Chapter 79 Chapter Seventy-nine

Chapter 79 Chapter Seventy-nine
CHAPTER 79

The morning after the wedding was gray and rainy in New York City. Rain tapped softly against the windows of Damian’s home. Damian stood in his office, looking at the papers Rodriguez had left on his desk the night before. He had not slept at all. Every page he read showed more lies.

Across the room, Rodriguez was talking quietly with two investigators.

"They have finished tracking the bank transfers," one investigator said.

Rodriguez nodded. "And the voice recordings?"

"We checked them. They are real, and we can use them in court."

Damian finally looked up from the desk. "Is this enough?"

The investigator looked at him. "Yes. It is enough to get arrest warrants from a judge."

Before anyone could say more, Damian’s phone rang. The screen showed the name: Detective Amelia Brooks. He answered it immediately.

"This is Damian."

"Mr. Cross, we have finished our investigation," Detective Brooks said.

Damian’s face grew serious. "And?"

"We need you to come to the police station downtown," she said. "We have new information about the attempt to kidnap your wife."

An hour later, Damian, Aria, Rodriguez, and Evelyn sat inside a private meeting room at the police station. Detective Brooks walked in carrying several thick folders and placed them on the table.

"For months, we have been looking into these crimes," the detective said. "At first, they looked like separate problems. But they were not separate."

She opened the first folder and spread photographs across the table. There were photos from security cameras, phone records, bank papers, car registration details, and maps.

Aria felt sick to her stomach. "So many things..."

Detective Brooks nodded. "The attempt to take you at the hospital, the attack on the road, the kidnapping at the warehouse, and the people spying around the Cross home, they are all connected."

Damian leaned forward. "Connected by who?"

The detective slid another folder toward him. "Our team found payments linking multiple workers to one group. Nash Keller organized everything."

Aria looked down. "I knew he was part of it."

"But you did not know how much," Detective Brooks said, turning a page. "We found secret messages between Nash and the people he hired. The messages showed one clear goal, you."

The room went completely quiet. Aria automatically reached for Damian’s hand, and he held it tightly.

Detective Brooks kept speaking. "The plan was not just to scare you, Mrs. Cross. The goal was to kidnap you and use you to force Mr. Cross to do what they wanted."

Evelyn covered her mouth in shock. "My God..."

The detective showed a blueprint map of a warehouse. It showed escape routes, guard schedules, and where cars would be parked. "They planned all of this for months," she said.

The detective opened the final folder. "This is where the story changes."

Inside were notes from phone calls and statements from two men who agreed to help the police to stay out of heavy trouble. "They named the people who gave the orders," Brooks said.

Damian read the names on the paper. First was Nash Keller. Then was Selene Voss. His face grew very dark as he saw the final name underneath theirs: Victor Voss.

Nobody spoke.

Detective Brooks broke the silence. "The proof shows that Mr. Voss paid for parts of the operation. He did not help kidnap anyone himself, but he knowingly gave money to the group."

Rodriguez nodded slowly. "I thought so."

"Miss Voss stayed in contact with the people who were tracking Mrs. Cross’s movements," the detective added.

Aria looked stunned. "So she really did that..."

"Yes," Detective Brooks said calmly. "We have enough proof to charge them all with planning a crime."

Damian closed the folder. "What happens now?"

Detective Brooks stood up. "The judge has already signed the arrest warrants."

Just then, another officer opened the door and said, "The teams are in position."

The detective nodded. "Go."

Across the city, police officers arrived at three different places at the exact same time.

At the Voss family home, officers in uniform walked through the front gates. Victor Voss was in his office reading documents when the chief inspector walked in.

"Victor Voss?"

He looked up calmly. "Yes."

The inspector held up the paper. "You are under arrest for planning a kidnapping and other crimes."

The room was completely quiet. Mr. Voss slowly took off his glasses. "I will cooperate." He did not fight the police.

At a luxury apartment downtown, Selene was packing a suitcase when someone knocked loudly on her door. She frowned and opened it. Six police officers stood in the hallway.

"Selene Voss?"

Her face turned completely white. "Yes..."

"We have a warrant for your arrest."

She stared at them, unable to believe it. "There must be a mistake."

The lead officer shook his head. "There is no mistake."

As the police led her down the hallway, neighbors opened their doors to watch. People started taking videos with their cell phones immediately. For the first time in years, Selene did not have a clever excuse to save herself.

Nash had been much harder for the police to find. He had spent weeks moving from one cheap hotel to another using fake names. But investigators finally tracked him down because of a rental car that was paid for by one of Victor Voss’s fake companies.

When police surrounded the building, Nash looked through the curtains and understood right away. He slowly put his hands up before opening the door.

"I guess you are not here to talk," Nash said.

"No," the officer said, pulling Nash’s hands behind his back. "We are here to arrest you."

Nash closed his eyes as the handcuffs clicked. "I knew this day would come."

Back at the police station, Detective Brooks got a message over her radio. "All three suspects are in custody."

She looked at Damian and Aria. "It is over."

Damian stayed silent, but Aria rested her head lightly against his shoulder. For the first time in months, she felt like she could finally breathe.

She did not feel better because all her emotional wounds were healed, or because she had every answer. She felt better because the people who had made her live in fear would finally have to answer to a judge.

Rodriguez looked out the window at the rain falling over New York. "The truth always catches up with everyone."

Damian nodded. He looked down at Aria. "And now, we finally get a chance to live without looking over our shoulders."

Aria smiled. It was a small smile, but it was real.