Chapter 53

Chapter Fifty-Three

Hours dragged like days until it was time to meet with Gregor. Fiona's mind swirled with every conceivable outcome of the meeting, every potential danger. They had to do this right. One misstep, and this whole op could come crashing down.

The team gathered in the small cabin living room with a map of the park spread over a coffee table. Julian had marked, at Gregor's request, the place he wanted to meet—a lonely spot near the edge of the park, well away from the regular walking paths.

"Here's the plan," Fiona said, her voice smooth but firm. "Victor and I will meet Gregor. Julian, you'll be monitoring everything from here. If anything seems off, you let us know immediately. Emma, I need you in position as backup, close enough to step in if things go south but not so close that Gregor notices you."

Emma nodded, her expression grim. "I'll find a vantage point where I can see you both without being seen."

"Good." Fiona cast another look at Victor, who was running a last check over his weapon. "We need to stay sharp. Gregor might be scared, but he's desperate too. If he feels threatened, he might do something stupid."

Victor slid his gun into its holster, bringing his gaze back to Fiona's. "We will keep things under control. We need him alive and talking."

Fiona took a deep breath to try to calm the nervous energy buzzing through her veins. "All right, let's move.

The drive to the park was tight; the air was thick with unspoken thoughts between Fiona and Victor. Fiona kept her eyes out the window, thinking through everything they knew about Gregor. He was a big wheel in Cross's network, yet not a top dog. Of course, that alone made him formidable, but at the same time, vulnerable. If they could get him to see that crossing Cross was his only choice, maybe they had a chance of evening the playing field.

As they pulled into the park's lot, Fiona spotted Emma in her nondescript sedan, a couple of spaces over. She gave them the slightest nod, acknowledging their presence without drawing attention to herself.

"Stay sharp," Victor said as they got out of the car. He settled his jacket over his gun, keeping the weapon easy to grab but out of view.

They walked to the rendezvous point, a secluded spot beside a small pond. The park was all but empty, save for a couple of joggers and some dog walkers. It was a good spot for a clandestine meet—public enough not to raise any suspicion but sequestered enough to guarantee some level of privacy.

As they approached the pond, Fiona saw Gregor standing beside a bench, hands deep in his coat pockets. He looked nervous, darting his eyes this way and that, as if he felt an ambush might leap out from behind every shrub.

Fiona led the way, her stride long but not threatening. "Gregor," she called softly when they were near enough.

Gregor winced at the sound of his name, then his gaze locked on Fiona and Victor, recognition flickering in his eyes. He didn't move as they neared, but Fiona could see the tension in his posture, the way his muscles were coiled, ready to flee if necessary.

"You came alone?" Gregor asked, his voice tight with suspicion.

"Just the two of us," Fiona said, quite calm. "We are here to talk, Gregor. That is all."
Gregor's eyes flicked to Victor, standing a few steps behind Fiona, whose expression was unreadable. "And he? He is just here to talk, too?"
Victor nodded a little. "I'm here to keep the conversation civil. Nothing more."

Gregor's gaze then shifted back to Fiona. "Why should I trust you? For all that I know, you're setting me up.".

She edged a bit closer, her voice staying soft, steady. "If we were going to set you up, we would already be somewhere else, Gregor. We know you're deep in this. But we also know you are not beyond saving. You are an intelligent man—you would know that Cross isn't going to save you if things go south. He will throw you under the bus to save himself, and you will still be holding on to the bag.".

Gregor's jaw tightened, but he didn't lie. He knew the truth just as well as they did.

"We're offering you a way out," Fiona continued. "We can protect you, Gregor. But we need your cooperation. Help us take down Cross, and you can walk away from this. But you need to decide—now.".

Gregor hesitated, his eyes scouring Fiona's face for some sort of tell-tale lie. The man was scared—there was no doubt about that—but more than that, he was weighing his options, calculating the risks.

"What do you want from me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"We need information," Fiona replied. "Names, locations, anything that can help us build a case against Cross. You've been in his inner circle—you know things that can bring him down."

Gregor swallowed hard, his eyes darting to the left and right, looking around the park as if Cross's men would rise up from behind the trees. "If I do this… if I help you… how do I know you'll keep your word?"

"You don't," Fiona conceded. "But you know that sticking with Cross is a death sentence. This is your best chance, Gregor. Take it."
The silence drew out. The air between them was thick with tension, knife-edged. Fiona could read the conflict in Gregor's face, the fear and desperation doing battle with his self-preservation instincts.

Finally, Gregor nodded, the course decided. "Alright. I'll help you. But you have to promise me—if this goes wrong, you'll get me out. I'm not going down for him."

Fiona nodded. "You have my word. But we need everything you've got, Gregor. No holding back."

Taking a deep breath, Gregor began to speak, words tumbling out in a rush as if, once started, he couldn't stop. He went into detail about the hidden accounts, offshore investments, bribes, and blackmail that kept Cross's empire running, naming names: other associates, corrupt officials, anyone who had ever taken Cross's money or done his bidding.

As Gregor spoke, Fiona felt a mix of triumph and dread. They finally had what they needed to take Cross down, but it was also clear just how deep the corruption ran. This wasn't just some vendetta against one man—this was dismantling an entire network of crime and influence.

Finally done, Gregor looked whipped, as if the confession had literally drained all his energy out of him. He slumped onto the bench, shaking in his hands.

"Is that enough?" he croaked. "Is that enough to take him down?"

Fiona nodded, grim. "That's what it's going to take to get this nail in the coffin. But we are going to need you to testify, Gregor. Your word is what's going to seal this.".

Gregor's eyes went wide with fear. "Testify? You're asking me to sign my death warrant."

"We'll protect you," Victor said, stepping forward. "We can get you into witness protection, a new identity, whatever you need. But we can't do that unless you're willing to stand up in court and tell the truth."

Gregor's breathing quickened as panic set in. "You don't understand—Cross has people everywhere. Even in witness protection, he'll find me. He'll kill me, and he'll kill anyone who tries to help me."

Fiona squatted before him, her voice low but crisp. "We're not going to let that happen, Gregor. But you have to trust us. You have to trust we can keep you safe."

Gregor peered deep into Fiona's eyes, searching for a lie. Then he nodded, wobbly. "Okay. I'll do it. But you have to promise me—I don't want to die for this."

"You won't," Fiona assured him. "We'll make sure of it."

They gathered around Julian's laptop in the cabin, working through what Gregor had given them. The magnitude of Cross's operations was staggering, much more so than they'd expected. But with Gregor's testimony and their discoveries, they finally had a case against him.

"This is it," Julian said, his voice tinged with awe. "This is what we've been waiting for."

"But we're not finished," Fiona said, breaking into their gloating. "We still have to take this to the authorities—and we have to make sure Cross doesn't know it's coming."

Victor nodded, his jaw tight. "We have to move quickly. The longer we wait, the more time Cross will have to clean up his tracks."

Emma glanced around the team, her own eyes blazing. "We've gotten this far. We're not turning our backs on it now."

Fiona smiled. The surge of hope and resolve was palpable. They were finally about to see justice done to Cross, and she knew they wouldn't stop until that happened.

"Let's finish this," she said, her voice showed that she has resolved. "For Gregor, for everyone Cross has hurt—it's time to bring him down.