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If she only knew the half of it. I force a weak smile, but inside, I’m screaming. Because now I have to choose between my career and my life, between justice and survival. Either way, I lose.

I lean back in my chair, rubbing my temples. “I need your advice.”

“About what?” Rissa asks, her concern evident.

“How do I tell Reynolds that months of undercover work just went down the drain?” My voice cracks. “That I fucked up and got made?”

“You didn’t fuck up, Eve.” She takes my hand in hers and squeezes. “These things happen in undercover work. Reynolds knows that.”

I pull my hand away, standing up to pace. My boots click against the linoleum floor as I move, each step matching the pounding in my chest. “Six women, Rissa. Six victims counting on us to get them justice.”

“And we will. We’ll find another way.”

“Who knows how many more there will be because of my failure.”

Rissa jumps up and squeezes my arm. “Eve, you can’t think like that. We’ll figure this out.”

I stop at the window, staring out at the gray Columbus skyline. The truth sits heavy on my tongue—how do I tell Reynolds that not only is my cover blown, but I’m being forcedinto a marriage with a man connected to the very criminals we’re investigating?

“What aren’t you telling me?” Rissa’s reflection appears beside mine in the window.

I turn to face her, crossing my arms. “Nothing. I just … I need to know how to break this to Reynolds without looking incompetent.”

“Be direct. Stick to the facts. Don’t get emotional.” She counts off on her fingers. “And most importantly, have a plan for how to move forward.”

“A plan?” I almost laugh. My only plan involves a forced marriage to Ezekiel King, and that’s not exactly something I can share in my incident report.

“Yeah, like maybe we pivot to surveillance. Or we send in someone else undercover.” She shrugs. “Reynolds responds better when you come with solutions, not just problems.”

I nod. If she only knew the real solution. “Thanks, Rissa. I appreciate it.”

“Want me to come with you?”

“No.” I gather my courage along with the case files, and head toward the Captain’s office. “This is something I need to do alone.”

A few moments later, I stand in Captain Reynolds’s office, my back rigid as he paces behind his desk. The vein in his temple throbs—never a good sign.

“Let me get this straight,” he stops, planting both hands on his desk, “not only is your cover blown, but you’re telling me every major player in the Columbus mafia was at this nightclub?”

“Yes, sir.” I force myself to meet his gaze. “The Barone family, the Costas, even the Russos—they were all there.”

“Jesus Christ.” He runs a hand over his face. “And you just happened to be there?”

“My friends wanted to go out.” The explanation sounds weak, even to my ears. Rule number one when you’re doing undercover work—never go where you could get marked. “I had no idea they’d be at the club. Intel never uncovered a connection before.”

“Maybe we can use this.” Reynolds taps his fingers on the desk. “If they’re all congregating at one location, we can set up surveillance. Get eyes and ears inside.”

“They’re careful, sir. And the club’s security is top-notch. If we send undercover cops in, they’ll be spotted. I mean,” I hold my arms out to my side and sigh. “I was spotted.”

“Then we’ll need to get creative.” He grabs a notepad. “We’ll put together a team. Different faces rotating through, gathering intel. If this club is their meeting ground, we need to know everything that happens there.”

I nod, relief flooding through me. At least some good might come from this disaster. Though Zeke will be pissed. He’s not going to like that I just put his club on SVU’s radar in a huge way. “What if this was just a one-time visit?”

“Then we’ll figure that out,” he says, like it’s an easy task.

“I’m on it.” I turn to leave but he calls out to me.

“And Landry?” Reynolds fixes his stern eyes on me. “Stay away from that club. You’re too hot now—they’ll be watching for you.”