Page 110 of Crossover

I’d become the man in the woods. A monster who ended an innocent life, and unlike Daniel, no amount of rationalization or justification would ever bring me peace.

It was a crushing betrayal.

“You were my best agent,” Daniel said. “And I trusted you’d carry it out exactly as I needed it to be done.”

Because anything less would create complications for Daniel. How selfish could he be?

“Besides,” he added, “you were never supposed to find out.”

If Ivy hadn’t gotten out safely, would I have ever learned of Daniel’s lies? Without Ivy in my life, Daniel’s deception would have shut me down forever. I never would have trusted anyone again, never would’ve let anyone in to give them a chance, and I might have even receded inward from my own brothers.

But Daniel wouldn’t win; I wouldn’t allow myself to surrender to the anchor of guilt carrying me under. His betrayal was his own, and while I would never be able to find peace with what I had done, I would choose to find a way to move forward.

Ivy deserved that.

“Why did you and your men tell Ivy that her father wasn’t the person she thought he was?”

Daniel had the audacity to look bored by this question. “He let a weapons ring run for years under his nose. Not the definition of nobility, if you ask me.”

The nerve. Her father had turned a blinds eye because they’d tried to abduct Ivy; he’d merely done it out of fear.

“You want to talk about nobility? Why did you keep dating Ivy’s mother?” I asked. “Her dad died over a year ago?”

Daniel shifted slightly, as if this made him uncomfortable.

“I needed to make sure she didn’t uncover the truth,” Daniel said. “And that she stopped asking questions. And then later, I needed to keep tabs on Ivy, and staying with the mother was the easiest way to do it.”

Jesus.

“The second time I was ordered to kill Ivy,” I said, remembering when she and I had left the cabin so I could present the evidence to Daniel. Assuming he’d find a way to calloff the dogs when, all along, he’d been the pack leader. “When I confronted you and Seth with the evidence against Ivy, you agreed it needed to be investigated.” He pretended to go against Seth’s idea of dropping it. “Why’d you do that when you were the one who created the files? Any investigation would’ve led back to you?” I asked.

Unbelievably, Daniel fidgeted like he was being inconvenienced by all these questions. “What was I supposed to do? It’d look awfully guilty if I didn’t agree it needed to be looked at.”

“But it would have implicated you.”

Then again, he could always find an excuse to back out later.

“When you confronted me, I wasn’t surehowI’d cover my tracks good enough to pass a CIA audit, but at that moment, I needed to focus on getting to Ivy.” To eliminate her and her mother. “After, I’d find someone to help me with the IT trail, but I could only handle one problem at a time.”

When I had confronted him without evidence, Ivy’s abduction was in process. Of course he’d kick the IT can down the road. And as for pretending to be on board with investigating the evidence, that was a short-term play to make him look innocent in front of Seth.

It must be hard when your web of lies begins to unravel.

Every conversation with him was replaying in my mind with this new lens.

“The first night I was sent to kill Ivy,” I continued, “and I came to your home, I asked you if you knew Samantha Jackson was the same woman who came to the parking garage. You acted like you had no idea, but you did.” And I’d believed him, hook, line, and sinker. “You’re a good actor.”

“Comes with the CIA territory, Grayson.”

Unbelievable.

“I thought you were an honorable person,” I mused, shaking my head. “Turns out, you’re no better than the men we hunt.”

“Why don’t you just get it over with?” Daniel clenched his jaw.

“You think I’m going to kill you.”

Shock—or dare I say, fear—rippled through his face when he realized I might not leave him to die. That’s why this felt off, I realized.

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