A masked man jumped out of the closet and tried to overpower her. Getting into a life-or-death fight in her own bedroom was the last thing she expected after a late night session in the gym. It was a nightmare come true.
The man had a syringe in hand, ready to inject her, but what the attacker didn't know was that Detective Catalina Rios was a legitimate brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She controlled the attacker's arm and maintained balance before throwing a devastating knee strike to the attacker's gut.
Even as the man fell to the floor, the struggle between them was still ferocious. One wrong move and she'd be in a world of trouble. Catalina pressed her shin across the man's throat.
The man gurgled, but she was relentless. Eventually the man was being choked so hard that he dropped the syringe and his eyes bulged and his mouth gurgled, but he didn't surrender. Men like this were well-paid and failure was never an option.
"Stop!" the detective shouted. "Stop resisting!"
The man's eyes said it all. There would be no quitting. This was to the death.
Making a quick maneuver, Catalina postured her body on the stranger's chest. In a move that would make her instructor proud, she threw her legs around the man's neck and shoulder, applying a triangle choke.
She could see fire in the man's eyes as they looked at each other during the struggle. This was, without a doubt, the closest Catalina had ever come to death.
The man was gurgling badly, but he made one last effort to escape. With all his might, he attempted to lift her off the ground. She was going to be slammed unconscious and that would be the end.
So she grabbed the syringe off the floor and stabbed it into the man's shoulder. She pushed the liquid into him. Whatever it was.
And like that, the man's body was lifeless.
***
It was December 30, 2019 -- and just two days away -- a slew of new laws would take effect on the new year. There were new zoning regulations (the critical source of money and power) which would benefit shady investors with links to organized crime.
There'd also be new laws curtailing police powers into looking at financial records. It was the product of crooked politicians taking advantage of a novice governor. Powerful men were about to become a lot more powerful.
Detective Rios, simply put, was a liability.
She led a criminal division that specializes in these sorts of crimes and she knew too much. Even with the new laws shielding mobsters and their finances, a woman like her is always a threat to them.
Laying on the ground with beads of sweat across her body, she looked over to her desk and saw a device attached to her computer. The man was either trying to bug her computer or hack into her files, and she came home earlier than expected, making the man switch to Plan B.
She kicked the lifeless man away and she sat on her bed. She knew these men were dangerous, but now a line was crossed.
Her hands were shaking, and as she gathered her thoughts, things became clear:
1. These men were ruthless and resourceful.
2. The investigation must continue.
3. Reporting this attack would take her off the case. This was personal now and there was no way in hell she'd want to be removed.
4. There was only one man she could rely on, both for the body in her bedroom, and for the information she'd need.
As a detective who always played things by the book, she had no choice but to get her hands even dirtier. She didn't like the idea. She didn't want to do it. And she knew she'd be unleashing events beyond her control.
But sometimes a woman is left with no choice. Sometimes the ends justify the means, or so she tried to convince herself.
She grabbed her phone and called a man she'd ordinarily aim to put in prison, but because the man's legal counsel was impeccable, there was very little way he could be touched by the law.
"Good evening," the butler answered after a few rings, being purposefully vague about the residence.
"I need to speak with Trapp, right now. Tell him Detective Rios is calling. It's urgent."
"One moment."
The butler put the phone down to pass the message, and while waiting, Catalina could hear the faint sounds of women moaning in the background.
Picking up the phone, the butler said, "Trapp is busy at the moment. May I take a message?"
She seethed. "I'm a detective. He knows me. Get him on the phone, now."
"One moment."
Gritting her teeth, she played the waiting game again. It wasn't surprising because a man like Trapp enjoyed toying with her. She could even hear the women in the background of the call moaning louder, a move she was certain that Trapp did on purpose.
The butler picked up the phone again. "State your message. Trapp refuses to come to the phone this evening. He's busy."
She sighed. "Tell him that I need a cleaner. Tonight. It's urgent."
"One moment."
While waiting with her phone in hand, Catalina wondered if she was making the biggest mistake of her life trusting this man. But desperation makes people do crazy things. The more she waited, the more time she had to second-guess her decision to make this phone call.
The butler picked up the phone. "Are you still there?"
"I'm here."
"Mr. Trapp agrees to your request, provided you come to see him tomorrow during his party."
"Perfect, because I want to meet with him," she replied. "When and where?"
"The home of Mr. Trapp. 10 pm. He requests that you wear a particular black dress. He states that it's his favorite dress on you, and that you know what he's referring to. Finally, he requests that you be braless and without panties under the dress."
Under normal circumstances, Trapp would
never
make such a request from her. Times are different now. They both knew she was desperate and that she was being taken advantage of, which she knew would happen, but it beats the other alternatives by a longshot.
"Fucking asshole,"
