Chapter 217
Cupid
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Fenris stepped out of his modest black sedan with the same easy, lopsided grin he’d worn since the day he retired from the shadows and traded blood money for a quiet life with his wife and two daughters in their small bungalow on the edge of the city.
No last name, no fanfare, just Fenris, the ghost who’d once been one of the underworld’s sharpest blades, now a private investigator who still knew how to cut deeper than most.
He spotted me waiting beneath the floodlights and raised a hand in greeting. I nodded back, jaw tight, as he closed the distance and extended a slim manila file.
I reached for it, but he pulled back with a teasing lift of one brow.
“Payment.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. I already paid twice for…”
“Those were for the preliminary dig,” he cut in smoothly, holding up a small dark USB drive between two fingers. “This? This is the part where the dead man talks. One of the bastards who raped her. I went all the way into the prison block to get him chatty. If you don’t want it…”
He started to pocket the drive. My hand shot out snatching it before I could think. My fingers closed around the cool metal like a lifeline.
I glanced around. The compound was quiet, but eyes were everywhere. The last thing I needed was Father wondering why Fenris, the retired legend, was paying a late–night visit.
“Come,” I said curtly.
We moved inside, footsteps echoing through the marble hall. Halfway down the corridor, Father appeared, heading out for his usual midnight walk.
He stopped short, dark eyes narrowing at the sight of Fenris.
Fenris bowed low, respectful, almost theatrical. “Evening, sir.”
Father’s gaze flicked between us. “Why is Fenris here?”
Before I could speak, Fenris laughed, light and careless.
“Just dropping by for old times, sir. Grab a few drinks, catch up, then back to the wife and girls.”
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Chapter 217
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Father studied him a long moment, then gave a slow nod, the ghost of a smile touching his mouth.
“As you should.”
He passed us without another word. We bowed again, letting him disappear down the hall before I led Fenris toward Desmond’s apartment.
We settled on the low leather couch, the room dim except for the single lamp.
Fenris gave the space an appreciative once–over, then landed a playful punch on Desmond’s
shoulder.
“Still standing, huh? Strong lad, even for a human.”
“Get to it,” I said, voice flat. “What do you have?
The humor drained from Fenris’s face like water down a drain. He opened the file and slid the first photo across the table.
“Four years ago. November. Snowflakes Frost was rushing to Mooncrest Pack after hearing her grandmother had suddenly fallen ill.”
The image was grainy but unmistakable.
Snow in the back of a car, caught by a convenience store CCTV. She looked so young, so full of life, eyes bright with worry. Cold settled deep in my bones; I already knew where this night led.
“She took a taxi,” Fenris continued, passing the next photo. “It broke down a few blocks from the pack gates. Driver was from a low–level gang. Tracked him easy.”
The man in the picture was middle–aged, unremarkable, until you knew what he’d done. I swallowed.
“This is the last clear shot before she disappeared into the alley.” Another photo shows Snow walking alone on that frozen night, shoulders hunched against the wind. “And this is when they found her.”
The final image hit like a fist. Ambulance lights flashing, her face shielded from the camera, but the blood, the torn clothes, the way her body curled in on itself, it was unmistakable.
An hour separated the two photos. An entire hour.
“You’re right,” Fenris said quietly, reading the horror on my face. “Whatever happened in that alley… it lasted an hour.”
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Chapter 217
86%
+30 Free Coins
My stomach turned. Then he slid over a final, blurry still. Two figures waiting a block away, half–hidden in shadow.
“Ares Bani and Viviana Mooncrest. They watched the whole thing.”
My knees nearly buckled. I stared at the grainy proof of betrayal. Two people who should have protected her, standing by while she was destroyed.
“I didn’t want to assume,” Fenris said, voice low. So I tracked the taxi driver. Found him rotting in a cell, still getting paid on the inside. One whiff of fine dust, and he started boasting.”
He inserted the usb drive and pressed play.
The voice crackled through the speaker, slurred, smug.
“Oh, you mean that girl years ago? Damn, she was sweet. So tight. Crazy he had to go first, but we all got our turns.”
Ice flooded my veins. Fenris’s recorded voice came next, casual, baiting.
“Must’ve been delicious. Paid to fuck her and you still get to enjoy. Win–win.”
“Paid? Nah. Feroz wasn’t paid for that. It’s a favor he’s returning.”
“Favor from who?”
“It’s complicated. Don’t know the full story. But ask Vivi. She’s his fuck buddy. Oh man, those tits and that ass… Fuck, wish I could have her again. One night wasn’t enough…”
The recorder slipped from my fingers, clattering to the floor.
The pieces, ugly, jagged, monstrous finally locked together.
Feroz.
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