Chapter Two
1414 Words
Chapter Two
Selene stared at the list in front of her, the ink still fresh, the names and notes glaring back at her like a challenge.
Victor Langley sat at the top in bold letters, a symbol of everything she had lost, everything she would take back. But she couldn’t take him down alone. Not yet.
She needed information. She needed someone who could do what she couldn’t.
And she knew exactly where to start.
Two Hours Later—West Side, The Ember Club
The Ember Club was not the kind of place Adrian would have ever set foot in.
It wasn’t a place for people like him—polished, ethical, believing in the system. No, this was a place where rules were flexible, where business was done in dark corners, where the right amount of money could buy silence, information, or a knife in someone’s back.
Selene had never been here before, but she had heard the rumors. The Ember Club belonged to men like Damian Rios.
She stepped through the doors, and the air hit her like a wall—thick with cigar smoke and the scent of expensive whiskey. The place was packed, but no one paid her any attention. Good. She wanted to blend in, at least for now.
She moved toward the back, where the real business happened.
At a private booth, exactly where she expected him to be, sat Damian Rios—former detective, now something… else. He was a man people sought when they needed dirt, when they wanted someone found, or when they wanted someone to disappear.
Damian had once been a good cop. He had worked on Adrian’s case, had tried to help. Then he had been forced out of the force when the system proved how rotten it was.
Now, he worked in the shadows.
And Selene needed him.
She stopped at his table. “Rios.”
He didn’t look up immediately, just took a slow sip from his glass before finally meeting her gaze. His dark eyes assessed her, unreadable. “Selene Carter.”
So he remembered her. Good. That would make things easier.
Or harder.
“What brings you here?” His voice was casual, but there was curiosity behind it. She wasn’t someone who belonged in a place like this, and they both knew it.
She slid into the seat across from him. “I need information.”
Damian tilted his glass slightly. “That so?”
She nodded. “On Victor Langley.”
That got his attention. His grip on the glass tightened just a fraction before he set it down. “Dangerous name to be throwing around in a place like this.”
“I don’t care.”
He studied her for a long moment, then smirked. “You used to be smarter than this.”
She ignored the dig. “You worked Adrian’s case. You knew the evidence was fake.”
He exhaled sharply. “Didn’t matter, did it? Didn’t stop them from burying him.”
Selene’s stomach twisted. “And you didn’t stop them either.”
Something dark flickered across his face. A reminder of his own failures, perhaps.
He leaned back. “What exactly do you want, Selene?”
She pushed a folded piece of paper across the table.
“My list,” she said. “I need answers.”
Damian didn’t touch the paper. “And what do I get in return?”
She had expected that. Nothing in his world came for free.
“What do you want?” she asked.
He studied her, eyes sharp. “Your clean reputation. Your contacts. You still have people who trust you, people who wouldn’t talk to someone like me.” He tapped the paper once. “You want dirt on Langley? I want dirt on the people who helped him.”
Selene’s hands curled into fists beneath the table. If she agreed to this, there was no going back.
But she had already crossed that line the moment she stood at Adrian’s grave and decided that Victor Langley had to fall.
She reached out, picked up his glass, and took a slow sip before setting it down.
“Deal.”
Damian smiled. “Then let’s get to work.”
Selene knew that once she made a deal with Damian Rios, there was no turning back.
By the time she left The Ember Club, the rain had picked up again, cold and relentless, soaking through her thin coat as she walked to her car. The city lights reflected off the wet pavement, and for a brief moment, she felt the weight of what she had just done settle onto her shoulders.
She had just aligned herself with a man who had no moral compass.
But what choice did she have? The justice system had failed Adrian. The police hadn’t cared. The press had turned him into a villain.
If she wanted revenge, if she wanted the truth—she had to be willing to play the game the way men like Victor Langley did.
Selene slid into the driver’s seat, gripping the wheel tightly as she exhaled. Damian had promised to start digging, but that meant she had to hold up her end of the bargain.
And she knew exactly where to start.
The First Target
The next morning, Selene walked into a high-rise office building downtown, her heels clicking against the marble floor. She had dressed the part—her most professional black dress, hair neatly styled, makeup carefully done.
She had an appointment.
Elliot Grayson. A name she had written second on her list.
Elliot had been one of Adrian’s closest friends before the scandal. They had worked together for years, built the company side by side—until Victor turned on Adrian.
Elliot hadn’t defended him. Hadn’t spoken out. Instead, he had cut all ties, acting as if Adrian had never existed.
Selene had always suspected that Elliot knew more than he let on.
Now, she intended to find out.
She approached the receptionist with a polite smile. “I have a meeting with Mr. Grayson.”
The woman checked her schedule, then nodded. “He’s expecting you. Right this way.”
A few minutes later, Selene was seated in Elliot’s sleek, modern office, staring across at the man who had once been like a brother to Adrian.
Elliot looked uncomfortable. “Selene,” he greeted stiffly. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you.”
“I bet,” she said, keeping her tone neutral.
There was an awkward silence. Then, Elliot sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. “Look, if this is about Adrian—”
“This is absolutely about Adrian,” she interrupted, leaning forward. “He was your best friend. You knew him better than anyone. And yet, when he was accused, you said nothing. You let them destroy him.”
Elliot’s jaw tightened. “It wasn’t that simple.”
“Wasn’t it?” Her voice was sharp now. “Adrian was framed. You must have known that.”
He didn’t answer.
Selene watched him carefully. Guilt. It was written all over his face.
“You’re scared,” she said quietly. “You’re afraid of what happens if you talk. But Elliot, he’s already dead. What more can they do?”
Elliot swallowed hard, his gaze flickering to the glass windows as if someone might be listening.
Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he said, “It wasn’t just Victor.”
Selene’s breath caught.
“What do you mean?” she pressed.
Elliot shook his head, looking pale. “I can’t—”
“Who else was involved?”
He stood suddenly. “This was a mistake. You shouldn’t have come here.”
Selene stood too, blocking his way. “Elliot, if you know something, tell me. Adrian deserves that much.”
He hesitated.
Then, finally, he muttered, “Check the prison records. Adrian wasn’t supposed to die. They wanted him quiet, not gone.”
Her pulse pounded. “Who wanted him quiet?”
Elliot glanced toward the door, then back at her.
“I never saw the full list, but… Victor wasn’t working alone. And if you dig too deep—” He exhaled. “You’ll end up just like Adrian.”
A warning.
But Selene wasn’t afraid.
She had just confirmed what she had suspected all along. This wasn’t just about Victor. This was bigger.
And she was going to burn them all down.
- Writer
