The television flickers in the dim living room. Bella sits on the couch, a glass of wine in her hand. Her eyes are fixed on the screen. The news anchor's voice is crisp. Professional.
"In a stunning turn of events, Jack Morris has been acquitted of all charges in what prosecutors called one of the most significant RICO cases in recent memory."
The screen cuts to footage of Jack outside the entrance of his penthouse building, ambushed by reporters. He's wearing a dark suit. Clean-shaven. Composed. A reporter shoves a microphone in his face.
"Mr. Morris, how do you feel about the verdict?"
Jack's expression is calm. Almost humble.
"I'm grateful," he says. "The truth came out. That's all I ever wanted."
"Do you have any ill will toward the prosecution?"
Jack shakes his head.
"No. They were doing their job. I respect that."
"What are your plans moving forward?"
Jack smiles faintly.
"I plan to continue being a helpful pillar to my community. That's what I've always tried to do."
The camera cuts back to the news anchor. "Morris has been a controversial figure in Southside for months, but his supporters say he's done more for the community than any government program—"
Bella scoffs. She takes a long drink of wine. Innocent. The word is almost comical when applied to Jack Morris. A helpful pillar to his community. The same community he sells drugs in. Murders in. Sells women in.
Bella sets the glass down on the coffee table. Her hands are shaking. She partly blames herself. Maybe she was too eager to help someone who seemed to love her for the first time in a while. Maybe she took it too far when she helped him create King's Paradise. Maybe she enabled him. Maybe I made him worse. The thought sits heavy in her chest.
There's a knock at the door. Bella's head snaps up. She stands slowly, her heart starting to race. She walks to the door and opens it.
Daniel is standing there. Or Detective Borne. She knows now. He's wearing jeans and a casual jacket. His hands are in his pockets. He's smirking.
"I didn't expect you to call me first," he says.
Bella doesn't smile. Daniel leans in to kiss her. Bella leans back, her hand coming up to stop him.
"Cut the shit," she says.
Daniel's smirk falters.
"What?"
Bella's eyes are cold.
"I know who you are."
There's a pause. Daniel's expression shifts. The playful charm drains away.
"So you know," he says quietly.
Bella slaps him. Hard. The sound echoes in the hallway. Daniel's head snaps to the side. He doesn't move for a moment. Then he slowly turns back to face her.
"Fucking bastard," Bella hisses.
Daniel touches his cheek, his jaw tight.
"I deserved that," he says.
Bella turns and walks into the apartment. Daniel follows, closing the door behind him.
***
Bella walks straight to the kitchen. She opens a cabinet and pulls out a bottle of wine. Her hands are shaking as she uncorks it.
"You played me," she says, her voice sharp. "Dating me. Charming me. Getting close to me. All while you were undercover."
Daniel leans against the counter.
"It was an assignment," he says. "But I cared—"
"Cared?" Bella interrupts. She pours wine into a glass, the liquid sloshing. "You cared?"
"Yes," Daniel says. "I did."
Bella laughs bitterly.
"You're an assignment in a suit," she says. "That's all you are."
She pours a second glass of wine. Daniel watches her carefully.
"What do you want from me, Bella?"
"I want the truth," she snaps. "What's your real motive?"
Daniel sighs.
"I need your cooperation," he says. "I need intel on Jack. Hideouts. Ledger. Associates."
Bella slides the second glass of wine across the counter toward him.
"You want me to hand him over," she says flatly.
"Yes."
"To the same people who would destroy me by association."
Daniel's expression softens.
"I can offer you witness protection," he says. "A new life. Somewhere far away from all of this."
He steps closer.
"Come with me, Bella. Leave this behind."
Bella stares at him. Her hand tightens around her glass. There's a long silence. Then she picks up her glass.
"To new beginnings," she says quietly.
Daniel's face lights up. He picks up his glass. They clink glasses. The sound is sharp in the quiet kitchen. They both drink.
Daniel's mood shifts immediately. He smiles.
"You won't regret this," he says. "You're choosing yourself. That's the right thing to do."
Bella sets her glass down.
"You're wrong," she says softly.
Daniel frowns.
"What?"
"I will regret this moment forever."
Daniel's smile fades. He looks down at his glass. Then he looks back at Bella.
"What did you—"
He stops. His vision blurs. The room tilts. Daniel stumbles, his hand reaching for the counter.
"What the fuck—"
He looks at the glass in his hand. Then at Bella.
"You—"
His hand moves toward his jacket. Toward his weapon. But his legs give out. He collapses to the floor, his body hitting the tile hard.
Bella stands over him, her expression unreadable.
"I'm sorry," she whispers.
Daniel's eyes flutter. Then everything goes black.
***
The first thing Borne feels is cold. Sharp. Biting. His head is pounding. He tries to move his hands. They're tied. His eyes snap open.
He's sitting in a chair. No. Not sitting. Tied to a chair. His wrists are bound behind him. His ankles are tied to the chair legs. The air smells like chemicals. Rust. Decay.
Borne blinks, trying to focus. He's on a bridge. A narrow metal bridge suspended over a massive pool below. The liquid in the pool is murky. Greenish-brown. It bubbles faintly.
Borne's heart starts to race. He struggles against the restraints.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
The voice comes from above. Borne looks up. Jack is standing at the edge of the bridge, his hands in his pockets. He's wearing a black jacket. His expression is calm.
Borne's chest tightens.
"You," he says, his voice hoarse.
Jack smiles faintly.
"Hello, Detective."
Borne's eyes dart around the room. It's an industrial warehouse. Massive. Empty. The walls are rusted. The ceiling is high, with exposed beams and broken skylights. Then Borne sees her.
Bella. She's standing behind Jack, her arms crossed. Her face is pale.
Borne's stomach drops.
"Even you?" he asks, his voice breaking.
Bella looks away. Jack tilts his head.
"A scorned woman has no limits," he says.
Borne tries to reach for the knife he keeps under his sleeve. His fingers fumble. Nothing. Jack pulls something from his pocket. A small escape knife. He holds it up, the blade glinting in the dim light.
"Looking for this?" Jack asks.
Borne curses under his breath. Jack walks to the edge of the bridge and looks down at the pool.
"This place used to be an industrial warehouse for waste neutralization," he says. "When I found out it was being abandoned, I decided to purchase it."
He gestures to the pool below.
"The acid down there was designed to disintegrate metal into nothingness."
Jack looks back at Borne.
"Imagine what it would do to your skin. Your bones. Your face."
Borne's heart is pounding.
"How long would it take to melt your skin?" Jack asks. "How painful would it be?"
Borne's voice shakes.
"You wouldn't," he says. "I'm a fucking cop. I have connections. People all over this city who would know you did it."
Jack shrugs.
"Probably," he says. "But what proof would they have?"
Borne struggles against the restraints again. The chair rocks slightly. Jack walks over and places a hand on Borne's shoulder. He squeezes. Hard.
"Did you ever think about the consequences," Jack says quietly, "of messing with my woman?"
Borne's jaw clenches.
"She's not even yours," he says.
Jack's grip loosens. He looks back at Bella. She's not looking at them. Her eyes are fixed on the floor.
"Bella," Jack says. "Do you think I'm going too far?"
Bella's voice is quiet.
"Yes."
Jack's expression doesn't change.
"He's no longer a threat," Bella says. "You've already won."
"That's not the point," Jack says.
He turns back to Borne.
"He tricked you. He tricked me. He laid his hands on you."
Jack looks at Bella again.
"Why did you agree to this if you thought it was wrong?"
Bella hesitates.
"I felt obligated," she says. "After how I almost put you in jail. I owed you this."
Jack's eyes narrow.
"Obligated," he echoes.
There's a long pause.
"Is that all you felt?" Jack asks. "Obligated? Like it was some sort of burden to help me?"
Bella doesn't respond. Jack's eyes turn sad. He releases a sigh.
"You will never accept this side of me, will you?" he says. "No matter how much I compromise, you will forever be in love with the version of me that leaned on you for everything. The version that was broken alongside you."
Bella's voice cracks.
"That's not it," she says. "I don't need you to be broken or reliant on me. I just want your morals to align with mine."
She looks up at him.
"They once did. That first night in the car, we both shared the same morals and values. That Jack would have thrown up at the sight of a man dunked in acid. He would have cared for my feelings enough to not ask me to drug a man so he can kill him." He voice shrinks. "I don't feel like you share my goals anymore. Power has deluded your mind and corrupted your values."
Her voice hardens.
"You've forgotten that we started all of this for revenge in the first place. It was suppose to end once Rider was gone and powerless, yet here we are. Stuck in a cycle of death and decay."
There is a moment of silence. Jack stares at her. Then he nods slowly.
"You're right," he says. "I have changed too much." He pauses. "And you have not changed at all."
Bella's expression shifts.
"That is the problem," Jack says. "We are incompatible now. Practically strangers. And that is why we both need to move on."
Bella's breath catches. It's the first time she's heard Jack even reference the idea of letting her go. Jack waits. Waiting for her to refute him. To say she didn't want that. To say that she was willing to try.
But she doesn't.
Jack's jaw tightens.
"Very well," he says.
He turns. And kicks Borne in the chest. Hard. The chair tips backward. Borne doesn't even have time to scream. He falls.
The chair hits the acid with a splash. Borne's scream is immediate. Piercing. It echoes through the warehouse. Then it's drowned as he sinks. The acid bubbles violently.
Bella sprints to the edge of the bridge. She looks down in horror. The chair is dissolving. The ropes are melting. Borne's body is thrashing. His skin is peeling. Smoking. Then he's gone. Swallowed by the acid.
Bella's hand flies to her mouth. She can't breathe. "Oh my god."
Jack walks past her. He doesn't look back.
"Goodbye, Bella," he says.
His footsteps echo as he walks away. Bella stands frozen at the edge of the bridge. Staring down at the bubbling pool. At the place where Borne disappeared. Her chest heaves. She can't move. Can't think. All she can do is stare.
This was the last straw. She needed to leave this place. To get away from the mountains of shadowy nightmares that linger in this hell of a place called Southside.