Sera barely slept.
Lucien's voice haunted her dreams—not the words, but the calm certainty behind them. The man spoke as if he already knew she would keep digging, as if her determination was nothing more than a predictable variable in his world.
By morning, she wasn't sure if the tremor in her hands came from exhaustion…
or anticipation.
She sat at her small kitchen table, a worn laptop open in front of her, the bitter taste of cold coffee on her tongue. Rain tapped against the window, softer than last night but persistent, like the city itself refused to let her forget.
She typed the name:
Lucien Crow.
The search results appeared slowly, like the internet itself hesitated.
Most were rumors, whispered stories, articles with redacted information.
But patterns emerged—if you knew how to look.
Sera did.
She leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
Suspected leader of The Crows
Connected to multiple warehouse fires
Never charged
Feared by rival gangs
Linked to disappearances
Police informants refuse to speak on record
But what stood out most wasn't the criminal rumors.
It was the silence.
No photos of him for the past three years.
No real documentation.
No confirmed sightings.
Almost as if he didn't exist.
Sera's fingers paused on the trackpad.
Last night… he had walked right up to her.
A ghost choosing to be seen.
She clicked another article. A name caught her eye—
one buried in the middle of a conflict report.
Red Fangs.
Her pulse kicked.
The same gang that killed Liam.
Her throat tightened.
The report mentioned a street war between The Crows and Red Fangs two years ago. Brutal. Bloody. Each side accusing the other of attacking without warning. The police gave up trying to determine who started it.
She inhaled sharply.
"Was Liam just caught in the crossfire…?" she whispered.
No.
No, that didn't make sense.
Lucien had said people who dug into the alley ended up dead.
Not "wrong place, wrong time."
Something specific had happened there.
Sera closed her laptop and grabbed her jacket.
She needed answers from people who actually lived in the shadows—not the sanitized versions online.
As she stepped toward the door, her phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
She stared at it, tension scraping up her spine.
After the alley encounter last night, every unknown felt dangerous.
She answered anyway.
"…Hello?"
A voice she recognized immediately replied:
"You're doing research on me."
Sera froze.
Lucien.
The chill in his tone wasn't angry—
it was… amused.
Her heart hammered painfully.
"How did you get my number?" she asked, forcing her voice steady.
"I get anything I want," Lucien said calmly. "Including information on anyone who wanders into my territory asking about a murder."
Her chest tightened. "Then you know why I'm digging."
"Yes."
A pause.
"And you know that digging alone is suicide."
She swallowed hard. "Then tell me the truth."
Lucien exhaled, the sound low and thoughtful.
"Truth has a price."
Sera felt something cold unfold in her stomach. "What price?"
"You'll find out soon."
Before she could speak, the line clicked dead.
She stared at her phone, cold dread and hot anger battling inside her.
Fine.
If Lucien Crow wasn't going to give her the truth—
She would find it herself.
She headed toward the door, but froze when a shape moved in front of the frosted glass.
Someone was outside.
A shadow.
Tall.
Still.
She reached slowly into her pocket, gripping her knife.
A knock sounded—
three slow, deliberate taps.
Not police.
Not random.
A signal.
Sera's breath hitched.
Had Lucien sent someone?
She stepped closer, muscles coiled tight.
The shadow didn't move.
Her hand shook—not in fear, but in readiness.
She opened the door.
Standing in her hallway was a man in a dark coat, rain dripping from his hair, eyes sharp and alert.
Not Lucien.
But close.
He held up a badge—
not police.
A Crow insignia.
"Miss Blackwell?" he asked, voice formal, unreadable.
She tightened her grip on her knife. "Who's asking?"
The man dipped his head respectfully.
"My name is Dante Vale."
A beat.
"The boss sent me."
Lucien.
Sera's blood ran cold.
Dante's gaze flicked to her hand, noticing the knife but not reacting.
"The boss requests your presence," he said quietly. "Now."
Sera's heart pounded. "Why?"
"He doesn't explain himself," Dante replied. "But he said it's about the alley."
The air drained from her lungs.
The alley.
Liam.
The truth.
Sera stared at Dante, jaw tight.
Then she stepped outside, locking the door behind her.
"Fine," she said. "Take me to him."
Dante nodded once and stepped aside, letting her walk past.
As they headed down the stairwell, Sera's pulse thundered.
She'd wanted answers.
But now she was walking straight into the predator's den to get them.
And Lucien Crow was waiting.