“I would,” Victoria said, “if there weren’t a mole in my department and a kidnapped teenager still missing.”
That earned a quiet sigh. “Right. Forgot about all that for a second.”
Victoria lifted her head, meeting Isabel’s tired but steady gaze. “We can’t afford to forget.”
“I know,” Isabel said, sitting up slightly, pulling the blanket around them both. “But we’ve got what we need now. Thefootage, the logbook photos—Darcy’s signature. The files are backed up to the cloud. Even if something happens to my phone, it’s all safe.”
Victoria nodded, her mind already spinning. “Good. Then we use it.”
“Use it how?”
“We’re not just clearing your name,” Victoria said, her tone sharpening with purpose. “We’re taking down the syndicate and exposing Darcy for what she is. And if we’re smart about it, we can do both at once.”
Isabel leaned forward, the flicker of adrenaline lighting her eyes. “You’re talking about a sting.”
Victoria gave a single nod. “Darcy’s been feeding intel to the syndicate. She has access to our case files and knows our movements. If we leak the right information through her, we can control what she sends back.”
“Set a trap,” Isabel said slowly, piecing it together. “Make them think they’ve got another drop location for Lily.”
“Exactly.”
Isabel frowned. “That’s dangerous, Vic. If they realize they’re being baited?—”
“They’ll retaliate,” Victoria finished for her. “I know.” She hesitated, her hand brushing Isabel’s knee, grounding her. “But they’ll come expecting us to play by the rules. We won’t.”
Isabel’s lips quirked into a humorless smile. “You already have a plan, don’t you?”
Victoria tilted her head, half a smirk touching her mouth. “A rough one.”
“Let me hear it.”
“We’ll set the bait—an encrypted message about a ransom exchange on the north docks. You and I will stake it out alone—no team, no backup. The commissioner will be on standby, but she won’t move until we give the word. When Darcy tips offher contact, we’ll trace the communication back to her device in real-time.”
“And when the syndicate shows up for the drop…” Isabel began.
“We’ll be waiting,” Victoria finished, her voice quiet but certain. “We’ll take them down, rescue Lily, and when it’s over, we’ll put Darcy in cuffs.”
For a moment, the room was silent again, heavy with the weight of what they were about to risk.
Isabel reached out and covered Victoria’s hand with her own. “This could get us both killed.”
“It could,” Victoria said simply.
“But it could also end this,” Isabel murmured.
Victoria nodded once. “Exactly.”
The look they shared was all resolve—no hesitation, no doubt. Just two women who had finally found their footing again, ready to face whatever came next.
Isabel exhaled, sinking back into the couch with a crooked smile. “All right, Captain. Let’s burn their whole damned operation to the ground.”
Victoria’s lips curved faintly. “That’s the plan, Detective.”
And for the first time in what felt like forever, they were on the same side of everything—professionally, emotionally, completely.
The morning light spilled across the living room, soft and gray through the half-open blinds. The smell of coffee lingered in the air, mingling with the faint salt of the ocean drifting in from the window Victoria had cracked open an hour ago.
Isabel sat curled on the couch, one of Victoria’s oversized shirts hanging loosely on her frame, sleeves rolled to her elbows.Her phone was on the coffee table, a single unread notification blinking in the corner of the screen.
