The drizzle outside Max's apartment window had turned into a torrential downpour, the kind that made you feel like the city itself was trying to wash away its sins. Max stared at the pile of documents on his desk, a cigarette burning down to the filter between his fingers. Graves had played them for fools, but Max wasn't ready to fold. Not yet.
Violet was pacing, her heels clicking against the worn hardwood floor. "We need a new angle, Max. Something that ties Graves directly to the disappearances and the smuggling."
Max nodded, stubbing out his cigarette. "We need someone on the inside. Someone who knows Graves' operations inside out."
Violet stopped pacing, her eyes narrowing. "Elena."
Max's heart skipped a beat at the mention of his former partner. Elena, the woman who had once been his closest ally, now turned enemy. She was the thread that tied everything together, but getting to her meant delving into a past he wasn't sure he was ready to confront.
