Page 14 of Forgotten Deeds

“Not necessary,” I tell him, trying to grab my bag.

He smiles, holding it up to where I can’t reach it.

I sigh in frustration, unable to shake him as we walk to my car. Getting Iris in her car seat, I close the door, turning to face Darius. “Look, whatever this thing is between us ends here,” I declare, snatching my bag.

“Whatever you say, aggeloudhi mou.” He shocks me by kissing the tip of my nose before turning around and sauntering off.

“Mama, you’re breathing hard again,” Iris points out.

“Am I?” Having a child with sharp observation skills has its drawbacks.

We return home, and I change into my lounge clothes. Needing to work on my essay, I curse when I realize my backpack is at the club.

The doorbell rings, and I walk to the front door, looking out the peephole. Opening the door, I greet the babysitter. “Hey. Oh my gosh, I forgot to text you! I’ve got the evening off.” There’s some kind of private event at the club, and I wasn’t asked to be there. Probably for the best, because I’m sure extras would be involved. “But since you’re here, could you watch Iris while I go run some errands?”

“No problem,” she assures me.

“Great. Iris, sweetie, I’ll be back in a little bit,” I say, kissing the top of her head. “Love you.”

“Bye, Mama. Love you,” she says, her eyes glued to her favorite cartoon about a big red dog.

Driving to the club, the outside lights are turned off and it appears deserted. Hopefully that means the event hasn’t started yet. I park in the employee lot and grab my phone, quickly walking to the back door and punching in the code. Entering the dressing room, I unlock my locker and grab my backpack, slipping my phone inside the exterior pocket.

That’s when I hear it—a round of loud bangs.

Must be a car backfiring, I think as I close my locker and walk out of the dressing room. And nearly trip on something. Looking down, it takes my brain a moment to process what I’m seeing.

A body.

A dead body.

Leo’s dead body.

Eyes open and glassy, his head looks like a piece of bloody Swiss cheese—with the wall behind him spattered in crimson. Horrified, I stifle a scream with my hands over my mouth; my backpack falls to the floor with a loud thump.

The sound of male voices are coming from the main floor, and then there’s another bang—this one sounding closer.

Sprinting down the hall, I reach the utility closet, quietly pulling the door to and locking it. My legs give out as I slide to the floor, hugging my knees to my chest as I rock back and forth.

Oh my God. Leo’s fucking dead. And if whoever killed him finds me, I’m next.

Chapter Seven

Darius

I’m rapping up my solo workout at the gym, when my burner phone rings. “Darius,” I answer.

“There’s a problem,” Sammy says.

“Agreed. Your undercut is fucking awful, but no barber’s gonna be able to fix that.”

“Shut the fuck up. This is serious,” he snaps. “Romeo just texted me to meet him at Glitter strip club, but he knows I’m on guard duty with Valentina tonight. I think it’s a setup. He was supposed to pick up a package from Matteo.”

I should have killed that little shit, Matteo, when I had the chance. “On my way now.”

“I’ll meet you there with our crew. Wait for me before you make a move.”

“Got it.”

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