Cross (Dark Kings 3)

“It may not have been your idea, but I have footage of you inside Tit for Tat removing those from my safe.” I pulled the footage an hour ago, and sure enough, it was her. Thirty minutes before I got the call about Lucky’s being on fire.

Bones shoves her forward, letting go of her hair, and she buries her face in her hands, now sobbing.

“Did he tell you that you could have me if Alexa was out of the picture?” I ask.

She nods at my question.

I kneel in front of her. Reaching up, I push some hair from her tear-streaked face, and she flinches from my touch. “I was done with you before Alexa came into my life,” I tell her.

Her red-rimmed eyes widen at my words, and I stand to my full height.

“I’m sorry,” she sobs.

“Too late,” I say. Pulling out my Zippo, I flip it open and strike it across my jeans.

“Wait! No!” Mitch chokes out. “I have something … diamonds …”

I flip it closed, putting out the flame. “You what?” Bones is the one who asks.

He swallows and licks his lips. “I know where the diamonds that you’re looking for are.”

I hear Turner step into the cell behind me.

“He’s bluffing,” Derek hisses, yanking on his zip ties and forcing Mitch to look up at the ceiling.

“What is it that you know?” I ask him, nodding to Derek that it’s okay for him to let up.

He lets go, and Mitch takes in a deep breath. “I have them.”

The cell falls silent, and I reach up, scratching my chin. “You?” I question. He’s clearly lying to buy himself some time to try and figure out how he’ll get past us. But how would he even know we’re looking for them?

Bones snorts, clearly also not believing him.

“I swear,” he rushes out. “I was here to meet up with Kale weeks ago …” He side-eyes Rachel for a quick second. “He gave them to me to hold just in case Turner was setting him up.”

“Bullshit.” Turner laughs at the mention of his name.

We never did find the other six—the ones we owe the Mason brothers per our deal. Like we had expected, they weren’t inside of Kale. We hadn’t given up looking for them, but that was put on hold after finding out who was involved in the burning of Lucky’s.

“I’ve worked for Kale for the past couple of months. He approached me here at the Airport and asked me to move product for him.” He licks his lips. “I was going to tell him no, but he had seen me talking to Alexa and promised me I would have her.”

I punch him in the face for even saying her name. I go to do it again, but Turner pulls me back and Mitch spits blood onto the concrete floor.

“You’re lying!” I shout.

He shakes his head. “He knew her. Said he was friends with Lucky, who gave her the bar. That’s where I first met him last year. I was up there seeing her, and he sat next to me at the bar.” Blood drips down his chin. “He knew how much I hated you all. He asked me to work for him, then …”

Grave snorts.

“It’s true.” Mitch goes on. “How do you think Derek knows so much about you guys?”

We all look over at Derek. He nods, not even bothering to deny it. “Mitch told me everything I know.”

“Kale told me how he was friends with the Three Wisemen and how they stiffed him out of Kingdom.” He licks the blood from his busted lip. “He saw you with Alexa here at the Airport and came to me.”

I start to pace the room, my right hand playing with my Zippo. It makes sense. It’s fucking crazy, but it connects the dots we’re missing.

“He then called me and said that plans had changed. You were hot on his trail, and he needed to get rid of you, and the best way was through Alexa. I never meant to kill her. I knew she wasn’t at Lucky’s. I just needed her to think you were after her,” he admits.

Rachel sobs, knowing that whatever he had originally told her was bullshit. He set her up. It was about Mitch getting back with Alexa all along.

“But Derek showed up before it could burn.”

No one says a word, letting everything he’s confessing set it. Bones was right—he’s telling on himself like the scared little bitch he is, thinking the truth will set him free.

“I swear,” he continues when none of us say anything.

“Okay,” I bite, coming to a stop. “Where are the diamonds?”

“I …” He trails off, looking over at her again.

“Look at me,” I demand, running out of patience. I have a girls’ party to get to.

“I saw you here the other night with her at the bar, and I wasn’t able to get ahold of Kale. I knew something was wrong when I saw you guys head to the basement,” he states. “I panicked and swallowed them.”