Page 47 of Ace of Shadows
“What the fuck happened?” I demand, standing in front of Raven as she gulps down mouthfuls of water from a bottle. “Why were you even here?”
“Careful,” Valentina warns from nearby, her voice dangerously low. “Choose your next words carefully, Ace.”
“My words?” My furious gaze lands on her. Behind her, Ivy’s family home is now a smoldering, damp shell thanks to the fire department.
“I’m warning you to be careful where you place blame.”
“Me?” I cross my arms over my chest, gripping my elbows tightly. “I thought I was pretty fucking clear earlier.”
“Look.” Raven cuts in after her last gulp. “Cassian said Ivy was struggling. She was asking about her father, wanted to get clothes and a memento to remember her family, and he took pity on her so we brought her. We took every single precaution. Multiple cars, duplicate signals, green lights all the way here.” She wipes sweat from her forehead and streaks some ash left over from the smoke. “But they must have been watching the house.”
“You didn’t think of that?” I snap.
“Of course I did,” Raven snaps back. “Why do you think the cops got here so fast, hmm? You think I wasn’t prepared?”
“Cassian wasn’t.”
“He’s one man,” Valentina remarks coldly. “None of us are invincible.”
“I’m starting to think none of us are as protected as these fucking badges suggest,” I snarl bitterly. “Someone can get away with trying to kill me, I understand that. But the Jack? He’s been around for a while.”
Valentina sucks softly on her upper teeth, then she moves forward and leans against the car next to Raven. “We’re missing something.”
“Clearly.” But I can’t think. Every time I try to, all I can think about is Ivy lying on the paving stone, silent and motionless. What if I was too late? What if whoever wants her dead finally got their wish? “I have to go.”
“Ace—” Valentina starts to speak, but I cut her off.
“No. I can’t think here. Too much smoke.”
“Well, well,” comes an unknown voice. Over my shoulder, a police captain approaches with a tight, unamused smile. “The Ace, Queen, and Joker all in one place. Isn’t it dangerous for you all to be in the same place?”
Exchanging a curious glance with Valentina, I turn to face him. “Do you have something or are you just here to stare?”
The detective nods. “I’m just saying, I went my whole career without dealing with any of you and now, two weeks fromretirement and I have three of you in one place. Maybe I was holding the city together better than my peers thought.”
“We don’t have time for stories,” Valentina replies tightly. “You have your arrests. I’m sure this will add a fat bonus check to your retirement package.”
“It will,” he says with some glee. “But before I let my team start recording everything, there’s something you need to see.”
Valentina leads the way in following the police captain through a trail of black body bags now lining the blood-soaked front lawn. We stop at the body at the end and, after a nod from the captain, one of the crime scene investigators drops to her knees and unzips the bag.
The body inside is naked from the waist up and blood stains his chest from several bullet holes.
That’s not what catches my eye.
It’s the tattoo on his neck.
Anger churns hot in my gut and the sting of nausea warms the base of my throat.
I meet Valentina’s gaze and her jaw tics. “He’s a Sidorov.”
“Those lyingbastards.”
15
IVY
“We have to stop meeting like this.”
