Chapter 118 Worth it?
Rowan
I hear the car before I see it. Low. Controlled. Expensive. The kind of engine that doesn’t rush because it never has to. The house isn’t quiet. Not really. It’s holding its breath.
Theo is posted near the entryway, arms crossed, watching everything like he’s waiting for something else to go wrong. Camille hasn’t moved far from the table, but she’s not sitting anymore, her body angled toward the guard like she doesn’t trust him not to try something again.
Devin is near the counter, phone in hand, already coordinating things behind the scenes.
And Violet... She’s close. Closer than she was before. Not hiding. Not panicking. Just… watching.
Her eyes flick between the door and me, like she’s measuring how bad this is about to get.
The guard is still tied to the chair. Still shaking. Still crying under his breath.
Headlights sweep across the windows. Then cut. A door opens. Closes. Footsteps follow. Slow. Deliberate.
Theo exhales. “That him?”
“Yes.”
The front door opens without hesitation. No knock. No waiting.
Marcus Vale walks in like he owns the air in the room. He hasn’t changed.
Still sharp. Still composed. Still carrying that quiet authority that doesn’t need to raise its voice to take control. Dark suit, no tie, badge clipped at his belt, visible but not flaunted.
His eyes move once across the room. And that’s all it takes.
He sees everything. The guard. The tension. The aftermath. Violet.Me.
“Rowan.”
“Marcus.”
We don’t shake hands. We don’t smile.
His attention shifts immediately to the guard. “What the hell am I walking into?”
“Your case,” I say flatly.
His jaw tightens slightly, but he doesn’t respond to that right away. Instead, he steps forward, closing the distance to the guard, crouching just enough to get eye level with him.
“What’s your name?” Marcus asks.
The guard stumbles over it, voice cracking.
Marcus nods once. “Alright. Take a breath. Start from the beginning.”
“I—I already told him everything,” the guard blurts, nodding toward me. “I’ve got messages—I’ve got proof—I didn’t mean for it to go this far—”
Marcus glances back at me. Not confused. Assessing.
“You questioned him already?”
“I got what I needed,” I say.
A pause.
Marcus stands slowly.
Now he turns fully toward me. “That’s not how this works.”
“That’s exactly how it works,” I reply.
The air shifts. Sharp. Immediate.
Theo straightens slightly behind me. Camille goes still. Devin looks up from his phone.
Marcus steps closer. Not aggressive. But not backing down either.
“You don’t run this,” he says.
“I already did.”
His eyes narrow just slightly. “This becomes federal the second I step in,” he says, voice calm but firm. “Which means you don’t control what happens next.”
“I control what happens in my house.”
“That stops mattering when it turns into a crime scene.”
There’s a beat. Violet shifts slightly beside me. I feel it more than I see it. Marcus notices. Of course he does. His gaze flicks toward her for half a second, taking her in. Then back to me.
“That her?” he asks.
I don’t answer. I don’t need to. Something unreadable crosses his face before it disappears.
Devin steps forward then, trying to smooth the edge between us. “Marcus,” he says evenly, “we have everything documented. Financial transfers, communications, timestamps. Camille pulled most of it from encrypted sources. We’re compiling it now—”
“I’ll take all of it,” Marcus cuts in.
“It’s already being organized—”
“I don’t want organized,” Marcus says. “I want raw.”
Devin pauses. Just slightly. Then nods. “You’ll have it.”
Marcus turns back to me. “You’ve been sitting on this,” he says.
“I’ve been building it.”
“So you could handle it yourself?”
“So it wouldn’t fall apart the second I handed it over.”
That lands. Marcus studies me for a long second. Then exhales slowly. “Alright,” he says. “Here’s what’s happening.”
The room shifts again. Because now... He’s taking control.
“He goes into federal custody,” Marcus says, nodding toward the guard. “Clean chain. No contamination. No loose ends.”
The guard starts nodding frantically. “Yes—yes, I’ll cooperate, I’ll give you everything, I swear—”
“Good,” Marcus says without looking at him.
Theo mutters under his breath, “Guy flips faster than a damn switch.”
No one laughs.
Marcus continues, “Everyone in this room stays available for questioning. No disappearing. No side moves.”
His eyes land on me again when he says it. I step forward. Just enough.
“You get your case,” I say. His brow lifts slightly. “I get results.”
A pause. Then, Marcus nods once. “Fine.”
It’s not agreement. It’s tolerance.
Good enough.
I turn away from him first. Conversation over.
“Devin.”
He’s already looking at me.
“What’s the status of the other house?”
“They’re cleaning and stocking it now,” he replies. “Security reset is already in motion.”
Good.
I nod once. Then glance back at Marcus. “This is yours now,” I say flatly. “You want anything else, you know where to find me. I’ll be at my other place,” I add. “City over.”
Marcus doesn’t respond. But I can feel his eyes on me. Measuring. Again. I don’t care.
I turn back to the room. “Everyone,” I say sharply.
Theo straightens immediately. Camille looks up. Violet is already watching me.
“Fifteen minutes,” I continue. “Grab what you need. We’re leaving.”
Theo nods. “Got it.”
Camille pushes off the table. “Okay—yeah—okay.”
Devin is already moving again.
I look at Violet last. Only for a second. “Don’t wander,” I tell her.
Not soft. Not gentle. But not a request either.
The house starts to move again the second I give the order. Footsteps overhead. Drawers opening. Closets shifting.
Behind me, the guard is still tied to the chair, quieter now, like he finally understands just how deep he’s buried himself.
Marcus hasn’t moved far. He’s watching me. Not the room. Not the guard. Me.
Of course he is.
I feel him step closer before he even speaks. Measured. Deliberate.
“Tell me something,” Marcus says.
I don’t turn yet.
“Is all of this really worth it?”
Now I look at him. Slow. Unimpressed. He tilts his head slightly toward the stairs.
“Everything you’ve just set into motion,” he continues. “Federal involvement. Relocation. Exposure... All for one woman?”
There it is. I study him for a second. Then I let out a quiet breath.
“You walked into my house,” I say calmly, “and saw a man tied to a chair who was paid to breach my security, disable my systems, and put a gun to her head.”
Marcus doesn’t interrupt.
“You saw evidence of corruption,” I continue. “A detective already connected to another murder. A political figure taking bribes. Internal compromise.”
I take a step closer. Not aggressive. Just enough.
“And your question is whether this is worth it.”