Page 12 of Midnight at the Magnolia

The smile that spreads across his face sends a jolt through me. For a moment, the hardened FBI agent melts away, replaced by a man who looks genuinely pleased. It’s a glimpse of what could be, in another life where I’m not a vigilante and he’s not the law. A dangerous fantasy, but oh so tempting.

“I’d like that,” he says softly. “Tomorrow night, then. Try not to get us arrested, okay?”

As the door swings shut behind him, I release a shaky breath. The walls I’ve built are crumbling, and I’m powerless to stop it. Ethan is a complication I can’t afford, a weakness in my armor that could prove fatal. But even as I recognize the danger, I can’t bring myself to regret the invitation.

The rest of my shift passes in a blur of coffee refills and fake smiles. As I flip the Closed sign, the transition from bustling diner to eerie quiet is jarring. I shed my waitress persona like a snake shedding its skin, the weight of my choices pressing down on me.

Time to trade one mask for another. The night is young, and there’s work to be done.

The moon hangs low and bloated in the sky as I find myself once again near Gregory’s apartment. The night air is thick with humidity, carrying the scents of jasmine and decay—the perfume of a city balanced between beauty and rot. Just like me, I suppose.

This time, Gregory is awake, engaged in a heated conversation with a man I recognize as one of Councilman Davis’s aides. They stand in the shadows of a building, but their voices carry in the still night air.

Amateurs. Don’t they know sound travels farther at night?

I inch closer, the rough brick scraping against my back as I strain to catch their words. My heart pounds so loudly I’m afraid it will give me away. Easy, girl. You’ve done this a thousand times. Just breathe.

“...can’t back out now,” the aide growls, his voice low and menacing. “You’re in too deep.”

Gregory’s reply is high-pitched, panic evident in every syllable. “This isn’t what I signed up for! A citywide blackout?People could die!” Oh, honey, now you grow a conscience? Bit late for that, don’t you think?

“Keep your voice down, you idiot!” the aide hisses, venom dripping from every word. “You’ll do as you’re told, or you’ll end up like the others. Like that nosy reporter, Marianne.”

Ice floods my veins, chilling me to the bone despite the muggy night air. Marianne—one of the victims in Ethan’s case. The murders he’s investigating are connected to this conspiracy. It’s all linked, a web of corruption and death that stretches farther than I’d imagined.

Well, well, well. Looks like I’ve stumbled into the belly of the beast, haven’t I?

A car turns onto the street, its headlights cutting through the darkness like twin blades. I press myself against the wall, willing the shadows to swallow me whole. Come on, darkness, don’t fail me now.

As it passes, I catch a glimpse of the driver—Ethan.

I hold my breath until he’s gone, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs. When I look again, Gregory and the aide have vanished like ghosts in the night, leaving me alone with the weight of what I’ve learned.

Fantastic. Just fan-fucking-tastic.

The stakes have skyrocketed. This isn’t just about stopping a heist anymore. It’s about unraveling a conspiracy that reaches into the very heart of New Orleans, a cancer that’s been growing unchecked for who knows how long. And here I thought I was just playing exterminator to a few rats. Turns out I’m dealing with the whole damn zoo.

And Ethan is unknowingly working against me, inching closer to a truth that could destroy us both. The irony would be funny if it weren’t so terrifying. Oh, the tangled webs we weave, darling. This city’s about to become a battleground, and I’m caught in the crossfire.

My decision crystallizes, hard and sharp as a diamond. Gregory has to be eliminated. He’s the weak link, the one most likely to break under pressure. And if he talks, everything I’ve worked for could come crashing down.

I reach for my phone to warn my contact, then hesitate. Ethan’s worried face flashes in my mind, and the weight of my choices threatens to crush me. This is the moment, the point of no return. Once I make this call, there’s no going back.

Are you ready for this, Celeste?

Ready to dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?

Not night, I decide, the words a solemn vow to the uncaring stars above. Gregory will meet his end. And may whatever God is listening have mercy on my damned soul, because I know I won’t show any.

I take a step away from Gregory’s apartment, my hand reaching for my concealed weapon. The metal is cold against my skin, and yet it comforts me unlike anything else. My constant companion in this city of shadows. But before I can move further, a figure steps out of the shadows—a ghost from my past, someone I thought I’d buried along with my old life.

“Hello, Celeste,” a painfully familiar voice says. “It’s been a long time.”

My body tenses, every muscle coiled and ready to spring. A kaleidoscope of emotions crashes over me—shock, fear, anger, and something dangerously close to relief. Well, fuck me sideways. The hits just keep on coming, don’t they?

I struggle to keep my voice steady as I reply, “Alex. I thought you were dead.”

I thought I killed you…

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