Chapter 2
355 Words
The cold air of the hallway felt like a slap, shocking me back into my body. I walked with a calculated steady stride, knowing that if Charlotte really did have eyes everywhere, then I had to watch my steps. I wasn't just "Ria" the drifter anymore; I was a marked woman playing with" a double sided blade".
I returned to the barracks, my mind racing through the psychology of betrayal. To win Charlotte’s trust, I can't just give her crumbs. I have to give her blood. I pulled a burner phone from a hollowed-out mattress—my direct line to Smart Vane’s right-hand man.
"I’m in," I whispered when the line clicked open. "But Charlotte is suspicious. I need a win to get closer. Give me the coordinates for the Eastside armory transport."
There was a pause. "Smart won't like risking that shipment, Vera."
"Tell Smart if he wants Charlotte’s head, he has to stop being stingy with the bait," I snapped, remembering the coldness I’d seen in his eyes my whole life.
Two nights later, I leaked the transport details to Charlotte’s head of intelligence. I watched from the shadows of a warehouse as Charlotte’s men ambushed the convoy. It was a m******e. My father's men were dragged out of their trucks, his precious black-market hardware seized in minutes.
As the smoke cleared, Charlotte appeared, looking like a dark saint in the moonlight. She found me leaning against a crate, my knuckles bloodied from a "fight" I’d staged to look authentic. She didn't say thank you. Instead, she handed me a heavy, silver-plated revolver.
"You gave me his shipment," she said, her voice humming with dangerous approval. "Now, I want you to give me his silence. He’s hosting a gala at the Sias Lounge tomorrow night. You’re going to walk in as his daughter, and you’re going to walk out as my successor."
The weight of the gun felt like a lead. I had spent my life wanting Smart Vane to look at me, and now, I was going to be the last thing he ever saw.
- Writer
