034 - Best Shot

Liam’s POV

Marcus had just walked in. I could tell by the way he moved—shoulders heavy and face tired—that whatever happened at Luca’s place didn’t go as he hoped. 

Marcus didn’t even bother to sit at first. Just dropped his notepad on the table in front of me and sighed.

“Well?” I asked.

He ran a hand through his hair. “He was calm. Nothing we asked threw him off.”

I picked up the notepad. “You asked him about Alexa?”

“Yeah. He said she was his lover. Said she just left him one day. No note. No warning.”

I stared at Marcus. “And you believed that?”

He shrugged. “He didn’t flinch when I said she was dead. Just nodded and said he knew.”

My eyes narrowed. “How did he say he found out?”

“Friend in London. Big businessman. Apparently has friends in the police.”

“That’s convenient.”

Marcus finally sat. “Yeah. He said he was just coming back from London. Claimed he went to find out what happened.”

I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms. “And did he say what he found?”

“Nothing helpful. Said his friend told him Alexa was found dead, and that the police have the body.”

I rubbed my temple. “And he didn’t ask how she died?”

“That’s what I asked too,” Marcus said. “He said he didn’t ask. Just accepted it.”

I scoffed. “That’s a lie.”

Marcus nodded. “I know. But it’s not enough to hold anything. Right now, for all we know, he’s clean.”

I frowned. “So that’s it?”

“For now,” Marcus said, standing up. “Unless you go undercover and get close to Maria. That’s our best shot now.”

I watched as he walked away. “I’ve got to go make a report,” he called over his shoulder.

And just like that, I was alone.

I sat there for a moment, letting his words sink in. Get close to Maria. That’s what it was all coming down to. But how close? And how far was I willing to go?

I sighed and stood up. Took the stairs to the next floor down, heading toward Dan’s office.

I had asked him to look into Maria’s old place. The one where she said she’d been attacked.

Dan was at his desk when I walked in. He looked up, grinned. “Hey, Liam. Was just thinking about you.”

“Good things, I hope.”

He laughed. “Always. Got some updates for you.”

I pulled a chair and sat. “Let’s hear it.”

Dan flipped open his folder. “So, I had a someone check out Maria’s apartment. There was definitely an attack. Lock was jammed, whole place was torn apart.”

“That matches her story.”

He nodded. “Cameras in the area weren’t much help at first, but we finally got a hit. Someone was caught on the corner camera. Name’s Tobias Ray.” He drew up a file.

I frowned, collecting and opening the file. “Never heard of him.”

“Yeah. You probably never will again either.”

“What do you mean?”

Dan’s smile faded. “He’s dead.”

I leaned forward. “Dead? When?”

“About ten days ago. Looks like he was strangled. But get this—there were strap marks on his wrists and around his body. Like he was tied up first.”

“Jesus…”

Dan nodded. “Someone didn’t want him talking.”

I stared down at the file. “Any criminal history?”

“Minor stuff. Speeding tickets. A few fights. Nothing major. No direct links to Maria, Luca, or any of the other big guys.”

“And the timing lines up?”

“Yeah. About ten days between the apartment break-in and his body turning up.”

I leaned back in my seat, letting out a long breath. “So either he acted on his own… or someone killed him to silence him.”

“Could be,” Dan said. “But I haven’t found anything solid connecting him to anyone yet.”

“Well, keep digging. Something’s got to give.”

Dan nodded. “Of course. Always happy to help.”

I stood and gave him a small smile. “You’d make a damn good detective, Dan.”

“Don’t let the captain hear you say that,” he joked.

I headed back to my office, but my thoughts stayed behind. Everything was twisted. If this Tobias guy had attacked Maria, who sent him? And if Luca didn’t, why was the guy dead?

Unless… unless Luca had him killed after finding out what he did. Maybe Maria told him. Maybe Luca was protecting her.

I sighed.

Only one way to find out.

I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts. 

It had been a long while since I contacted her, but I still had Maria’s number. I was glad I didn’t delete it. And I hoped she hadn’t changed it.

I stared at the screen for a second before typing.

“Hey, it’s Liam. I found something about the break-in at your old apartment. Can we meet?”

I didn’t hit send right away. I thought about it. About whether this was right. But then I remembered what Marcus said.

This was our best shot.

So I hit send.

Then I waited.

Five minutes passed. I kept checking my phone like some impatient teenager. Tried to stop myself from calling. I even locked the screen and dropped it on the table.

But then, a ping.

I snatched it up.

“Where do you want to meet?”

I smiled. She replied.

We were in.