Chapter 55
AVA - THE FIRST MONSTER
The precinct smelled like stale coffee and something heavy... like smoke. Not real smoke, just the kind that lingered after too many tempers had flared in the same place for too long.
Jack and I stepped inside and immediately knew something was wrong.
There was a hum in the air. Low and sharp. Like tension coiled just beneath the floorboards. Officers lingered in corners they usually moved through. Conversations halted when we passed. And at the center of it, like a rot spreading, stood Erin Voss.
She had her arms crossed, jaw tight, posture defiant. Bishop stood at her side, mirroring her stance, like her personal bodyguard.
“I want to know why the hell Remi Carter is still being held at this precinct without charges filed or her day in court,” Jack demanded, his voice cutting through the static like a blade.
Heads turned.
“Because she’s a flight risk and a danger to this department,” Erin snapped before anyone else could speak. “And frankly, your presence here reeks of impropriety, Counsellor. You’re the reason we’re in this mess. Why we can't move the prisoner!”
That bitch...
Jack took a step forward, shoulders squared. “Don’t mistake the noise you spew for truth, Sergeant Voss. You forged reports, interfered with evidence, and violated protocol. I could have you cuffed right now.”
“Try it,” she hissed. “And watch the rest of the skeletons fall. You think I’m the only one playing dirty in this place? In this town… this county? I have files, recordings, and logs that go way beyond this department. You think bringing me down ends this? It fucking starts it.”
I opened my mouth, but Harlan’s voice echoed behind us.
“Enough.”
He came through the doors like thunder on boots, Reid at his side. And trailing just behind him, eyes blank but body upright, Remi.
I nearly stumbled seeing her like that. Pale, smaller than she should be, like the days inside this place had drained her at the root. But her chin was high. Her eyes locked on Erin’s like she was already halfway to war.
Like she was ready to take her on at any moment.
“If you stand with Erin,” Harlan said, voice calm but steel-forged, “then leave your badge on the table and see yourself out.”
The silence that followed was seismic.
A beat.
Two.
One of the younger officers, Mendoza, stepped forward slowly. He looked at Bishop, then at Erin. Then set his badge on the table with a quiet clink and walked out.
Behind him, Officer Tran moved. A veteran. Solid. No drama, no noise. Just stepped up, unpinned his badge, and laid it beside the first.
Monroe, a desk sergeant who’d once pulled Remi aside after a night shift and whispered, “You’re doing good work. Don’t let them scare you out of it.” He gave Erin a long, disgusted look. Then moved to stand in front of Remi, like a shield.
But it wasn't done, two more officers stepped forward, tossing their badges in the mix and standing by Erin.
The room fractured.
Erin’s face twisted. “Do you see now, Chief? You’re making a mistake. You think you have loyalty? You think she’s worth losing your careers over? Your legacy?”
She pointed at Remi like she was filth on the floor.
“That girl is a liar. She’s a liability. She’s not a victim; she’s a huge fucking problem. And when she goes down, she’s going to take all of you with her.”
That’s when Remi stepped forward.
Not much. Just enough.
Her voice was quiet but sharp enough to bleed.
“Wow, Voss... Do you think you are special? That you are the first monster I’ve faced,” she said.
“You are not the first, and I know you won’t be the last. But I’m still standing and I will keep standing.
.. Because if I am the problem, then you are the reason.
And I will exist as long as people like you do. ”
The room held its breath.
Erin laughed. “For now.”
Reid moved before Harlan could react. “Let’s go.”
He stepped to Erin’s side, but she didn’t budge.
“You think I’m going quietly?” she spat. “You’ve got no idea who you’re playing with. I’ve got contacts in five counties, three bureaus, and at least one damn judge who owes me a favour. You want to burn this place down? Fine. I’ll light the fucking match.”
“Go ahead, Voss, I’ll make damn sure you burn with it,” Harlan said, his voice cutting through her like ice.
She moved toward the door at last, yanked by Reid. But before she disappeared, she threw one last look over her shoulder, at Remi, then me.
“You’re all so sure you’re the good guys. But when the fallout comes, and it will… don’t pretend I didn’t warn you.”
And then she was gone.
And so were her supporters.
The silence that followed was almost holy.
Jack exhaled beside me. “Jesus.”
Harlan didn’t move for a long moment. Just stood in the center, breathing, commanding. The officers who stayed didn’t speak. But their silence held weight. A line drawn. A choice made.
Jack leaned toward me. “You still think he’s working against us? That we are on different sides?”
I didn’t answer.
Because I wasn’t sure of anything anymore, my brain and battered heart were at odds, and this was far from over.