Chapter 61

Chapter Sixty-One

"We did it, then," she said. Her voice was even, but she felt the fatigue. "Cross is in custody, and his network is in trouble. Still, we can't afford to let our guard down. There are still loose ends to tie up."

Victor nodded, propping himself up against the counter. "His people will be trying to regroup. We need to make sure they don't get the chance."

Kian, who had not said a word since they'd left the estate, rumbled his agreement. "We killed off parts of his operation, but Cross's organization is like a hydra. You cut one head off and another one takes its place. We have to be thorough.

Julian had been watching their communications with his laptop. He looked up. "I have been monitoring movement within Cross's known circles. Some of his lieutenants are already attempting to reorganize. We need to act fast if we're going to stop them.".

Fiona nodded, minds already running with options. "We need to divide our efforts. Victor, you and I will concentrate on dismantling what is left of Cross's network. We take out his lieutenants and any other major players who might think of stepping up.

She turned to Kian and Julian. "You two will handle the cleanup. Track down any remaining assets—money, safe houses, anything that can be used to rebuild. Make sure they're out of play."

Kian's face was dark with purpose. "We'll have to move fast. The longer we wait, the more time they have to regroup."

Julian tapped a few keys on his laptop, pulling up a map of the city with various points marked in red. "I've already started tracking known associates. We can hit them simultaneously, cut off their options before they have a chance to react."

Victor pushed away from the counter, his expression determined. "Let's get to work, then. We've come too far to let this slip through our fingers."

The team separated to handle their various tasks at hand. The hours blurred and merged into each other, all of them working in synchrony with finely tuned coordination. Fiona and Victor spotted a few of Cross's top lieutenants, running hard to eliminate the threat against them before it mobilized.

Meanwhile, Kian and Julian worked very hard to dismantle the remaining assets of Cross. They hacked accounts, seized funds, followed connections to hidden safe houses, and tracked supply caches. Every step further they took weakened the remnants of Cross's empire.

As the day ground on, they collected again in the safe house. Now, however, the sense of exhaustion had mixed with one of success: they'd made wonderful progress but still much remained.

Finally sinking into the miniscule kitchen chair, Fiona dragged her fingers through her hair. "We cleaned out most of the main players, and now with Cross's assets effectively nil. But this one, we need to stick. We can't afford for any of them to leak through any cracks, alright?".

Kian leaned back against the wall, arms crossed. "We have done what we can. We are going to have to wait now and keep a watch on everyone, in case someone else rises again."

Julian nodded. His eyes were tired but alert. "I will keep watching the networks. If there's so much as a whisper about regrouping, we know it."

Victor sat down right across from Fiona and fixed her with a severe look. "We have to think about the future as well. We're rid of Cross, but there's no saying if there's another one outside that'll try to take over his place. If that happens, we should be prepared.

Fiona sighed; she knew he was right. "We've won this one, but not the war. We'll remain vigilant, keep our eyes open, and be prepared to act at any time."

With the increased night, the team finally had a moment to relax. The safe house, once filled with tension and fear, was now a place of refuge—a regrouping place for whatever came next.

Fiona looked around at her team and felt intensely proud—having defeated all possible odds, they came through triumphant. But more than that, they had become a family that knew it could fall back on each other, no matter the circumstances.

"We've come a long way," Fiona murmured and then hastily broke the silence. "But whatever happens in the near future, I'm proud of what we've got through."

The others nodded, their faces softening as they let themselves relax for the first time in what felt—well, really world-without-end long.