Page 70 of Her Darkest Possession

Quickly, I unbuckle my seatbelt, set the pie on the dashboard, and push open the door.

"Indigo, wait—" Anatoly starts, but I'm already stepping out into the cold November air.

I hear Anatoly's door slam behind me as he rushes to catch up. His hand reaches for mine, but I'm already walking toward the barbershop, heart pounding.

A cop turns when he hears our approach, immediately stepping into our path. "Ma'am, sir, you need to stay back. This is an active crime scene."

"What's going on?" I demand, trying to see past him.

The officer's face hardens. "I'm not at liberty to discuss details of an ongoing investigation."

There's someone else there as well, standing with a cordon of cops around him like a black wall as he watches what's going on with an almost bored passivity. There's something familiar about the way he stands that sends another drop of dread snaking down the back of my spine.

Once the initial shock of what I'm seeing passes, I realize there are also a number of press vans and reporters also on site.

Something's not right.

Anatoly steps up beside me, and the officer's eyes immediately flick towards his way.

"Look, we just need to know if—" I start again, but the words die in my throat when I see Marcus being led out the front door of his barbershop.

His hands are cuffed behind his back. His head is bowed, but I can see the defeated slump of his shoulders.

"Marcus!" I call out, starting forward again.

Marcus looks up at the sound of my voice, his eyes finding mine. There's resignation there, and something else. A warning? He gives the smallest shake of his head, almost as if he's afraid of doing much more.

The officer puts his arm out to block me. "Ma'am, I need you to step back now."

"What are you arresting him for?" I try to push past, but the officer stands firm. "He hasn't done anything wrong!"

That's when the person with the cops standing all around him turns around, and I freeze when I see who it is.

A pair of familiar eyes with a sleazy gleam, made more apparent by the flashing lights of the patrol cars, find mine across the street. A slow, satisfied smile spreads across his face.

Ryan.

"Amelia," he calls out, loud enough for everyone to hear. "What a surprise to see you here."

Ryan takes a step towards me, and the cops around him follow like the dutiful lapdogs that they are. I feel Anatoly stiffen beside me and he instinctively steps forward as if trying to shield me from Ryan.

"Wrong name, wrong place," I tell him in a flat and cold voice. "What the fuck did you do, Ryan?"

"My civic duty," he says when he's directly across from me. "Are you aware, Amelia, that this establishment has some interesting connections to organized crime." His eyes flash towards Anatoly, and the self-satisfied smile on his face widens as he does. "One worth a closer look from the authorities."

My hands ball into fists. "Bullshit."

"Is that right, Amelia?" Ryan interrupts, his voice dripping with false concern. "If you're so certain that Mr. Jackson's establishmentisn'ttaking dirty money, then I'd love to see the evidence. Because as far asthe mayor'soffice is concerned, there has been a noticeable influx of money to this part of the Bronx in the last couple of weeks. And well, we wouldn't be doing our due diligence if wedidn'tfollow up on it."

"You're not the fucking mayor, Ryan. Or have you forgotten that?"

"True." He nods. "But someone has to continue carrying out my father's work to clean up this city."

His eyes turn towards Anatoly again.

"And there is so much to clean up. Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Baryshev."

Anatoly chooses to remain silent.