The room was dark with barely any light seeping through; the bed, though comfortable, didn’t feel familiar. It had taken him two days to know the difference—he wasn’t home.

Nolan didn’t panic as he opened his eyes; his head remained foggy from the night before, and when he tried to get out of bed, he stumbled on the rug beneath. Regaining his balance, he sat on the bed, now realizing he only had his boxers on.

He switched on the light in the room. Looking at the unfamiliar place, he tried to remember how he ended up here.

Slowly, it hit him.

It was her.

The lady he lusts over, the lady who coerced him to drink so easily. Last night's events gradually crept back into his mind as realization dawned on him.

Where was she? He asked himself.

Looking around, he saw his handcuff on the bed frame, his wrist seeming to have taken a bruise.

Did they?

He wondered.

Nolan wore his clothes and quickly left the room; on reaching the receptionist desk of the hotel he didn’t remember checking into, he shoved his hand into his pocket for his wallet and found a note.

The note only had the initials 'A.G.' written on it.

His forehead furrowed as to why this was in his pocket in the first place.

Could it be from her? He questioned, but there was no response to his thought.

---

Nolan arrived at the precinct late for work, others already getting busy with their duties.

He rushed to his desk, placing all of his belongings on it. Didn’t even bother to greet Ana Reyes, who was seated at her station waiting for his arrival.

“Went clubbing last night?” She asked, bringing his attention to her; when he turned, she added, “Not enough time to get changed?”

“Yea,” he shrugged. “These for me?”

Reyes's eyes narrowed at the countless pieces of paperwork on his desk. “They are not on my table, are they?”

“Right… I need to get to work on those; I still need to speak to my team,” Nolan said as he sat down, staring at the work pile.

“Is something wrong? You don’t look good?”

“Nothing.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing.”

“You were right; I went clubbing last night and didn’t get enough rest.” He pulled out one of the case files and skimmed through it.

One of the city’s councilmen residing in Lombard Hollow has been murdered. He read past the description down to the name drop; his fingers hovered around the name.

Angelique Grey

Then he recalled the note he found in his pocket, taking it out.

“Is there something? It seems like you’ve seen a ghost,” Reyes said.

Before Nolan could respond, one of the police officers came up to him.

“Lieutenant, someone dropped this for you.” The officer passed Nolan's car keys to him. “Along with your car,”

“Thank you,” though worried where he had gotten it from, he won’t be too shocked, as he had a clue. He tilted his head to Reyes. “There was a murder on Lombard Hollow."

“I heard you're the one handling the case?” She asked.

“Yes,” he waved the case file. “There’s one suspect here, Angelique Grey; we might need to bring her in for questioning.”

Reyes chuckled, “Second day on the job and you’ve already crossed the dead zone.”

Nolan's forehead furrowed. “How do you mean?”

“The suspect listed can’t be brought for questioning; you go to her instead. Chickens around here know well to avoid a case that has her name printed on it, for good reason too.”

“She’s dangerous? So there is a chance she likely committed the crime."

Reyes hesitated for a bit; she knew he would find out sooner or later, even at the expense of his life, so why not just say it now?

“’Likely’ is you underestimating her; she committed the crime. See, there are four families here that have control over Calderra that even the mayor can’t do anything about. Those four families don't get questioned,” Reyes said. Nolan was more than intrigued; he was concerned. “Cases like this are being swept under the rug, so I’d advise you do the same.”

“Which families are these?”

“You’re about to meet one of them; the others, you will have to figure that out yourself. I think I have said more than enough.” Reyes said before getting up. “Need to speak to Captain Vargas; had to lie about your absence and got assigned more than what’s on your table.”

“Apologies.”

“No problem, I’m pretty sure you had a blast last night. Next time, do invite me; the bills are on you by the way.” She said, leaving the table.

Nolan stared at the case file and crumpled note in his hand. It's all linked to one person, and he just might know who it was.

---

Nolan sat in the Empire Club’s parking lot, eyes staring deeply into the windshield. He wound down the glass; the air entering was cool, but somehow it made him uneasy.

He leaned back into his seat—then he saw it.

A black listening device no bigger than his thumb planted on his steering wheel.

His stomach churned. How long has it been there? Who planted it?

Though he counted the person who returned his car as a suspect, why?

He was new here and had barely crossed paths with any of the four families, as Reyes implied.

He shoved the bug into his pocket, gaze shifting to the club’s entrance. He knew he needed to meet her again and just might know how.

He exhaled slowly, thumb pressed to his lips, eyes still on the entrance. Then he opened the door and stepped out into the night.

He entered the club with the card he used last night; it was to expire tonight. The moment he walked in, his eyes scanned the entire club searching for her.

He approached the bartender who was working his shift.

“Hey, looking for the lady I was with last night.”

The bartender stared at him for a long time before he replied, “Can’t remember.”

“Please do; I think she works here. She's about this height…”

“I said I don’t remember; people come and go. I’m not allowed to remember the faces of people in here.” The bartender walked away.

Nolan banged his hand on the counter in frustration; he yet again looked around to search for her, bent on not leaving until he had met her.

“Detective,” a voice as smooth as silk slithered through his mind from behind him.

Nolan quickly turned.

“You’re here again."

“You drugged me last night."

“Goodness gracious, Detective,” Angelique feigned, "that is a baseless accusation you’re attacking me with.”

“It’s not an accusation if it’s true. Next time you want inside my head, just ask. I don’t need a sedative to look at you.” Nolan said keeping his eyes on the lady altered his entire thinking and made him give in so easily.

For a quiet moment, he’d admired her; she looked even more beautiful than she did last night. There was a different flair to her that he couldn’t place.

He didn’t know what she did to him that night, only that he’d let her do it again.

Their eyes told a different story, yet the same.

Like a predator to its prey, he didn’t want her for the case. He wanted her for himself.

But her… He was already inside her game, too deep to realize she was pulling the strings.