An hour later, the library doors opened. Sebastian Cross stood there, holding his phone. He didn’t look defeated; he looked like a chess player who had just lost a knight but discovered a path to checkmate.
“Impressive,” Cross said, addressing William and Malcolm. “The wire hit the account. The Syndicate has recalled the debt.”
“Get out of my house,” William said, pouring himself a drink with a shaking hand. “The audit is over.”
“The *financial* audit is over,” Cross corrected, stepping into the room. “But the criminal inquiry has just begun.”
He tapped his phone. “That money didn’t come from a verified source, William. It came from a shadowed sub-account in the Cayman Islands. Paying a debt with laundered money is a felony. I admit, you’ve saved the company from bankruptcy. But you’ve just handed me the evidence I need for a federal indictment.”
The brothers froze. Cross smiled, his charm chillingly intact. “The Wolf doesn’t stop hunting just because the rabbit tossed him a bone”.