Page 132 of Kai
Cece’s back snapped into a straight line.
I filed that tidbit away. “Where’s that guy now?”
“He got smoked on a mission, or so I heard.”
“Like you got smoked,” I pointed out.
“Yeah.”
“If you weren’t on the Richard Astor job, then how do you know that Astor House is big-ass and labyrinth-like?”
Levine frowned. “Huh?”
“Your words, not mine.”
“I wasn’t in on the murder job.” He turned his pleading gaze to Cece. “I swear I had nothing to do with that.”
“And yet you described Astor House perfectly,” I pressed.
“I led a unit to search that big-ass mansion in Wyoming.”
“When?”
“Right after someone else offed Richard Astor.”
“How did you get inside?”
“Easy.” The merc shrugged. “We went in through an unlocked backdoor.”
“Security?”
“Someone deactivated the cameras and sensors before we got there.”
I traded glances with Cece. Her murderous expression confirmed she believed the bastard was telling the truth.
“Did you see anyone at the house?” I asked.
“The house was empty.”
“Inside job?”
“That’s what I was told.”
I expected as much. Dagger had not arrived at the scene until two weeks after Richard Astor had passed, and we’d long suspected Li had inside intel. My boss was not gonna be happy about this, but right now, the sun arched toward the horizon. I was short of time and in need of answers to two top questions.
I returned my attention to Levine. “Why did you search Astor House?”
“We were looking for a thumb drive.”
“What was on this thumb drive?”
“The hell if I know,” Levine grunted. “I got orders, not explanations.”
“A thumb drive is a tiny object in a big-ass mansion.”
“Li gave me an exact location inside the house.”
“Well?” I rolled my hand in the air.
