Chapter 9
WREN
My throat was so sore from screaming that I could barely swallow, and my eyes burned like lava had been poured into them. I could barely move, my neck tense, and my muscles aching, as if a truck had hit me. My senses were heightened as I heard nothing but the sound of my own racing heart.
One minute, I was sitting beside Parker’s lifeless body, and the next, I was in Ripp’s hotel room with him, Kali, and Valentin. Two of his men were standing guard at the door.
Kali’s secret relationship with Valentin was no longer a secret from Ripp, but not a word was said. If there was, I was too out of it to hear. All I remembered was being dragged away from Parker, but then I blacked out.
Now, I was sitting with Ripp on his couch, his arm draped protectively around my shoulders. I don’t know how much time had passed, but it felt like an eternity of misery.
For the most part, I was numb, but I knew once I could feel again, it would be the worst pain imaginable. Kali came over and knelt in front of me, twisting the cap off a bottle of water.
“Drink this,” she commanded, softly but sternly.
I didn’t realize how hard I had crashed. My body felt heavy, as if the whole world had landed on me. And my mouth felt as dry as the desert. I took the bottle and the cool water trickled down my throat, bringing only a fraction of relief.
“Thanks,” I said, my voice gravelly.
Ripp rubbed a hand soothingly down my arm. “I talked to my mom. She said there’s an agent nearby who’s coming to see us. He’ll be here in a minute.”
Nodding, I leaned my head back against the couch cushion. “Okay,” was all I could say.
Ripp’s mother was an FBI agent and the one who got my brother involved in Nikolai’s case. Working with the FBI was a dream come true for Parker. And taking Nikolai down was his top priority. One way or another, I was going to see it through.
A few minutes later, someone pounded on the door.
My eyes shot open, and I watched as Valentin moved in front of Kali—who was about to answer the door—and gently guided her back so he could do it.
It was evident he was protective of her, but there was such a thing as being overprotective.
If Valentin weren’t careful, he’d risk pushing her away.
Ripp carefully slid his arm from my shoulders and stood.
The second the door opened, Kali gasped, making my heart stop.
Ripp rushed over and I heard Kali and Ripp’s voices going ninety miles an hour.
I couldn’t see who they were talking to from where I was sitting on the couch, but when I stood, I got a good look at the man who entered the room.
I’d heard about Ripp’s twin brother, Brooks, but I’d never met him.
He’d been away on secret FBI tasks months before I met everyone.
They looked exactly alike with their blond hair and blue eyes; they even wore similar jeans and black T-shirts.
The only difference was that Ripp had tattoos and Brooks didn’t.
Brooks looked at me over Ripp’s shoulder and it was so strange seeing a carbon copy of Ripp. I’d heard he was a good guy. Ripp and Kali stepped out of the way so Brooks could walk over to me. Valentin made his two men step outside, leaving just the five of us in the living room.
A sad smile spread across Brooks’s face when he held out his hand. “I’m glad to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you from both my brother and yours.”
My heart stopped. “My brother? Did you know Parker?”
He nodded and slid the computer bag off his shoulder, gently setting it on the floor. “For a few weeks, at least. I’ve been helping with the case.”
Ripp crossed his arms over his chest. “Why didn’t you tell me? And why didn’t you let me know you were in Vegas?”
Brooks glanced over at Ripp, his smirk just like his brother’s.
“I arrived today. There’s something I have to do, but when I got the call about Parker, I knew I needed to be here.
” His solemn gaze turned to me. “The police are in your hotel room searching for evidence. The assistant sheriff will be here soon to ask you questions. I wanted to talk to you before he does.”
My throat started to close up. “And Parker? What are they going to do with his body?”
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 was nothing. 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.
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.