The Heart Wants What It Wants

Chapter One

Silver Lee's handgun was pointed at Kenji's face. "You know how I feel about giving people second chances," she said, her tone conversational. "But after seeing how well you dealt with the shipment delay this week, I've...reconsidered." Her expression was mockingly benevolent, as if the man should recognize just how rare this second chance was and that he should be groveling in gratitude.

Kenji's swallowed, the irregular bob of his Adam's apple betraying the panic he kept from his face. After a quick moment of eye contact, he dropped his gaze. "Yes, boss. Thank you, boss."

"Good. Remember my kindness." Silver's light brown eyes were hard as she flicked her wrist, the gesture indicating in no uncertain terms that he should move and do it quickly. "Now get out of my sight."

Kenji dipped his head in submission and after backing up a few steps, turned to walk away. His strides were short and quick, as if he expected her to shoot him in the back and was barely able to keep himself from sprinting away. A ridiculous fear. Everyone in Silver Lee's crew, hell, everyone in the city knew she would never do something as cowardly as shoot a man in the back.

The sound of Kenji's shoes echoed through the warehouse as he rushed away from Silver and the four men shadowing her. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. Until Kenji was halfway to the huge sliding doors that led out into the alley and Silver called, "Kenji?"

He stopped and slowly turned around, his eyes locked onto the suppressor Silver was casually screwing into the barrel of her gun. Both Kenji's hands came up to shoulder height. "Boss...I—" He laughed nervously. "C'mon."

"Yes," she mused, her mouth quirking sardonically. "I'm the boss. Which means I know everything that happens around here. And I know it was you who told the Garfinchels. That was dumb. I loathe worms. And now you're worm food." She raised the gun and fired two shots into his chest. Kenji dropped to the floor and Silver walked over to where he lay gasping and writhing on the concrete. She stood in the pool of blood spreading out from underneath him and fired another shot. Kenji went still.

Silver inhaled deeply, stared at the body for a few moments then gave a small nod as if satisfied. She spun to face the men. "Is anyone else feeling disloyal?" she asked, waving the pistol around. When none of them answered, she unscrewed the suppressor and holstered the gun on her hip. "No? Good. I've already ruined one pair of shoes tonight." She made a vague gesture with the suppressor before tucking it into an inner pocket of her designer leather jacket. "Get rid of that mess. And do it fast. We have a shipment coming in and I need to make myself presentable for my evening of...entertainment."

Silver spun around and walked away through the high stacks of plastic-wrapped bricks filling the warehouse, the sound of her stilettos clicking sharply against polished concrete. The camera lingered on her ass then panned down to the three-inch heels that made her legs look out...of...this...world. She left a trail of bloodied footprints as she walked. Click, clack, click, clack. The screen went black.

My blinking feels too fast, like my brain can't process what I've just watched. The episode was so intense, so incredible that the only words circling through my brain at top speed are, "Holy shit." The usual next-episode trailer rolls, telling me Greed will return next week for its final episode of the year and promising things are going to get bigger, more exciting, and more dangerous. It seems Silver Lee, a.k.a. undercover LAPD detective Bianca Choi, has a problem with her handler-slash-partner. He's worried about her, worried she's too deep into her Silver Lee persona, and feels like he doesn't know who she is now.

I try to ignore that too-close-to-home sentiment to focus on the teaser of Choi's badass fight scene in the next episode. I wonder if she'll shoot her handler too and shed her detective skin once and for all to dive fully into her undercover drug-lord role. That would be an epic cliffhanger for the Christmas break.