Day five of the trial brought the witness everyone had been waiting for: Derek Cross.Cross had made a deal with the prosecution twenty five years instead of life without parole in exchange for his full testimony against Victor Castellano. He'd been transferred from the hospital to a maximum security facility, where he'd spent the past months preparing for this moment.Marcus sat rigid in the gallery as guards brought Cross into the courtroom. The man who'd actually murdered his parents. Who'd pulled the trigger, planted the evidence, whispered lies into nine-year-old Sophie's traumatized mind.Sophie gripped Marcus's hand tightly. Emma was on his other side, her presence steadying him.Cross looked different than he had at the warehouse thinner, paler from months in custody. But his eyes were still cold, calculating. He took the stand without apparent emotion.Jennifer Park began her examination. "Mr. Cross, please state your occupation.""I was a private security consultant." His vo

Sophie Reid took the witness stand the next morning, looking small and vulnerable in a simple dress. But her eyes held determination as she was sworn in.Marcus sat in the gallery, Emma gripping his hand tightly. Uncle James sat behind them, praying quietly.Jennifer Park approached Sophie gently. "Ms. Reid, please state your relationship to the defendant.""I don't have one. But he destroyed my family.""Let me rephrase. How do you know Victor Castellano?""I don't know him personally. But he ordered the murder of my parents, Robert and Jennifer Reid."Park nodded. "Tell us about the night of August 15, 2013. You were nine years old?""Yes. I was upstairs doing homework when I heard gunshots." Sophie's voice trembled but stayed strong. "I went to the stairs and looked through the railing. I saw my mother on the floor. Blood everywhere. My father trying to help her. And then a man shot him too.""Can you describe this man?""Tall. Blonde. Wearing all black. I didn't know his name then

Three months flew by in a blur of wedding preparations, Reid Justice Project cases, and learning to live without the weight of Castellano's threat hanging over him.Marcus woke on his wedding day to sunlight streaming through the bedroom window and Emma already gone. A note on her pillow read: *Bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony. See you at the altar. I love you.*Marcus smiled, tucking the note carefully into his wallet.Uncle James appeared in the doorway holding two cups of coffee. "Big day, nephew. How are you feeling?""Nervous. Excited. Terrified." Marcus took the coffee gratefully. "Is that normal?""Completely normal. I felt the same way when I married your aunt." Uncle James sat on the edge of the bed. "Your father would be so proud of you, Marcus. Of everything you've become. Everything you've built.""I wish they could be here.""They are. In Sophie, in you, in the work you do every day." Uncle James squeezed his shoulder. "Now get dressed. We have a wedding to g

The next morning, Marcus and Emma sat in Detective Chen's office with FBI Special Agent Sarah Parker a sharp eyed woman in her forties who'd been investigating the Moretti family for years."The Morettis are one of the oldest crime families in the region," Parker explained, pulling up files on her computer. "They've been operating for three generations. Drugs, gambling, money laundering, murder for hire. Victor Castellano was their financial manager. When you took him down, you cut off a major revenue stream.""So they're retaliating," Emma said."More than that. They're sending a message to anyone else who might think about cooperating with law enforcement." Parker showed them surveillance photos of known Moretti associates. "The family is run by Anthony Moretti, age sixty-two. His son Vincent handles day to day operations. They have connections in construction, unions, city government, even some police departments."Marcus studied the photos. Anthony Moretti looked like someone's gr

The next evening, Marcus stood in a FBI van while Agent Parker attached the wire to his chest."It's small, sensitive, and virtually undetectable," she explained, taping the tiny microphone under his shirt. "But if Vincent pats you down, he'll find it. So avoid physical contact.""And if he finds it?""Signal us immediately. We'll move in." Parker handed him an earbud. "Keep this in. We'll be listening to everything. If things go sideways, say the word 'justice' and we'll breach within seconds."Marcus fitted the earbud, tested it. He could hear Parker's voice clearly through the small device.Emma sat nearby, her face tight with worry. "I don't like this. There are too many variables.""We've run this scenario a dozen times," Parker assured her. "We have agents positioned at every exit. Snipers on the roofs. The moment Vincent makes a direct threat on tape, we move in.""The moment he makes a threat, he might also shoot Marcus."Parker didn't have a good answer for that.Marcus pulle