Page 53 of Hunt Me

With the Irish breathing down our necks, I couldn’t put anything past them. But to do so in such a flagrant way could mean the start of another war. Were they ready for that? Was Sergio’smurder in response to the warning I’d sent with Jax? One thing was certain. They’d been chomping at the bit for twenty-two fucking years. If there was anything I knew about Tristen O’Shaughnessy, it was that he was very careful in who he attacked and how.

This just didn’t have his personal signature on it. Would he use a woman? Possibly.

Plus, the fact the clan was even more active in Los Angeles seeking new business ventures should mean they’d stalled plans on attempting to invade Vegas. What a perfect ploy to keep us looking in another direction.

The video started and it was dark, too dark to make out much of anything. While there was a definite scuffle, the killer hadn’t allowed his voice to be recorded. What I did hear was an excessively loud television.

“This doesn’t show me shit.”

“Just wait for it, Mikhail,” Jack cautioned.

I shoved my hands into my pockets and stared at the screen. The door had been left open a crack. That much I could tell by the slender string of moonlight. Suddenly, there was another sound. I craned my neck, quickly glancing at Jack who placed his finger over his mouth.

Someone knocked. In doing so, the front door was pushed open by a few more inches, but the person remained outside. Sergio had a hidden camera projected directly at the front door.

“Hello?”A female voice.

Was it the same one who’d called in the murder?

“Mr. Pavel?”She knew his name.

There was a slight hesitation before the visitor walked in. From the angle of the camera, the person who’d arrived couldn’t be seen. But Sergio, being as security conscious as he was, had used a night vision camera. The video became clearer.

A few seconds later, she took another step inside.

“Mr. Pavel. I have your pizza.”

Another hesitation. Her voice suddenly became softer.

A slight tic appeared in the corner of my mouth as my pulse increased. Was it possible I recognized the voice?

“Mr. Pavel?”

Almost immediately she tripped. The angle of the camera was still off, but it appeared she’d had something in her hands. It was possible she’d used a pizza box as a prop, tossing it against the wall.

Seconds later, she was down. There was no yelp as if she’d tripped. But she was leaning over the body and her hand was wrapped around the handle of the knife.

There was no scream. If she was innocent of the crime, her shock should have allowed a sound of alarm if nothing else.

No. She wasn’t the person responsible. The nervous tic turned into a warm buzz flowing throughout my body.

Seconds later, Sergio grabbed her arm, pulling her down. I leaned further forward, able to tell he’d whispered something to her. If she was the killer, there was no sign he was attempting to protect himself.

She was shocked, her response too muffled to understand.

“Maybe it was a female killer,” Jack said. “I heard what you said about the angle of the knife, but she tripped.”

“That doesn’t make her the goddamn murderer.” I had no doubts given the angle of the blade and how much force was used I was right. From my initial glance, it would appear the killer was as tall if not slightly taller than Sergio. And my lieutenant hadn’t been a short man.

“Keep watching. Maybe you can identify her.”

I was already antsy, my patience at its limit. From what I could tell she had long, dark hair pulled into a ponytail and was wearing dark clothes.

My entire body was tense, a knowing settling in that I didn’t want to believe.

Something drew her attention and she jerked her head to the left toward the entrance to Sergio’s living room. I crowded closer to the screen, never blinking.

Suddenly, she lifted her head and looked directly into the camera.