Chapter 55

Chapter Fifty-Five

Fiona's heart still raced from her call with Agent Hayes. She sat at the kitchen table in the cabin, flanked by Victor, Emma, and Julian. Their faces showed determination mixed with apprehension. They had just received news that their evidence against Cross was strong enough to move forward, and, well, that meant that the pressure was really on now. They were getting closer to bringing Cross down—but the risks were higher than ever.

Victor was the first to break the silence. "Well, what now? How do we get ready for this?"

Fiona sucked in a deep breath to settle her racing thoughts. "Hayes will let us know what we should do next. We need to be prepared to move fast. That means we have to stay alert and keep a low profile."

Julian sat back in his chair, massaging at his temples. "I'll monitor communications and anything off the beaten track locally. If Cross has something in play, we'll hear something."

Emma nodded gravely. "And we need to make sure Gregor's ready. If Cross gets spooked, he's liable to try to take Gregor out before we ever make it to court."

Victor frowned, clearly concerned. "Gregor's safety is a priority, but we also have to protect ourselves. This is going to be dangerous."

Fiona nodded, knowing full well just how dangerous this could turn out to be. The closer they got to their goal, the more desperate Cross would get.

She lay awake that night, much later when most of them had retired, unable to shut her brain off. She was haunted by visions of all the things that could go wrong with their plan. She had just drifted off to sleep when there was a quiet knock at the door.

She froze. Nobody should know they were there. Fiona reached quietly for the gun she kept in her bedside drawer and moved noiselessly toward the front of the cabin. She peered out the window but couldn't make out much in the dark.

The knock came again, louder this time. Whoever it was wasn't leaving.

Fiona took a deep breath, braced her hold on the gun, and opened the door barely an inch. Before her stood a tall figure, enveloped in darkness. The person was clothed in dark attire; their face was hidden by the hood.

"Who are you?" Fiona asked, trying to keep her voice low and firm.

The figure didn't move for a moment before he raised his hands very slowly to prove he wasn't armed. "My name is Kian," the stranger said in a low-pitched, very calm voice. "I'm here to help you."

Fiona tightened her grip on the gun. "Help us? How do I know you're not working for Cross?"

Slowly, Kian pulled back the hood, showing a rugged but sharp face with heated green eyes. "Because I've been working against Cross for years. I know things that can help you, but you have to let me in."

Fiona instinctively warned her to beware but found Kian's quiet, calm confidence somehow reassuring. She had the gun pointed a notch down, though she didn't put it away. "Alright, come inside. But if you try anything, I won't hesitate."

Kian nodded and stepped inside, moving without hesitation. Fiona closed the door behind him and led him into the kitchen, where the others were already highly alert.

"This is Kian," Fiona said. Her voice was taut. "He says he's here to help us."

Victor's eyes narrowed. "Why should we trust you, Kian?"

Kian locked eyes with Victor and didn't allow his voice to shake a single level. "Because I know more about Cross's operations than you can imagine. I've been inside his network for years, working to bring him down. I have information that could make or break your case."

Emma leaned forward, interested but wary. "If you've been inside his network, why are you coming to us now? Why not go to the authorities?"

Kian smiled bitterly. "Because the authorities are in his pocket, as you have no doubt discovered. The tentacles Cross has outstretched extend a lot further than what you've so far uncovered. Your proof is good, but it's useless unless you learn how to use it. That's where I come in."

All this while, Kian had been under Julian's scrutiny, and now he spoke. "What exactly do you know that we don't?"

Kian drew in a deep breath, his gaze sweeping the room as if weighing his options. "I know about a contingency plan Cross has. If he thinks you're onto him, he'll use it. And everything you've done up until now will have been for nothing. He'll disappear on you, take his operation underground, and you'll never find him."

The room fell silent. Fiona felt a shiver run down her spine. So consumed by the quest for concrete evidence, they had never stopped to consider that Cross would attempt and succeed in eluding them before they were prepared.

Victor was the first to break the silence. "And what, pray tell, is this contingency plan?"

Kian locked gazes with Victor, his voice as deadpan as ever. "Cross has a network of safe houses and secret routes out of the country; he's got an entire operation for keeping himself hidden if things go wrong. Unless you cut off those routes, take down his network before you make your move, he'll be gone by the time you can stop him."

Emma frowned. "How are we going to stop him? We can't take out a whole network."

Kian's expression softened slightly. "You're right, you can't. But I can. I've spent years building a team for myself, people hurt by Cross, with a stake in bringing him down. We've been watching and waiting for the right moment, and that moment is now."

Fiona locked eyes first with Victor, then Emma. They had not expected this at all, and they had to be very cautious now. Kian was giving them help, but at the same time, they could not let their guard down.

"Why are you doing this, Kian?" Fiona asked softly. "What's your stake in all of this?"

Kian's countenance darkened. "Cross took everything from me—my family, my life. I've been waiting years for the right chance to take him down, and now that it finally is, I am not about to let it slip through my fingers. I just need your help to finish the job."

Something in Kian's tone struck Fiona as something she just couldn't brush off. She knew what it felt like to lose everything because of Cross. If Kian had been fighting this battle alone for years, then maybe they could trust him.

Victor seemed to come to the same conclusion. He nodded slowly. "Alright, Kian. We'll work together, but we're in this as a team. We make decisions together."

Kian nodded. "Agreed. We're on the same side. Whatever it takes to bring Cross to justice."

Julian, who had been quiet, finally spoke. "You said you've got a team. How soon can they be ready?"

Kian's eyes gleamed. "They're all in place. I'll contact them tonight, and we can start coordinating. Once we're ready, we hit Cross's network. We shut down every avenue of escape if we do this right, and then we can take him down once and for all."

Fiona's heart surged with hope. Here, with Kian's knowledge and resources, they finally had a chance. Still, she knew how dangerous it was going to get from there. They were about to engage in a battle that would test them like never before.

"We're in this together," Fiona said firmly. "Let's bring him down."

Eye to eye, the team locked into a precautionary gaze. They were no longer only going to survive; they were going to prepare for that last punch. With Kian on their side, they would take the fight to Cross.