Chapter 48
Logan
Glancing up at Serena standing at the top of the stairs, her hand around her throat, I reach for a pulse on the body in front of me.
Drawing my eyes to her face, I can’t see any difference between her and her twin. Granted, I never looked closely enough.
“Well?” Serena calls down, her voice is weak and terrified.
Standing up, I look up at her and my face must say it all because she balks and turns away, a sob wrenching out of her chest.
Knowing she needs a minute to come to terms with her first kill, I pull my phone out and rub the back of my head where Kelly cold-cocked me. Fucking bitch. She knew me better than I had anticipated. She knew I was armed. But having Serena here threw her off. She wanted to taunt her, play with her.
Hurt her.
As I dial the cleaner, I have to wonder how many times, over a couple of weeks, I fucked Kelly and how many times Shelley. I can’t help it. It’s a random thought that I will never express out loud to Serena. It doesn’t matter, but I’m curious. Things like this bug me, and now I will never know.
“Clean up at my apartment,” I murmur when the phone is answered on the other end. There’s no need to give my address as I hang up. He knows it’s me. He knows where I live.
Glad that Rose wasn’t here to witness any of this, I’m forced into activity when there is a soft knock on the door.
Considering that this building is secured at the front, there seems to be enough people appearing out of the cracks lately.
That needs looking into immediately, especially with Serena moving in here, which I haven’t discussed with her yet, but will, once we’ve dealt with this mess, and then me having to tell her that her father is dead as well.
“What a fucking shitshow,” I mutter as there is another knock.
“Logan? It’s Viktor Di’Castello.”
Biting back my laugh, as if I didn’t know which Viktor, I cross over and open the door.
“Shots fired?”
“Come in.”
He steps into the apartment, followed by Francesca.
“How did you know?”
“Your downstairs neighbor called the police, but we took care of it.”
“Oh, shit. Sorry,” I mumble, having not even considered that. I’m too used to things being less loud. It’s why I prefer a knife over a gun. Also, it’s more personal, and I like getting my hands dirty.
He shrugs.
“Where is Serena?” Francesca asks.
Pointing upwards, she nods and strides over to the stairs. Maybe Fran’s eccentric personality is just what Serena needs right now.
“Can I ask what happened?” Viktor asks, striding over to the dead body that Francesca ignores and steps over before she disappears up the stairs.
“That is apparently Shelley Thorpe’s twin, Kelly.”
Viktor gives me a surprised look before turning back to the body. “You don’t say?”
“Hmm.”
“Did you know?”
“Did I fuck. This was news to me. How come Solitaire didn’t know? She was recruited. Surely it would’ve come up.”
“No.”
Heaving a sigh, I say, “She said that she and Shelley always did this, and I had no idea the depth of the cover. I’m guessing it was their intention to infiltrate Solitaire as one woman but have two at their disposal.”
“Genius, really,” Viktor comments. “Know any more twins? I might have a use for them.”
“No,” I grit out.
“Hmm, well,” he says, straightening up from his investigation and crossing over to open the door to the cleaner.
We don’t make eye contact. I have no idea who it is or what he looks like under the mask.
“Move her first,” I murmur. “Serena doesn’t need to see this.”
Viktor nods to the cleaner, who looks to him for confirmation.
“Coffee?” Viktor asks.
“Sure.”
We turn our backs as the cleaner gets to work moving Kelly before hacking her into little pieces to place neatly into the two large ice coolers, he brought up with him. Definitely not something Serena needs to witness. It will give her nightmares.
Pouring Viktor a mug of coffee and handing it to him straight, I pour another for myself.
“You’ve had quite a day.”
“No shit. You didn’t need to kill Quen. I was handling it.”
“You don’t like your gift?”
“Serena might’ve had questions. Now she will never know.”
“She can ask her aunt.”
Biting my tongue to stop the sarcastic comment, I grimace. He has a point, but still. First-hand is always best. Her aunt might not know anything useful.
“I have a proposition,” he adds after a pause. “Rue was quite insistent that we look at recruiting Serena. You know the rules, though. There was nothing outstanding in her resume apart from her being Quentin’s blood. Until now.”
He glances over his shoulder at the cleanup going in the middle of my living room, which has been sheeted off to prevent blood from getting everywhere.
“Oh?” I croak.
“Shelley Thorpe was a, how can I put this mildly? A pain in the ass. You took care of it, and that is what secured your promotion. I believe that you didn’t know about this development, which makes for an even bigger ass pain. Do you follow?”
Yeah, I fucking follow. “You’re recruiting Serena because she killed Kelly. How do you know it wasn’t me?”
“She was pushed, no? If you had done this…well, need I say more?”
“No.” Taking a sip of my coffee, just for something to do to pass the time, I ask eventually. “Will Francesca bring her in now? She is in shock, and I’m not sure she is thinking clearly.”
“Fran will be the judge of that. Don’t you worry about your girl. Mine is quite capable.”
Nodding slowly, my gaze is drawn to the stairs. Wishing I was a fly on the wall, I have to leave them to it.
“Shall we retreat to the terrace?” Viktor asks a moment later. “The smell is vile.”
“Agreed,” I murmur, and follow him outside, where it’s freezing but less disgusting; I leave the door open so I can hear Serena if she needs me.
I really hope she doesn’t need me, or things might get ugly.
Well, uglier.