Page 227 of Sweet Dominion

She continued to point out verses on the puzzle, but all I could hear was the ticking clock of Leo’s threat, looming over us like a noose tightening around our necks.

And Leo—he just went back to smiling that cruel, soulless smile.

My stomach twisted and I couldn’t stop the trembling that had taken over my hands.

The image of the dead men on the ceiling flashed in my mind again too, and I knew—whatever game Leo was playing tonight, this would be dark and possibly nasty.

When TT finished saying all of the verses she spotted on the map, she looked up at me. “I think that all of these will point us to the treasure.”

Leo's eyes glimmered with this calculated intensity as he placed his other hand on TT’s shoulder, like a serpent coiling itself around its prey. “This little girl will not only fully unite the Diamond Syndicate, but she will make us the most powerful and richest organization in the world. Do you understand this?”

Lei scowled. “You think a treasure at the bottom of the lake will have all of those effects?”

“It’s what you all willdoto get to the hidden treasure that will unify and strengthen the Syndicate.” Leo moved his hands from TT’s shoulders and then he placed them on the map. Soon, he trailed his fingers across the jagged daggered surface and made a huge circle around the town. “All of this is Dream Lake now.”

Lei’s voice showed he could care less about any of this. “We know that.”

“Yes, son. But. . .in order to get to the treasure,” Leo looked up at us. “you’ll need todrainDream Lake.”

What?

The room fell silent.

The weight of his words hung in the air like a thick fog.

Lei stepped forward. “That’s impossible.”

His father chuckled. “Is it?”

“It’s a massive lake, father,” Lei countered. “Do you realize how many people would oppose that? Environmentalists alone would raise hell.”

Leo didn’t blink. “Dima is running for mayor, isn’t he? Has he told you?”

“He mentioned it, but I’ve been busy chasing after a psycho maniac. Dima will officially announce it to all of the Syndicate once you’re dead and we can go back to everyday business.”

Leo put his view on the iPad that still showed Dima and Rose on the carousel, surrounded by monks with guns. “Dima will need the votes in order to win. Of course he has the North, but everywhere else in Paradise City will be tricky. We have 1.4 million registered voters in the East.”

Lei narrowed his eyes, clearly not liking where this was headed. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Leo grinned, that eerie smile still twisting his face. “That’s why politicians always want to come to our galas, isn’t it? To prance around, shake hands, and gather favor withourpeople. The East holds heavy voting power. If Dima wants the East’s votes, he’ll need to back the idea of draining the lake.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, trying to keep my racing thoughts together.

Leo was playing at something bigger than just the treasure. He was weaving politics and power into this mess, manipulating the situation to his advantage, turning everything into a chess game where every piece was a means to an end.

Leo shifted his gaze to me and that sinister grin never wavered. “Monique, I bet you can get Marcelo, Banks, and Einstein to jump on board. The South has strong political influence as well—another million voters.”

I pursed my lips.

“With both the East and the South pushing for it, draining Dream Lake won’t seem so impossible.” Leo turned back to Lei. “And you can talk to Kashmere. The West would want the lake drained too.”

Lei leaned his head to the side. “Would they? Typically, they don’t want people in the West messing with their property due to history.”

"Yes. Yes. This is true.” Leo tapped the map. “But it’stheirland,theirancestors’ bones lying at the bottom of Dream Lake.Theirhistory that was covered up when their town was flooded.”

I widened my eyes.

He continued, “The properties that were supposed to pass down through generations, to buildtheirwealth, is buried down there too. Draining the lake would give them back what’s rightfully theirs. It would put the West in anundeniablypowerful position. Kashmere would be an idiot to not want that lake drained.”

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