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I clenched my jaw against a flinch. My fingers remained unchomped.
“Who else?” I demanded.
“Ezra had a meeting with a few of the lesser underlings.” Gideon mentioned a few more names. “A couple of members from the Mont X crew came by. And, of course, the groupies and the cleaning staff are pretty much always around.”
Mont X. I recognized the name—they were a small outfit on the fringes of the Bend. “What did the Mont X guys want?”
Gideon shrugged. “We weren’t part of that meeting, but chances are they were offering Ezra more access to their territory in exchange for his backing in some business endeavor.”
“And did he give them it?” Maybe Titus had intervened and pissed them off—
But Rowan’s nod cut off that line of thinking. “They left looking happy, so I think that’s safe to say.”
Gideon cut a glance at him as if he resented anyone else intruding on his role as purveyor of all important information. At the same moment, another scaled body glided just beneath my fingertips, its upper fin tickling my skin.
Another piranha getting cozy with me, and I still hadn’t lost so much as a nibble of flesh. My arm was getting a little stiff propped against the tank, but an unexpected thrill shot through my chest, like the rush I got when I pulled off a particularly dangerous parkour move.
Gideon had dared me, and I was rising to the challenge. Just like I’d keep doing until Colt and his men were nothing but crumbs crunched under my feet.
“That’s everyone?” I asked, my head coming up a little higher.
Gideon eyed me. I couldn’t tell whether he was pleased that I was passing his test or annoyed. “Those were all the people who could have had access to the fire escape, as far as we know.”
Kaige nodded. “And some of them, like the Mont X guys—they left before the actual murder happened.”
“There’s always a chance someone we didn’t know about slipped through our security,” Gideon admitted with obvious reluctance. “No system is infallible.”
Well, that didn’t help me at all. “Okay, forget that, then. Who had Titus pissed off lately, whether you know they were near the house that day or not?”
“Plenty of people, I’m sure,” Gideon said coolly. “He did a lot of work enforcing the Nobles’ authority. But he was very good at it. I can’t imagine many people would have thought it worth the risk of carrying out a grand plan to get revenge just on him, one that would have put them in far more danger than he ever threatened them with.”
Kaige snorted in agreement. “Most of these crews are like Trent’s. You saw what wimps they were.”
“Hey, I’m trying to come up with a convincing story for how it could beanyoneother than you,” I reminded him. But I had to admit I was grasping at straws here. I snatched at another one. “Who was the last person who talked to Titus before the murder?”
“Other than the murderer, that appears to be Axel,” Gideon said. “They were both on patrol that night, and they’re friendly, so they talked a bit before setting off to cover their respective routes. He didn’t tell Anthea anything useful, though.”
Damn. Frustration raked through me, and my fingers twitched of their own accord. I snapped back to stillness, my pulse hiccupping.
Two of the piranhas swam closer. Were their teeth jutting even more avidly from their brutal jaws?
They flitted past my hand and continued through the tank. A rush of adrenaline replaced the fear in my gut.
What was the worst that could happen anyway? If they took one chomp, I’d just pull my hand out. The pain would only be momentary. There was a kind of power in knowing that I was tempting fate and doing it despite that, not letting the instinctive fear control me.Idecided when I was done here.
“Do you know exactly when Titus died?” I asked. “I assume people noticed pretty quickly.” A guy that big wouldn’t have hit the ground quietly.
Gideon nodded. “People ran over to see what was going on as soon as they heard him fall. That was eleven thirty at night, from what they’ve reported. He started his patrol a little before eleven on the first floor, so he definitely couldn’t have been dead all that long before he was shoved. I’d assume they happened nearly simultaneously.”
That would make sense. Why would the killer want to hang around with his body, risking getting caught, rather than getting on with their scheme to make it look like an accident? I glanced at Kaige. “And you don’t have any alibi for that time?”
He held up his hands with a crooked smile. “I was in my room asleep. Without company, sadly. I didn’t even know the prick had kicked the bucket until I came down to breakfast the next morning. No one thought to accuse me until later that day once they got the autopsy and examined the railing by daylight.”
Obviously if he’d had proof he couldn’t have been there, this wouldn’t be a problem to begin with. At least I had a small window of time to focus on now.
The water currents rippled against my skin. I glanced down at the piranhas, but my fear was completely gone now, replaced by the almost giddy sensation that’d been building in me. I found myself welcoming it.
Gideon was watching me closely, and I didn’t know if he could tell that I wasn’t afraid anymore. But there was something in his eyes that I could almost swear was grudging respect. I’d have enjoyed it more if the hint of admiration on his striking face hadn’t sent a twinge of attraction right between my legs.
