Chapter 2 The Dame in the Shadows
The waterfront diner was a relic of Port Haven’s better days, its neon Open sign flickering like a dying pulse against the gray dawn. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of burnt coffee and grease, the kind of place where secrets lingered in the cracked vinyl booths. Lena Carver sat in the farthest corner, her untouched mug cooling as she scanned the room. Her short black hair was damp from the rain, clinging to her neck, and her green eyes, sharp despite the sleepless night, tracked every movement the waitress wiping down the counter, the trucker hunched over his eggs, the door that hadn’t opened in ten minutes. Riley Voss was late, as always, but Lena didn’t mind the wait. It gave her time to think, to wrestle with the fragments of Adrian Wells’ murder and the messages burning a hole in her pocket.
The note The truth is buried sat heavy in her mind, its echo of Ethan’s death too precise to be coincidence. The microchip, now with the techs, was a wildcard, and the photos her running, Ethan’s crime scene were a taunt from someone who knew her weaknesses. Her fingers drummed the table, a rhythm to keep her grounded. She’d texted Riley, her brother’s old hacker friend, to meet here at 6 a.m. Riley was a loose cannon, all purple hair and reckless genius, but she could crack that chip faster than any lab. Lena trusted her, mostly, which was more than she could say for most.
The door jangled, and Lena’s gaze snapped up. Not Riley. A woman slipped inside, her presence like a spark in the dim light. Late twenties, petite, with dark hair pulled into a messy bun and eyes that darted like a cornered animal’s. Her oversized coat swallowed her frame, and her hands twitched as she scanned the room, landing on Lena. Sarah Lin, the whistleblower who’d vanished after her apartment burned. The dame had found her first.
Sarah slid into the booth, her voice a whisper, barely audible over the diner’s hum. “You’re Carver, right? They said you’d be here.” Her gaze flicked to the door, then back, her fingers knotting together. “We don’t have much time. Nexus knows I talked.”
Lena leaned forward, her voice low, steady, cutting through Sarah’s panic. “Talked about what, Sarah? What’s on that chip?”
Sarah’s lips trembled, but her eyes burned with something fierce fear, yes, but also defiance. “Everything. They’re watching everyone cops, judges, you. And they’ll kill to keep it quiet.” She slid a crumpled USB drive across the table, her hand shaking. “This has proof. Wells was going to blow it open. That’s why they killed him.”
Lena’s pulse quickened, but she kept her face neutral, slipping the USB into her pocket. “Who’s ‘they’? Nexus? Give me names.”
Sarah shook her head, her voice dropping lower. “You don’t get it. It’s not just Nexus. It’s bigger politicians, feds, people you’d never suspect. I saw the files. They’ve got dirt on everyone, and they use it to control the city.” She leaned closer, her breath shallow. “Your brother found it too. That’s why he’s dead.”
The mention of Ethan hit like a fist, but Lena didn’t flinch. She’d learned long ago to bury the pain, to let it fuel her instead of break her. “What do you know about Ethan?” she asked, her tone sharp enough to cut glass.
Sarah hesitated, her eyes darting to the window. “He was working with us me, Wells, a few others. We were going to expose Nexus’ surveillance program. Ethan hacked their prototype, got too close. They made it look like an overdose.”
Lena’s jaw tightened, her mind racing. Ethan’s death had been ruled accidental, but she’d never believed it. The note, the chip, now Sarah it was all connected, a thread pulling taut across five years of grief. “Why come to me now? Why not run?”
“Because you’re the only one they’re scared of,” Sarah said, her voice cracking. “They know you won’t stop. But you have to move fast. They’re already cleaning up.”
The door jangled again, and Lena’s hand instinctively went to her holster. It was just a delivery guy, but Sarah flinched, sliding lower in the booth. “They burned my apartment,” she whispered. “They’ll find me again.”
“Then why trust me?” Lena asked, her eyes narrowing. Sarah’s fear was real, but something about her felt off too convenient, too desperate.
Sarah met her gaze, her voice steady for the first time. “Because Ethan said you’d finish what he started.”
Lena’s chest tightened, but she pushed it down. She didn’t have time for sentiment. “Stay low. I’ll contact you when I know more.” She slid a burner phone across the table. “Use this. No one else.”
Sarah nodded, pocketing the phone and slipping out of the booth. She paused at the door, her silhouette framed against the dawn, then vanished into the rain. Lena sat back, her coffee cold now, her mind a storm of questions. Sarah knew too much, but was she a victim or a plant? Nexus was playing a long game, and Lena was a pawn they wanted off the board.
Her phone buzzed Riley, finally. Running late. Be there in 10. Lena exhaled, her fingers brushing the USB in her pocket. She needed Riley to crack it, to confirm Sarah’s story. But the photos from last night the one of her, the one of Ethan gnawed at her. Whoever was behind this knew her every move, her every wound. She glanced out the window, where Nexus’ headquarters loomed in the distance, its glass facade gleaming like a predator’s smile.
The waitress approached, refilling her mug with a tired smile. “Rough night, hon?”
“Rough life,” Lena replied, her voice dry. The waitress chuckled, unaware of the weight behind the words. Lena sipped the coffee, bitter and lukewarm, and checked her watch. 6:15 a.m. The city was waking, but for her, it was still a battlefield. She thought of Marcus, his warning about Nexus’ reach, and Daniels, the rookie who’d be more liability than asset. She thought of Ethan, his reckless drive to expose corruption, and Sarah, a ghost from his past now haunting hers.
Her phone buzzed again, not Riley this time. Another unknown number: You can’t save them all, Lena. No photo, just the words, sharp as a blade. Her grip tightened, knuckles white. She didn’t reply, didn’t need to. Whoever was behind this wanted her scared, wanted her to back off. They didn’t know her at all.
Lena stood, tossing a few bills on the table, and stepped into the rain. The USB felt heavy in her pocket, a key to truths she wasn’t sure she was ready to face. But she’d made a promise to Ethan, even if only in her own heart. She’d finish what he started, no matter who stood in her way Nexus, the feds, or the ghosts of her past. Port Haven was a city of secrets, and Lena Carver was ready to tear them apart.
