Page 6 of The Boss

However, a nagging thought remained in the back of my mind. The Don and I had history, his father mandating a decision that had altered the course of my life. While we’d never had words, that didn’t mean there wasn’t resentment on both sides.

“That’s what I’m going to find out. Not a word of this leaks to anyone. If it does, the person responsible for disobeying my orders will face my wrath. Is that clear?” I shifted my heated gaze toward Nico and Atticus, allowing a sweep of the other men in the room as well.

“You got it, boss,” Nico answered for everyone. “I’ll make certain no one sees his body being removed.”

“I can’t believe this,” Christos whispered, now standing over Leandro’s body. “What in the fuck is going on?”

I had no answer at this point. “Who found him?” My brother was dead, but as I touched his suit jacket, I felt a reverence for him and his soulful spirit, gently easing the edge aside. His holster was unsnapped as if he was ready to reach for his weapon.

“A waitress. She’s been detained so she wouldn’t open her mouth. I’ll get her.” Atticus grinned. He was also a notorious ladies’ man.

“He wasn’t certain the person he was meeting was a friend or foe,” Christos commented after homing in on what I was staring at.

“If he’d feared an enemy, his weapon would have been in plain sight.”

My brother sighed. “Then we’re possibly dealing with betrayal.”

Anything was possible at this point.

Nodding, I walked around the room, searching for any possible clues. Since we didn’t require anyone to sign in or become a member, it was difficult to control who was allowed in the club. That was left up to the bouncers. But they weren’t required to memorize the identity of every guest. Finding the assassin this way wasn’t possible.

“A clean shot. Did anyone hear anything?” Christos asked, his tone much harsher than before. While he was also the most emotional of the family, his mood swings notorious, I worried he’d shift to the darker side with our brother’s death.

Nico walked closer. “Not that I was told. It would appear a silencer was used. Plus, the loud music.”

It was interesting how many men who considered themselves powerful preferred allowing those to hear the noise of someone getting shot. It added to the appearance of power, providing a warning that was stated without words. Only true assassins bothered to remain in the shadows, a silencer almost always used. Plus, the use of a gun and a single bullet likely meant the kill hadn’t been a personal decision, but a contractual one. My gut told me the kill hadn’t been about Leandro personally, but about the family in general.

Leandro had possibly used the private entrance only a few had access to, allowing the person he was meeting into the club that way. It would have avoided anyone seeing the mystery man’s entrance. Still, my younger brother knew the dangers. He was cautious. He’d been trained. Someone had used their previous encounter as a weakness.

That someone would die.

Atticus returned a few seconds later, pulling the waitress in with too much force for my liking.

“Let her go,” I told him in a tone that he immediately recognized as one that meant my patience was waning.

He hesitated before following my orders, finally taking a step back and nodding.

Everyone was tense.

Christos sighed, lifting his eyebrow as he glanced in my direction. Abuse of women wasn’t allowed in our regime.

The girl couldn’t have been more than twenty-two, her entire face ashen. I could tell the moment she registered Leandro’s body for a second time, her eyes growing wide.

I walked toward her. By the way she looked at the floor, I sensed just how uncomfortable she was.

“What’s your name?” Christos asked.

“Sophia.” She was a nervous kitty cat.

“Sophia, did you serve this room?” I kept my tone even.

“Yes,” she barely managed, her lower lip quivering.

“What can you tell me about my brother’s guest?”

Her entire body was shaking. “Nothing, sir. I didn’t see who it was.”

I took a deep breath and lifted her chin with a single finger. “It’s not a good idea to lie to me, Sophia.”

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