Page 28 of Ruthless Beast

I still have no idea who killed David, and it’s frustrating the hell out of me. I have shaken all the branches in every tree I can think of, and still no one has any ideas. No intel on the streets. It’s almost unheard of. Maybe it wasn’t a mob hit. No one knows what goes on behind closed doors in anyone’s life. Perhaps David was into something that caught up with him. It’s not impossible, although highly improbable in my estimation of the man.

For the first time in my life, I’m stumped, and I don’t care for it. What kind of mafia boss doesn’t know what’s going on on the streets? I have to do something about this before my men lose faith in me. That’s as good as a death sentence.

It’s 6 p.m. when I knock on the locked gallery door. I can see Emily through the glass. She looks nervous. Not a good sign.

“Hi,” she smiles when she opens the door for me.

“Hey.”

She locks the door behind me as soon as I’m inside.

“How are you, Emily?”

“Not so good.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Come sit. I need to talk to you about something.”

I follow her into the belly of the gallery, where there are no windows. Yeah, something is very wrong.

“Okay,” she says when we’re both seated.

“What’s going on, Emily? Is this about David?”

“Yes.”

“Did they find the person who killed him?”

“No.”

“It’s okay. You can talk to me. What is it?”

“The police think that David was killed by a …”

“A what?”

“They think it was a mob hit.”

SHIT!

My mind is racing, but I manage to keep a straight face.

“The mob? Are you sure? That’s ridiculous. Why would they think that?”

“Apparently David did some work for them.”

“How do you know that?”

“A friend confirmed it to me.”

“I see. So, you didn’t know who he worked for?”

“No. David never discussed his clients with me. I had no idea.”

“This must be very shocking for you, Emily.”

“I’m floored. I can’t believe my brother would get involved with criminals.”

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