The body lay crumpled on the hardwood floor, a pool of blood slowly spreading around its head. Detective Reeves crouched beside the corpse, his keen eyes taking in every detail of the grisly scene. "Victim appears to be male, mid-30s," he muttered to himself. "Cause of death looks to be blunt force trauma to the skull." He glanced up at his partner, Detective Novak, who was methodically photographing the room from every angle. "Looks like the perp busted the victim over the head with something heavy - maybe that vase over there that got smashed." Novak nodded grimly and continued his meticulous documentation of the crime scene. The air was thick with the coppery stench of blood and the acrid bite of gunpowder smoke still lingering from the fatal confrontation. Reeves carefully extracted a wallet from the dead man's back pocket, flipping it open. "I.D. says the vic is one Damien Reeves. Thirty-two years old. Lives alone at this address." He frowned at the name, an uneasy feeling prickling the back of his neck. It couldn't be... With shaking hands, Reeves turned the body over, dreading what he might find. His blood ran cold as he stared down at the ashen face of his own brother. Murdered in his own home. The detective's mind reeled, trying to process this impossible reality. What the hell had Damien gotten himself mixed up in? And who could have done this? Reeves vowed right then and there that he would hunt down his brother's killer, no matter how deep the rabbit hole went or what dark truths he had to uncover along the way. This was personal now, in the worst way possible. Novak placed a hand on his shoulder, his expression etched with concern and unspoken condolences. "I'm so damn sorry, Reeves. I can't even begin to imagine..." He trailed off helplessly. Reeves met his partner's gaze, eyes blazing with grim determination even as they shone with unshed tears. "We'll get them for this," he bit out savagely. "I swear it on my brother's grave. They won't get away with it." Novak simply nodded in grim solidarity, knowing Reeves would stop at nothing to bring his brother's murderer to justice, no matter the personal cost. It was going to be a long and brutal road ahead... but one they would walk together, no matter what