One week later
The apartment smells like fresh paint and possibility.
I'm standing in Lana's new living room—her actual living room, not a safe house or borrowed space but the home she chose from Brandon's three options. Watching her direct the moving crew with calm authority catches me off guard. She's wearing jeans and a soft sweater, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, and she looks more settled than I've seen her since the parking garage incident.
A week ago, she was shaking from recovered memory and shock. Now she's pointing at where the couch should go, asking questions about furniture placement like someone who plans to stay alive long enough to care about interior design.
The difference is staggering.
"That's perfect, thank you," she tells the last crew member as they finish setting up her bed frame in the master bedroom. "We can handle the rest."
We. The word lands with more weight than furniture.
When the door closes behind them and we're finally alone, she turns to face me with something fragile and hopeful in her expression. "So, this is it. My actual apartment."
"It's a good choice." I move through the space, checking sight lines and security features with professional instinct I can't fully suppress. "Secure building, responsive management, Brandon's team did excellent work with the installation. You'll be safe here."
"I know." She watches me assess her home with the patience of someone who understands I need to verify safetybefore I can relax into anything else. "That's why I picked it. Well, that and the light."
The floor-to-ceiling windows do flood the main living area with afternoon sun, softening the industrial edges of exposed brick and polished concrete. It's beautiful in ways that feel intentional rather than accidental, the kind of space someone builds when they're ready to stop hiding.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and see it’s a text from Elias;
If Lana is willing to pursue The Glasshouse, this is the right person to help. Special Agent Monica Reeves, FBI. She's been building a case for two years but needs evidence. Remember what I told you when we spoke—you can't do this alone. Not with an organization that size, not with the kind of power they wield. This is the only way to eliminate the threat completely.
Attached is a contact card with a phone number and email address.
I stare at the message, processing what Elias is offering. He's been working behind the scenes since the parking garage attack, using his federal connections to find someone who could actually take down The Glasshouse. Not just neutralize them temporarily or negotiate another fragile truce, but dismantle the entire operation from the inside using the weight of federal prosecution.
Because that's what we're dealing with—an organization that Gabriel helped fund and expand, that has roots in political circles and corporate boardrooms across multiple cities. Reese wasn't acting alone when he tried to kill Lana in that parking garage. The glasshouse is solidly behind that attack, they’re still treating Lana as an unacceptable risk to their interests.
We can't fight that kind of power on our own. Not with Brandon's security team, not with Solange's research and tech skills, not even with Elias's connections. We need federal authority, subpoena power, the ability to freeze assets and compel testimony from people who think they're untouchable.
That's what Agent Reeves represents. The only real path to safety.
"Jax?" Lana's voice pulls me back to the present. "What is it?"
I look up from my phone, meet her eyes. "Elias just sent me contact information for someone who can help us. FBI. Special Agent Monica Reeves. He says if you're still willing to go after The Glasshouse, she's the right person."
Lana crosses to where I'm standing and reads the message over my shoulder. "What does he mean, she's been building a case?"
"The Glasshouse has been on federal radar for years, but they're too well-protected for normal investigation methods. Reeves has been trying to gather enough evidence to move forward but hasn't had access to the kind of documentation we have." I pocket my phone, turning to face her fully. "The files Solange decoded from Gabriel's offshore accounts—names, transactions, blackmail material—that's what Reeves needs. But Lana, this isn't something we can take back once we start. This means federal investigation, grand jury testimony, your connection to Gabriel getting examined in detail. They'll want to know everything about how you got access to his files, why you're turning them over now, what you knew about his involvement."
"I didn't know anything." Her jaw tightens with the frustration of being questioned about complicity in crimes shedidn't commit. "Gabriel kept me isolated, controlled everything I saw. I only found out about The Glasshouse after he died, when Solange started digging through the drive I found."
"I know that. But the FBI will need to verify it. They'll interview you multiple times, cross-reference your testimony against the evidence, make sure you're not trying to protect anyone." I watch her process this reality, see the moment she decides it's worth the scrutiny if it means eliminating the threat. "Elias is vouching for us, which helps. But this is still a massive undertaking. The kind of people named in the files Solange recently decoded have resources, lawyers, political connections. They'll fight back."
"Let them fight." Her voice carries the steel I've come to love. "They tried to kill me, Jax. They sent Reese to execute me in a parking garage because they decided I was too dangerous to let live. I'm done being afraid of powerful men who think they can eliminate anyone who threatens their interests."
This is exactly why I fell in love with her. Not because she's fearless, but because she chooses courage despite being terrified.
"After we settle in here, we'll call her," Lana continues, already making decisions about timeline and strategy. "Agent Reeves can walk us through what she needs. Solange has been organizing everything by category—financial transactions, communications, blackmail files, connections to specific operations. The encryption on some of the deeper files is sophisticated, but if Reeves has access to federal resources, her team should be able to decrypt what Solange couldn't break on her own."
I nod, appreciating how quickly she's shifting into operational mode. "Reeves will need complete access to everything. Not just the decoded files, but the original encrypteddata, any passwords or security keys Gabriel kept, information about his offshore accounts and how he moved money through shell corporations."
"Which means Solange needs to be part of this conversation." Lana pulls out her own phone, starts composing a message. "She's been living in those files for weeks. She knows the structure better than anyone. I’m sending this new development to her, so she’ll be ready."
"There's something else Elias told me when we initially spoke about it." I hesitate, knowing this part will be harder for her to hear. "Once the FBI moves forward, you'll likely be placed under protective custody until the major arrests are made. The Glasshouse will know who provided the evidence. They'll put in more effort to get to you."
