Saul immediately stepped forward, relief crossing over his features at her interruption."You have to check on Kim first. She's worse off than-"Cross held up a hand, cutting him off mid-sentence. Her eyes were flat and unyielding as they met his. "I'll decide who needs what. Sit down." She spat.Saul opened his mouth to argue, but Cross fixed him with a look that made him close it again.There was something in her gaze that brooked no argument and definitely no negotiation. Saul knew she would do whatever she wanted regardless of his feelings on it.Glaring at the woman, he begrudgingly sat down in the armchair across from the couch, his jaw tight, his arms crossed over his chest. The position put pressure on his ribs, and he winced involuntarily, but he didn't move.Cross started with him, much to his displeasure. She knelt in front of him, her movements surprisingly gentle and began her examination. Her hands were firm as she checked his ribs, pressing gently on his side."Your r

The door flew open with a crash, the wood splintering around the lock, the sound echoing through the office like a gunshot. Pieces of wood scattered across the carpet, and the lock mechanism clattered to the floor, useless.Aldric jumped to his feet, his chair scraping against the floor, his eyes wide with shock. "What the hell?!"The guest on the other side of the desk, a young woman in a business suit, was already on the floor, her hands pressed against her ears, her face pale with confusion. Her glasses had flown off her face and landed somewhere near the window, and she was frantically patting the carpet, searching for them.In the midst of the chaos, the three of them walked in, Cross taking the lead, her badge already in her hand. Saul followed, his eyes scanning the room with the same careful attention he had learned to apply to everything. Kim brought up the rear, her gaze fixed on Aldric's face.Aldric's eyes widened further as he saw Saul. His mouth opened, then closed,

And then the door was abruptly closed behind them, and a moment later, there was a scraping sound. Cross had wedged a chair against the door, blocking them from coming back in.Saul and Kim stood in the hallway, their ears straining for any sound from within. Honeslty, both of them expected to hear shouts or even screams.The normal sounds of an interrogation gone violent.But the room was silent.For a long moment, nothing happened. The silence stretched, thin and fragile, and Kim found herself holding her breath.Then, slowly, muffled voices began to seep through the door. The words were indistinct, too quiet to make out, but the tone was clear. Cross was talking and Aldric was responding. It was a conversation, not a confrontation like they had feared.Kim leaned closer to the door, straining to hear, but the voices remained frustratingly indistinct. She could catch a word here and there…."No," "want,".... but nothing she could string together into meaning.Beside her, Saul

Finally, the door opened. Tony emerged, followed by Cross, and they walked toward Kim and Saul with identical expressions of grim determination."It's ready," Tony said, handing Cross a piece of paper. "I've sent you the location. You're in good hands, Matty. You've worked with them before."Cross took the paper and folded it carefully, tucking it into her pocket. She looked up at Tony, and her entire expression softened. She stepped forward and hugged him, a quick, tight embrace that seemed to surprise even her."Thank you," she said quietly. "For everything."Tony patted her back, his face warm with affection. "Be careful out there, kid. And come back in one piece."Cross pulled away and nodded, her composure already snapping back into place. "I will."The other man simply smiled at her fondly, hand lifting to squeezing her shoulder.Saul and Kim simply watched the sweet scene on the sidelines, but something was churning in Saul's gut.Regardless of their camadrie, the cryptic co

Cross had been leading them around for hours now. She had been keeping secrets, hiding information, treating them like pawns in a game they didn't understand. And now, finally, someone was pushing back.Kim knew that Saul had crossed a line. She knew that threatening a police detective with a weapon was a crime, that it could land them all in serious trouble. But she wasn't going to be against him now. Not when they were this close. Not when Leo's life might depend on getting answers.He might as well carry it through.To her credit, Cross didn't even seem bothered by the threat sual posed to her. She didn't even flinch at his breath in her ear.She just sat there, her body relaxed, her eyes fixed on Saul's face through the rear mirror. A sharp pen was pressed against her throat, a millimeter away from breaking the skin, and she looked as calm as if she were discussing the weather."You know," she said, her voice conversational, almost bored, "if you do manage to puncture my carot