“Do you need me to do anything?” I frowned.
“No. I’m sorry. I’ll be right back.” She rushed off.
Marcelo watched her leave.
I scowled. “Be careful with those eyes.”
“Calm down, buddy. I don’t want no parts of this Di-Rose situation.” He shook his head. “We have other problems.”
“Like?”
“Due to your new budding romance, Mayor Parks has decided to assemble a new task force. I don’t know the name yet, but their sole mission is to take down the Diamond Syndicate.”
“Your people on the inside told you this?”
“They did. Parks called an emergency meeting last night. An hour after you cock blocked him.”
“Don’t worry.” I returned to my eggs. “I’m going to get rid of him.”
“You can’t kill the mayor right now. Not while we’re busy cleaning up Leo’s murders and burying Syndicate bodies. We still haven’t told everyone that Pedro is dead.”
My head throbbed. “Fuck. I knew I was forgetting something last week.”
“Fuck is right. Coffin Cheaters have been creeping around all the districts asking about Pedro.”
“Have your men dress Pedro up and place him in—”
“Oh, no, buddy. I’m not doing fucking hair and makeup on a corpse, and my men aren’t doing it either.”
“Fine. I’ll deal with that and Parks.”
“Dima, killing Parks has to be off. If he shows up dead, the Syndicate will be the first people everyone looks at.”
“You’re correct.”
“I am.”
“But, I don’t care.”
“You need the Syndicate to give a unanimous vote. You don’t have mine. Lei is too busy to give you his, and you don’t even want to bother the West right now.” Marcelo leaned back in his chair. “Which brings us to why I’m here.”
“What?”
“The West.”
“What about the West?”
“Chanel’s body is missing?”
I quirked my brows. “What do you mean?”
“Someone stole her body out of Serenity funeral home.”
“How did you find out?”
“Kashmere woke me up to guns in my face.”
The pain doubled in my head. “Did any of your men die?”
“She shot a few in their legs. All basic injuries. However. . .” Marcelo’s jaw twitched. “If Kashmere comes back into my bedroom like that again, I will kill her and anyone else in the Killer Crows.”
I no longer had an appetite. “We don’t need a fight between the South and West.”
Marcelo pointed to me. “Then, make sure Kashmere learns some fucking respect. I come to you as an alternative to what I planned on doing this evening.”
I could imagine the alternative—Marcelo and crew shooting up the West. “I’m glad you kept your calm. That’s how we must react during these dark days.”
“Besides, Chanel and Romeo, the rest of the Killer Crows have always treated Rowe Street Mob coldly.” He hit the table. “I’m done with that shit.”
This city is boiling hot with anger. Everyone is feeling it.
I placed my hands on the table and knitted my fingers together. “You must understand that the history between the South and West is a. . .dark and devasting situation.”
“Rowe Street Mob didn’t fuck with them.”
“Yet, some of their relatives may have.”
Marcelo sighed.
“Just be sure to handle the West with great care. Due to the past, there’s mistrust that you have nothing to do with.”
He looked to be considering that.
I had to walk him away from any thoughts of having Rowe Street Mob go after the West.
Damn it, Kashmere. Next time come to me.
I shut away my aggravation. “Why did she come to you about Chanel’s missing body in the first place?”
“The funeral home had a video tape of a bright green van parked up to the back of the funeral home. Two men in dark green ski masks and bright green clothes jumped out, broke in, and took the body.” Marcelo pulled out his phone, pressed the screen, and then handed it to me. “Look at how the guy jumps out from the passenger side.”
“I see it.” Pissed, I nodded. “He looks like he’s leaping from a high cliff.”
“And who usually does that?”
“Lei.” I gave him the phone back.
“I’m thinking of shooting up the East too.” Marcelo grabbed it.
“Marcelo, you’ve been clear-minded during our recent deaths. I need you to find that calm again.”
Marcelo sneered. “Lei is supposed to be going after his father in Glory, not stealing fucking bodies from the morgue!”
“I agree.”
“Not to mention that he’s pretending that it’s Rowe Street Mob doing it!”
“We’re not sure if that was his intentions—”
“Don’t bullshit me, Dima. You think it was a coincidence that Lei used green on everything?”
Absolutely not.
Marcelo put his phone back in his pockets. “Lei wanted the Killer Crows to bother Rowe Street Mob, while he did only God knows what to Chanel’s body.”
I held up my hand, not wanting any hypotheticals on Lei with Chanel’s corpse. “Listen. Lei isn’t that twisted.”
“Then, what does he need her body for?”
“Perhaps, he wants to say goodbye on his terms.”
“You don’t need the actual body for that. Get a fucking picture or something! He’s causing us more problems.” Marcelo hit the table again.