“In what investigation, Agent Wilson? Because here’s what’s confusing to me. You work for the DEA, correct?” Nick didn’t wait for Wilson’s response. “So you really have no claim to the Diamond Turner case.”
“I’m investigating the Diamond Turner murder,” McCoy put in.
Nick nodded. “Fine. When you get enough evidence to arrest my client, give me a call and we’ll gladly head on down to the station. But until that time, you”—he pointed at Wilson—“stay out of his face or you’ll be slapped with a harassment charge so fast Detective McCoy’s head will spin.”
“I didn’t kill Diamond Turner,” X stated seriously. “If you want to find her killer, you need to take a closer look at what’s going on down at Athena’s.”
McCoy nodded, tapping the pencil he’d been using to write in his notepad against his chin. “Funny you should say that. We picked up two more bodies from Athena’s last night. Both females that worked there, just like Diamond.”
X was instantly alert. “How did they die?”
“You tell us,” Wilson interjected.
“You’re dangerously close to a formal suit being filed against you and your department, Agent Wilson,” Nick said, shaking his head with a smug smile.
McCoy shared a glance with Wilson, who didn’t look terribly intimidated by Nick’s threat.
With a shrug McCoy said, “Coroner thinks it may be a drug overdose, but there’s still some traces of foul play. One’s name was Raven, the other Icy. Those are their stage names, of course. Sound familiar?”
“I’m not a regular at the strip club so no, I don’t know either of those ladies,” X told them.
“You sure?” Wilson asked. “Because here’s where it gets really interesting. Raven was the one who told us about you giving her and a couple of other girls a hard time one night a few months back. And one of those girls was Diamond Turner.”
Inwardly X cursed as he replayed that night in the alley when he’d first met Diamond Turner. Raven had to be the tall one with all that dark curly hair and smart-ass mouth.
“This meeting is over,” Nick said, standing. “You two can see yourselves out. Remember what I said about that warrant.”
McCoy and Wilson both stood, Wilson eyeing X as he rose slowly.
“Just so you know, these new developments officially make you a suspect in not one, but three murders. In light of these circumstances I have no choice but to alert the director of the Bureau immediately.”
X stood as well, rage simmering slowly inside him. It wasn’t just that the man thought he was a murderer, but that now he would attempt to threaten X’s job. He wanted to prove Agent Wilson right and leap across that desk to take a chunk out of his throat. But he remained calm, or as calm as could be expected for a
“You do what you have to do,” he said coolly.
“I’ll caution you, Agent, don’t dig your ass a hole you can’t climb out of,” Nick said.
Wilson cocked his head at Nick. “Is that another threat, counselor?”
Nick shrugged. “Take it as advice from someone who’s not real used to losing in the courtroom. Build your case and find the real killer. In the meantime, leave my client the hell alone. We clear?”
“Get your house in order” was Wilson’s response to X as they moved to leave the office. “I’m coming for your ass.”
“Then you better come correct,” X said, unable to contain another ounce of restraint.
When they were gone and the door to the office was closed, Nick sat down with a huff. “Fuck!”
X echoed that sentiment as he turned to stare out the window. When he awakened this morning it had been after a night with no nightmares, a night when he’d thought light was penetrating the dark that had stalked him for so long. Now, as clouds moved slowly over the sky, he felt as gloomy and dour as the weather. This was his fate; he should have known better than to believe otherwise.
Chapter 24
Nivea Cannon was a twenty-eight-year-old shifter whose parents owned a nonprofit organization that provided aid to underprivileged children—with a good deal of those children being shifters. She was the younger of two sisters and the only sibling to leave New York in search of her own life.
Those were the specifics as Nick had read them from a data file he kept on his laptop. In addition to his duties as a commanding officer, Nick was also head of security for the Eastern Zone. More often than not his security upgrades reached out to the remaining Zones as well. About an hour ago Eli had met with Ezra, Rome, Nick, and X. The topic of discussion was of course Sabar and what they were now calling his gang of Rogues down at Athena’s. It had been decided that at the moment the shadows could not take a more active role in ridding the world of these cretins without bringing more heat on the investigation against X.
“They’re building a circumstantial case against him,” Nick had said from his seat beside Rome. “I can blow holes in every theory they have right now, but more dead bodies will only give them more ammunition.”
To that announcement X had growled, his fists pounding on the table. Eli understood the man’s frustration. There was nothing worse than being wrongly accused—he could so relate to that.
“Agent Wilson seems to be really gunning for you,” Rome said to X. “Any ideas why?”
X shook his head. “Never dealt with the man until I came across his name in Kalina’s files. I think his fixation is with the three of us since he was behind the initial investigation into the firm.”
Rome nodded. “You’re probably right. He couldn’t find anything on me so now he’s connecting the dots.” Rubbing a hand over his chin, smoothing the neatly trimmed goatee, the FL looked like he was in deep concentration. “I want to know what he knows before he tosses it in our faces again,” he said solemnly.
Nick picked right up where Rome left off, which was normally the case between these two.
“We need twenty-four-hour surveillance on him. Two guards, not males. The way he was eyeing me and X, I sensed him putting together similarities. In light of all the suspicions and investigating of our kind, I don’t want this guy piecing anything together. Females will work better because he won’t suspect them,” Nick said.
“Nivea Cannon’s good,” Ezra said immediately. “She’s been in battle with us twice now and holds her own.”
“I agree,” X commented. “She escorted Caprise down to Athena’s the other night and gave those nosy-ass peeps a fright when she almost toppled them with the Dumpster.”
“Did you find out who they were?” Rome asked with what seemed like an afterthought.
“Nivea found a card on the street right outside the alley. A reporter named Priya Blake,” X said with a frown.
Eli hadn’t been terribly surprised by that revelation. These stripper murders were making headlines. Assumptions were being made about the possible connection to the females who’d died in that apartment building and to Senator Baines and his daughter. It was no wonder the sharks were out with all the blood that had been spilled so far.
“That’s just what we need,” Ezra stated.
“Who else? I don’t want Nivea tailing this guy alone,” Nick said. “Find another female, give them rotating shifts. They’ll report directly to you, Eli.”
Eli nodded, not totally thrilled with the assignment but resigned to take it anyway. He and Nivea had history. Of course that meant it wasn’t good history; that would be too much like right.
“As for the reporter, Ezra, you get somebody to research her. I want to know where she works, eats, and sleeps. And I definitely want to know which paper she’s writing for,” Rome told the guard.
“No problem” was Ezra’s quick and smooth response.
Eli had wanted to elbow his twin. Nothing bothered Ezra, ever. He was the easygoing twin, the suave and totally-in-control one. Eli was the one with the rough edges, the youngest by two and a half minutes, and the one who was always trying to find his place. Lead Guard for the Eastern Zone wasn’t a bad place to be. Personally guarding a commanding officer was just as prestigious but sometimes Eli wanted something that was just about him, based solely on the man he was, not the shifter he became.
He was thinking like that and hating himself for doing so as he walked into Havenway’s gym where he knew
