Brooks rubbed a hand against the back of his neck. “They’ll see if there’s any evidence on him and do an autopsy. Once that’s all finished, they’ll turn the body over to you.”
Kali came to my side and slid an arm around my waist; it felt good to have her close. “As soon as they’re done, we’ll have a funeral for him, okay?” she said softly.
All I could do was nod. Parker always said he wanted to be cremated and scattered all across the world; I was going to honor that wish.
Brooks glanced over at Valentin before raising an eyebrow quizzically at Kali. “Am I missing something here?” he asked pointedly.
Valentin stayed stoic while Kali let out a little sigh of resignation. “You can trust him,” she told Brooks. “Valentin and I are . . . together. It needs to stay between us for now, okay? I don’t want anyone else to know just yet.”
Ripp tensed but stayed silent as Brooks gave a subtle nod and shook Valentin’s hand in understanding. “Your secret is safe with me,” he promised.
He motioned for everyone to sit. Valentin and Kali took the black leather loveseat while Ripp and I returned to the couch. Brooks grabbed his computer bag off the floor and carefully placed it on the coffee table before sitting down in the single leather chair.
“As soon as I heard what happened, I hacked into the hotel’s security system to look at the videos.” A frustrated breath escaped his lips when he looked at me. “There wasnothing. For twelve minutes and fifty-three seconds, all the cameras were stalled, frozen. And then once that time was up, everything resumed as normal.”
The realization hit me in the chest like a ton of bricks. If the FBI couldn’t find the killer, then who could? There was no doubt about it . . . it had to be Nikolai.
“It was Nikolai,” I spat out, my fists clenching. “Can’t you find out if he’s here in Vegas?”
Brooks pursed his lips, glancing around the room like he was doing mental calculations. “Usually, we can, Wren. But—”
“Wait,” Valentin called out, eyes widening in confusion. “What does Nikolai have to do with any of this?”
Brooks shifted his gaze between Valentin and me and I knew it was time for the truth. He nodded at me to go ahead. “Tell them, Wren. I know you know.”
Ripp turned to me and cleared his throat harshly. “Is there something you haven’t told me?”
His accusing glare made my stomach twist; all hell was about to break loose. I could feel the tension radiating off Valentin and I sent him a quick glance before turning back to face Ripp.
“Three of the girls I fought with in Louisiana have turned up dead over the past month,” I stated evenly. “It was all made to look like suicides or accidents. Parker thinks—” My voice broke at the mention of my brother’s name and a fresh wave of pain coursed through me. I cleared my throat and took a deep breath before continuing. “We think Nikolai is trying to cover his tracks by eliminating anyone who could incriminate him.”
Ripp scoffed and was about to say something, but Brooks cut in. “Unfortunately, we lost tabs on him this past week.” There was something about the way he said it that I didn’t like. I looked over at Ripp and then at Kali and Valentin.
Valentin was the one who spoke up next. “What does that mean exactly? Was the FBI following him?”
Brooks blew out a huff and answered him. “Yes.” Then he turned to me and Ripp. “I’m going to tell you guys something I probably shouldn’t.” He ran his hands over his face, his expression conflicted, especially when he looked at Ripp. “I don’t want you to think differently of me.”
Ripp shook his head. “That’s not gonna happen.”
Brooks took in a slow breath and let it out. “Here goes nothing. I’m part of a secret group in the FBI called the Circle of Justice. That’s what all of my secret training has been for.”
“What’s the Circle of Justice?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
His blue eyes pierced into mine. “We’re assassins.”
The room fell silent. Ripp stared at his brother in shock, but it didn’t surprise me. Parker had told me there was a group like that and the men who were part of it were the best of the best.
Brooks’s brows furrowed at me. “You don’t seem surprised.”
I shrugged. “Parker used to tell me everything. He was so fascinated when he found out about that group.”
Ripp jerked his head toward me. “You knew about this?”
“I knew of the group,” I said, “but not that your brother was a part of it.”
Brooks’s phone beeped and he looked down at his message. “We don’t have much time. Anyway, one of the guys I work with was supposed to take out Nikolai. He had been following Nikolai for weeks to find the right time, but we lost contact with our guy this week.”
“Do you think Nikolai killed him?” I asked.
