Sweet Vengeances
Chapter 41: Crossing the Line

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Crossing the Line

As Lily and Ethan went over their next course of action, the night sky was a canvas of deep blues and strewn stars. With Natalie Grayson on their side, the plan’s momentum had changed, but the stakes had never been higher. Jack Monroe was no fool; he knew that any mistake would have disastrous repercussions.

Lily pored over the materials Natalie had promised to provide while seated at Ethan’s dining table. In the center of the table was a small black folder with contents as dangerous as a loaded rifle. Ethan stood with his arms folded at the window, watching her closely.

He broke the stillness by saying, "You haven’t spoken since the meeting."

Lily looked up, her face contemplative. "I’m attempting to determine how much of this we may utilize without endangering Natalie. We will lose our advantage—and perhaps her life—if Jack suspects disloyalty.

Ethan’s jaw tensed as he nodded. Additionally, Jack will realize that someone is after him if we go too slowly. We’re walking a tightrope in any case.

Lily pushed her chair back with a groan. "We must strike the ideal balance. We will make mistakes if we hurry. He’ll catch us if we pause. Although Natalie’s information is essential, it is not comprehensive. We require more.

With a determined look in his blue eyes, Ethan turned to face her. We’ll receive more after that. Lily, we’re closer than ever before. Now, we must not allow fear to stop us.

The two decided to use Natalie’s access to break into Jack’s financial systems as their next course of action. Partial access codes to one of Jack’s offshore accounts were among the documents she had turned over. They may deplete the account and render his resources inoperable if they are able to recover the remaining codes.

Lily paced the room and stated, "There’s one problem." Alarms will sound when the account is accessed. Jack will be aware that someone is inside.

With unwavering certainty, Ethan grinned. We’re not going in straight because of this. I used to work with a hacker in private security, and I know someone who can help us. He’s the best, but he’s not cheap.

Lily’s eyebrow went up. "Is he someone we can trust?"

Ethan answered, "As much as we can trust anyone in this game." But let me be clear: this is more than simply a job. He will regret it if he betrays us.

After a moment of hesitation, Lily nodded. Call a meeting. We can take action sooner if we have access sooner.

On the outskirts of the city, in a seedy basement café, the meeting was held. When Lily and Ethan arrived, the hacker—a wiry man in his thirties who went by the moniker "Ghost"—was already there. Lines of unintelligible code filled the screen of his laptop, which was open on the table.

Ethan shook his hand and said, "Ghost."

The hacker grinned. Blake, Ethan. A long time has passed. I didn’t anticipate seeing you again following that previous incident.

Ethan shrugged. "This work is unique. We require your knowledge.

Ghost turned to look at Lily. "And who is this?"

She held out her hand and said, "Lily Harper." "Let’s just say that I personally want to defeat Jack Monroe."

Ghost leaned back in his chair and laughed. "Don’t we all? In this metropolis, Jack has made more enemies than friends. Okay, let me know what you require.

The black folder was slid across the table by Ethan. "You must gain access to an offshore account associated with these codes. Since the account is highly guarded, a backdoor entrance will be required. Can you accomplish it?

Whistling softly, Ghost looked through the papers. This is high-level information. Jack won’t simply come after you if he discovers that someone is stealing his money; instead, he will destroy everything to identify the culprit.

Lily resolutely stated, "We are aware of the risks." "Are you able to do it?"

Ghost grinned. "I can, of course. But you’ll pay for it. For this type of job, my usual fee is—

"Money isn’t a problem," Ethan interrupted, interrupting him. "Just finish it."

Ghost arched an eyebrow without protesting. "All right. I’ll need to set everything up in 48 hours. I’ll signal you when I’m inside. It’s up to you after that.

Ethan and Lily looked at each other, their implicit understanding evident. They had the opportunity to strike Jack in the most painful spot.

The tension was evident back at Ethan’s flat. Lily walked around the room, reliving the day’s events in her mind. The danger increased with their proximity to their objective.

"Are we acting appropriately, in your opinion?" The stillness was broken by her abrupt question.

Startled by the inquiry, Ethan raised his head from his phone. "What do you mean?"

"Bringing Marcus, Natalie, and Ghost into our battle." All of them will be held accountable if something goes wrong.

Ethan got up and moved across the room to face her. "Lily, we didn’t coerce them into assisting us. Like us, they all made their decisions. And every one of them has a motive for wanting Jack removed.

Despite the mistrust still present in her heart, Lily nodded. She kept thinking that their idea would cost more than anyone had anticipated.

The signal arrived two days later. Ghost was prepared to move the money after successfully breaking through the account’s firewall. In Ethan’s living room, Lily and Ethan sat nervously around the laptop.

Ethan informed her, "Jack will know once we move the money." "After this, there is no turning back."

With her fingers poised above the keyboard, Lily inhaled deeply. "I understand. Let’s get it done.

Every second of the agonizingly slow transfer process seemed to drag on forever. A notice appeared on the screen when the money was taken out of Jack’s account.

Unauthorized access was discovered.

With a firm voice, Ethan stated, "Ghost said this would happen." Jack’s team has a few minutes to track down the breach. By then, we must be gone.

Lily nodded as the transfer was finished, her heart racing. She closed the laptop and declared, "It’s done."

Ethan took the gadget and shoved it in his backpack. "Let’s go."

Lily couldn’t get rid of the sensation that they were being watched as they left the apartment. She had good reason to be paranoid; Jack’s guys were everywhere and would be searching for the people responsible for the breach.

As they climbed into his car, Ethan stated, "We need to lay low for a while." "Jack will retaliate strongly."

Lily’s thoughts were racing as she gazed out the window. The conflict was far from ended, but they had delivered the initial blow. They had just painted a bullseye on their backs, and Jack Monroe was a dangerous guy.

However, a feeling of resolve descended upon Lily as the city lights flickered past them. Now she was too far gone to go back. She was willing to battle until Jack paid the ultimate price because he had stolen everything from her.

This was no longer just about getting even. Justice was at issue. And she wouldn’t give up until Jack Monroe’s empire fell apart.