Chapter 1

When a high-profile case involving beloved actress June Hart and her claims of unlawful imprisonment broke, Detective Dorothy Reed was called back to the station in the middle of the night.

The moment she slipped through the side entrance, she was met with June's furious voice.

"How many times do I have to say it?" June demanded. "Scott Bennett held me prisoner for nearly a year in dozens of locations, evidence in every hotel room.

"He hurt me. I had internal injuries so bad I couldn't work for days. I have the medical report right here. I filed eight reports already. Why hasn't anyone arrested him?"

A rookie officer froze, his face flushing as he glanced at the document in his hands. "Um... Sounds like we should definitely—"

Before he could finish, a senior detective elbowed him sharply, shooting him a warning look.

"Ms. Hart," the veteran said, lowering his voice. "With all due respect, half of Northbridge knew the story between you and Mr. Bennet. You'd been in here once a week.

"Last month alone, he lit up the sky with a drone show that ran seven nights straight. The month before, he dropped two hundred million on a movie to make you the star."

He exhaled, running a hand down his face. "Some of us had actual cases to work."

Half of Northbridge ran on Bennett blood and Bennett gold. Their money came fast and dirty, freighted with the smell of gunpowder and rust.

No one saw it coming when, five years earlier, the man they called the Grim Reaper, Scott Bennett, announced without warning that he was out of the life.

He'd torn down the Bennett family's legendary vault with his own hands, sworn to start over, and laid down strict rules to cut himself off from everything he used to be.

Suddenly, the door slammed open. Scott strode in with an entourage of bodyguards and lawyers, his eyes cold, his posture straight as a blade.

Dorothy's heart hammered so hard against her ribs she thought it might leap out of her chest.

It really was Scott. It was the man Dorothy had grown up with and secretly married for three years.

Scott scanned the noisy station, and for a second, Dorothy thought he might have caught sight of her. But his expression stayed icy, and he moved on without so much as a flicker.

His lawyer opened a briefcase, revealing stacks of cash neatly arranged inside.

Scott addressed the room with authority. "This is compensation for Ms. Hart, and a bonus for everyone here. Thank you for your hard work."

Then he draped a cashmere coat over June's shoulders, his tone turning gentle. "This is on me. I can't always be by your side, but you know what you mean to me."

With his other hand, he snatched the report from the rookie cop. "No one sees this but me. I'll make it up to you in the next few days, all right? No need to make a scene." His voice was smooth, almost syrupy.

His assistant flipped open several suitcases in quick succession, revealing shiny new car keys, Maseratis, Rolls-Royces, and property deeds.

Once the evidence was handled and the payments settled, Scott didn't waste a second. He swept June out of there.

She scowled the whole way, yanking her hand out of his grip and muttering under her breath, "Don't think you can touch me now," and more complaints along those lines.

Dorothy's colleague finally noticed her arrival, handed her the case file, and leaned in to gossip. "June is the hottest actress in Northbridge right now.

"Scott's been making a big show of chasing her for a whole year, and he still hasn't managed to win her over. Word is he hasn't, but honestly, they're showing off their relationship. We're the ones who have to deal with all the drama."

Dorothy's skin prickled, and her breath caught in her throat. She'd spent the last year overseas training in tech investigations and had only gotten back. She had no idea about any of this.

Her colleague gave her a curious look, glancing between her and June's photo. "Dorothy, seriously, June looks like you. Those eyes, you two could almost be sisters."

Dorothy's ears rang as she flipped open the case file with trembling hands. Scott had been a person of interest for a while, and the department had been tracking his connection with June for some time.

A year ago, Scott had set his sights on June, who was barely a blip in the entertainment world back then.

June was bold and free-spirited, always rolling her eyes at his over-the-top pursuit. The harder he chased, the faster she ran.