BLOOD IN THE SINK

Quinn was halfway through bleaching blood from her hair when she heard the knock. Three sharp raps, like knuckles on a coffin lid. The cheap motel mirror was cracked down the middle, and Quinn caught a glimpse of herself - wild eyes, smeared mascara, red creeping along her hairline. The faucet rattled as she shut it off.

Her Glock was on the bed, two steps away. But her fingers were slick, and her heart was drumming high and fast in her throat. Not now. Not yet.

The knock came again.

She snatched a towel, scrubbing at her hands, and cracked the door an inch.

“It’s open.”

Detective Harper Lane stood on the threshold, a gun in one hand and a badge in the other. Her eyes flicked to the damp towel, the faded bathroom light, the clumps of dark hair swirling in the sink.

“You’ve looked better,” Harper said. Her voice was low, almost amused.

Quinn’s grip tightened. “How’d you find me?”

“I followed the bodies,” Harper said. “You’re slipping.”

“Go to hell,” Quinn snapped.

“After you,” Harper shot back.


THE DEAD MAN'S GAME

Three days ago, Quinn had cleaned a job for the Moretti family. A banker who’d gotten greedy, or scared - it didn’t matter which. He was dead by the time Quinn showed up. Her job was to wipe the scene, no questions asked.

But then she’d found the notebook, bloodstained and shoved beneath the man’s mattress. Names. Account numbers. Offshore transfers - dirty money, enough to bury half the city’s law enforcement. Including Harper Lane.

Quinn had hesitated - just for a second. Long enough to snap a photo. Insurance, she’d told herself. In case Moretti ever turned on her. She’d never planned to use it. But now, with Harper’s gun in her face, the game had changed.

A Deal with the Devil

“Tell me why I shouldn’t put a bullet in you right now,” Harper said.

Quinn leaned back against the sink, eyes cold. “Because you need me,” she said. “Or did you think I didn’t notice your name in his little black book?”

Harper’s jaw tightened, but her gun didn’t waver. “I could kill you and burn that book,” she said.

“You could,” Quinn agreed. “But then you’d never get to Moretti. You want him in cuffs, not a coffin. You’re too righteous for that.”

Harper’s eyes darkened. “Careful,” she said.

“Or what?” Quinn’s smile was all teeth. “You’ll shoot me? Go ahead. I’ve got a dead man’s switch set to email that list to every news station in the city. Pull the trigger, detective.”

For a long moment, the only sound was their breathing. Then Harper lowered the gun, swearing under her breath.

“Start talking,” she said.


THE HEIST

Quinn’s plan was simple, which meant it was almost guaranteed to get them both killed. But Harper had run out of options.

Break into Moretti’s warehouse. Steal the hard drives with the offshore accounts. Trade them to a rival gang for a way out. Burn the entire empire in one night.

Quinn cracked the keypad, her fingers steady despite the shaking in her hands. Harper kept watch, nerves wound tight. The warehouse was dark and cold, shadows stretching long and empty.

“You’re too quiet,” Quinn muttered.

“I’m concentrating,” Harper snapped.

Quinn smirked. “Bet you talk a lot in bed.”

Harper shot her a glare that could’ve stripped paint. “You’re not as charming as you think,” she said.

But there was a flicker in her eyes - amusement, or something like it. Quinn couldn’t help grinning, despite the danger, despite the fact that they were probably both about to die.

The Betrayal

The ambush came without warning. Gunfire lit up the dark, shattering glass and concrete. Quinn hit the ground hard, Harper dragging her behind a stack of crates. Bullets whined, ricocheting off metal and stone.

“You set me up,” Harper spat, eyes wild. “You --”

“I didn’t,” Quinn snapped, reloading with shaking hands. “I swear -- ”

But Harper’s eyes were cold, furious. She surged forward, pinning Quinn against the crates, gun digging into her ribs. “Give me one reason,” Harper hissed. “One reason I shouldn’t blow your head off.”

“Because I didn’t--” Quinn’s voice broke, raw and desperate. “They’re going to kill us both if we don’t move!”

For a heartbeat, Harper hesitated. Then she released Quinn with a shove, eyes like ice.

“Try anything,” she growled, “and I’ll shoot you myself.”

THE ESCAPE

They escaped bloody and battered, limping through back alleys with dawn creeping in. Harper’s shoulder was bleeding, her breathing ragged. Quinn was half-carrying her, cursing with every step.

In a safe house, Quinn stitched Harper’s wound with trembling hands. The silence stretched, heavy and accusing.

“Why didn’t you shoot me?” Harper asked, voice low.

Quinn’s fingers faltered. For a second, her mask slipped - raw fear and something darker beneath. “Because I’m not a killer,” she said. “Not like them.”

Harper’s eyes narrowed, sharp and skeptical. “Then what are you?”

Quinn hesitated. The truth burned in her throat, bitter and unavoidable. “I’m trying to survive,” she whispered.

BURN IT ALL DOWN

They moved against Moretti at dawn. A phone call to the FBI, a leak to the press, encrypted files dropped into the lap of every news anchor in the city.

By noon, Moretti was in handcuffs, screaming betrayal. By midnight, the streets were burning.

Harper watched it unfold from a rooftop, bandage tight around her shoulder. Quinn leaned against the railing beside her, eyes on the chaos below.

“You did it,” Quinn murmured.

We did it, Harper thought, but didn’t say.

“There’s a warrant out for you,” Harper said instead. “Accessory to murder, obstruction, a list longer than my arm.”

Quinn smirked, eyes dark and tired. “So arrest me,” she challenged.

Harper’s jaw clenched. But her gun stayed holstered. “Disappear,” she said. “Before I change my mind.”

Quinn’s eyes searched hers, surprised. For a second, something unspoken hung between them - too raw to name. Then Quinn turned, boots echoing on concrete.

She paused at the edge, glancing back. A half-smile, crooked and sad. “Maybe I’ll see you around, detective.”

And then she was gone, swallowed by shadows.

Harper stayed until dawn, the city smoldering below. Alone.