Meredith.
"Draven," I whispered through the mind-link.
"That group is fake! It's all a lie. Brackham and his senators made it up to distract you from discovering what they have been doing. They created that 'investigation' just to waste your time—so you would stop looking into our missing people."
I waited for his reaction—for some flicker of surprise. But when he finally spoke in my head, his voice was calm. Controlled. Almost amused.
"I know."
I blinked. "What?"
He didn't look at me. He didn't even shift in his seat. His thoughts came steady and smooth.
"I've known about it from the onset. I just wanted to see how long Brackham could keep up the charade. I wanted them to think they were ahead while we carried out our own secret investigation."
I stared at him, completely stunned.
He was still sitting there like a king among scavengers, his presence filling the room without effort, his calm terrifying in its restraint.
