A Chip and a Chair (Seven of Spades, #5)(10)

“Levi,” Martine said slowly, “Gibbs worships you. It’s why he’s always hanging around you, getting in your face, deliberately annoying you so you’ll pay attention to him. You’re his hero, his role model; you always have been. In fact, if he were at all inclined toward guys, I’d think he has a massive crush on you.”

Levi looked to Dominic for confirmation.

“She’s right. Gibbs’s attitude toward you is one of the strongest arguments in favor of him being the Seven of Spades, not against it.” And while Dominic had never gotten the vibe that Gibbs was sexually attracted to Levi, he wouldn’t have been shocked to learn otherwise.

His eyebrows drawing together, Levi opened his mouth-but closed it a few seconds later without saying anything and began pacing again, his movements even more agitated this time.

Dominic frowned, watching the way Levi’s shoulders were creeping up toward his ears and his hands were flexing open and shut. Escalating stress could result in a rage-fueled outburst if Levi lost control of himself.

Martine hesitated before saying, “Finally, we have Leila.”

“I can’t,” said Levi, his voice tight.

“Then I will.” Martine’s tone was calm and matter-of-fact. “Leila moved to Las Vegas last March, one month before the murders began, right after losing her father to a horrific hate crime. Her position in the DA’s office gives her access to all of the information needed for victim selection, as well as the knowledge required to leave pristine crime scenes. She’s one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met, more than capable of pulling off every single one of the Seven of Spades’s feats.”

Though Dominic hated to add to Levi’s distress, this needed to be discussed. “She’s also a highly trained fighter, by far the most proficient of everyone on the list. She’s no stranger to violence, and she knows how to handle herself.”

“She’s misanthropic, perpetually bored, and totally lacking in empathy for the Seven of Spades’s victims,” Martine said. “She stood with us at Judge Harding’s crime scene, looked right at the gruesome way he’d been set up, and didn’t even blink. She actually gave us the reason the killer had targeted him. And her essential personality-”

Levi spun around. “Is a lot like mine?”

“That’s not-”

“Let’s just say it. Rohan theorized that the Seven of Spades doesn’t just admire me, but that they identify with me on a deep level. And after-”

Levi cut himself off as Dominic’s pulse slammed into overdrive. Don’t look at me, Dominic thought as he continued petting Rebel casually. Whatever you do, do not look at me.

Although deception had never been Levi’s strong suit, he managed to keep his eyes off Dominic, dropping his gaze to the ground instead and clearing his throat. Martine raised her eyebrows.

Dominic and Levi both knew the full extent of how profoundly the Seven of Spades identified with Levi. The killer had recently lured him into a trap in an attempt to force him into murdering Scott West, one of the men who’d attacked him in college, under the belief that such an act would cement their connection and bring them closer together. But Martine was in the dark about the entire incident-because in the end, it’d been Dominic who’d killed West.

“Well, let’s just say I believe it.” Levi lifted his head as he recovered from his near-slip, and Dominic’s heart rate returned to normal. “Of all the people on the list, Leila is the one I have the most in common with, the one most likely to identify with me.”

Martine shrugged. “She does identify with you. She insinuated herself into your life right before Barton was murdered-”

“She was assigned to a case we were working!”

“How do we know she didn’t ask for that case? She created a connection with you by telling you she believed Keith had been framed. She initiated a friendship, spent months bonding with you, and came to your rescue in Boulder City when you were arrested.”

“I’ve been delving deep into Leila’s life the past couple of weeks,” Dominic said. “She’s lived here for a year now, and you are the only person she has a significant emotional attachment to outside her family.”

Levi clenched his jaw and looked away, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“What’s your counterpoint, Levi?” Martine asked.

“She’s my friend,” he said quietly.

Martine lowered her head. Dominic gave Rebel one final pat, got to his feet, and tugged Levi’s hands free of his pockets, squeezing them until Levi met his eyes.

“Any way this turns out is going to suck,” he said. “Big-time. There’s no answer to the Seven of Spades’s identity that isn’t going to hurt.”

“I know.” Levi stepped closer to Dominic and laced their fingers together. “So what’s our next move? All of our evidence is circumstantial; it’s not anywhere near enough to make an arrest. If Leila is the Seven of Spades, and she figures out we’re on to her before we have all our ducks in a row, that’s game over.”

“I can put her under surveillance. Home, car, office, the whole nine yards.”

“Ah, ah!” Martine said, clapping her hands over her ears.

Dominic raised his eyebrows. “You’re sitting in front of folders full of information I obtained illegally.”