I approach the nearest officer and flash my badge. “Detective Dalton, and this is my partner, Detective Ponder.” I put my badge away. “Can you fill us in?”
“We received an anonymous nine-one-one call to an abandoned hotel outside of Rotunda. The caller stated to bring a lot of ambulances and cop cars. When we got there, all these children were ushered outside with blankets wrapped around them and not an adult in sight.” He looks around the ER, this night will be something he will never forget.
I swallow hard. “This isn’t the worst of it, is it?” I ask the nearest officer.
He shakes his head, his gaze dark. “The hotel was up in flames when we got there. The fire marshals say there won’t be much left.”
I nod, jaw tight. No evidence. No leads. Just ashes where monsters once thrived.
Do you have any suspects?” Ponder questions.
“No. Only these kids suffered for weeks, maybe months, possibly years. I just hope whoever did this to these children rots in hell.” The officer answers.
“Thank you.” I offer my card. “If you think of anything or hear anything, please let me know.”
“Will do.” He takes my card and moves down the hall, his shoulders are hanging heavy.
Ponder scoffs beside me. “Bet it was those biker gangs.”
I turn to him, my hands clenching into fists. “Biker gangs?”
“Yeah, those Royal Assholes or whatever. And now there’s a new one full of chicks. What do they call themselves? Royal Sluts?”
My vision goes red. I don’t think. I swing, knocking my partner in the jaw and sending him spiraling to the ground. He glares up at me with blood dripping down his face, and I crouch down so we’re at eye level. “If I ever hear you call any of those women whores again, I will end you.”
“You’ve just ended your career over some pussy,” he sneers.
I rip off my badge and throw it at him. “Like I fucking care anymore.” I don’t wait for a response.
I walk out of that hospital without looking back, knowing exactly where I belong.
I hope I made the right decision. It feels like I did, but only time will tell.
I shut off my phone and head back to the Harlots' Clubhouse, my pulse steady but my mind racing. I should never have left in the first place. That truth sits heavy in my chest, solidifying with every step closer. When I reach the entrance, the prospect barely spares me a glance before letting me in.
She knows. They all do. I made the right decision.
When Calypso and the other Royal Harlots return, there’s a heaviness in the air. The kind that lingers after something has gone very, very wrong.
They move with quiet efficiency, their usual sharp-edged confidence dulled by whatever they just faced. My gut tightens as I push to my feet and stride toward Calypso. The second my arms wrap around her, she melts into me. No hesitation. No walls.
Something bad happened.
I’m about to suggest we go upstairs to give her an escape, even if it’s only for a little while, when Allura approaches.
"We need to put a plan in place."
Calypso rolls her eyes but shifts to face her President. "I'm not scared, nor am I worried about what he will do." Her voice is sharp, lined with venom. "He wants to come for me? Try to finish what he started? Let him. I will end that slimy asshole."
The raw fury in her voice stuns me.
I glance between them, piecing it together. Who the hell is she talking about?
“What are we talking about?” I ask, my voice low.
Calypso cuts Allura a glare before turning it on me. Deflection. “What are you doing here? I thought you had to work at the precinct.”
I shift, scratching the back of my head, feeling the weight of my actions settle. “About that…”
