Chapter 2

Finding Senator Rexford "Rex" Thorne wasn't hard.

Politicians, even corrupt ones, have schedules. Public appearances. Predictable routines.

The Live Feed helped.

`Commenter_StalkerMode_Pro: He's at 'The Gilded Lily' tonight. Private room. No "Luke" persona.`

`LiveFeed_System: Target_Acquired.`

I left Chloe with a sedative in her tea and a vague promise of hiring a private investigator.

She'd be asleep for hours.

The Gilded Lily was the kind of place where secrets were bought and sold over expensive scotch.

Thorne was in a back room, laughing, a woman who wasn't his wife draped over him.

He didn't see me approach.

No dramatic confrontation. No pleas.

I wasn't Chloe.

I moved fast. The heavy crystal ashtray on his table connected with his temple.

A solid, satisfying thud.

He went down without a sound. The woman screamed.

I grabbed her, hand tight over her mouth. "He fell. Hit his head. You saw nothing."

Her eyes were wide with terror. She nodded frantically.

`Commenter_IceQueen_Ava: Damn, girl. No hesitation.`

`Commenter_CleanUpCrew_Needed: This is gonna be messy.`

I dragged Thorne' s unconscious body towards a service exit. He was heavier than he looked.

The Feed was buzzing.

`LiveFeed_System: Threat_Contained. Status_Pending_Resolution.`

`Commenter_MoralCompass_Broken: Is this… justice? Or just Ava?`

I didn't care about justice. I cared about results.

I propped him in his own car, in a dark alley a few blocks away. Made it look like a robbery gone wrong. Wiped my prints.

Then I called the police from a burner phone, reporting an abandoned vehicle, a man possibly injured.

By the time I got back to the Sterling mansion, Chloe was still asleep.

I sat by her bed, watching her.

Her face, even in sleep, was troubled.

"It's okay," I murmured, more to myself than to her. "I took care of it."

The next morning, the news was full of Senator Thorne's "tragic accident." A severe concussion. Memory loss. Career likely over.

Chloe woke up confused, then devastated when "Luke" remained missing and the news of Thorne's accident didn't even register as connected.

I held her while she cried.

"He's gone, Chloe," I said, stroking her hair. "Some men are just like that."

`LiveFeed_System: Emotional_Manipulation_Level_Expert.`

`Commenter_PuppetMaster_Ava: She's got Chloe wrapped around her little finger.`

Chloe clung to me. "What will I do, Ava? About the… the baby?"

Her voice was a tiny thread of fear.

"We'll figure it out," I said. "Together. You're not alone."

And she wasn't. She had me.

Whether she liked what that meant or not.

The Feed showed a new notification: `Affection_Target_Chloe_Sterling: Ava_Bellweather.`

Interesting. But not entirely unexpected.

Vulnerability bred attachment.

I would use it.