"What are you doing?" Debra shot to her feet. I''m telling you this so that you can get ready. I''m not sending you to Orkgate and take her head off."


    "Doesn''t she deserve it?" Drake fumed, shoving Kale aside. "I can handle being yed by you, but who the hell is she to mess with me?"


    Debra ignored the rant. "Chill out. This is no rushed work."


    "How am I supposed to chill?" he snapped. "Orkgate''s my turf."


    He''d just visited Seamar City, and now his home base was slipping away. Anyone would lose it over that.


    "You going back now won''t help," Debra said. "The Lowe Group''s a tangled mess. You''re the boss, sure, but you can''t take on the Illuminati behind it. What''s confronting Lara gonna do? You''d stand there, powerless to even touch her. That''d just piss you off more."


    "Mrs. Houston has a point, sir," Kale chimed in. "Better to heal up first."<fnf340> ???? ????s? ???????s ?? find(?)ovel</fnf340>


    Drake shot him a re, and Kale shut up fast.


    Debra went on, "I faked some security footage and gave it to Fermin. Made him think the Illuminati had taken Liza, hoping to spark a fight between him and them. But even Fermin couldn''t touch Lara. You think you''re tougher than him?"


    "What do you mean by that?" Drake''s face darkened. "Are you saying I''m weaker than Fermin?"


    "Facts are facts," Debra said bluntly. "Fermin''s the real deal. If Liza hadn''t helped me, I''d be toast too."


    Drake hated hearing it, but Debra kept going. "Before I came back, I called Lara."


    "Why''d you even call her?" He frowned.


    "I wasn''t sure where we stood," she admitted. "I know the gap between us and the Illuminati is huge. So, I yed a little mind game with her."


    "What kind of mind game?" he asked.


    "Fermin found Lara because of my fake footage," she exined. "Lara doesn''t know that. She''ll think I''m some mastermind who''s been onto her all along. Now she''ll hesitate before moving against us. Andrew taught me that trick. It''s like they''re staring into a dark, bottomless pool. They won''t know how deep it is, so they won''t dare jump. It''s my first time trying it. Hope it works."


    Drake''s expression shifted, and he cooled down, sitting back on the bed.


    "Oh."


    "That''s it? Oh?"


    "What else do you want me to say? That you''re a genius?"