Page 35 of Say My Name

My insides coil with dread. Anything she has to say to me privately most likely won’t be good. “Sure, go ahead.”

“I have this friend, and she really needs a job. I mean, she has one now as a waitress, but I’d love for her to do something where she could make some real money. She’s a single mom, and I think it’d be good for her.”

My jaw hits the floor. Not what I was expecting at all. “You should wait to tell her about the place until they’ve caught the killer, and the fucker is behind bars.”

“Oh, right.” She rests a hand on my arm, her light-brown eyes solemn. “They’ll find him.”

I blow out a breath. “They better.”

I’m not sure they will. I’ve scoured over my list of members, wondering who could do any of this, and the only real possibility is the Chekov brothers. And the only thing I have to go on is they’re actual killers, and they’ve been known to rough up women in the past. I plan to speak with their father soon.

I head over to the table where the twins sit. They stand when they see me, both offering me a guy hug and handshake as Greer morphs into the perfect hostess and ushers us over to the buffet table to load up our plates. Once we’re all seated at the table by the pool, I wait a few minutes before I bring up the subject of the murders, knowing I need to get a plan of action together.

I know my sister doesn’t enjoy talking about it, but this is a war.

“I want to question Yuri,” I say, with no warning, cutting into my stuffed French toast.

They’ve been busy talking about places to cruise next summer, and I barge in with wanting to confront one of the biggest crime bosses in the history of Russia.

“Are you fucking crazy?” Ledger asks as a dark cloud crosses over the sun, casting us all into darkness.

Roman doesn’t say a word because I know he’ll always have my back without a fight. Ledger will have my back too, but he’ll have to be convinced.

“I just keep coming back to their names on my list,” I say.

“Yuri’s sons?” Ledger asks.

I nod. “Vlad and Dimitri,” I remind him of the names.

“Don’t you think you should let the police do their job?” my sister chimes in from the opposite end of the table. “I mean, they have investigators that can question him.”

“The police? Have you even seen them around?”

Roman takes a bite of bacon. “Nope. They’re too busy sticking their fingers up their asses.”

“Guy Adams pulled me over today.”

My sister’s worried eyes meet mine. “He did?”

Oh, that’s another likely reason he hates me. My sister has turned him down more times than a mother turns down their teen’s loud music in the car.

“Blamed me for the murders.”

“Of course, he did,” Roman snarls from across the table. “Dev, lots of people are going to point their fingers at you. You can’t let that shit phase you.”

“Fuck the cops. I say we question Yuri and figure out who’s behind this,” Ledger says.

See, a little convincing.

“What else did Guy say? Do they have any leads?” Greer asks.

“He’s a beat cop. Not homicide. He has no clue what’s going on with their investigation,” Ledger says.

I rub my fingers against my temple, trying to ease the tension lying underneath. “I’m so stressed.”

“It has nothing to do with the pretty little blonde at your club, right?” Ledger asks with an all-knowing laugh.

“What pretty blonde?” Greer’s ears perk up. I’m sure she’s ready to play matchmaker or some stupid shit.

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