The Silent Cut

The Silent Cut

Hudson Nolan · Ongoing · 35.4k Words

274
Hot
274
Views
0
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

In The Silent Cut, Detective Lena Carver, a tenacious 35 year old haunted by her brother Ethan’s unsolved death, investigates the murder of tech mogul Adrian Wells in the gritty coastal city of Port Haven. Staged as a suicide with a cryptic note “The truth is buried”the case reeks of conspiracy. Lena’s instincts lead her to Nexus DataCorp, a shadowy corporation running an illegal surveillance empire. With the help of quirky hacker Riley Voss, Lena uncovers ties between the murder, Nexus’ blackmail scheme, and Ethan’s death five years earlier. As she digs deeper, obstacles intensify: a whistleblower, Sarah Lin, vanishes after a cryptic warning; Lena’s apartment is ransacked; and a car bomb nearly kills her. Betrayed by her precinct chief and framed for corruption, Lena goes rogue, navigating a web of deceit involving a powerful senator and Nexus’ ruthless fixer, Victor Kane. At a high-stakes gala, Lena faces Kane in a tense showdown, learning he orchestrated Ethan’s death. Forced to choose between saving Sarah or exposing Nexus, Lena outsmarts Kane, leaking evidence to the press. Though she clears her name and exposes the senator, Kane escapes, and Nexus’ CEO remains untouchable, hinting at a larger network. Scarred but resolute, Lena rejects a promotion, reconciles with her mother, and receives an ominous message “They’re still watching”setting the stage for future battles. This suspenseful crime thriller blends personal stakes, corporate corruption, and relentless action, exploring themes of justice, betrayal, and redemption.

Chapter 1

Port Haven was a city carved from contradictions, its gleaming skyscrapers casting long shadows over the rotting docks below. The rain fell in sheets, a ceaseless drumbeat that blurred the line between night and day, soaking the streets and the souls who walked them. Detective Lena Carver stood under the awning of the Meridian Towers, her leather jacket slick with water, her green eyes narrowed against the storm. At thirty-five, she was no stranger to the city’s underbelly, nor to the ghosts that lingered in its alleys. The scar across her left eyebrow throbbed faintly, a reminder of a case that had cost her more than blood.

The call had come at 2:17 a.m., sharp as a knife through her fitful sleep. A body in the penthouse, high-profile, urgent. Lena had rolled out of bed, her dreams still tangled with images of her brother Ethan his crooked smile, his lifeless body in a dockside alley five years ago, a case still unsolved. She shook off the memory, focusing on the present. The Meridian Towers loomed above, its glass facade reflecting the pulsing lights of squad cars. A crowd gathered despite the hour, their whispers drowned by the rain vultures in designer coats, drawn to tragedy.

Lena flashed her badge at the rookie guarding the entrance, a kid with eyes too wide for the job. “Carver, Homicide,” she said, her voice low, edged with fatigue. He stepped aside, and she rode the elevator to the top floor, the hum of it a brief shield against the chaos. The penthouse door was ajar, revealing a world of cold opulence: marble floors, modern art, windows framing the storm-swept city. The air carried the sharp tang of blood, laced with something clinical bleach, perhaps. Lena’s boots echoed as she crossed the threshold, her gaze sweeping the room with practiced precision.

Adrian Wells, tech mogul, forty-two, lay sprawled near the window, a single gunshot wound to his temple. A Beretta rested in his right hand, its gleam too pristine. Suicide, the scene suggested. Lena’s gut disagreed. She crouched beside the body, her knees protesting faintly, and studied the details. Wells’ suit was untouched, no signs of struggle. His left hand clutched a folded note, its edges stark against the blood pooling beneath. With gloved hands, she eased it free and unfolded it. Scrawled in black ink: The truth is buried. Her breath caught. The words mirrored the note found with Ethan They know the truth a case no one but her had cared to chase. Her pulse quickened, a familiar mix of dread and resolve.

“Carver, you gonna stand there brooding or work the scene?” Detective Marcus Holt’s voice cut through her thoughts. Her former partner leaned against the doorway, his broad frame filling the space, his graying beard catching the chandelier’s light. A bullet to the knee had sidelined him to a desk two years ago, but his eyes still held the sharpness of the streets.

“Working,” Lena replied, slipping the note into an evidence bag. She stood, brushing her short black hair from her face, and met his gaze. “What’s a desk jockey doing here, Marcus? Chief’s orders?”

“Mayor’s breathing down his neck. High-profile vic, big headlines.” He nodded toward a nervous rookie in the hall, scribbling in a notepad. “Meet Daniels, your new shadow. Don’t break him.”

Lena ignored the rookie, her focus on the room. The gun was too clean, the body too posed. She moved to the desk, a glass slab cluttered with tech gadgets and a humming laptop, its screen locked. A faint scratch caught her eye a microchip, thumbnail-sized, wedged in a seam. She pried it free, turning it over in her gloved hand. Custom, not standard. Her gut twisted, whispering of secrets. Ethan had been a hacker, chasing corporate corruption before his death. This chip felt like his ghost reaching out.

“Tech’s en route,” Marcus said, watching her. “Don’t go rogue, Lena. This one’s got eyes on it city hall, feds, you name it.”

“When have I ever?” she said, her tone dry. Marcus snorted, knowing better. He knew the fire that drove her, kindled by Ethan’s death, a wound that hadn’t healed. She’d been a rookie then, powerless to stop the case from going cold. Now, she was relentless.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. A text from an unknown number: a grainy photo of her running along the waterfront at dawn, her silhouette stark. No message, just the image. Her jaw tightened, a chill creeping up her spine. Someone was watching. She pocketed the phone, her face a mask, and turned back to the scene.

“Bag the chip,” she told the tech who’d just arrived, a wiry kid with nervous hands. “And mirror that laptop’s drive before it leaves. No one touches it without my say.” The tech nodded, unfazed by her edge. Lena stepped to the window, the city sprawling below, its lights blurred by rain. Nexus DataCorp’s headquarters loomed in the distance, a glass monolith. Wells had been their poster boy, the face of their AI empire. If this was murder, Nexus was where she’d start.

Daniels approached, his voice eager but shaky. “Detective, prelim report’s done. No forced entry, no witnesses. Security’s pulling footage.”

“Check the service entrance,” Lena said without looking at him. “And drop the formalities. Call me Carver.” Daniels nodded, scurrying off. She didn’t envy him; the job would burn out that enthusiasm soon enough.

Marcus joined her at the window, his voice low. “You’re thinking Nexus, aren’t you? Be careful. They’ve got more pull than the mayor.”

“Careful’s not my style,” she said, forcing a half-smile. Her mind was racing, piecing together fragments: the note, the chip, Ethan’s death. They were connected she felt it, a thread pulling taut. She just didn’t know how deep it ran.

The elevator ride down was silent, Daniels fidgeting beside her. In the security office, a cramped box of flickering monitors, they reviewed footage. At 1:03 a.m., a shadow moved in the service stairwell a hooded figure, face obscured, slipping out of sight. Lena paused the frame, her jaw tight. “There,” she said. “Run it back.”

Daniels rewound, and the shadow reappeared, moving with purpose. “Could be nothing,” he said, unconvincingly.

“It’s never nothing,” Lena replied, her mind already elsewhere. She needed Riley Voss, Ethan’s old hacker friend, to crack that chip. Riley was reckless but brilliant, and Lena trusted hermostly. She sent a text: Need you. Urgent. Diner, 6 a.m.

Her phone buzzed again as she stepped back into the rain. Another message, same number: Back off, Detective. Or you’ll end up like him. Attached was a photo of Ethan’s crime scene, one never released. Her grip tightened, knuckles white. Someone was playing a deadly game, and she was already in too deep.

Lena slipped into her car, the engine growling to life. Port Haven was waking, but for her, the night was just beginning. She had a truth to unearth, a ghost to face, and a city full of secrets waiting to bleed.

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

Invisible To Her Bully

Invisible To Her Bully

545k Views · Ongoing · sunsationaldee
Unlike her twin brother, Jackson, Jessa struggled with her weight and very few friends. Jackson was an athlete and the epitome of popularity, while Jessa felt invisible. Noah was the quintessential “It” guy at school—charismatic, well-liked, and undeniably handsome. To make matters worse, he was Jackson’s best friend and Jessa’s biggest bully. During their senior year, Jessa decides it was time for her to gain some self-confidence, find her true beauty and not be the invisible twin. As Jessa transformed, she begins to catch the eye of everyone around her, especially Noah. Noah, initially blinded by his perception of Jessa as merely Jackson’s sister, started to see her in a new light. How did she become the captivating woman invading his thoughts? When did she become the object of his fantasies? Join Jessa on her journey from being the class joke to a confident, desirable young woman, surprising even Noah as she reveals the incredible person she has always been inside.
The Prison Project

The Prison Project

1.1m Views · Ongoing · Bethany Donaghy
The government's newest experiment in criminal rehabilitation - sending thousands of young women to live alongside some of the most dangerous men held behind bars...

Can love tame the untouchable? Or will it only fuel the fire and cause chaos amongst the inmates?

Fresh out of high school and suffocating in her dead-end hometown, Margot longs for her escape. Her reckless best friend, Cara, thinks she's found the perfect way out for them both - The Prisoner Project - a controversial program offering a life-changing sum of money in exchange for time spent with maximum-security inmates.

Without hesitation, Cara rushes to sign them up.

Their reward? A one-way ticket into the depths of a prison ruled by gang leaders, mob bosses, and men the guards wouldn't even dare to cross...

At the centre of it all, meets Coban Santorelli - a man colder than ice, darker than midnight, and as deadly as the fire that fuels his inner rage. He knows that the project may very well be his only ticket to freedom - his only ticket to revenge on the one who managed to lock him up and so he must prove that he can learn to love…

Will Margot be the lucky one chosen to help reform him?

Will Coban be capable of bringing something to the table other than just sex?

What starts off as denial may very well grow in to obsession which could then fester in to becoming true love…

A temperamental romance novel.
The Lycan Prince’s Puppy

The Lycan Prince’s Puppy

3.2m Views · Ongoing · chavontheauthor
“You’re mine, little puppy,” Kylan growled against my neck.
“Soon enough, you’ll be begging for me. And when you do—I’ll use you as I see fit, and then I’ll reject you.”


When Violet Hastings begins her freshman year at Starlight Shifters Academy, she only wants two things—honor her mother’s legacy by becoming a skilled healer for her pack and get through the academy without anyone calling her a freak for her strange eye condition.

Things take a dramatic turn when she discovers that Kylan, the arrogant heir to the Lycan throne who has made her life miserable from the moment they met, is her mate.

Kylan, known for his cold personality and cruel ways, is far from thrilled. He refuses to accept Violet as his mate, yet he doesn’t want to reject her either. Instead, he sees her as his puppy, and is determined to make her life even more of a living hell.

As if dealing with Kylan’s torment isn’t enough, Violet begins to uncover secrets about her past that change everything she thought she knew. Where does she truly come from? What is the secret behind her eyes? And has her whole life been a lie?
Surrendering to Destiny

Surrendering to Destiny

777.4k Views · Completed · Allison Franklin
Catherine is not only a rogue half-breed, she is also the result of mate-bond infidelity, was abandoned as a baby and, to top it off, she can only shift during the full moon. When Catherine left the only pack she'd ever known in order to escape the new alpha, the last thing she expected was to find her mate... let alone for him to be the mouth-watering, heavily tattooed, lead warrior of the most feared lycan pack on the continent.

Graham MacTavish wasn't prepared to find his mate in the small town of Sterling that borders the Blackmoore Packlands. He certainly didn't expect her to be a rogue, half-breed who smelled of Alpha blood. With her multi-colored eyes, there was no stopping him from falling hard the moment their mate bond snapped into place. He would do anything to claim her, protect her and cherish her no matter the cost.

From vengeful ex-lovers, pack politics, species prejudice, hidden plots, magic, kidnapping, poisoning, rogue attacks, and a mountain of secrets including Catherine's true parentage there is no shortage of things trying to tear the two apart.

Despite the hardships, a burning desire and willingness to trust will help forge a strong bond between the two... but no bond is unbreakable. When the secrets kept close to heart are slowly revealed, will the two be able to weather the storm? Or will the gift bestowed upon Catherine by the moon goddess be too insurmountable to overcome?
After the Affair: Falling into a Billionaire's Arms

After the Affair: Falling into a Billionaire's Arms

1.4m Views · Ongoing · Louisa
From first crush to wedding vows, George Capulet and I had been inseparable. But in our seventh year of marriage, he began an affair with his secretary.

On my birthday, he took her on vacation. On our anniversary, he brought her to our home and made love to her in our bed...

Heartbroken, I tricked him into signing divorce papers.

George remained unconcerned, convinced I would never leave him.

His deceptions continued until the day the divorce was finalized. I threw the papers in his face: "George Capulet, from this moment on, get out of my life!"

Only then did panic flood his eyes as he begged me to stay.

When his calls bombarded my phone later that night, it wasn't me who answered, but my new boyfriend Julian.

"Don't you know," Julian chuckled into the receiver, "that a proper ex-boyfriend should be as quiet as the dead?"

George seethed through gritted teeth: "Put her on the phone!"

"I'm afraid that's impossible."

Julian dropped a gentle kiss on my sleeping form nestled against him. "She's exhausted. She just fell asleep."
The Lycan Kings and the White Wolf.

The Lycan Kings and the White Wolf.

119.7k Views · Completed · theresachipps
Trixie was twelve years old when her parents, the Luna and alpha of the pack, were killed in a rogue attack, or what she thought was a rogue attack. Since she was the only child, the only heir, she should have been next in line for the alpha position. Since she was only 12 her uncle took over as alpha. For 5 years her uncle and his family has mistreated her. Stripped her of her title. He has constantly tried to steal her inheritance her parents left her. With time not on his side, her uncle Melvin, signs her up for the yearly tournament being held at palace. Where he plans to finally end Trixie and finally get his hands on her money. Trixie’s luck changes when she’s finds her mates. The twin Lycan Kings.
I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

525.5k Views · Completed · Jessica C. Dolan
Being second best is practically in my DNA. My sister got the love, the attention, the spotlight. And now, even her damn fiancé.
Technically, Rhys Granger was my fiancé now—billionaire, devastatingly hot, and a walking Wall Street wet dream. My parents shoved me into the engagement after Catherine disappeared, and honestly? I didn’t mind. I’d crushed on Rhys for years. This was my chance, right? My turn to be the chosen one?
Wrong.
One night, he slapped me. Over a mug. A stupid, chipped, ugly mug my sister gave him years ago. That’s when it hit me—he didn’t love me. He didn’t even see me. I was just a warm-bodied placeholder for the woman he actually wanted. And apparently, I wasn’t even worth as much as a glorified coffee cup.
So I slapped him right back, dumped his ass, and prepared for disaster—my parents losing their minds, Rhys throwing a billionaire tantrum, his terrifying family plotting my untimely demise.
Obviously, I needed alcohol. A lot of alcohol.
Enter him.
Tall, dangerous, unfairly hot. The kind of man who makes you want to sin just by existing. I’d met him only once before, and that night, he just happened to be at the same bar as my drunk, self-pitying self. So I did the only logical thing: I dragged him into a hotel room and ripped off his clothes.
It was reckless. It was stupid. It was completely ill-advised.
But it was also: Best. Sex. Of. My. Life.
And, as it turned out, the best decision I’d ever made.
Because my one-night stand isn’t just some random guy. He’s richer than Rhys, more powerful than my entire family, and definitely more dangerous than I should be playing with.
And now, he’s not letting me go.
The Forbidden Throb

The Forbidden Throb

195.8k Views · Completed · Riley
They say your life can change in a heartbeat.
Mine changed in the time it took to open a door.
Behind it: my fiancé Nicholas with another woman.
Three months until our wedding. Three seconds to watch it all burn.
I should have run. Should have screamed. Should have done anything except stand there like a fool.
Instead, I heard the devil himself whisper in my ear:
"If you're willing, I could marry you."
Daniel. The brother I was warned about. The one who made Nicholas look like a choir boy.
He leaned against the wall, watching my world implode.
My pulse thundered. "What?"
"You heard me." His eyes burned into mine. "Marry me, Emma."
But as I stared into those magnetic eyes, I realized something terrifying:
I wanted to say yes to him.
Game on.
Triplet Alpha: My Fated Mates

Triplet Alpha: My Fated Mates

182k Views · Completed · Eve Frost
"Kara." Cole’s voice drops. "Are you—did I hurt you?"
"No." "I'm fine."
"Fuck," he breathes. "You're—"
"Don't." My voice cracks. "Please don't say it."
"Aroused." He says it anyway. "You're aroused."
"I'm not—"
"Your scent." His nostrils flare. "Kara, you smell like—"
"Stop." I cover my face with my hands. "Just—stop."
Then his hand on my wrist, pulling my hands away.
"There's nothing wrong with wanting us," he says softly. "It's natural. You're our mate. We're yours."
"I know." My voice is barely a whisper.

I spent ten years as a ghost in the Sterling mansion—a debt slave to the triplet Alphas who made my life hell. They called me "Carrot," shoved me into frozen rivers, and left me to die in the snow when I was eleven.

On my eighteenth birthday, everything changed. My first shift released a scent of white musk and first snow—and three former tormentors stood outside my door, claiming I was their fated mate. All three of them.

Overnight, the debt vanished. Asher's commands turned to vows, Blake's fists became trembling apologies, and Cole swore they'd been waiting for me all along. They declared me their Luna and promised to spend their lives atoning.

My wolf howls to accept them. But one question haunts me:

Would that eleven-year-old girl, freezing and certain she would die, forgive the choice I'm about to make?
The Possessive Alpha

The Possessive Alpha

130.7k Views · Completed · Emma Taylor
Elle Davidson, orphaned at 12 with limited memory, is taken in by the Alpha and Luna of the New Moon pack. There she meets Damon Ledger, the future Alpha and her nemesis. Damon does everything he can to control Elle's life, and his friends do everything they can to make her life hell. All of that changes after Damon comes home from Alpha training, and their undeniable chemistry makes staying away from one another impossible.
What will happen when Elle's past finally catches up to her? Will Elle be able to fight the increasing attraction she has for Damon, her ultimate enemy? Or will she succumb to the lust she feels for him?
Alpha Twins' Mate's broken Human

Alpha Twins' Mate's broken Human

188.8k Views · Ongoing · dragonsbain22
Chiara was raised in the orphanage of the Silver Aspen pack. Not an overly large Pack, but a strong Pack. As a human, she takes the brunt of the pack's bullying, especially the "Ranked Squad" as she calls them. When she turns 18 earlier than she thought, and gets a wolf, will she be able to accept what she is after all the abuse? Accept her wolf? And accept the Twins as her mates? Or will she retreat into herself and leave the Twins struggling to reach her to make things right? Read along to find out.
The Womanizer's Mute Wife

The Womanizer's Mute Wife

182.8k Views · Completed · faithogbonna999
“There’s nothing wrong with breaking her legs to keep her. Or chaining her to the bed. She’s mine.”
She was looking for freedom. He gave her obsession, wrapped in tenderness.
Genesis Caldwell thought escaping her abusive home meant salvation—but her arranged marriage to billionaire Kieran Blackwood might be its own kind of prison.
He’s possessive, controlling, dangerous. Yet in his own broken way… he’s gentle with her.
To Kieran, Genesis isn’t just a wife. She’s everything.
And he’ll protect what’s his. Even if it means destroying everything else.