Chapter 62

Chapter Sixty-Two


Fiona slipped out of bed, treading lightly out of the room to not disturb anyone, and moved to the kitchen to start the coffee. She brewed a pot silently, letting the rich aroma bring a sense of normalcy, however small, to everything else going on. Her thoughts wandered.

They'd removed Cross. That, in itself, was a major victory. But Victor was right; nothing meant that the movement of the body couldn't continue. They'd have to remain vigilant to the fact that another person could attempt to step up to the plate to fill the void of power that Cross had created.

She was startled out of her thoughts when she heard the footsteps. Turning back, she saw Kian enter the kitchen, his hair tousled by sleep but his eyes alert. He gave her a nod of acknowledgment and proceeded to retrieve a mug, pouring himself a serving of coffee.

"Morning," he said in that voice that was quite obviously husky from sleep.

"Morning," Fiona replied. She handed him the sugar. "How'd you sleep?"

"I feel better than I have in weeks," Kian heaved a sigh as he took a sip of his coffee, "but I just couldn't shake the feeling that we're not done yet."

Fiona nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. "We've dealt with the immediate threat, but there's still a lot of work to do."

Kian set his mug down and leaned against the counter, a serious expression on his face. "Julian and I have been keeping an eye on things. Up until now, it's all been pretty quiet—too quiet. Feels like they're waiting for something."

"Waiting for what?" Fiona asked, with her brow furrowed.

Kian shook his head. "I do not know. But we won't let our guard down. Covenant's preparations need to be ahead of whatever is coming our way.

As if on cue, Julian appeared in the doorway with his laptop tucked under his arm. He dropped it on the kitchen table and flipped it open, his fingers whizzing over the keys.

"I've been up for a while," Julian said, unable to bring himself to waste time on pleasantries. "Something's not right. I've picked up some chatter on the dark web—nothing concrete, but enough to make me think we're not out of the woods yet."

Fiona's heart sank at the news. She had hoped they would have more time to regroup, but it seemed that fate had other plans. "What kind of chatter?"

"Rumors," Julian replied, eyes rolling across the screen. "Of a new player trying to make their move. Of someone maybe looking to take over what Cross left behind."

Kian frowned. "Got a name?"

Julian shook his head. "Nothing solid yet. But whoever it is, they're laying low. They're being cautious, which makes them intelligent."

Fiona felt a knot of tension form in her stomach. "We need to find out who this is and stop them before they can get a foothold. We can't let everything we've done be for nothing."

Julian nodded in agreement. "I'm working on it. I've got a few leads, but it's going to take time to piece it all together."

"We don't have much time," Fiona said, her voice firm. "We need to act fast. If this new player is as smart as you think, they won't stay hidden for long."

Kian glanced at Julian, then back at Fiona. "We'll find them. And when we do, we'll make sure they don't get the chance to rebuild what Cross started."

The resolve in his voice was clear, and they all knew they were of one mind in this. They'd gone through too much only to let somebody else rise up and threaten the peace, so fragile, which they had fought so much to defend.

Gradually, one after the other, the remaining members of the team started shuffling into the kitchen, and each one of them wore an expression of exhaustion that could only be born out of dwelling life on the edge for far too long. But there was also the sign of determination, the shared understanding that their fight wasn't over yet.

She herded them all around the table, outlining what they'd got hold of and what was the next move. They would continue monitoring, delving deeper into the rumors Julian had brought to them, and be ready to strike the moment they had someone in their sights.

As they talked over their strategy, Fiona couldn't help feeling that this was all somewhat familiar. They'd been here before, facing an unclassified threat and wanting to gear up for war. But this time, it was different. This time, they were stronger, more together. The fact that they had proven something to themselves, that they could survive anything fate threw at them, and to each other.