Chapter 51

Chapter Fifty-One

The ride back to their safe house was silent, each member of the team lost in their own thoughts. Fiona's mind raced with what had just gone down. They'd disrupted Cross's meeting, but at what cost? The price of their actions had begun to sink in. She knew they had crossed a line tonight—one that would make them Cross's number one targets now.

Julian cut the engine as they pulled into the driveway of the safe house, and they all sat for a moment in the darkness, catching their breath.

Victor was the first to speak. "We need to move again. This place is burned."

Fiona nodded. She had been thinking along the same lines. The safe house had served them well, but after tonight's events, it was only a matter of time before Cross's men tracked them down. "We need to get out of here before dawn. Julian, can you start wiping everything clean? We can't leave any trace.

Julian was a step ahead. He had brought his laptop and was deleting their digital footprint while Victor and Fiona went in to pack up their gear. Emma stayed at the door, watching for any trouble.

The more Fi packed whatever last equipment in a duffel bag, the more borrowed time she couldn't shake off the feeling that they were on. Everything they seemed to do, each plan they executed, seemed to bring them toward some sort of confrontation from which they might not walk away with.

"We'll head to the backup location," Victor broke her thoughts as he zipped up his bag. "It's off the grid, but it'll give us a chance to regroup."

Fiona liked how he kept his calm, although Victor had been the hold-up throughout this whole saga. He seemed to know what he was doing, which instilled a sense of stability in what would otherwise be a random mess. "Good. We need to lay low for a while—at least until we figure out the next move.

Julian came out of the house as they loaded their equipment into the car, the tension lining his face clear. "Wiped clean. Nobody's gonna track us here, but we should still move fast."

They piled into the car, and this time Victor drove, getting them on their way out of the safe house that had been home. Fiona gazed out the window as they tore down the darkened streets, feeling the heaviness that pressed down on him.

They drove in silence for what seemed to be hours, as if the tension within the car was growing and swelling. Finally, with the breaking of first dawn light over the horizon, Victor turned off the main road onto a dirt path into the woods. The safe house was a small, secluded cabin nestled among the trees, far from any prying eyes.

The cabin was a small, unpretentious frame building, but well constructed and fitted up with all the essentials it would take to continue with the work. With each passing mile, Fiona garnered more relief.

They moved inside, securing the perimeter quickly, then unpacking their gear. Fiona moved with a purpose, but her mind was still racing. They had hit Cross hard, but she knew it wouldn't be enough to bring him down. They needed a new strategy—one that would give them the upper hand.

"We should debrief," Julian said, as they all fell into the small living room, each one tired but also unyielding in this moment. "Tonight was a win, but we need to figure out our next move."

Victor nodded in agreement. "Cross will be on high alert now. We won't be able to catch him off guard like that again."

She slumped into the edge of a scuffed-up sofa, running her head in her hand over her hair. 'We've got his attention, but we need more than that. We need to hit him where it really hurts—his network, his power base. If we can dismantle that, he'll be vulnerable.

Emma, silent all this time, was now leaning forward, her eyes intense. "What about the people he's blackmailing or manipulating? If we can turn them against him, it could create chaos within his ranks."

Fiona thought about this for a moment. It was a dangerous move, one that could topple Cross's entire operation. "It's worth exploring. We need to know who his key players are and how we can turn them."

Julian pulled out his laptop, already searching for information. "I'll start digging. We know some of the people involved, but there are likely others we haven't identified yet.

Victor stood up and started to pace, clearly his mind working through the possibilities. "We'll have to be careful. If we go reaching out, he'll probably catch wind. We'll have to be pretty subtle, approach them in a way that won't raise suspicion.

Fiona nodded while re-establishing her goals. "Agreed, we'll need to do this in stages, find out who we have that we can turn, isolate them and then strike when the time is right."

It wasn't until they were well into the planning that the tension in the room grew lower, settling itself into a determination shared around the table. They were still in the fight and despite the odds, far from defeated.

The next couple of days were a whirl of activity. Julian never seemed to stop as he dashed madly to pinpoint who the key allies were of Cross, and at the same time, imperfections or weaknesses they might have. Fiona and Victor were busily going about signing the new location up and fine-tuning strategy and tactics. Emma had begun making discreet inquiries at those possible contacts she believed she could convince to turn against Cross.

It was a long, meticulous exercise, but they knew that was the best way to bring down a man as powerful as Cross. Every bit of information, every contact, would get them closer to their objective.

One evening, looking up from the small kitchen table where he and Beth were discussing their progress over the week, Julian allowed himself a smile as he looked at his laptop. "I think I've found something.

Fiona leaned forward, intrigued. "What's this?"

Julian turned the laptop so that the screen faced them, bearing a list of names and transactions associated with one of Cross's shell companies. "These are some of Cross's most trusted associates, people he's been distributing money to as a payoff for their loyalty. But here's the real kicker: two of them have just taken, over the last month, huge, untraceable withdrawals from their accounts.

Emma frowned. "Why would they need to move money like that?"

Julian's smile broadened. "Because they're spooked. Something scared them, and they're trying to cover their tracks. If we can figure out what they're scared of, we might be able to use it against them."

Victor's eyes sparkled with interest. "They might be more willing to talk if they think Cross can't protect them anymore."

Fiona nodded, her heart pounding. This is the break they were looking for. "We have to be careful how we approach them. If we finesse this out, we may win them against Cross and shut down his operation with their information."

Emma's voice was cautious. "We have have to do it slowly, though. If we press them too hard, they might bolt—or even worse, tip Cross off."

"Agreed," said Fiona. "We'll need to be strategic about how we approach them. Julian, can you track their movements, find out where they're hiding?"

Julian nodded but was already working away at the keys of his laptop. "I'll get on it. Once we know where they are, we can plan our next move."

The female could not help but feel reinvigorated with hope as the team discussed strategy. They were really getting somewhere, and for the first time since such a long time, it felt like they had some real leverage.

But even as they planned, Fiona had the feeling they were still walking a tightrope. One false move, and everything they had worked for would come crashing down. Cross was still out there, and he was a man who wouldn't go down without a fight.

The following days would be critical: they had to turn Cross's people against him—they might finally stand a chance in hell of bringing him down for good. But the risks were so high, and the stakes were probably at an all-time high.

Fiona sucked in a steadying breath. They were about to step into the worst part of their mission, and there would be no turning back. Fiona sucked in, steadying herself for what was to come. Too much of this was coming, and the reckoning was the one in which she finally meant to be the one standing when it was over.