Lena stared at the detectives, her mind spinning as the weight of everything crashed down on her chest like a landslide.
Dead.
Richard Calloway was dead.
Alexander was in the video.
Her name was on the suspect list.
And her brother—her little brother—was missing.
She clenched her fists. Her nails bit into her palms. The officers were still talking, but their voices felt muffled, like underwater echoes.
Then it snapped.
"I've had ENOUGH!"
Her voice erupted like thunder, sharp and raw. Both detectives froze.
"I'm done pretending I can handle this calmly! You think I killed him?" she shouted, her voice trembling with fury. "You think I had something to do with that video?! I didn't even know that man was dead until you knocked on my door!"
Detective Lane took a step forward, her hands raised slightly. "Ma'am, we're just trying to—"
Lena cut her off, tears burning in her eyes now.
"No! Listen to me for once!" she yelled. "I'm already losing my mind! Alexander—Alexander Cain took my brother! And I have no idea where he is, no texts, no calls, nothing!" Her voice cracked. "And now you're here trying to arrest me?"
Her chest rose and fell with shallow, panicked breaths. "He left me a video of that monster beating someone to death, and I'm the one being dragged into this like I planned it all?"
Detective Harris stepped closer, his expression hardening. "Lena Carter, we understand you're under stress, but you're now interfering with an official investigation. If you won't cooperate—"
"Interfering?" she barked. "What do you think I've been doing all night? Watching Netflix? I'm trying to survive this madness!"
That was when Detective Lane moved quickly, stepping forward and grabbing Lena's wrist. A cold, metallic snap closed around her skin.
Lena flinched, looking down.
Handcuffs.
"Lena Carter, you are under arrest for questioning related to the assault and death of Richard Calloway," Harris said firmly. "You have the right to remain silent—"
"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "No, you don't understand…"
But it didn't matter.
They were already walking her down the hallway, her neighbors watching from their doors like ghosts in a nightmare. Shame burned hotter than the anger now. And behind all that...
Fear.
Because if she didn't clear her name soon, she wouldn't be the only one lost in this storm.
________________
The room was dim—one flickering fluorescent bulb above, casting cold light over the metal table. The air was heavy, laced with the scent of stale coffee and steel.
Lena sat with her wrists still cuffed, her face pale but burning with restrained fury. Her coat had been taken. Her phone confiscated. And the door behind her had been locked with a loud click.
Across from her sat a young woman—detective badge clipped to her belt, black button-up shirt tucked neatly into slim tactical pants. Her name tag read Officer Raina Wolfe.
She was beautiful. Striking, even. Clear skin, bold brows, and piercing eyes that studied Lena like a hawk circling prey. But there was something else in that gaze.
Something colder.
Jealousy.
Raina leaned forward, clicking her pen once. "So. Let's start with what you know."
Lena exhaled sharply, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. Her voice was strained, but steady. "I found out forty-eight hours ago that Alexander Cain—" she spat the name like venom, "—is married."
Raina arched a brow, unmoved. "And?"
"And everything went to hell after that," Lena hissed. "My brother—he's missing. Alexander took him. He sent me a video of Richard Calloway being beaten to death like it was a goddamn movie preview." Her eyes burned. "And now he's disappeared."
Raina tapped her pen on the table. "You have any proof your brother was taken?"
Lena stared at her in disbelief. "Do I look like I'm making this up? My brother doesn't just vanish. He was last seen in his apartment. No calls. No texts. Nothing."
There was a pause. Then Raina leaned back, her lips twitching with an emotion Lena couldn't quite place.
"You seem pretty close to Alexander," she said smoothly. "Most women would run from a man like that. But you… you seem to attract him."
Lena's jaw clenched. "Excuse me?"
Raina smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Just seems strange. A man like him. That rich, that dangerous. And somehow, you—a struggling writer—end up with his full attention."
There it was.
Lena let out a hollow laugh. "Is that what this is? You're jealous?"
Raina's smile faded.
"You think I wanted any of this?" Lena continued. "I was living a normal life. Then he walked in like some twisted storm, tore everything apart, and now I'm handcuffed in a room because a man I hated got murdered by a man I'm starting to fear."
She leaned forward now, matching Raina's intensity. "So if you're done playing Mean Girls in a badge, maybe you can do your actual job and help me find my brother before it's too late."
The room fell silent.
Across the table, Raina's expression didn't soften. In fact, she tilted her head slightly—and then…
She smiled.
But it wasn't the kind of smile people gave when they felt sorry for you.
It was the kind people gave right before they enjoyed watching you break.
"Do you really think," Raina said, her voice cool and dripping with venom, "that I actually want to help you?"
Lena blinked.
Raina's smile widened with quiet hatred. "You think I care about your brother? Or your tragic little story?" She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming like ice. "I've read your file, Lena Carter. You're nothing special. But somehow, you have a man like Alexander Cain wrapped around your finger. And I'm supposed to believe you need saving?"
Lena's breath caught—but only for a second.
Then, slowly, she leaned back in her chair, shackles clinking against the metal frame.
And smiled.
Not sweetly.
Not innocently.
But like someone who just remembered exactly who the hell she was.
"Ohhh," Lena said, nodding. "So that's what this is."
Raina's smugness faltered.
Lena tilted her head, smile deepening. "You're not here to interrogate me. You're here to get even. You thought Alexander would never notice someone like you, and now you hate that I didn't even ask for his attention… and still got it."
Raina's jaw clenched. Her hand curled tighter around her pen.
Lena leaned in just a bit. "What's wrong, detective? Jealousy doesn't suit you. But this…" she gestured to the cold walls, the cuffs, the fear in the air, "This just made things fun."
She stared Raina dead in the eye.
"Looks like the real game just started."