This. . .this can’t be. . .happening.
Lei leaned his forehead against the glass window and closed his eyes. His guns remained at his sides. He looked to be silently unraveling into cold violence.
Needing some form of anchor, I checked Viktor. He had his widened his eyes in shock.
More people fought below. Others raced out of there. I caught Mayor Parks and his small security surrounding Rose and getting her out of there.
I turned my view back to Chanel.
I’m. . .going to miss you. . .so fucking much. . .
Lei opened his eyes, moved from the glass, and glared at her dead body.
Tension rose in the space.
Slowly breathing in and out, I tried to focus on some clues. It was all I could think of. This crushing feeling in my heart had to go. I studied how the killer had presented Chanel. From my view, she was dressed like a King. She had a red robe on and gold leaf crown on her head.
Why does the killer always switch genders? What are you trying to say? Are you trying to embarrass Chanel by dressing her up as a king?
She held a large red sword in her left hand. In her right hand, she had a massive shield with Medusa painted on the front.
Medusa? What king loved her?
Lei’s top guy, Chen went to him and whispered, “Can I hold your guns for you?”
Lei ignored him and looked my way. “Who the fuck is doing this?! Why haven’t you fucking stopped him?! Do you see what happened?!”
“Okay.” Marcelo got between Lei and me. “First, we have to calm down and get Chanel down from the cage. I’ve got cameras at every entrance and exit. We’ve got this piece of shit.”
“That doesn’t matter anymore. She’s gone! Chanel!!” Lei walked around Marcelo to get to me. “What do you have to say, Dima? Huh?”
And then I realized where I’d seen the medusa shield. “Alexander the Great.”
Everyone paused.
Lei leaned his head to the side. “What?”
“The killer dressed Chanel up as Alexander the Great.”
Lei charged for me, trying to attack. Marcelo and Chen caught him, keeping his guns pointed to the ground.
I remained where I was and watched him.
“You let her die!” Lei shoved Chen to the ground, but at least Chen somehow had both of his guns. Lei tried to take out his knife and come for me.
So sad, I didn’t even step away.
Lei screamed in pain, “You let her die!”
Guilt filled my heart.
“Calm down, Lei!” Marcelo had a decent grip. More of Lei’s men held him back.
Meanwhile, Viktor and my people added a bigger wall between us and took their guns out, but no one pointed.
And I had nothing to say. All I could do was stand there in a daze of sorrow. The deepest despair poured all over me. Any hope that I’d had earlier tonight left me.
Eight men now held Lei back. He screamed and shook in their arms.
And in my mind, I went back to the Jones Mansion and that moment where I held Chanel against me.
Chanel. . .if I knew you would leave me. . .I would have said more.
10
The Bloody Message
Dimitri
A
ll the cages were lowered to the dance floor. The police taped off the crime scene. Every guest was fingerprinted before leaving the property. My men took pictures and searched the area for any suspicious individuals.
I know many people surrounded the nightclub outside, including police cars and ambulance. News crews had also arrived.
The coroner took Chanel’s body. Never trusting Paradise offices, several Killer Crows rode behind them.
Why is this killer targeting the Diamond Syndicate? What did we do to you?
I considered his three victims—my friends.
Johnny Cupcakes laundered our money. So far, operations were getting shaky due his men not understanding his system.
Romeo ruled the West. When he died, unrest started there.
Chanel took over the throne. With her death, the West would be up in arms and attacking all the other sections by the end of the week.
The killer wants to end the Diamond Syndicate.
That was the only link I could think up. He didn’t just want to get rid of the top guys, he wanted to destroy us.
But where does the king and queen stuff come from? Why the make-up and gowns?
The killer didn’t put food around Chanel like with Johnny Cupcakes. He didn’t surround her with dildos and sex toys either. Tonight, he placed jewelry on the floor of the cage—pearls, diamonds, rubies, and gold.
How could the killer have gotten it? Even the ghosts have to sneak around the estate.
Lei spent the rest of the night, rushing through the club and checking every point. He had his guns ready to shoot anyone. With his armed men, he went up to the roof, found no one, and then rushed down to the club’s basement.
Currently, Lei tore up the VIP section, flipping over chairs and checking under them.