THE INTERROGATOR

The Watcher

Cole found Dimitri Orlov in the family's private library. The younger son was sitting in a leather armchair, a book open on his lap. But he wasn't reading. His eyes were fixed on the window, staring out at the dark grounds.

"Mind if I join you?" Cole asked.

Dimitri looked up. His expression was unreadable. "Please. Sit."

Cole took the chair across from him. The library was quiet. Warm. The scent of old paper and leather hung in the air.

"I heard about Sergei," Dimitri said. "My father exiled him."

"Yes."

"You must be pleased. You got what you wanted."

"I got what I needed." Cole leaned forward. "But I still have questions."

"I thought you might." Dimitri closed his book. "What do you want to know?"

"Where were you last night?"

Dimitri's eyes narrowed. "Last night? I was here. In the compound."

"Can anyone confirm that?"

"I was in my room. Alone. Reading." Dimitri's voice was calm. Controlled. "Why are you asking?"

"Because I need to know who I can trust."

Dimitri studied him for a long moment. Then he stood up and walked to the window. "You think I'm part of the conspiracy."

"I think you're the one who warned me about Sergei. You're the one who gave me information about Shaw. You're the one who's been quietly building your own network."

Dimitri turned. "You think I'm playing both sides."

"I think you're a survivor. And survivors do what they have to do to stay alive."

Dimitri was silent for a long moment. Then he nodded slowly. "You're right. I've been building my own network. I've been gathering information. I've been preparing for the day when the Orlov family falls."

"And when is that day supposed to be?"

"Soon." Dimitri's voice was barely a whisper. "Shaw has been planning this for years. He's not just targeting the Orlovs. He's targeting every major crime family in the city. He wants to create a vacuum. A power vacuum. And then he'll step in and take control."

Cole felt a chill run down his spine. A power vacuum. Shaw wanted to rule the underworld.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I need your help." Dimitri walked closer. "I've been building a coalition. A network of people who want to stop Shaw. But I can't do it alone. I need someone who knows how to fight him. Someone who understands his methods."

Cole studied the younger son. There was something in his eyes. Something desperate. Something genuine.

"If I agree to help you, I need something in return."

"Name it."

"I need to know everything you know about Shaw. Every contact. Every safe house. Every operation. I need to know where he's hiding."

Dimitri nodded slowly. "There's a safe house. On the outskirts of the city. An old farmhouse. Shaw uses it as a meeting place."

"How do you know this?"

"Because I've been tracking his movements for months. I have people on the inside. People who feed me information."

Cole stood up. "Take me there."

"Now?"

"Now."

---

The farmhouse was a crumbling ruin on the edge of the city. Weeds choked the yard. Windows were boarded up. The roof was caving in.

Cole approached from the east, keeping low, using the overgrown brush for cover. Dimitri followed close behind.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Cole whispered.

"I'm sure. This is where Shaw meets his top lieutenants."

"Anyone inside?"

"My source said he'd be here tonight. Alone."

Cole reached the back door. It was unlocked. He pushed it open slowly and stepped inside.

The interior was dark. Dusty. The smell of decay hung in the air. Cole moved through the rooms, his weapon drawn. The house was empty.

"Empty," he said. "Your source was wrong."

Dimitri's face was pale. "No. He said—"

"Someone lied to you."

Dimitri shook his head. "My source has never lied to me. He's been feeding me information for months."

"Then he's been compromised."

A sound. A creak. Cole spun around, his weapon raised. A figure emerged from the shadows. A man in a dark suit.

Elena.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," she said. "I've been waiting for hours."

Cole's finger tightened on the trigger. "Where's Shaw?"

"Not here. He sent me to deliver a message." She reached into her pocket. Cole tensed. But she pulled out a small envelope. "He wants you to know that the game isn't over. Not yet."

"What game?"

"The game you've been playing for five years. The game you can't win." Elena tossed the envelope to Cole. He caught it. "He says to read it. Then decide if you really want to keep hunting him."

Elena turned and walked toward the back door. Cole didn't stop her. He couldn't. Something was wrong. Something was off.

He opened the envelope and pulled out the letter inside.

*Cole,*

*You've been chasing me for five years. You've sacrificed everything. Your career. Your family. Your sanity. And for what? To find a man who doesn't exist?*

*I'm not the monster you think I am. I'm just a man who did what he had to do to survive. Your wife was killed because she knew too much. She was going to expose the conspiracy. The same conspiracy that destroyed your life.*

*If you want the truth, stop chasing me. Start looking closer to home.*

*The mole isn't Sergei. It's someone you trust. Someone who's been playing you from the beginning.*

*Find the mole, and you'll find the truth.*

*Calvin Shaw*

Cole stared at the letter. His hands were shaking. Someone he trusted. Someone who'd been playing him from the beginning.

He looked up. Dimitri was standing in the doorway, his face pale.

"What does it say?" Dimitri asked.

Cole folded the letter and pocketed it. "It says we've been looking in the wrong direction."

"What does that mean?"

"It means the mole is still out there. And they're closer than we think."

---

Cole drove back to the compound in silence. His mind was racing. The letter from Shaw had confirmed his worst fears. The mole was still in play. And they were someone close to him.

Who could it be?

Ivan? The enforcer had been hostile from the beginning. But his hostility was too obvious. Too open.

Katya? She had saved Riley. She had helped him escape the dock. But she was also connected to Shaw.

Maksim? He had betrayed Cole once already. But he had also given him the warehouse address.

Someone else? Someone he hadn't considered?

Cole's phone buzzed. A text from Katya.

*Riley is asking about you. She's worried.*

Cole typed a response: *Tell her I'm fine. I'll see her soon.*

*She wants to talk to you. Can I put her on?*

Cole hesitated. He wasn't ready to talk to her. Not yet. Not with everything that was happening.

*Not now. Later. I promise.*

*She's going to be disappointed.*

*I know. Tell her I love her.*

Cole pocketed the phone and stared out the window. His daughter was safe. That was all that mattered.

But Shaw was still out there. And the mole was still hiding.

---

Cole entered the compound and made his way to his room. He needed to think. He needed to process everything that had happened.

He closed the door and sat down at the desk. He pulled out his notebook and began writing. Names. Dates. Connections.

Someone he trusted. Someone who had been playing him from the beginning.

Cole paused. He thought about everyone who had helped him since he arrived in Red City. Everyone who had given him information. Everyone who had guided his investigation.

Maksim. Katya. Anya. Elena. Dimitri.

And then it hit him.

The person who had been playing him wasn't a stranger. It was someone he had known for years. Someone he had trusted with his life.

Thomas Kane. His former CIA colleague. The man who had helped him fake his own death. The man who had been quietly investigating the conspiracy.

Thomas Kane, who had stopped contacting him three months ago.

Cole picked up his phone and dialed Thomas's number. It rang once. Twice. Three times.

A voice answered. Not Thomas's. A woman's voice.

"Mr. Brennan. I was wondering when you'd call."

Cole's blood ran cold. "Who is this?"

"Someone who knows you very well. Someone who's been watching you for a very long time."

"What have you done with Thomas?"

"Thomas is fine. He's been... relocated. He won't be helping you anymore."

Cole felt a surge of anger. "If you've hurt him—"

"Relax, Mr. Brennan. Thomas is alive. He's just not available. And neither is anyone else you might try to contact."

Cole's jaw tightened. "What do you want?"

"I want to give you a message. A final message."

"What message?"

"The mole isn't who you think it is. It's someone closer. Someone you've been working with since the beginning."

The line went dead.

Cole stared at the phone. Someone he'd been working with since the beginning.

He thought about everyone he had trusted. Everyone who had helped him.

And then he realized the truth.

The mole had been right in front of him the whole time.

His phone buzzed again. Another text from an unknown number.

*You know who it is now. Don't you?*

Cole typed a reply: *Yes. I know.*

*Then what are you going to do about it?*

Cole didn't answer. He already knew what he had to do.

He stood up and walked toward the door.

It was time to end this.