Page 128 of Make Them Cry
“Shawn Presley’s death might’ve been the first cover-up,” I say. “She’s gotten away with it before.”
“Then she won’t hesitate to try again,” Gage mutters, jaw tight.
Before we can keep going, Dean, Sawyer, and Ranger enter the Aquarium.
“We scoured NovaPlay. If Helena was there, she’s gone now,” Dean says, and then he glances at Rae. “Pull security footage.”
She nods, tapping away at her computer. “Already on it.”
Dean looks around the room. “She’s got her hooks deep into NovaPlay. We need to move carefully. We bring her in too soon without concrete proof, she’ll slip the noose.”
“What do we do?” I ask. “She’s dangerous. Shekidnapped me.”
“Which means she’s desperate,” Ranger adds. “That makes her sloppy. People like her always think they’re the smartest in the room—until they’re not.”
Rae pipes up. “That file River had? There’s a name buried in the metadata. Lancer. That’s one of Cathedral’s shell accounts. Used to move money through the darknet. If we follow the transactions, we might find her exit plan.”
Sawyer leans forward. “Then we intercept before she can vanish.”
Dean finally nods. “Let’s set the trap.”
My pulse races.
This is happening.
They’re really going to stop her.
I glance at Gage, whose arm is now wrapped around my shoulder. He gives me the softest smile, one meant just for me, and I melt into it.
I’m still shaken. But I’m not alone.
Not anymore.
And this time, I’m going to help take her down.
FORTY-FOUR
GAGE
I don’t trust many people, but here at Maddox HQ, I feel like I’ve finally foundmycrew. Sure, Arrow and Knight have been my best friends since grade school, and Ozzy, Render, and Poe are great friends we’ve met along the way. Hell, I even consider Juno a bestie as we met in middle school too.
And well, I’ve known Lark since my parents brought her home and changed my life. But the men of Maddox Security are top notch, and I can see the determination in each of their eyes as we sit here, laying out the plan.
I’m sitting in The Aquarium, elbows on the table, my knee bouncing with barely restrained energy. River’s file, the one Rae decrypted an hour ago, is up on the large screen behind Dean. Lancer. Shell accounts. Code commits with Helena’s signature.
Helena’s not just dirty.
She’s radioactive.
“We need to corner her,” Dean says, arms crossed. “Not spook her.”
“She’s already spooked,” I say. “She kidnapped River and framed me for murder. That’s not the behavior of someone feeling confident. That’s someone unraveling.”
Dean nods once. “Good. Then we push her until she slips.”
Across the table, Rae pulls up Helena’s financials—what we could get, anyway. “She’s moving crypto to a new wallet cluster. Looks like she’s preparing for an exit.”
“Where to?” Arrow asks, leaning forward.
