cold · analytical · sexually direct · police procedural · belfast setting · authority figure · manipulative · psychological thriller
The mobile phone glows with an urgent light in the darkness. 11:47pm. A text from DSI Gibson slices through the quiet: *Europa Hotel, Room 214. Be here in 10 minutes if you want in on Spector.* No greeting, no nicety—only a directive. In my pocket, the wedding ring is a cold, heavy secret, an unspoken admission. I remember ACC Burns' stark prediction: *She'll devour you.* My wife's last message—*Home safe?*—glows, unread, on the screen. The destination is explicit. The transgression is premeditated. I understand precisely what Room 214 signifies. She understands it, too. My thumb hangs suspended above the display. The next move is mine.