Brooks nodded grimly. “He or one of his guys did. And from what I’ve seen, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was the one who killed Parker. This has Nikolai written all over it. He’s not the type of guy to have someone else do his dirty work; he likes to do it himself.”
Valentin let out a long sigh as though remembering something unpleasant from the past. “You’re right, he does. He gets off on hurting people. I’ve known Nikolai my entire life. If he knows the FBI are after him, he’ll be even more dangerous than usual.”
Brooks turned his serious gaze to me. “Which is why you need to be careful. When the assistant sheriff comes in here to talk to you, don’t say anything about Nikolai. We don’t know who’s in his pocket.”
Which meant I was to trust no one; that wasn’t hard to do. I’d lived my entire life not trusting anyone other than Parker. At least until Peyton, Ripp, Kali, and all my other friends came into my life.
Brooks stood and slung his computer bag over his shoulder. “I need to go before the police get here.”
He turned to walk away, but Ripp grabbed his arm. “Are you in Vegas to assassinate someone?”
I could see the answer in Brooks’s eyes and so could Ripp. Nothing more was said about it. Brooks smiled unsurely at us and walked backward toward the door.
“I’ll be here for another day or so.” Then, to Ripp, he said, “Call me if you need me. It was good seeing you, brother.”
Ripp followed him to the door, and they exchanged a few words in private before Brooks walked out.
It didn’t take long for the Vegas police to knock on the door. Three young officers came in along with their Assistant Sheriff, Jeff Sterling. He appeared to be in his early fifties with closely shaved light brown hair to hide that he was balding in spots. He introduced himself and we moved to the opposite side of the hotel room so he could talk to me privately.
A barrage of questions were asked about where Parker and I were from, why we were in Vegas, and so on. Of course, I didn’t mention anything about fighting at the Labyrinth or that I was being hunted by a psychotic killer who was part of one of the most dangerous mafia families in the country.
About an hour passed and my throat was reaching desert dryness again. I’d talked so much I didn’t know if I could speak another word.
Jeff Sterling discussed everything about the process of handling Parker’s remains, and he also suggested I stay in Vegas while they investigate. It was clear Nikolai knew where I was. I had no doubt he’d find me if I tried to hide. The assistant sheriff called out to his men, and they started for the door.
“What about my things?” I asked. “All my clothes are in my hotel room.”
Jeff Sterling turned around and sighed. “I’m sorry, Ms. Langston. There’s nothing in the room. No clothes, no bags, no toiletries . . . anything. It was empty.”
My stomach dropped. If it was empty, my three hundred thousand dollars from the fight was gone. Luckily, I had my purse, driver’s license, and credit cards.
“What about Parker’s room? Was anything missing from there?” I wondered.
Jeff shook his head. “Nothing seemed to be disturbed in there. We’re still looking for evidence, though. You can go in there when we’re done and pack up your brother’s things. Unfortunately, we don’t have anything at this moment. As this happened inyourhotel room, we must assume you were the intended target, or it could’ve just been a robbery. Mr. Parker was in the wrong place at the right time.”
And that was what would haunt me for the rest of my life.
If Parker had not been in my room, he’d still be alive. When I didn’t say anything, Jeff narrowed his gaze.
“Are you sure you have no idea who would want to hurt you?”
I shook my head. “I can’t think of anyone.”
He handed me a card with his number on it. “If you happen to think of anything, please give me a call. I’ll be in touch.”
He nodded at everyone else, and I was relieved when he left. There was something about him and the way he looked at me that made me uncomfortable. I knew without a doubt I couldn’t trust him.
“What did he say?” Kali asked, rushing up to me.
I held up a hand and quickly went to the door to peek out the peephole. The assistant sheriff and his three officers were by the elevators. They disappeared behind the doors, but I still felt no better.
Kali followed me back into the living area, where Valentin and Ripp whispered with each other. At least there didn’t seem to be any animosity.
“Assistant Sheriff Sterling said that all my belongings were taken from my room. Why would Nikolai do that?”
Valentin came over to stand next to Kali, his expression grave. “When it comes to Nikolai, there is no rhyme or reason. But my guess would be he wanted to make it look like a robbery.”
My eyes burned like fire, but I refused to cry; there was no time for it. Ripp closed the distance between us and clutched my wrists.
