Cassidy held the USB drive tightly in her hand as she left Alexander Cross's office, her mind racing. Things weren't intended to go this way. She had come here to trap him, make him confess to his sins, and force him to do what she wanted. Instead, he had given her something she didn't expect: proof. But what? Her gut told her not to trust him. He was a millionaire CEO who had a lot of power and sway. Men like him didn't give away secrets easily unless they had a bigger plan in mind. But still, she couldn't get his words out of her head. "You're going after the wrong bad guy." Cassidy got into the elevator and held the little drive like it held the key to everything. The doors slid shut, locking her in, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of a trap closing in on her. She had to look at what was on this drive. She was already moving her fingers when she got to her car, putting the USB into her laptop. As she waited, the rain beat on the windshield. Her heart raced and her breath was shallow. Before a folder appeared, the screen flickered. One video file. Her stomach got tight. Alexander Cross had handed her this disk voluntarily, no matter what was on it. Was that an attempt to control her? To trick her? There is only one way to find out. Cassidy hit play. The Movie At first, the screen was full of static, but gradually the picture got clearer and showed a dark, empty warehouse. In the corner, there was a timestamp that said "two months ago." The video was fuzzy and the light was low, but Cassidy could see people moving in the dark. A bunch of guys. Armed. Risky. As the camera moved a little, she tightened her grip on the keyboard and saw a face she knew. Not Alex. Richard Vaughn. Cassidy's breath caught. Vaughn, Alexander's biggest adversary, was in the middle of the warehouse talking to a man she didn't know. They clasped hands and gave each other something—money? A piece of paper? It was hard to say. But then the camera moved again, and she saw something that made her heart race. Women. A line of them, standing to the side, with their heads down and guys with guns watching over them. Cassidy's heart rate went up so much. This wasn't a deal for business. It was something a lot worse. Trafficking people. As the video went on, Vaughn was in charge of everything, and her breathing got faster and more irregular. He was the boss. He was in charge of it. Not Alex. Vaughn turned and talked to someone who wasn't in the picture. Cassidy's heart raced as she saw the next person come into the view. Alexander Cross. She stared with her fingers hovering over the keyboard, her stomach churning furiously. But something wasn't right. Vaughn wasn't standing next to Alexander. He wasn't giving or getting money or shaking hands. He was in a fight. The image flashed again, and Cassidy saw Vaughn turn on him. A fight broke out all of a sudden. A gun was raised. Alexander's soldiers are coming in. A raid. Alexander Cross wasn't involved in the operation. He had been shutting it off. The thought made her body feel cold all over. Everything she thought she knew about him and everything she had said about him was inaccurate. Cassidy swallowed hard and stopped the movie. Her reflection looked back at her on the screen. "You're going after the wrong bad guy." Alexander Cross was not the one who ran the human trafficking operation. He had been working to halt it. And she had walked into his office ready to rip him apart for it. A Dangerous Change Cassidy shut her laptop and held on to the edges tightly. Her body felt out of whack, and her instincts were all over the place. Vaughn. He was the actual bad guy. The one in charge. And she had done exactly what he wanted. She sat back in her seat and felt ill to her stomach. Vaughn would not let her get any closer to the truth if he knew she was looking into Cross. She had made herself a target without knowing it. She jumped when someone knocked on her window. She felt her heart race when she looked up and saw a dark man standing outside her car. The rain made his face look blurry for a second, but then she could see the sharp angles of his face and the piercing blue eyes. Alex. She rolled down the window, her hands still shaking. "How the hell did you—" "You shouldn't have seen that here." His voice was low and intense. Cassidy's throat got dry. "You were following me?" "I had you followed," he said, looking around as if he thought someone was watching. "Vaughn sees everything." He already knows you came to see me. Cassidy's heart rate went up. "So what? You thought you'd come and—" "Don't get yourself killed," they said. He smoothly cut in. "Yes." She disliked how calm he sounded. How calm. At the same time, everything in her life had changed. She remarked in a stern voice, "I don't need your protection, Mr. Cross." There was a wicked flash in his eyes. "You do now." Cassidy's jaw was tight. "You let me walk into your office and accuse you of trafficking people." Why didn't you tell me the truth? A sneer appeared on his lips. "Would you have trusted me?" She thought about it. Damn him. He was correct. She let out a breath to calm herself down. "Why did you send me that video?" His face grew serious. "Because you're good at what you do." And I need you to tell the truth about Vaughn. Cassidy blinked. "Do you want me to look into him?" Alexander's jaw muscle twitched. "Burn him to the ground," I said. The way he said it made her tremble. This wasn't just work for him. It was personal. Cassidy's thoughts were racing. Vaughn was strong, well-connected, and scary. If she went after him, she would be making an enemy out of a guy who would kill anybody who got in his way. But wasn't it why she had begun this in the first place? To find out the truth, no matter how risky it was? Cassidy's eyes were fixed on Alexander's. "I'll do this my way if I do it. No interference. No games. He turned his head a little and looked at her. "Okay." She wasn't sure if she could trust him. But one thing was clear: Vaughn was the real adversary. And Cassidy was going to go after him with everything she had. Even if it meant going deeper into Alexander Cross's world. Even if it meant losing herself in the process.
