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17

WEST

I drew my handgun and raised it, pivoting to see where the shot had come from. All around the room, police officers had drawn their weapons and were doing the same. Including Joanna. I blinked at her, wondering where the hell she’d hidden a handgun under such a slinky dress.

That should not be as hot as it was.

A woman screamed. I spun toward the sound. Cops had already surrounded a distraught waitress, who was bent over a prone body on the floor.

Without making a conscious decision to move, I found myself hurrying across the room too. The instant I laid eyes on the body, my heart sank.

Detective Clancy Neal.

He’d been shot through the center of his forehead. His eyes were already glazing over. There was no saving him. He was gone.

I swallowed against my instinctive horror at the brutal display and scanned the room, briefly noting Joanna behind me. No one seemed to know where the shot had come from. Considering how difficult it would be to shoot someone in a crowded event like this without being seen, I had to assume that it had likely been a long-range shooter.

Checking the windows one by one, it didn’t take long for me to find the damaged one, set high on the wall facing the street.

This had been a sniper.

A shudder rippled through me. A sniper. Just like the man who’d killed Dad.

What were the odds this was a coincidence? Adam and I were almost completely certain that Neal was involved in Ortez’s dirty dealings. If Ortez had ordered the hit on my dad, could he have also gotten one of his men to take out Neal?

Perhaps he knew we were onto him. Neal had been the type to flaunt his ill-gotten gains, and that could have gotten Ortez’s hackles up.

I pointed out the hole to Joanna. “Look. The shooter was probably situated on top of a nearby building. We should have a response team lock down all buildings within the perimeter.”

She nodded. “Got it.” She raised her voice. “Shot fired through the window. Possibly from the roof of another building, or from an apartment inside one of the surrounding buildings. I want the entrances and exits of the mansion sealed, and for at least two officers to report to each building adjoining this one. No one comes in or out. Has anyone called for backup?”

“Yes, ma’am,” a younger officer replied. “A tactical unit is on the way, and so is an ambulance.”

“Good work, Officer Barrie.”

When everyone just stood there, she clapped. “Go.”

I grinned and relaxed my stance. God, she was sexy when she took charge.

“You,” she muttered to me, “put the gun away before people start asking why a bartender is carrying a concealed weapon.”

I winced and immediately returned the weapon to its holster. She had a point.

“All right, everyone, step back.” Captain Thackery appeared beside us. Last I’d seen, he’d been consoling a distressed older woman, but he must have left her in Beth’s care. He bent over Neal, his lips in a grim line. “This was a hit.”

“Yes, sir,” Joanna said. “I would say so, considering this is a perfect kill shot and only one shot was fired. If someone had wanted to cause chaos or ruin the event, surely they’d have taken a different approach.”

Thackery’s cheeks had a waxy pallor. Surprising, considering how many crime scenes he must have attended in the past—many much bloodier than this.

“It would have been easier to kill him somewhere else.” He looked Joanna directly in the eye. “The fact they did it here meant that whoever it was, they were trying to send a message.”

My hand twitched, itching to grab my phone. Because Thackery was right. If this was a hit orchestrated by Ortez, it would have made more sense for him to send Rodriguez in to quietly take care of him. Unless he was trying to show the other cops on his payroll what might happen if they got careless.

My assignment may have just become a lot more difficult.

“You’re right,” Joanna agreed, her gaze quickly flicking to me. “But we can figure that out later, for now we need to secure the scene.”

“It’s all yours.” Thackery raised his voice so everyone still around could hear. “Detective Lee is in charge of the crime scene. No one may leave until she, or one of her officers, has taken your details so we can get in touch for a statement. If you think you saw anything useful, please stay and you’ll be interviewed tonight.”

A chorus of protests rang out, but they were rapidly silenced as the police commissioner spoke over the microphone, reminding everyone that they were here to support the Chicago Police Department, and right now, that meant being patient and providing whatever information they could.

The ballroom doors opened, and several uniformed officers spilled inside. Joanna jogged up to the police commissioner and held out her hand for the microphone. She ordered the new officers to search the building and to ensure that any doors in or out had been sealed as she’d requested earlier.

“Perhaps you should get a copy of the guest list,” I said to Thackery, voice low. “You know, to double check that no one snuck out.”

He nodded. “I’ll speak to the organizer now.”

Joanna passed the microphone back to the police commissioner and jumped down from the stage. I met her at the base.

“What can I do?” I asked. “I want to help.”

She pursed her lips, her eyes darting around the room, obviously distracted. “If you want your cover to remain in place, you’ll need to lay low. See what information you can get from the other guests.”

“All right.” I was disappointed not to be able to participate more actively, but she was right; allowing me to join the search or interview others would raise too many questions.

I spotted Detectives Sewell and Ireland lingering a few yards behind the body. Both were pale, although they didn’t seem as shell-shocked as the guests who weren’t part of law enforcement.

I made my way over to them. “Can you believe this? I was talking to him just a short while ago.”

“It’s crazy.” Sewell sounded numb. “I was standing right beside him.”

“Shit, man. That must have been terrifying.”

Sewell shook his head. “You’d think so, but it happened so quickly. One minute we were chatting, the next he was on the ground, and it was over. I didn’t even have time to be scared.”

I shifted closer. “You didn’t see it coming?”

“No.” He stared blankly at Neal’s body, which had yet to be covered. “I didn’t even know where the shot came from until Lee mentioned the window.”

Damn. No useful eyewitness testimony here.

“How are you doing?” I asked Ireland. “Were you beside him too?”

The detective scowled at me. “How do you think I am? My friend was just shot dead and there was nothing I could do about it.”

I nodded. “Sorry. Stupid question. Is there any way I can help?”

Ireland huffed. “Just back off. I know you’re trying, but stop.”

Double damn.

“Okay. All right. You know where I am if you need me.” I backed away, trying and failing to catch Sewell’s eyes.

Looking around, I noticed Ronan and Willow King nearby. I joined them, my hands in my pockets.

“Did either of you see anything?” I asked.

“No.” Ronan spoke firmly. “I noticed the bullet hole in the window about the same time you did, but I didn’t see anyone out there. My guess is that a long-range rifle was used. Considering the accuracy, possibly by a military or law enforcement trained sniper. ”

“I’d have to agree.” Restlessness curled within me. I wanted to be out, hunting this sniper down. If he was the one who’d killed my father, then I needed to punish him.

Willow bit her lip. “Do you think this has anything to do with… you know?”

I narrowed my eyes. “You know.”

It was a statement rather than a question, but Ronan nodded anyway.

“Zeke doesn’t keep secrets from Kade and I,” he said. “But don’t worry, no one else knows.”

Willow waggled her hand back and forth. “Well, Fiona and Sage do. But beyond that.”

“Christ.” I dragged my palm down my face. “I’m so compromised.”

“We’ll protect your secret,” Ronan said. “Now, go and talk to people who might actually be helpful.”

With a sigh, I left them and joined another group. Then another. But no matter who I approached, it seemed no one had seen anything. Not a soul present had any inkling that anything was wrong until Neal dropped dead.

I even hovered beside a group of the venue’s staff, and they seemed as lost as everyone else.

I looked around for Joanna and found her near the entrance, speaking with the venue manager. I strode over, waiting until they’d finished talking before going to her side.

I cupped her elbow and guided her away from the throng. “You should get the ballistics tech to compare the bullet used tonight to the one that killed my father.”

Her expression softened. “You think it might be the same shooter?”

“My gut says yes,” I admitted.

She hugged me, and I was so taken aback that I stiffened. By the time I’d regained enough self-awareness to return the embrace, she was already releasing me.

“I’ll make sure they run the tests,” she said. “Do you think you could check on Beth? Thackery has gone into work mode, and I’m not sure he’s thought about the fact that she hasn’t witnessed anything like this before.”

“Sure.”

I searched the room. Beth was standing with one of Marcelli’s protégées. Sian, perhaps. I cut a line directly for her, grabbing a glass of wine on the way.

As I arrived in front of her, I offered her the glass. “Need this?”

She made a sound that was somewhere between a sob and a laugh. “That’s perfect. Thank you.” She took the wine and gulped it down so quickly that both Sian and I stared at her, wide-eyed. When she noticed, she flushed. “If witnessing a murder doesn’t entitle me to drown my sorrows, then I don’t know what does.”

“Fair enough,” I said.

“Good point.” Sian looked around. “I might grab one too.”

She hustled away, leaving me and Beth alone.

“How are you holding up?” I asked.

She heaved a sigh. “I’ve been much, much better, but at least I didn’t know the guy. Gordon never introduced me to him. It’s just… this whole thing is a lot.”

“I get it.” I could easily remember how shaken I’d been the first time I’d seen someone killed. The man had taken several people hostage and been shot as he’d tried to escape, using a child as a human shield. Perhaps the shooting was justified, but that didn’t stop the moment he’d hit the ground from replaying in my mind on a loop.

Not that I could share my experience with Beth. As far as she knew, I was just Joanna’s husband, not a law enforcement officer in my own right.

“I just…” She shook her head. “This is supposed to be a fundraiser. Drinks, pretty dresses, good music. Not… this. It’s so strange how he’s just snuffed from existence. Did you know Gordon plays poker with him most weeks? It’s part of his regular routine. But now, they won’t ever do that again.”

My gut clenched. I hadn’t realized yet that I’d lost the ground I’d been working on all night. No Neal meant no poker night with his crooked friends.

Not to mention the fact Beth’s casual comment had just raised a whole lot more questions. Neal had claimed his poker night was only for his non-cop friends and the guys on the force who “thought like him.” If Gordon Thackery attended, did that mean he was dirty too?