Victoria stood there for a long moment, staring at the empty space where Isabel had just been. The echo of her words—You run from anything that makes you feel—hung in the air like smoke, impossible to clear.
She drew a slow breath, sharp through her nose, steady through her mouth. Then another. Discipline. Control. Always control.
But her pulse wouldn’t settle.
She crossed the room and dropped heavily into her chair, the leather groaning beneath her weight. The adrenaline that had carried her through the sting, through the interrogation, through Isabel’s accusations—it was gone now, leaving only the crash behind.
Her hands trembled faintly against the armrests.
She clenched them into fists.
This was the right thing to do. It had to be.
Personal entanglements compromised judgment. Relationships blurred lines. The department had to come first. Always had, always would.
So why did it feel like she’d just torn out something vital and left it bleeding on the floor?
Victoria rubbed a hand over her face, willing the tightness in her chest to ease. Her eyes burned, traitorous, threatening tears she refused to let fall. She wouldn’t. She couldn’t.
You don’t get to break down. You lead.
The mantra steadied her enough to reach for the phone. She dialed the DA’s private line from memory, her voice slipping effortlessly back into the clipped, professional tone that had carried her through a lifetime of crises.
It rang once before a familiar voice answered. “Langley. I was expecting your call.”
“Evening, District Attorney Kessler,” Victoria said, forcing her voice to remain even. “The operation concluded successfully. Chloe Harper’s safe. We’ve apprehended Lieutenant Darcy Langley and confirmed her cooperation with the Iron Fang Syndicate.”
A pause and then the DA’s tone sharpened. “I’ve been waiting to hear those words for years. You have no idea how many files crossed my desk tied to Iron Fang. We’ve never had anything stick.”
“We do now,” Victoria replied. “Darcy’s requesting a plea deal in exchange for information—names, locations, financial records. She claims she can give us direct access to Cassandra Bellamy and her lieutenant, Evelyn Cross.”
Kessler let out a long breath, half relief, half disbelief. “Finally. That’s the kind of evidence we can use to dismantle the entire operation. If she’s serious, this could be the turning point.”
“She’s serious,” Victoria said. Her voice came out quieter than she intended. “Broken, but serious.”
There was a beat of silence on the other end. When Kessler spoke again, her tone had softened. “Darcy Langley was one of yours, wasn’t she?”
“She was my lieutenant.”
“I’m sorry,” Kessler said. “I know that kind of betrayal cuts deep. But it sounds as if she’s trying to make it right. That deserves… something.”
Victoria’s jaw tightened. “Maybe. But it doesn’t undo the damage.”
“No,” Kessler agreed. “But perhaps it’s a start.”
For a moment, neither woman spoke. The quiet hum of the line filled the gap.
“I’ll have my office start drafting terms,” the DA continued. “If she fully cooperates, I’ll personally make sure the plea is considered. Cassandra Bellamy has been untouchable for too long. This may be our one clean shot.”
“Understood,” Victoria said. “I’ll have the files and transcripts sent over within the hour.”
“Good work, Captain. You just handed us the key to taking the Iron Fang Syndicate apart.”
Victoria murmured a polite thankyou then ended the call.
The phone felt heavy in her hand.
For a long time, she just sat there staring at the blinking cursor on her computer screen, the faint reflection of her own face in the dark window. She looked as composed as always, but the dark circles betrayed the turmoil hiding behind her icy blue eyes.
