Divorced! Now what?
Chapter 160

Horandeze POV

My Maria and I were on board the yacht, and as we sailed through calm waters, I watched my Maria sunbathe on deck. She may be getting on now and is more rounded than she should be. She no longer has a figure to speak of, but she is still my wife, and I enjoy cuddling up to her warm body and not those skinny ones. So many young men drawl over thin women, but I prefer women like my Maria, more to get hold of and not worry if they will break. Maria is not afraid to put on her bathers and lie down; she knows she is loved and protected. Other than a little extra weight, Maria has maintained her body and still looks as gorgeous as she did on the day we met.

'We shall be docking tomorrow just after dinner,' the captain informed me. He is a good pilot and has gotten me out of a few tight spots. We are staying here for a week. I hope to find out where Peter is and take him home. The whole syndicate in this region is missing, and I won't say too much as I lack information. The small amounts my contact has managed to get for me will at least give me directions to start my own investigation.

The lawyer from Peter's firm said Peter was taken to court, and the judge refused bail for everyone involved in the case. They need to find out where they are all held. How does his lawyer need to learn where he is being held? How can that be? It is beyond me; indeed, he has the right to counsel.

Or is his council holding back information on me? I'll be sure to find out soon.

While Maria and I ate on the deck, the city's lights appeared. It was a magnificent sight to behold.

'Look, Sugar. Is that where we are going?' Maria pointed to the lights in the distance, excited to see the lights.

'Yes, darling, that is where we are going! A few hours later, we stood on the deck and watched the ship dock at a private marina, and a chauffeur collected us and took us to the villa. Maria showered and headed to bed, and I left to scope out the place that my contact said was where Pam would be for her wedding. He had to wine and dine a woman and slip a little something into her drink to get the information, but what little he got at least gave me a starting point.

Since the precinct members we used before are all in a holding cell somewhere, I was trying very hard not to get angry over how badly this section was managed. I thought Peter had this all under his control. It looks like I may have put him in charge a little too

soon.

What the hell has been going on over there, and why was I not kept informed?

This did not look good for this branch of the syndicate; I should have been included in all the arrests and losses as they occurred.

I hired a car, not in my name, and drove around the area, picking out the best spot to climb up high and see the houses' backyards. I might be getting older, but I can still climb a tree or two. I have kept in shape over the years and trained hard to stay at the top of the game. Anyone who sees the slightest weakness thinks they can take you down.

I selected a tall pine tree and shimmied up the trunk until I could see into the people's backyards. I removed my scope from my pocket and looked around; I am a long-range sniper and was trained in the army. When I was young, it was at a time when all men aged sixteen to twenty needed to spend time in the military. And I used that time to hone my skills. I can still hit a target with reasonable accuracy. That time hardened us young men into the strong men we are today. They should bring that back. Many young people today have too much time on their hands, and it is challenging to help and guide them. When the military worked for me, an angry young man, I was back then, lost and needed direction, and because of my experience, I think it could help others. It was easy to spot which house was going to have the wedding. There were marquees set up, and decorations were around the place. They had a patrol, walking around the yard, and I could see two security men out front. They were smoking from the look of it. Obviously, they were expecting trouble to have all this protection. Mind you, if what I have been told is accurate, and they are in that house now, it should be standard practice to have security like this. I will give them credit for trying to be careful. Happy I had found a good place for tomorrow, I shimmied back and headed to my contact. I want to find out what has been going on.

The man was not home, and his house looked like it had been ransacked recently. The result could have been better. I needed to speak with him. Maybe he has done a runner. Once I have completed the other task, I will find out one way or another.

I walked the streets for a bit, talking to some homeless people. I entered a few bars, hunting for information, and found very little. It was rare to find a place so tight-lipped. I could not even use some money to get information. The few I tried said that they could not help me with information that was not known; a whole precinct was arrested and taken away, including a judge and lots of high-profile people. But there has yet to be a word on the streets about where they were taken.

Frustrated, I headed back home and to bed. Tomorrow, Maria will go to a spa and have her hair and nails done, while I go and have a little bit of fun at a wedding. I took a quick shower, and soon, I was snuggled up behind my good lady. Sleep came quickly, as it always does.

After breakfast, I retook the car and dropped Maria off at the beauty salon. I headed to the wedding. The place out front has a lot of cars heading in already; the more they have at this wedding, the better; once I have shot a few rounds in the crowd, panic will give me time to climb down the tree and escape. Mind you, I am on the next street over, but I can't risk too much traffic blocking me. I have my car parked in a kiddie's playground area.

I can see Bob, who I have just learned is the new head of police, and I know I would never be able to bribe him. Then there is Jacko. He rose to the ranks quickly and has been a pain for the Syndicate's businesses. I think he is the one behind arresting my heir. Then there is Hank, good ole Hank. He saved one of my men's lives, but it was under duress. He found it hard to remove the bullet from my man's chest while I held a gun to his head. Scott, well, that is a whole different reason. I killed his Dad years ago, and Scott has been after my hide ever since. I can't blame him; I would have been the same. He has grown into a fine young man; he is good at his job and adapts quickly to anything I can throw at him. It will be interesting to see how he handles this one.

I watched the two brides arrive, and, yes, as brides go, they looked beautiful; one seemed to really stand out. It was going to be a shame to kill such a pretty young lass. They said their vows, and I struggled to pick the perfect moment to shoot. Although I wanted to kill one for my Peter, I had an immense urge to kill the other one first; I was at war with myself as to which one, constantly moving the sights of the rifle from one to the other. I had to choose quickly, or my best opportunity would be lost. The look of such love on one of the girls' faces chose for me. If they love each other that much, that girl should go first. It will hurt the most. I have nothing against this girl; she is pretty and seems to be lovely, but I need revenge. I took a calming breath and set my sights on the girl. A red dot appeared on her chest, and I pulled the trigger.

Nate POV

I proudly stood at the front, watching Bethany marry Theo. I had become rather fond of those two.

When I leaned forward to give the rings to Bob and Pam, I noticed a flash of light or something coming from the trees to my left. I stood back as they placed the ring on their fingers, watching the trees, trying to figure out what had caught my eye. When I moved forward to present the rings to Bethany and Theo, I saw the light again, a reflection of light from glass or something like that. As kids, we used mirrors, each to signal each other, and that was this kind of reflection, but why up in a tree and now? I looked back and saw the hint of red light roaming Bethany's white dress, and I knew immediately what it was. I rushed forward to the ladies; the moment the red dot found Bethany's chest, I could not let her die. I pulled both ladies down as I felt pain hit me in the back, and I blacked out.