Victoria and Isabel exchanged a glance.
“With whom?” Victoria demanded.
“I don’t know his real name,” Keene admitted. “But he’s the guy who paid me. I was supposed to get more when the job was done, but I haven’t heard from him. If I tell him there’s a problem with the payment, he’ll come to fix it.”
Victoria studied him for a long, silent moment before giving a sharp nod. “You set it up. And if this works, maybe we’ll talk immunity.”
Keene sagged in relief. Isabel smirked slightly as she closed the file.Nowthey were getting somewhere.
3
VICTORIA
The precinct was quieter than usual, the late afternoon lull settling over the bullpen like a heavy fog. Phones still rang, keyboards still clattered, but the usual frenetic energy had dimmed—officers and detectives either out in the field or dragging themselves through paperwork.
Victoria sat at her desk, fingers steepled under her chin, staring at the open case file in front of her but not really seeing it.
Instead, her mind kept circling back to Isabel Torres.
Dammit.
Victoria prided herself on being a professional.Always.She’d spent her entire career cultivating that reputation—the kind of captain who was respected, a little feared, but never questioned. She followed the rules. She kept a cool head. She didn’t let personal emotions or distractions interfere with the job.
And yet somehow, in less than twenty-four hours, Isabel Torres had managed to wedge herself under her skin like a splinter she couldn’t ignore.
Victoria exhaled sharply, rubbing at her temple. It wasn’t just that Torres was sharp—though she was, irritatingly so. It wasn’teven that she’d been right to push on questioning the gala staff. That was what good detectives were supposed to do, and Victoria had to begrudgingly admit that Isabel had an instinct for finding cracks in the foundation. She noticed things others overlooked, challenged assumptions,challenged Victoria—and it was hard not to respect that.
But that wasn’t the part bothering her.
The part bothering her was the way itfeltwhen Isabel did it.
The way she held Victoria’s gaze, completely unfazed. The way she leaned in when she pushed, voice dropping just slightly, like she knew exactly how to get under her skin. The way her smirk lingered a beat too long, as if she was enjoying their little battles.
Victoria clenched her jaw, sitting back in her chair.
She wasn’t the type to entertain flirtation at work.Ever.
She had never once, in all her years in law enforcement, flirted with a coworker, much less a subordinate. She’d seen how that played out—messy, reckless, career-ruining. She’d watched colleagues spiral over workplace relationships, watched them let bad judgment destroy good careers. It wasn’t worth it.
And yet…
Her fingers tapped against the desk.
Isabel was thirty-seven.Nearly twenty years younger. And she acted as if she had all the time in the world to push Victoria’s buttons.
It was irritating.
And worse, it was working.
Victoria exhaled sharply, shaking her head.Focus.
They had bigger things to deal with.
She flipped the case file closed and pushed back from her desk, rising to her feet. There was no room for distraction—not when they were about to set up one of the most delicate operations of the case so far.
She strode out of her office, scanning the bullpen until she spotted Darcy Collins by the whiteboard, reviewing some notes with a couple of officers.
“Collins,” Victoria called, crossing the room. “Let’s go over the setup for the meeting.”
