The cabin seemed smaller now, its walls closing in as the weight of Reed's words sank into the team's consciousness. The flickering light from the fireplace cast long shadows, but it wasn't enough to chase away the creeping sense of betrayal that now hovered in the room.
Hayes leaned against the cabin wall, their mind spinning with possibilities. Could Reed actually be telling the truth? Was there a mole in their team? The very idea felt like a punch to the gut, but Hayes couldn't dismiss it outright. Reed had been too confident, too precise in his accusations.
Wallace paced near the window, his brow furrowed in thought. Every now and then, his eyes flicked toward Kira, but he quickly looked away, as if ashamed of the suspicion that had briefly crossed his mind. Kira stood by the door, her hands shoved deep into her pockets, her jaw clenched. The tension was palpable.
"I don't believe him," Kira said finally, her voice low but firm. "He's trying to mess with us. We've been together for years. We know each other."
Hayes pushed away from the wall, eyes locked on Reed, who sat calmly in the chair, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "I want to believe that too, but we can't ignore what he said. We need to consider every possibility."
"You're really going to entertain the idea that one of us is working for him?" Kira asked, her voice rising with disbelief. "After everything we've been through?"
Wallace stopped pacing and turned toward Hayes, his face hard. "What do you think, Hayes? Is there even a chance he's telling the truth?"
Hayes didn't answer right away. The silence dragged on, thick with unspoken doubts. Finally, they sighed and rubbed the back of their neck. "I don't want to believe it, but Reed's been one step ahead of us from the start. Every time we make progress, he slips away or has backup. How does he always know where we are? How does he keep pulling resources out of nowhere?"
Wallace's face darkened. "Are you suggesting that we're leaking information?"
"I'm suggesting that we can't rule anything out," Hayes replied. "We've been chasing Reed for months, and he's always been three steps ahead. Maybe there's a reason for that."
Kira took a step forward, her eyes flashing with anger. "This is insane! You're seriously going to accuse one of us of being a traitor, based on his word? He's a liar, Hayes. This is what he does!"
Reed chuckled softly from his chair, his presence a dark shadow looming over the conversation. "It's funny, isn't it? How quickly trust crumbles when a little seed of doubt is planted."
"Shut up," Wallace snapped, glaring at Reed. "You don't get to talk."
But Reed only smiled, the same smug expression that had been on his face since the docks. "You don't want to admit it, but you're already questioning each other. It's human nature. Even if I hadn't said anything, the doubt would've come eventually."
Hayes clenched their fists, fighting the urge to lash out. Reed was winning. Not with bullets or hired guns, but with words. He was sowing discord with every sentence, and Hayes could feel it working.
"We have to stay focused," Hayes said, their voice strained but steady. "Whatever Reed's game is, we need to stay united. We'll figure out who's behind all of this, but we do it together."
Kira's eyes softened, but the tension in her shoulders remained. "And what if we don't find anything? What if we're tearing ourselves apart for nothing?"
"We won't," Wallace said firmly, stepping closer to her. "We'll stick together. No matter what he says."
But even as he spoke, the unease in the room didn't dissipate. Reed had successfully planted the seed of suspicion, and it would take time for the team to fully shake it off—if they ever could.
"We need to get some rest," Hayes said, trying to regain control of the situation. "We're all on edge, and it's not helping. Tomorrow, we regroup and figure out our next move."
Wallace nodded, though his jaw was still tight with tension. Kira remained silent, her gaze fixed on the floor. Hayes wasn't sure if she was angry or hurt—or both.
Reed was still smiling as they led him to a makeshift holding cell in one of the back rooms of the cabin. He didn't resist, didn't fight. He seemed perfectly content to sit back and watch the damage unfold on its own.
As Hayes locked the door behind him, Reed leaned forward slightly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'll be out of here soon, Detective. And when I am, you'll wish you'd listened."
Hayes didn't respond. They turned and walked back to the main room, the weight of Reed's words pressing down on them like a vice.
The fire crackled softly as the team sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Hayes stared into the flames, their mind racing. They needed a plan, but everything felt scattered. Reed had shattered the fragile trust between them, and until they figured out how to rebuild it, they were vulnerable.
Wallace finally broke the silence. "What do we do if Reed's telling the truth? What if there really is someone feeding him information?"
"We deal with it when we have proof," Hayes replied. "Until then, we assume everyone is on the same side."
Kira's eyes flicked up from the floor, a small, almost bitter smile on her lips. "Easier said than done."
Hayes didn't have a response for that. She was right. The doubt was already there, and no amount of reassurance would make it disappear overnight.
"We get some rest," Hayes repeated. "We're no good to anyone if we're exhausted."
Wallace grunted in agreement and headed for one of the empty rooms, though his tense posture suggested sleep would be hard to come by. Kira remained by the fire for a few moments longer before quietly following suit, leaving Hayes alone in the flickering glow of the cabin.
Hayes stared at the flames, watching as the wood crackled and popped, the embers glowing bright before fading into ash. The fire was dying down, much like their once unshakable unity. And with Reed's words still echoing in their head, Hayes knew that finding the truth—whether about the murder or the possible betrayal—was going to come at a steep cost.