Chapter 1

UNDER THE INDIFFERENT STREETLIGHTS

Zhuang Avenue, Los Angeles, California, United States

Murder was always Charlie Sloane’s favorite option for dealing with his problems. Gen Beaufont was definitely his biggest trouble since taking office as the Commissioner of Los Angeles. Unfortunately, murdering her was proving to be too risky of a venture. She was well protected and the danger of being caught was too great for Charlie—so he’d resort to other ways of getting rid of his problem.

Zhuang Avenue was a place full of criminals and drug addicts where Charlie had rarely found himself. It had been well policed by the Rogue Riders and the LAPD back in the day, but since the change in leadership in the city, things had shifted. The new Commissioner of Los Angeles wasn’t concerned with regulating the safety of the metropolis. He needed a certain level of crime to exist for now in order to maintain his control and ultimately achieve his goals. Soon he would make this city safe by making the people as complacent as dummies.

From his tinted window, Charlie Sloane observed the dismal corner of Zhuang Avenue with a detached grimace. The stench of decay and human waste wafting through even the well-sealed luxury window of his car was revolting. The sidewalks, littered with makeshift tents and stained mattresses, were crowded with the lost souls of the city. Their faces were etched with the despair of addiction and poverty.

Every shadow seemed to twitch with illicit transactions, the quick exchanges of crumpled bills for small bags that promised oblivion. The distant wails of sirens mingled with the cacophony of shouting and broken glass. It was all a relentless reminder of the lawlessness that thrived under the watch of indifferent streetlights.

As Charlie parked his car on the corner, his thoughts were not of solutions to the problems of this area of Los Angeles. Instead, he centered his attention on how he’d solve his newest and biggest problem. If Charlie Sloane was going to own this city, then he’d have to use crime to his advantage—and there was one person who could help him most with that.

Taking his position in the arranged meeting spot, the Commissioner searched the area around the dark corner for potential attackers. He hadn’t brought any guards, since this meeting was top secret. That had been part of the agreement since the beginning. Charlie hadn’t hesitated about the terms of the arrangement, since it landed him in the position as the Commissioner of Los Angeles—the place of supreme authority over the city.

Fortunately, Charlie didn’t have to inhale the toxic fumes of Zhuang Avenue for long. The swoosh of fabric and clap of feet stopping around the corner told him that the person he’d come to meet had arrived. It was always like that at each meeting. No face-to-face contact. No direct interactions. No proof that the two had an arrangement. Just a spoken word and a mutual partnership that benefited both of them.

“She ruined the bank robbery,” Charlie Sloane said in a hush, looking straight ahead at the grimy street in front of him, but talking to the man standing on the other side of the corner at his back.

“We can’t prove that,” the man replied in a deep voice. “I’ve tried. What about the robbery crew and the snipers on the roof? What about Barry Fer?”

Charlie shook his head. “They don’t remember anything. Their memories were wiped of the events right before they were knocked out.”

The other man growled. “Sounds like mind control.”

“The dragon,” Charlie guessed, shaking his head. “There was one man on the robbery team who awoke from the gas grenade in the construction tunnel and reported seeing a woman disappearing into the underground. He said she had a long blonde braid.”

“That’s Gen Beaufont,” the man seethed. “I knew it, but there’s no proof.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Charlie said, urgently. “We need to get rid of her.”

“I can’t touch her,” the guy argued. “You know that.”

Charlie nodded. “Which is why we’re going to set her up. I don’t need her dead. I just need her out of the way for what I’ve got planned next.”

“What do you have in mind?” the other man asked.

A sly grin spread on Charlie’s face. “We’re going to use Gen’s compulsion to fight crime to our advantage. She needs to be this vigilante, so let’s give her what she wants. Put her at the scene of a major crime. I don’t think she’ll stop it this time.”

The other man shuffled slightly. “Why?”

Charlie caught the large man’s movement out of his peripheral vision but kept his eyes trained ahead. “Because she’ll be the thief this time.”

A laugh cut through the tension. “We’re going to frame her.”

Charlie nodded with evil delight. “And it will be an airtight conviction. Even her family won’t be able to save her. Then we’ll lock her up and throw away the key.”

Another laugh. “Tell me the plan. I’m in.”

The Commissioner of Los Angeles grinned, feeling the rush of adrenaline from his imminent victory. All he had to do was get rid of one problem and then he would own this city. All the money, fame and prestige he’d wanted since the beginning would be his. But best of all would be that he’d be undisturbed by people. The repugnant people of Los Angeles would simply leave him alone, not creating headaches for him. That’s what Charlie Sloane wanted most—and nothing and no one would stop him.