Page 99 of She Belongs to Me

“How much damage did Greg do?” I finally asked, trying to put this into some kind of perspective.

“He supposedly developed a list of people who had it out for organized crime, supplying names to the Greeks. Over the years, from what limited investigation I was able to do, a good number of the people on it have died. A few were by natural causes, but others were inconclusive or mysterious. Nothing as blatant as the beheading a week ago. A few have retired and moved on, but their decisions were rather premature, if you understand what I’m saying.”

The people wanted to live.

I wondered if the list had ever been handed over to Adonis’ father all those years ago. If not, that would make him a target on both sides. Fuck.

“A list? Do you have it?”

Mike snorted. “No, buddy. No one has seen it. Unsubstantiated rumors, but with the death of the union guy, it would appear Adonis Dimitriou is adding to his ‘get rid of’ list. I don’t know why you’re so interested, but you should stay the fuck away from this. Nothing good will come from trying to learn more.”

Nothing good would come. As if I gave a shit.

Other than with Greg. I was more than troubled by what I’d heard, so much so it was almost impossible to concentrate. However, if what Mike was telling me had any truth to it, that would answer a half dozen questions. Including why after learning the identity of Alexandra, they’d kept watch on her. Maybe looking for the list that had been lost?

Maybe he’d thought it was in her possession. I rattled my brain trying to remember what I’d saved. Where the hell had I stored the single box of his information I’d kept?

The attic maybe.

It was worth going through.

“Is it possible my buddy was killed by a member of the police department?” I knew my question was out of the blue, but worth asking. I expected Mike to laugh or derail the thought immediately.

But he was quiet.

Too quiet.

“Mike?”

His sigh was heavy. “You didn’t hear this from me and I can’t provide you with any additional information at this point. You got it?”

The man was scared. “Fine. What do you know?”

“Supposedly your friend ruffled enough feathers it was determined he was an issue. I can’t tell you who killed him, but I can tell you that people were glad when he was dead. He pissed a lot of people off.”

They were hoping the list died with him.

But I had a feeling it hadn’t.

The killing had continued over the years. However, if a copy had been kept, willed to Alexandra, that would certainly end the killing spree and put Adonis behind bars for the rest of his life.

A witness of a brutal crime was one thing. But the daughter of the man who’d held their souls in the palm of his hand was an invitation Adonis couldn’t ignore.

I wasn’t certain I bought any of this. Greg had been a good guy. He’d been so above the law we’d stopped talking about our families during the last couple of years. I’d admired the man for being able to provide a decent representation to some bad people without destroying his morals.

However, the fact he’d been requested by various crime syndicates hadn’t placed him in the good graces of law enforcement either. I’d even warned him that his enthusiasm would get the better of him. I’d agreed with his father that he needed to choose something else. He’d had options. He’d told me about several job offers. Why hadn’t he taken one of them? Maybe he’d be alive.

Politics were impossible to ignore no matter what country you lived in. There were always morally gray individuals who attempted to have their cake and eat it too. But I had a terrible feeling the heat was building to another explosive level.

My original thought about Alexandra and what she’d stumbled onto still applied. She was the single entity who could derail the system.

And send dozens of people to prison.

Destroying all she owned had been a disheartened attempt at eliminating anything Greg might have left as a protection for his life. If the man was smart, he would have kept documentation.

If found, that would put the fear of God into anyone.

And place a huge red target on Alexandra’s back. Sadly, in my mind I wondered if the information they were seeking was located in the few boxes she’d acquired over two decades before or it they’d been destroyed.