Page 24 of Curvy Dirty Omega

Whoever had killed Gideon had done it with a cool head, their execution flawless. There wasn’t a single disturbance in the office either. Nothing had been knocked over or used for self-defense.

Nothing to indicate Gideon had struggled at all.

Either he knew the person who’d killed him, or the murderer was a trained professional who’d hidden their presence until the very last moment. Both options were possible considering how violent pack disputes could get. Whatever an assassin cost, most well-known packs could afford it and then some.

Whoever had killed Gideon had been a meticulous planner. I’d be impressed if I wasn’t so annoyed at how many potential suspects a hired killer would give us.

As much as everyone wanted to claim this was a move to gain power, I didn’t agree. It was the easy answer and convincing if they’d hired an assassin like I suspected, but my gut was telling me this was an act of revenge.

Curiosity ate at my insides until it consumed me whole and all I could think about was why.

Why hadn’t they done it themselves? Why had Gideon been left here to bleed to death just like my mother?

Whoever had done this hadn’t tried to cover it up either. They’d wanted him to be found. That way it would hurt the ones who loved him most and make them afraid they might be next.

Perfectly orchestrated and viciously effective.

Whoever had planned this better still be alive because I needed to know why they considered killing such a high-profile individual worth the risk if I was ever going to sleep again.

CHAPTER 9

Lucy

Sliding my gaze from the pool of blood to the hulking brute in the doorway, I inspected those blue eyes first, but saw nothing that would indicate he was nervous or trying to act normal. Cassius was glaring at me with his arms crossed over his massive chest and his tablet tucked under his arm.

He had a compelling motive, but I still couldn’t commit to the idea of him as the murderer. Not when this tasted like revenge instead of a means to an end. And he stood there so calmly without a single drop of sweat on his forehead.

The dispassionate way he seemed to exist would fit the way Gideon had been murdered though.

My instincts were telling me Cassius was dangerous – that he wouldn’t hesitate to kill someone if he needed to, but Gideon? Maybe the answer would be on his computer. If what Liam had said was true, I might be able to track his activity. If Cassius was busy typing at any point during the window of the murder, he’d have a decent alibi.

But I wasn’t here to clear anyone’s name. I was here to find answers.

Liam had left almost an hour ago, and he hadn’t come back. It made me uneasy when I didn’t know where he was, but that didn’t mean I needed to be able to see him at all times either. Tracking Liam’s movements was important, but he was probably just tired.

Even still, he’d insisted on us having an escort. Did that mean Cassius was going to watch over us for the rest of the day? I wished Liam was the one standing in that doorway, not the one who hated my very existence.

We’d need to reach out to some of our contacts if we wanted to keep track of any movement among the legacy alpha packs in the city. Having eyes and ears in various places would make sure we didn’t lose track of Liam, Cassius, or Melinda Valor.

Considering how much this felt like a hit, we’d need to consider reaching out to our other contacts as well as the one in the nearby precinct. If someone started hiding evidence that would be the biggest indicator of guilt.

That Liam hadn’t refused a private autopsy made me think he had nothing to do with his brother’s murder, but I couldn’t rule anyone out until we had proof of their alibis and lack of involvement.

I pulled out my phone and opened an app for a taxi as I headed toward the door, eyes down so as not to aggravate the blue-eyed alpha who always looked like he wanted to get rid of me by any means possible. Maybe that was just his normal face, but his presence was suffocating when he forgot to pull it back.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Cassius asked, grabbing my arm before I could walk past him.

I showed him my phone instead of answering. Partially because I knew it would irritate him, and partially because the idea of talking was suddenly exhausting.

“The store? You don’t need to call a ride. I’ll drive you there,” Cassius told me, plucking the phone from my hand, surprisingly unbothered. He didn’t ask me why either, which I found fascinating. “Which store do you want to go to?”

“We should see the body first,” Frankie interjected, snatching my phone out of Cassius’s hand. “So take us there instead.”

I didn’t bother taking my phone back and tucked both hands in my coat pockets, waiting for the two alphas to finish bristling at each other so we could get shit done.

“I need to warn Liam about this, but you can take the private elevator down to the parking garage. Level four. The Black Ford Explorer. Do me a favor and don’t leave without me.” Cassius handed Frankie the car keys before turning on his heel and heading toward the stairs.

“Hard to ditch you when we have no idea where the body is located,” Frankie muttered, eyeing the car keys like she didn’t think they’d really work.

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