Zenith Police station interrogation office."Is that you or not?" the investigator asked, tapping the glass monitor with the end of her pen.The black-and-white street footage paused on the screen, freezing the frame on his face under the streetlamp.Zarik leaned his forearms on the cold metal table. "That's me.""Why were you carrying an unconscious woman to your car past midnight?" she asked, leaning back in her chair. "She couldn't keep her feet on the ground.""Watch your tone," Zarik said. "I didn't drug anyone.""You hauled her into your back seat without her consent," she replied, crossing her arms. "The hospital tox screen will tell us what was in her system soon enough""She had too much to drink," Zarik said, keeping his eyes on her badge. "I took care of her.""She isn't a stranger to you?""No," Zarik said. "She isn't.""Then give me her name," the investigator said. "Is she your girlfriend?"Zarik kept his mouth shut."Every music blog in this province claims you're singl

"You didn't even give me a heads-up before signing those release papers!"Detective Miller slammed his clipboard against the precinct wall.Nadia didn't break her stride. She zipped her leather case shut and stepped right past him into the crowded corridor."The security drive cleared him," Nadia said flatly. "The case is closed. If you want to do actual police work, go track the Cobra gang instead of making useless noise.""Don't you dare walk away from me!" Miller roared, his face turning dark red. "I'm still your superior!"Nadia kept walking down the tiled hallway. She didn't turn around.Their department had split months ago. Constant clashes forced the station chief to divide the detectives into two separate units. Miller took team one, while Nadia took team two."You think running team two makes you my equal?" Miller shouted after her, his voice echoing off the walls. "Go handle the gang yourself if you think it's so easy!"Nadia pushed through the glass exit doors, ignoring hi

"What did you do, Isabella?"Gideon's fingers dug into the phone, his knuckles white under the study lamps.The crimson warning banner pulsed across the screen, locking her device under a military code."I only scanned the stone to check its minerals," Isabella stammered, backing against the bookcase. "I didn't think an open search engine would trigger a defense lock.""This isn't a civilian defense lock," Gideon whispered. His voice cracked, the color draining from his face until his skin looked like wet chalk. "Look at the nine-star crest on the banner."Isabella stepped closer, her throat tight. "Is that army actually real? The online forums called them an urban myth.""They're not a myth," Gideon said, his chest hitching as he shoved the locked phone back into her shaking hands. "They forced my jet down into the southern ravine yesterday. They executed Father right on the tarmac."Isabella's breath seized. Her knees buckled beneath her weight, her hip slamming hard against the edg

"Take it, Luke," she said, her voice dropping. "It might be an emergency from the warehouse."Luke reached out and flipped the device over.The black glass hit the wood with a dull click, cutting the light. He shoved the device to the edge of the table."Nothing in this city matters more than what you need to say," Luke said.He leaned across the dark wood and took both of her hands.Her fingers were ice. They trembled inside his grip, her skin pale under the warm ceiling lamps."You've been holding something in all evening," he added, his voice steady. "Tell me."Sarah swallowed hard.She slipped her hands out of his hold and reached into the pocket of her blazer on the back of the chair.She set two items down on the table between their bowls of stew.The first item was an old black leather medical journal with cracked edges.The second item was a stiff, yellowed bank slip from thirty years ago.Luke looked at the items, then raised his eyes to meet hers."My grandfather didn't buil

Chloe dropped the heavy black folder onto the glass desk, the slap of the cardboard cutting through the quiet office.Sarah didn't look up from her monitor. "Did you trace the company on that debt paper?""I traced every single shell corporation linked to it, Madam CEO," Chloe said, her voice tight.Sarah set her gold pen down on the ledger and folded her hands. "Who owns Black Diamond Holdings?""The Morris family," Chloe answered, stepping closer to the desk.Sarah kept her face completely still, but her pulse jumped in her throat. "The Capital family?""Yes," Chloe said, tapping the screen of her digital tablet. "They control the entire firm through three private holding accounts in the central business district."Sarah leaned back into her leather chair, her eyes tracking the movement of her assistant's fingers. "They sit in the top two dynasties of the Capital.""They rank higher than the Pierce family," Chloe added. "Their political backing stretches across every major commercia