The night air was cool against my bruised skin, a stark contrast to the fiery resolve burning inside me. I watched the remnants of the party through the window, shadows moving behind curtains as laughter and music spilled onto the street. Inside that house lay secrets buried beneath years of silence and intimidation. But not anymore.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and checked the time. It was past midnight, but the wheels were already in motion. The call I made was to Internal Affairs—a carefully curated list of names I’d gathered over the months, officers who hadn’t yet succumbed to the corruption that plagued our precinct. Officers who still believed in justice.
The investigation had been brewing for a while, simmering just beneath the surface. I’d fed them breadcrumbs, little pieces of a puzzle they desperately wanted to solve. My brother’s promotion was the perfect catalyst. A high-profile case ready to burst open. They’d be here soon, ready to dismantle the empire my father and brother had carefully constructed.
