Chapter 15

Ethan stood by the window in the precinct, watching the city wake up. He sipped his coffee, the bitter liquid barely registering as he mulled over the updated orders that had come down from the top. Just when he thought he was getting close to breaking significant ground on the trafficking ring, he'd been sidetracked. He was reassigned to investigate a series of crimes that, on paper, seemed tangentially connected to the Emerald City Overdrive.

Whatever the fuck?

He recalled his talk with their captain.

"They think the ECO's involved in more than just bike meets and bar nights." As Ethan's captain slid the case file across the desk toward him, his eyes held a steely glint. The silent command was unabated. The slight downturn of his mouth and the firm set of his jaw conveyed a clear message: This was not a discussion, but an order. Ethan understood instantly; he was to follow this new lead without delving into the whys or pushing back against the change in direction.

The captain's gaze lingered for too long, as if daring him to challenge the directive, before shifting away to hide any further hints of the underlying pressure. But Ethan could read between the lines; this felt like a diversion, a way to pull him off the trail.

Ethan grimaced as he took a swig from his now tepid and bitter coffee. His suspicions had been simmering for a while, fueled not just by odd discrepancies in case reports and unexplained delays inraids but alsoby Hunter's recent revelations about the trafficking ring leaders. Finishing his coffee, Ethan returned to his desk. His partner would arrive soon. Green had only two weeks of working left, and Ethan would miss him for sure. He wondered who he would be partneredwith next.

As he walked through the precinct, Ethan couldn't help but noticethatconversations dwindled into silence whenever heapproached. Eyes wereavertedand bodies tensed, as if everyone had too much to hide.

He had seen enough in his years on the force to read the signs: the overly careful camaraderie, the quick changes in topic, and the files that seemed to vanish just when they became too telling.

The undercurrent of tension that ranbeneath the day-to-dayoperations spoke volumes. It was in the hurriedly turned computer screens as he passed, the clusters of urgent whispers that broke up too quickly, and the flash of recognition followed by swift denial when he brought up certain names linked to the trafficking ring—names that Hunter had mentioned just days before.

It was a network of silence that protected itsown,and a system where the line between law enforcers andlawbreakers was blurred.

Ethan'smorning started badly,but as he rounded the corner to his desk, the sight greeting him stopped him in his tracks.Someone was packing DetectiveGreen's personal effects into a cardboard box. Puzzlement furrowed his brow.

"What the hell?" Ethan muttered. His steps faltered.

The officer straightened up andsmiled sheepishly."Didn't you know? The captain granted Green a two-week paid leave before his retirementkicksin. Said it was a reward for all his years of service, especially after wrapping up his last big case. You're gettinganotherpartner, a youngDetectivenamed Danielle Harper."

Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Strange timing," he murmured, more to himself than to the officer. Something about the situation didn't sit right withhim. The timing wastoo convenient, and so was the explanation.

Before he could probe further, a commotion at the entrance caught his attention. A young womanwith a cascade of unruly red curls and striking bright green eyesapproachedhim. She was laden with a large cardboard box in her arms, balanced precariously against a bulging messenger bag slung over her shoulder. Her stride was a mix of determinationand barely contained chaos.

As she navigated through the maze of desks and chairs, her foot caught on a loose wire, sending her stumbling forward. The box she carried launched out of her grasp like a ship breaking from its moorings, sailing straight toward Ethan.

Instinctively, Ethan stepped forward, catching the box before itcrashedto the floor andscatteredits contents. A heartbeat later, he reached out to steady the rookie, gripping her shoulder just in time to prevent her from a graceless dive to the floor.

"Whoa there." He took her in. "Detective Danielle Harper?"

The young woman, now steadied and upright, pushed a lock of curly hair out of her face and met his gaze. "Yes, that's me, but please call me Dani. Sorry about the, um, entrance," she added. Hercheeks colored with embarrassment and clashed with her fierce hair.

Closing his eyes, Ethan sent up a prayer for patience.

Ethan set the box down on his desk with a sigh. "Well, Dani, welcome to the team. Seems like you've already got the knack for making an impression."

Dani laughed. The sound was bright. "I guess I do. I'm just eager to get started. Heard a lot about you, Detective Stephenson. It's an honor to be working with you."

The officer who had been packing Green's desk shouldered passed them with a muttered, "Good luck!"

Fucking A!

Ethan watched as the young detective collectedherself.

Bogus assignment.

Green gone.

A rookie in his space.

This wasn't how he'd envisioned his day going.

He expected to have more time with Green, to ease into the transition and to brace himself for a new partner when the moment was right, not to be blindsided like this.

"Detective Stephenson?" Dani's voice broke through his thoughts. "I really am sorry about that. First-day nerves, I guess."

Ethan nodded. "Just be careful," he managed to say, his tone curter than he intended. He couldn't help but feel resentful. Dani was the embodiment of everything his situation didn't need—youth, inexperience, and with a knack for chaos.

"Alright, Detective Harper. Let's get to work then. But keep your eyes open. This isn't about gangs orstreet-leveldeals. There's more going on here than meets theeye, and weneed to find out what before we're in over our heads," he said, his voice low.

Dani nodded. "Understood, Sir."

Ethan spread out the various case files across the desk, the photos, and reports creating a mosaic. Dani leaned over the table, her finger tracing the edge of a photo showing a cluster of ECO members gathered outside a rundown bar.

"Based on the intel, these guys seem more into their bikes and brotherhood than anything else," she observed, her tone thoughtful. "Doesn't quite fit the profile of a group involved in drugs, guns, and trafficking."

Ethan cocked his head. "You sound pretty certain about that." His tone was flat. His voice didn't betray his churning emotions.

Dani's gaze narrowed as she scanned the next photo—a candid shot of bikers at a charity run. "From what I've read, the ECO might bend some rules, but the pushing drugs and weapons? That involves a level of cruelty I don't associate with them based on the case histories I've reviewed."

"You've been doing your homework." Despite his initial skepticism and reluctance, his interest grew. He shuffled through the photos, each one a supposed lead into ECO activities that seemed increasingly misaligned with the darker crimes he was supposed to investigate.

"There's a lot that doesn't add up. Weapons and drugs? Maybe. I don't think so, but anyway…" Dani's hands flew in the air as she punctuated her words. "Trafficking? No way. These men wouldn't do that. And besides. The victims' accounts, the operational signatures... they don't scream 'biker gang'. More like professional, cold, detached."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "And how do you know about the trafficking-ring specifics?"

"I've read up on your cases, Sir," Dani replied. "There's a pattern to your investigations. And this—" She gestured to the files spread out before them. "—isn't it."

Ethan leaned back and he grinned. The pieces clicked into place, not just the case puzzle, but his understanding of Dani. At first glance, Dani was a clumsy rookie. Someone who would irritate and hinder Ethan. What his captain apparently hadn't realized was she was intuitive, smart, and analytical. And she was challenging the narrative they were being sold.

"You think we're being sidetracked," Ethan stated.

"I do," Dani said, her eyes meeting his. "We're supposed to be chasing shadows here while the real monsters go unnoticed."

Ethan's respect for her grew in that moment, her insights aligning with his own uneasy suspicions. He glanced at the photos again, each biker's face suddenly a symbol of a larger struggle against being scapegoated.

"We need to dig deeper, not into what they want us to find on the ECO, but what they're trying to hide with this wild goose chase," Ethan decided. "However, we need to be smart about this."

"What do you mean?"

"We're going to have to investigate," Ethan made air quotes around the word, "the ECOs enough to keep the higher-ups happy, while continuing our research into the real culprits."

Dani nodded, already pulling up additional data on her laptop. "I'll start cross-referencing the trafficking patterns with known ECO hangouts. If there's a connection, we'll find it. But something tells me we're going to end up debunking a few myths about these bikers."