dropped her astounding news, he said, “Belle, thank you for your help. The minute you hear from Serena again, would you let me know?”

Back to her timid, shy mode, Belle whispered, “Yes, sir,” and then practically ran from the room.

“Okay, Donavan, let’s hear what you’ve got.”

“Kingsley came from a group home. He was groomed from a young age to be part of WREN. I’m saying that as an acronym. They no longer refer to it as the Wren Project.”

“Then what does WREN stand for?” Eve said.

“According to Kingsley, World Renewal Equal Nations.”

“Hell,” Hawke said softly. “They really are looking at global domination.”

“We’ve always suspected that was their plan,” Ash said.

“Their hierarchy is multilayered and multifaceted,” Sean continued. “Kingsley is what’s known as a house governor. Each house holds four to six experts in their fields as ‘guests.’ These houses have the facilities the experts require to do their work.”

“Any idea who else he’s holding?” Xavier asked.

“No names, but he made references to working with a renowned plastic surgeon and a world-famous heart surgeon. He didn’t tell me why they were taken or what they were working on.”

“Any idea how many houses like Kingsley’s exist?” Liam said.

Sean nodded. “At least six, located throughout the world. He mentioned one in Marseille and one in Tokyo. I don’t know where the others are.”

Eve looked up from the notes she’d been jotting down. “You said there’s a hierarchy. What do you mean by that?”

“Kingsley started at the bottom. He wouldn’t tell me much of where he came from or anything about his family, but I know he was recruited young. Maybe even trafficked.”

At that news, everyone sat up a little straighter.

“He told me there are at least a dozen specialized homes throughout the world where people are trained and then processed out.”

“Children?” Jules asked.

“Yeah…some. But all ages, all ethnicities. From what I could tell, all the people who work at his compound came from those facilities.”

“We knew WREN has coerced people into doing their will, through blackmail and threats, but this has been the first time we’ve heard of a direct link to trafficking,” Liam said.

“It makes sense, though,” Hawke said. “There are tons of vulnerable, disenfranchised people around the world. No families, no friends, zero resources. It would be easy for WREN to gather them up, make them a few promises, and use them for their own evil deeds.”

“So what’s at the top of this hierarchy?” Liam said. “A person or…”

“Kingsley said he has every intention of one day being on a so-called council. Said there are five people who make most of the decisions for the entire organization.”