Page 142 of Sweet Dominion

It was notorious—a place where countless people had met their end under mysterious circumstances. Locals whispered that it was haunted, that vengeful spirits of the past roamed its depths, luring the unwary to their doom.

Lei had confirmed that those locals were right.

And if the map pointed to Dream Lake—if the treasure were hidden somewhere within its cursed waters—then my little sister would be heading straight into the heart of danger. In fact, she would dive right in with not a worry in her mind.

Fuck. I’m not letting that happen.

And why did the Bandit want Lei to have this map’s pieces?

That question nagged at me, digging deeper with each passing second. The ghost could have entrusted it to anyone—Chanel even—yet she’d chosen him.

Why?

Was it because of his connection to the East, to the Jones Estate that bordered Dream Lake?

Or was there something else, something more personal?

The more I thought about it, the more it all creeped me out. We were dealing with something far bigger than just a hunt for treasure. This was about history, legacy, and the power that came with unearthing the past.

It was about secrets that had been buried for a reason—and the dangers of bringing them back to light.

I looked at my little sister, TT, so full of life and energy, so eager to dive headfirst into this murky, haunting mystery. But I couldn’t ignore the dark clouds gathering on the horizon. She was smart, yes, but she was still just aneleven-year-old kid.

What if this led her into something she couldn’t handle?

Lei must have sensed my unease because he grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Everything will be fine.”

I met his gaze, searching for reassurance, but all I found was the same uncertainty reflected back at me.

He seemed to be proud of TT too, but he didn’t have the answers either.

None of us did.

Then, Dima closed his notebook and whistled. “This is going to be an interesting month.”

That’s an understatement.

Chapter twenty-seven

Panties and Pistols

Lei

Here we fucking go.

I stood in front of Dima’s two men, trying to maintain a calm demeanor as they began their routine security check.

The taller of the two gave me a brief nod.

It was a sign that the procedure was about to begin.

Then, he started with a careful pat down of my shirt, his fingers deftly searching the inner pockets. Slight pressure came as he moved his hands along the fabric, ensuring there were no hidden surprises.

I looked at Dima as he sat at the head of the table. “You think I need weapons to handle those idiots in green?”

Dima stroked the sleeping, white cat in his lap like some evil villain of a story. “This is merely a formality. You know the rules.Sometimes people get mad, get caught up in the moment, and take a gun out to shoot—”

“Perhaps, you should make suretheydon’t make me mad.”

---