Chapter 9 - THE CASINO OWNER'S LAST SECRET
The Obsidian Mirage had been owned for twenty years by a man named Leonard Vale.
He was seventy-one.
Wealthy.
Private.
And deeply connected to Las Vegas's underground gambling world.
After the assassination attempt, investigators questioned him.
At first, he denied everything.
Then Evelyn discovered something.
Leonard had been receiving payments from Marcus for six years.
The payments were disguised as consulting fees.
But they corresponded with private vault bookings.
Security system outages.
And access to restricted areas.
Damian stared at the records.
“Leonard helped him.”
Evelyn nodded.
“Yes.”
I looked at the photographs.
“Did he know about the explosive device?”
Evelyn hesitated.
“We don't know yet.”
Then she showed us another image.
A security still from the night of the attack.
It showed Marcus entering a service corridor.
Beside him stood Leonard.
And behind them—
A man I recognized.
My stomach dropped.
“That's the guard.”
Damian looked at me.
“The one behind the glass?”
I nodded.
Evelyn leaned closer.
“His name is Simon Rourke.”
Simon had worked as Marcus's chief bodyguard for eight years.
He'd previously served as a private security contractor.
But the records revealed something else.
Eight years earlier, Simon had been assigned to security at the warehouse where my father died.
I stared.
Damian's expression hardened.
“He was there.”
Evelyn nodded.
“Yes.”
My hands shook.
For eight years, I'd believed my father's death was a tragic accident.
Now I knew the people responsible had continued working together.
Smiling.
Making money.
Living freely.
I looked at Damian.
“I want them held accountable.”
He nodded.
“So do I.”
Then I added:
“Legally.”
Damian looked at me.
I continued.
“My father believed in protecting people. I'm not going to honor him by becoming like Marcus.”
May you like
Damian's eyes softened.
“Neither am I,” he said.
